The Female Church Leaders Podcast

Kadi Cole

The Female Church Leaders Podcast with Kadi Cole offers practical tools and biblical insight for women leading in the local church. Each week, Kadi shares real stories, leadership strategies, and spiritual encouragement to help you grow in confidence, sharpen your skills, and lead with clarity. Whether you’re on staff, volunteering, building a ministry, or stepping into new levels of leadership, you’ll find wisdom, hope, and a community of female church leaders who get it - and are cheering you on!

  1. 14h ago

    FCLP 38 | How to Know When It's Time to Move a Volunteer to a Staff Role

    In this insightful leadership episode of the Female Church Leaders Podcast, Kadi Cole tackles one of the hardest calls in ministry leadership: knowing when a volunteer role is ready to become a staff role. She walks through three specific symptoms that signal a shift is due, plus how to leverage unpaid staff roles when budgets are tight. You'll gain a way to tell whether someone is ready to lead a team, not just do the tasks, what actually separates an unpaid staff role from being a committed volunteer, and a simple next step for evaluating a role you've been questioning. This week I'm teaching The Competency Gap Live Training live - register here! TIMESTAMPS 03:57 – Volunteer vs. staff: it's about expectations, not pay 04:02 – Symptom 1: role has outgrown volunteer capacity 05:11 – Symptom 2: high volunteer leadership turnover 06:18 – Symptom 3: role is holding back other ministries 11:21 – Acts 6: the biblical model for delegating ministry 13:22 – Resources: Stewardship Case guide & upcoming training Resources mentioned: Make Your Stewardship Case; www.kadicole.com/stewardship Next Steps and Resources: Take the Quiz: Identify your growth gap with our Sticky Floor Quiz at www.femalechurchleaders.com.Join a Cohort: Be part of our next Closing the Leadership Gap cohort for guided coaching and monthly Q&A with Kadi. Visit www.closingtheleadershipgap.com to learn more.Stay Connected: Follow us on Instagram @femalechurchleaders for daily encouragement and leadership tools.Spread the Word: If you found this episode helpful, please follow, rate, and share the podcast to help us reach more female church leaders.Tune in and get ready to lead with clarity, strength, and joy. Your calling matters, and we're here to support you every step of the way!

  2. Sep 7

    FCLP 37 | The 5 Biggest Mistakes Women Make When Asking Their Church to Invest in Them

    In this relevant leadership episode of the Female Church Leaders Podcast, Kadi Cole explores why advocating for your own development can feel more complicated than advocating for everyone else’s. Drawing from conversations with senior pastors and executive leaders, she identifies five common mistakes women make when asking their church to invest in their growth. You’ll gain practical insight into approaching development as stewardship, making a stronger case for investment, and navigating the conversation in a way that honors both your leadership growth and the church you serve. This week I'm teaching The Competency Gap Live Training live - register here! TIMESTAMPS 01:48 – Mistake #1: Waiting for someone else to invest in your growth  04:23 – Mistake #2: Not showing how your development benefits the church  06:11 – Mistake #3: Not preparing to make it an easy yes  07:21 – Mistake #4: Failing to be honest and honoring  08:29 – Mistake #5: Assuming a full yes is the only good answer  11:13 – Resource: Make Your Stewardship Case & Closing the Leadership Gap cohort Resources mentioned: Make Your Stewardship Case; www.kadicole.com/stewardship Next Steps and Resources: Take the Quiz: Identify your growth gap with our Sticky Floor Quiz at www.femalechurchleaders.com.Join a Cohort: Be part of our next Closing the Leadership Gap cohort for guided coaching and monthly Q&A with Kadi. Visit www.closingtheleadershipgap.com to learn more.Stay Connected: Follow us on Instagram @femalechurchleaders for daily encouragement and leadership tools.Spread the Word: If you found this episode helpful, please follow, rate, and share the podcast to help us reach more female church leaders.Tune in and get ready to lead with clarity, strength, and joy. Your calling matters, and we're here to support you every step of the way!

  3. Aug 31

    FCLP 36 | How to Handle Yourself in a Leadership Meeting

    In this practical leadership episode of the Female Church Leaders Podcast, Kadi Cole explores an often-overlooked part of growing your influence: how you show up in the room with other leaders. She unpacks why what we intend to communicate and what others experience can be very different — especially when we're working hard to fit in or prove ourselves. You'll gain a simple READY framework for reading the room, engaging relationally, arriving prepared, delivering value, and supporting team decisions — so you can contribute as a mature, trusted member of the leadership team. TIMESTAMPS 00:47 – Why some strong female leaders get held back from promotion  06:05 – The 5-step READY framework overview  06:17 – R – Read the room  07:08 – E – Engage relationally  08:46 – A – Arrive prepared  09:43 – D – Deliver value  10:41 – Y – Yield to the decision Resources mentioned: The Competency Gap Quiz; thecompetencygapquiz.scoreapp.com Next Steps and Resources: Take the Quiz: Identify your growth gap with our Sticky Floor Quiz at www.femalechurchleaders.com.Join a Cohort: Be part of our next Closing the Leadership Gap cohort for guided coaching and monthly Q&A with Kadi. Visit www.closingtheleadershipgap.com to learn more.Stay Connected: Follow us on Instagram @femalechurchleaders for daily encouragement and leadership tools.Spread the Word: If you found this episode helpful, please follow, rate, and share the podcast to help us reach more female church leaders.Tune in and get ready to lead with clarity, strength, and joy. Your calling matters, and we're here to support you every step of the way!

  4. Aug 24

    FCLP 35 | You May Know How to Get Things Done. But Can You Cast Vision Yet?

    In this strategic leadership episode of the Female Church Leaders Podcast, Kadi Cole explores why the skills that make you effective at one level of leadership aren't always the ones you need for the next. For many female church leaders, implementation is a well-developed muscle — but growing influence also requires the ability to cast compelling vision. You'll gain a practical framework for communicating the WHAT and WHY, learn to distinguish vision from strategy, and strengthen your ability to help people see a preferred future they want to help create. TIMESTAMPS 00:50 - Two leadership muscles: implementation vs. vision casting  01:46 - Why you need both working together  03:07 - The multi-site trap: mistaking strategy for vision  04:50 - Start with Why: connecting to purpose  05:59 - The past-present-future framework  08:58 - Nehemiah's vision cast in scripture Resources mentioned: The Competency Gap Quiz; thecompetencygapquiz.scoreapp.com Next Steps and Resources: Take the Quiz: Identify your growth gap with our Sticky Floor Quiz at www.femalechurchleaders.com.Join a Cohort: Be part of our next Closing the Leadership Gap cohort for guided coaching and monthly Q&A with Kadi. Visit www.closingtheleadershipgap.com to learn more.Stay Connected: Follow us on Instagram @femalechurchleaders for daily encouragement and leadership tools.Spread the Word: If you found this episode helpful, please follow, rate, and share the podcast to help us reach more female church leaders.Tune in and get ready to lead with clarity, strength, and joy. Your calling matters, and we're here to support you every step of the way!

  5. Aug 17

    FCLP 34 | Leading Moms Series: 4 Strategies for the New School Year

    In this timely leadership episode of the Female Church Leaders Podcast, Kadi Cole returns to the Leading Moms series with four practical strategies for navigating the transition into a new school and ministry year. Drawing from her own experience as a working mom and ministry leader, she shares lessons that shaped how she approached this demanding season. You'll gain practical ideas for planning around what matters most, adjusting family responsibilities as seasons change, and creating space to embrace both motherhood and leadership as important parts of God's transforming work in your life. TIMESTAMPS 00:48 - Leading Moms series: back-to-school edition  02:02 - Lessons from the Gifted to Lead conference  04:16 - Strategy 1: School calendar as a "big rock"  08:02 - Strategy 2: Ask your kids what matters most  09:47 - Strategy 3: Rethink outsourcing this year  12:05 - Strategy 4: Reset from summer to school-year mode Resources mentioned: The Competency Gap Quiz; thecompetencygapquiz.scoreapp.com Next Steps and Resources: Take the Quiz: Identify your growth gap with our Sticky Floor Quiz at www.femalechurchleaders.com.Join a Cohort: Be part of our next Closing the Leadership Gap cohort for guided coaching and monthly Q&A with Kadi. Visit www.closingtheleadershipgap.com to learn more.Stay Connected: Follow us on Instagram @femalechurchleaders for daily encouragement and leadership tools.Spread the Word: If you found this episode helpful, please follow, rate, and share the podcast to help us reach more female church leaders.Tune in and get ready to lead with clarity, strength, and joy. Your calling matters, and we're here to support you every step of the way!

  6. Aug 10

    FCLP 33 | The Difference Between Evaluating People and Evaluating Ministry

    In this encouraging leadership episode of the Female Church Leaders Podcast, Kadi Cole explores one of the most overlooked skills in healthy ministry: evaluation. Drawing from two very different ministry cultures, she unpacks why many leaders either avoid honest evaluation or unintentionally create fear around it, and how both extremes limit long-term ministry health. You'll gain practical insight into separating people from programs, creating a culture that celebrates and evaluates well, and using honest feedback to strengthen your ministry without discouraging the people who serve in it. TIMESTAMPS 01:02 - Two unhealthy ministry cultures: fear of critique vs. denial through over-celebration 02:33 - The importance of healthy, honest evaluation (not personal feedback) 02:54 - Challenges of evaluation with volunteer teams 05:39 - Distinguishing between celebration (morale) and evaluation (effectiveness) 06:47 - Practical steps: Separate meetings for celebration and evaluation 06:59 - Key questions for celebration and evaluation meetings Resources mentioned: The Competency Gap Quiz: thecompetencygapquiz.scoreapp.com Next Steps and Resources: Take the Quiz: Identify your growth gap with our Sticky Floor Quiz at www.femalechurchleaders.com.Join a Cohort: Be part of our next Closing the Leadership Gap cohort for guided coaching and monthly Q&A with Kadi. Visit www.closingtheleadershipgap.com to learn more.Stay Connected: Follow us on Instagram @femalechurchleaders for daily encouragement and leadership tools.Spread the Word: If you found this episode helpful, please follow, rate, and share the podcast to help us reach more female church leaders.Tune in and get ready to lead with clarity, strength, and joy. Your calling matters, and we're here to support you every step of the way!

  7. Aug 3

    FCLP 32 | The 3 Biggest Mistakes Leaders Make with Spiritual Gifts

    In this strategic leadership episode of the Female Church Leaders Podcast, Kadi Cole concludes the Spiritual Gifts Summer Series by highlighting three common mistakes that can unintentionally limit both people and ministry. Rather than simply filling roles, this episode reframes leadership as the intentional work of discovering, developing, and stewarding the gifts God has placed within His people. You'll gain practical insight into how spiritual gifts differ from personality and talent, how to recognize gifts in unexpected people, and how small leadership shifts can create a culture where both people and the Kingdom flourish. TIMESTAMPS 02:12 - The purpose of ministry: using ministry to build people, not just fill roles 02:35 - Leadership Mistake #1: Prioritizing personality assessments over spiritual gifts 03:56 - Leadership Mistake #2: Confusing natural talents with spiritual gifts 06:14 - Leadership Mistake #3: Overlooking spiritual gifts in unexpected people 09:35 - Practical action steps: discovering and developing spiritual gifts in yourself and your team Resources mentioned: The Spiritual Gifts Leadership Toolkit: kadicole.com/spiritualgifts Next Steps and Resources: Take the Quiz: Identify your growth gap with our Sticky Floor Quiz at www.femalechurchleaders.com.Join a Cohort: Be part of our next Closing the Leadership Gap cohort for guided coaching and monthly Q&A with Kadi. Visit www.closingtheleadershipgap.com to learn more.Stay Connected: Follow us on Instagram @femalechurchleaders for daily encouragement and leadership tools.Spread the Word: If you found this episode helpful, please follow, rate, and share the podcast to help us reach more female church leaders.Tune in and get ready to lead with clarity, strength, and joy. Your calling matters, and we're here to support you every step of the way!

  8. Jul 27

    FCLP 31 | When Trying Harder Isn't Always the Answer (Spiritual Gifts: Tongues, Interpretation & Wisdom)

    In this grounding leadership episode of the Female Church Leaders Podcast, Kadi Cole concludes the Spiritual Gifts Summer Series by exploring three gifts that remind us leadership isn't only about strategy and stewardship—it's also about dependence on the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Tongues, and Interpretation. This episode offers a thoughtful framework for recognizing when faithful leadership has done all it can do and it's time to seek God's direction in a deeper way. You'll gain practical insight into how these gifts function, why they matter for healthy ministry, and how they help leaders discern when a challenge requires more than simply trying harder. TIMESTAMPS 01:15 - When leadership requires more than better strategy  01:28 - Don't spiritualize manageable things  02:27 - The gift of wisdom explained  03:29 - Where the gift of wisdom shows up in ministry  05:11 - Developing people with the gift of wisdom  05:56 - The gifts of tongues and interpretation introduced  Resources mentioned: The Spiritual Gifts Leadership Toolkit: kadicole.com/spiritualgifts Next Steps and Resources: Take the Quiz: Identify your growth gap with our Sticky Floor Quiz at www.femalechurchleaders.com.Join a Cohort: Be part of our next Closing the Leadership Gap cohort for guided coaching and monthly Q&A with Kadi. Visit www.closingtheleadershipgap.com to learn more.Stay Connected: Follow us on Instagram @femalechurchleaders for daily encouragement and leadership tools.Spread the Word: If you found this episode helpful, please follow, rate, and share the podcast to help us reach more female church leaders.Tune in and get ready to lead with clarity, strength, and joy. Your calling matters, and we're here to support you every step of the way!

5
out of 5
64 Ratings

About

The Female Church Leaders Podcast with Kadi Cole offers practical tools and biblical insight for women leading in the local church. Each week, Kadi shares real stories, leadership strategies, and spiritual encouragement to help you grow in confidence, sharpen your skills, and lead with clarity. Whether you’re on staff, volunteering, building a ministry, or stepping into new levels of leadership, you’ll find wisdom, hope, and a community of female church leaders who get it - and are cheering you on!

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