001 | Podcast Introduction - My journey, testimony and why I started this podcast - Christianity, Leadership, Faith

Welcome to the Women of Faith in Leadership Podcast.

In this very first episode of the podcast, I share my journey, my testimony and why I started this podcast.

I was born and raised in South Africa and grew up in the church, surrounded by friends, family and colleagues (eventually) that were all Christian. I also met my husband in the church.

My husband, myself and our 2.5-year-old daughter immigrated to Australia in 2014 and it was only really then, that I understood the true meaning of being a Christian. I was surrounded by non-believers and I was 1 of only 2 people at my new workplace in Australia. My faith and relationship with the Lord grew immensely during a very tough time. Some people purposefully went out of their way to be mean, blaspheme, and use the Lord's name in vain in front of me. There were also a lot of worldly discussions about what they did on the weekend and I just didn't get involved in any of those conversations. Gossip was also rampant in that workplace and to be honest, it was a toxic environment. I was culture-shocked for a while, wondering if we had made the right decision to move from South Africa to Australia. It was a tough time and I had to stand firm in my beliefs and in my faith. The Lord has blessed me truly for my faithfulness in Him and my trust in Him. 

Skip a couple of years and a few other work environments, I had the wonderful opportunity to lead a team. I knew this was my time to decide what workplace culture I wanted, not only for me but for my team. I wanted my team to thrive at work, to enjoy coming to work and for that to happen, there could be no gossip, no negativity, no fixed mindsets. So I had to go to work. That time was tough as well because I had to weed out the people who refused to change. I definitely ruffled some feathers and a lot of people were upset with me. However, I also had great supporters and people who were in my corner wanting the same thing as me. But overall, I had God in my corner.

I prayed a lot during that time and God showed me the way. He gave me the necessary tools and steps I needed to take to get rid of gossip... for good! in my upcoming From Gossip to Growth program (launching in 2024), you will be able to learn these steps and with my support and God behind you, you'll be able to get rid of gossip in your workplace as well. If you'd like to put your name down on the waiting list for the program, please fill out this form: No-More-Gossip Program waiting list.

I became really passionate during this time about workplace culture and started understanding why it was crucial that I maintained a positive and constructive workplace culture. COVID hit and because we were all like a work family, we were able to support each other immensely.

I believe it is important that you start thinking of your team as your work family. Depending on your working hours, you spend more time at work than what you do at home with your own family. Therefore it is crucial that we realise that the environment at work is in fact important because you spend a lot of time there.

I also share how the Lord called me into the women's ministry and how I always thought He meant in a church. But this podcast is what He meant. When I spent time with Him and in His word, He showed me that this podcast would be the ministry He called me into. I am here to serve you through Him, through His glory. 

So, if you have been engulfed in a toxic workplace environment with an organisational / workplace culture that isn't ideal, then you are in the right place!

Stay tuned, because, in the next episode, I will be discussing 'What is workplace culture and why you should care about it'.

Directly after that, I will be delving into a Gossip series where I will be discussing what gossip is, how it differs from everyday office chatter, what the bible says about gossip, what are the consequences of gossip and why we can't afford to just ignore it.

Next steps:

1. Navigate to https://www.womenoffaithinleadership.com where you can:

• Join the community of like-minded female Christian leaders. This is where I will be hanging out if I'm not on the podcast chatting to you all. Come share and support each other here. 
• Subscribe to my newsletter so you can stay up to date with all upcoming episodes and any other exclusive or special offers.

2. If you need any support, you can get in contact with me for a 1:1 coaching call, simply email me at support@rikawhelan.com

3. Sign up for my upcoming No-More-Gossip Program, where I will be taking you through a step-by-step guide of getting rid of workplace gossip… for good, in your workplace. Sign up here.

I look forward to chatting with you in the next episode. Make sure you don't miss it!