Published 9 Jan 2026
Courageous leadership
A vision for the new year.
A blog post Women Scholars and Professionals
Let’s start our new year with some conversations about leadership, shall we? First up, we invite you to listen in on the finale of our Fall Book Club. In this podcast episode, we engage in conversation with Rev. Dr. Kate Coleman about her book 7 Deadly Sins of Women in Leadership: Overcome Self-Defeating Behaviour in Work and Ministry. Jasmine Obeyesekere, our book club host, invites Kate to expound on some of the most significant topics that arose in fall semester’s discussion. We hear from several members of the book club as they ask Kate questions of their own, offering a window into the kinds of discussion that take place in these book club meetings. You’ll enjoy the interview even if you haven’t read the book — and you might even wonder about joining this Spring Book Club that kicks off in a few weeks. We hope you do!
“God didn’t call me in spite of who I am but because of who I am … and that’s true of all of us.”
How do our encounters with adversity and difficulty shape our experience of leadership? In our latest episode of The Wise & Courageous Podcast, Kelly Vaughn shares two of the incredible challenges of her life and explores the way people around her impacted her growth in resilience and her values. Host Nancy Pedulla talks with Kelly about her career journey and the way surprises in her pathway impacted her understanding of herself and her passions. Kelly shares about the deep impact our weekly online prayer meetings have had on her spiritual and professional vitality. Perhaps you’d like to join us some Friday? We’d love to have you.
“We say we can do it ourselves, but we can’t — we have to bring others in and work as a community and hear their input-as valued as our own.
A note. If you head to The Well, you might notice a few little things that are different about our website — including a new landing page for Women Scholars & Professionals!
While we’re in the middle of some behind-the-scenes construction, some website features might be on the blink — so let us know if you have trouble finding anything. In the meantime, any new content will be posted here on our Substack page. Thanks for your patience with us!
You’re Invited!
Pray with us in the future! Prayer meetings will resume on January 23. You can join our online, 30-minute guided prayer meetings on Fridays at 8 am, 9 am, and 12 pm (Eastern). Can’t come? Send your prayer requests anyway by emailing us at wsap@intervarsity.org.
Pick up a copy of Miroslav Volf’s The Cost of Ambition: How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse and get a head start on reading for our next book club. Registration and more information coming later this month. We hope you will join us!
FROM OUR FRIENDS AT INTERVARSITY PRESS
IVP Faculty exam copies. Professors can request a free exam or desk copy. Register for a professional account to access this benefit!
InterVarsity alums get 40% off! Use promo code IVCFALUMNI40 to get a 40% discount at ivpress.com.
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Believers in Business. Join MBA students and professionals from across the country in New York City, February 27–28, 2026. Registration is now open — early bird pricing through January 15!
Four More Things We Loved This Week
For a Happier New Year, Focus on Your Loved Ones (NY Times, unlocked)
“When we find problems in our priorities, we shouldn’t immediately try to change our behavior. We should start with our hearts.” (Christianity Today, unlocked)
Take a look at the works that have come into the public domain as of January 1, 2026.
Do you struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder? Here are tips to keep the doldrums at bay.