When it comes to spiritual leaders, it’s easy to assume they have it all together. Otherwise, they wouldn\u2019t be leaders, right?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After all, you wouldn\u2019t look to someone who is struggling like you for guidance, would you?<\/span><\/p>\n

From the outside, Dominique Young looks like she has it all: a successful podcast and a growing ministry and family. But the best leaders lead from their own brokenness, seeking to serve others who suffer as they have. Young’s story is no different.<\/span><\/p>\n

She grew up in Virginia, attending church around major holidays. When she was asked to lead a Gospel choir, she said \u201cyes\u201d because she enjoyed music. As a leader, she attended Bible studies and was intrigued. Then one day, she surprised everyone by committing her life to Jesus out of the blue. The group members simply assumed she was already on board with the faith.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

But in fact, the reason was more personal:\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cI thought that giving my life to Jesus and really running after him would in turn get rid of the mental health struggles I was dealing with. But it didn\u2019t happen that way,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Young reflected.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Young suffered from anxiety her entire life, and it was lonely. <\/span>\u201cMy emotion was overwhelming. My body would respond, usually by uncontrollably shaking, and sometimes tears,\u201d <\/span><\/i>she said.<\/span> \u201cThe more you think about things during it, the worse it gets.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

So, she became really good at recognizing the early signs of an attack, so she could sequester herself away from others when one occurred, thereby keeping her secret.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/span>\u201cI felt like I was a disappointment to Jesus,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Young confessed, believing the anxiety meant her faith was weak. She also felt she had to be \u2018perfect\u2019 to be accepted in community or by God. As she struggled with it, she longed for God to free her from its grip.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was like,<\/span><\/i> \u2018Just focus on me, and I will be with you,\u2019\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

So, she kept praying about her experiences, while still hiding them from everyone she knew\u2014including her husband. The secrecy only made things worse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, she had two children in quick succession and experienced postpartum psychosis. <\/span>\u201cThey always talk about postpartum depression, but I didn\u2019t know postpartum psychosis was even a thing,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Young explained. <\/span>\u201cYou literally hear voices. I know that sounds crazy, because it felt crazy,\u201d <\/span><\/i>she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s when she drove herself to see her aunt, one of the few people who knew what was going on. Her aunt insisted that Young go to the hospital immediately. She could no longer hide.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was at the hospital that Young\u2019s husband learned what his wife was going through. <\/span>\u201cMy husband is a super-supportive guy,\u201d <\/span><\/i>Young gushed. <\/span>\u201cHe probably felt kind of sad and disappointed that I didn\u2019t let him know.\u201d<\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The hospital visit lasted three days, and Young says it changed her life. No longer would she pray for change without anyone knowing. Instead, she gave up her life of appearance-keeping, no matter what it took.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI began to realize that part of this healing journey of wellness I was on required community,\u201d<\/span><\/i> she recalled. But the communities she was already in were not structured for genuine, deep relationships. Then, she had an idea.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her social media could become a place to connect. <\/span>\u201cI wondered whether there were moms out there who were having a hard time getting out of the house,\u201d<\/span><\/i> she said. So, in April 2017, she started a Facebook group with 19 other moms. The connections multiplied as moms shared what they had found.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now faced with the prospect of creating content to serve her new audience, Young started the <\/span>Faith Mamas Podcast<\/span><\/i> and launched an app. The audience soon grew to over 2,000 moms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a place where it\u2019s okay to be Christian and honest,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Young said. The common thread the moms shared? The desire to stop pretending like they had it all together just because they believe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ve noticed,\u201d<\/span><\/i> she mused, <\/span>\u201cis that a lot of people just don\u2019t want to go through this alone.\u201d <\/span><\/i>Her message to them is not that God will fix everything. Rather, God will walk through the most difficult parts of life with them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Young\u2019s content invites women to read the Bible and pray simply. \u201c<\/span>A lot of moms are like,<\/span><\/i> \u2018Can we do that?\u2019\u201d she chuckled. <\/span>\u201cI didn\u2019t know it was going to be that way, but a lot of women thought they needed a bunch of other tools to have a relationship with God.\u201d<\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

This year, the Faith Mama’s Podcast <\/i><\/span>as big plans. They recently launched a new app for delivering all the resources Young is creating. She\u2019s also taking the podcast live on Sunday evenings to give moms a chance to ask questions in real time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Young learned that she does not have to be perfect to lead a group of growing\u2014but great\u2014moms. She merely needs to show up, be authentic, and start a conversation to lead her community. That\u2019s great hope for moms everywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 2021 Issue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to spiritual leaders, it’s easy to assume they have it all together. Otherwise, they wouldn\u2019t be leaders, right?\u00a0 After all, you wouldn\u2019t look to someone who is struggling like you for guidance, would you? From the outside, Dominique Young looks like she has it all: a successful podcast and a growing ministry and family. But the best leaders lead from their own brokenness, seeking to serve others who suffer as they have. Young’s story is no different. She grew up in Virginia, attending church around major holidays. When she was asked to lead a Gospel choir, she<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":10144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[918,916,917,562,563],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n