Pick Up Your Mat & Keep Moving

Pastor Joel from Endeavor Church gave one of those messages at the Forever, Changed Wellness Experience that stays with you long after the room empties. I think many of us needed to hear it more than we realized.

One thing he spoke about that really hit home for me was how sometimes the people closest to you or even people quietly watching from a distance can diminish your talents, your accomplishments, your calling, or the big ideas God placed inside of you. Not always loudly. Sometimes subtly. Sometimes through doubt. Sometimes through lack of support. Sometimes through making you feel like your dreams are “too much.”

As entrepreneurs, creatives, visionaries, and women trying to build meaningful lives, that can be incredibly discouraging. Especially when you’re already tired. Especially when you’ve fought through grief, heartbreak, burnout, rejection, financial stress, or disappointment just to keep showing up.

Pastor Joel reminded us that even when people fail to recognize what’s inside of you, it does not make your purpose any less real. That part stayed with me. There have been many moments over the last few years where I questioned everything. After unexpectedly losing my Dad in 2022, I was trying to survive emotionally while still running businesses, creating events, showing up publicly, and carrying responsibilities that didn’t stop just because my heart was broken.
​
There were seasons where I felt unsupported. Seasons where opportunities disappeared. Seasons where I wondered if what I was building even mattered anymore. And yet somehow, every time I wanted to quit completely, God kept whispering: keep going.

During his message, Pastor Joel referenced the idea of “picking up your mat and walking.” And whew. That landed deeply for me. Sometimes life will have you emotionally laying on the floor. Grief will. Rejection will. Entrepreneurship definitely will. But there comes a moment where healing requires movement, not perfection, not having all the answers. Not having every sponsor, every opportunity, or every ounce of confidence figured out.

Just movement. Picking up your mat anyway. Getting up anyway.
Trying again anyway. I think that’s what Forever, Changed has really been about for me. Not pretending life hasn’t hurt me. Not pretending grief didn’t change me. But learning how to keep moving forward while carrying the weight of everything I’ve survived.

I know so many women feel that way right now too.
People see accomplishments on social media and assume confidence comes easy. They see TV segments, travel, events, partnerships, and photos. But what they don’t always see are the private battles people are fighting to keep going.

That’s why spaces like the Forever, Changed Wellness Experience mattered so much to me. It wasn’t about perfection. It was about honesty. Healing. Community. Faith. Wellness. And reminding women that they are still worthy of their purpose even in difficult seasons.
So if you’ve been doubting yourself lately, questioning your ideas, or allowing other people’s limitations to shrink your vision, let this be your reminder: Pick up your mat and keep moving. Your purpose is still waiting on you