The Idea That Wouldn't Go Away

I recently accepted enrollment and paid my deposit to begin doctoral studies in January at Baylor University.

If you told me last year that I’d be headed back to graduate school again, I would’ve laughed...maybe even rolled my eyes too at the absurdity. This was nowhere on my bingo card.

Until March of this year. Just 7 months ago.

I caught a vision of it during one of my daily business meetings with God, but at the time it was too much to seriously consider. There was a lot going on. Along with my typical business activities, I was:

So I did what I do when I believe an idea is divinely-inspired, yet it makes little to no sense to me. I took little steps at a time. Steps that weren’t immediately consequential in nature, yet allowed for discovery and clarity.

As you read my process, consider how it could apply to your own big decisions.

Step 1 (March): I had a conversation with my two best friends, my husband Phil and my sista-girl Tony. I knew they would both be honest with me and give me food for prayer and thought. They delivered.

Step 2 (March-April): I had a lot of conversations with Claude AI to research programs that might be a good fit. I figured out my non-negotiables and narrowed my options.

Step 3 (April-May): I spoke to admissions counselors and attended virtual information sessions.

Fun fact: Baylor announced that three live attendees of the session would receive a $1,500 scholarship through a random drawing. In my heart, I had an unspoken prayer to receive one as a God wink that I was headed in the right direction. A week later, I got an email congratulating me as one of the winners. While it was a small scholarship, it was a huge gift to receive.

Step 4 (May-June): These were my most intense months, so I mostly leaned into family mode. I also let 5 or 6 more people in on what I was praying about, mostly for accountability and to practice saying out loud that I may be going to graduate school.

Step 5 (July): Now with the move out of the way, I was able to breathe a bit more. I applied to Baylor’s EdD in Learning and Organizational Change program, which meant transcripts, a resume (my first in well over a decade), a personal statement, three recommendation letters, and an interview.

The prayer, soul searching, and research required for my personal statement brought things into clear view.

In March 2025, a full year before I caught a vision of graduate school, I read Hope Rising by Casey Gwinn and Dr. Chan Hellman. And as I saw how hope was operationalized for both personal and organizational transformation, God started to reveal the next phase of my own assignment: to show what grace operationalized could look like, not only for the business owner, but also for teams and organizations.

While I was doing research for my personal statement, I discovered that spiritual leadership theory has a legitimate place in leadership and organizational research, outside of a specific religious context. That was a big deal for me and added fuel to the fire.

Grace is the most powerful and underestimated force in business. I say that with my full chest, after years of working with leaders, from founders to seasoned CEOs and corporate executives. I’ve seen how love was translated into servant leadership, and even hope has made strides in scholarship, but grace hasn’t made that same journey yet, and I want to be a part of that. What would it look like for grace to have that kind of seat at the table?

Writing that statement, I could see the whole adventure since I left corporate America in 2010, along with the vision God has given me for the next decade.

Going back to school was the next unexpected chapter of the story.

Step 6 (August): I got my acceptance news and was pretty excited, though only a small handful of people even knew I had applied.

Step 7 (September): In September, I accepted enrollment and paid my deposit. And just like that, it was official. I didn’t intend to make a public announcement, but I got the strong sense that I was supposed to.

And now, in October, I’m sharing this with you.

I didn't share all of this just to tell you I'm going back to school. I shared it because the way I got here is an example of grace in action.

If you’re familiar with The Grace Effect framework, you may notice three of its elements at work.

Ground: The vision for graduate school came during one of my daily business meetings with God. That intentional space to pause and listen is where this all started.

Align: I moved at the speed of wisdom instead of forced urgency. I didn’t have to decide everything at once. I took a small step at a time. The process slowed down at times, but it didn’t stop, and clarity came in motion. Grace doesn't require you to grind your way to clarity. 

Embody: Sharing this with you is part of modeling the very process I’m inviting you into.

A couple more things:

Let the right people in early. Phil and Tony didn’t make the decision for me, but their honest counsel helped me see more clearly.

Pay attention to the God winks. That scholarship was a small but meaningful confirmation. You can’t force or orchestrate confirmation, but you can keep an eye and ear open for it. 

A year ago, a doctorate wasn't anywhere on my bingo card. Now I have a deposit paid and a January start date.

So let me ask you: what idea have you been setting aside because it doesn't make sense right now, but it simply won’t go away?

You don't have to figure it all out today.

What's one small step you could take this week?