As we close out another year, I want to ask you something important:

Are you living by distraction—or by direction?

Many of us enter a new year full of good intentions, but not clear direction. We stay busy, yet not fulfilled. We serve everyone else’s needs but lose sight of who God is calling us to become.

That’s why we created Empowered to Change—a 6-month coaching journey to help you move from confusion to clarity, from reaction to response, from surviving to living with purpose.

Enrollment is open now, and our January groups are already filling fast.

👉 Join Empowered to Change Now

By Leslie Vernick

Every January, we tend to do the same thing. We buy new planners. Make new promises. Set new goals.

But here’s the truth: busyness doesn’t equal growth.

You can fill every square on your calendar and still feel empty. You can serve in ten ministries, manage everyone’s needs, and yet drift far from the life God is calling you to live.

A woman once told me, “I’m exhausted, Leslie. I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
Maybe you feel that too.

Friend, Jesus never lived that way. He was never rushed. Never reactive. Never ruled by others’ demands. He knew His mission. He knew when to speak and when to be still.

That’s what it means to live by a compass instead of a clock.

The clock measures time. The compass points in a direction. And when your soul is led by God’s truth—not by guilt, fear, or hurry—you begin to walk differently.

You start asking, “What is mine to do—and what is not?”

You begin to choose rest over rush. Truth over pretending. Purpose over pressure.

That’s the shift we walk through together in Empowered to Change.

Over six months, you’ll learn how to:

• Identify the false beliefs that keep you stuck in people-pleasing or passivity.

• Build new habits of thought and action grounded in biblical truth.

• Discern God’s voice above the noise.

Friend, maybe this year wasn’t what you hoped it would be.

But as you step into the next one, remember—God isn’t measuring your pace. He’s guiding your path.

Let Him reset your compass.

“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.” — Isaiah 58:11

by Leslie Vernick

Something Has to Change…

You can’t put it into words, but something is happening to you. Your stomach churns, your heart aches, and the tension in your marriage is making you feel weary and a little crazy. The constant criticism, disrespect, cruelty, deceit, and gross indifference are eroding your confidence and breaking your spirit.

For any woman caught in an emotionally destructive marriage, Leslie Vernick offers a personalized path forward. Based on decades of counseling experience, her intensely practical, biblical advice will show you how to establish boundaries and break free from emotional abuse. Learn to:
– identify damaging behaviors
– gain the skills to respond wisely
– promote healthy change
– stay safe
– understand when, why, and even how to leave
– recognize that God sees and hates what is happening to you

Trying harder to be a perfect fantasy wife won’t help fix what’s wrong your marriage. Discover instead how you can initiate effective changes to stop the cycle of destruction and restore hope for the future.

Two winners will be selected in our next newsletter! (Giveaway only available to U.S. residents)

If you would like to enter to win, you can click here to provide name and email address.

The winners of “The Emotionally Destructive Relationship: Seeing It, Stopping It, Surviving It ” by Leslie Vernick are Julie S. and Deirdre B.

By Leslie Vernick

Question: How do I talk to my husband when he is always right and I’m always the bad one that needs help? He can put me down but I better not ever put him down. He can disrespect me, but I better not disrespect him. He can say bad things about me and my work, but I better not say anything about him?

Answer: The short answer is that it is impossible. You can’t have a meaningful conversation with someone while he or she is putting your down, disrespecting you and saying bad things about you. As you have already discovered, the solution is not to retaliate and respond in kind, which most of us are tempted to do when being treated in that way. That only leads to more strife, abuse and arguments.

So what is the answer? Change begins with you and if you want to change this destructive pattern with your husband you will need to learn to do some new things. First you must accept that this kind of conversation is not only destructive to you as a person, but your marriage and you will have to learn to set limits on his behaviors and disengage when he refuses to stop…

Continue Reading …

“This program changed my life from the inside out. I learned how to renew my mind with God’s truth and finally make choices from strength, not fear. I’m walking into the new year with peace and purpose.”

— Michelle L., Empowered to Change Graduate

Leslie wants to help you grow in your personal and relational effectiveness. Please submit your questions by clicking here.

Then, visit Leslie’s Blog as she posts her responses to one question per week.

Note: Due to the volume of questions that Leslie receives, she is unable to respond to every question.