The Hopeful Woman

UNLEARNING INSECURITY WITH TONI COLLIER

Words by Toni Collier
Illustration by Danielle Coke

Without the presence of hope, we have nothing to fight for, nothing to look forward to, nothing to calm the storms that come pouring down on our lives. And, doesn’t it hurt the worst when we can’t quite figure out what to do with that hurt and pain? There’s this eerie feeling of being hopeless and afraid and alone.

I know that feeling all too well. While I was in elementary school, my mom almost died, and for most of my childhood, I took care of her. I missed a lot of imagination, discovery, wonder, and nurturing. I missed a lot of my childhood. I lost my virginity at 13. I was sexually manipulated and emotionally taken advantage of for years. I grew up way too fast. I looked for validation in all the wrong places and in all the wrong people. I suffered from anxiety, an eating disorder, and chronic insecurity. I was married with a child and divorced by 24. I questioned my purpose. I questioned my faith. And at one point, I even questioned taking my life. 

You know, even the most confident, well-put-together women in the world may have a story of brokenness. And yet, we sometimes feel so alone in that brokenness. So unseen and ashamed. 

My team and I have talked to thousands of women who have struggled with insecurity, shame, divorce, emptiness, eating disorders, infertility, church hurt, and one of the worst; hopelessness. And let’s be real here--we’ve all been through or are going through a moment of absolute doubt and wonder if life would get better, if we’d get stronger mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. Women all over the world have lost their grit to fight for themselves, their purpose, and their hearts. Hope for better and more has died. 

That’s why we created The Hopeful Woman Course. We were tired of seeing women suffer and not have a road map to really navigate it all. 

The Hopeful Woman Course is helping women find true hope and freedom. From finding and sustaining a healthy community, investing in counseling, to the transformative power of one-on-one-time with Jesus, and leaving an emotional legacy. We’re on a mission to help women find and sustain healthy, whole, hopeful lives. And even more than that, we’re helping women do it all while in community. We’ve created private online groups so that women can stare shame in the eyes and say, “I’ve got some women who know the depths of my brokenness, and they love me anyway. Shame, you can’t live here anymore, you’ve been defeated.”

When we asked ourselves the question “why create a course like this?” we thought about ourselves. Brokenness is the one thing in our life that doesn’t show partiality. We all experience it. So, we thought about our pain, our anxieties, and our own stories of brokenness. And the central thread was that at some point we wanted and needed hope. To believe in something again. Our hope is that we have created a lifeline for women that provides digital coaching and an exclusive online community, that bridges the gap between brokenness and hope. Our “why” is you. 

Our team has been writing content week after week, listening and praying with women from all walks of life, filming 50 videos in one day (that was wild), and taking every ounce of our knowledge and packaging it into this easily accessible course. All of the secrets are there, and we want you to experience it.

Our hope is that in a world that gives up because of their brokenness so easily, we would build up and see millions become women of good grit. Who fight for hope in the darkest places. 

No matter what your story of brokenness is, if you're reading this, God still has an incredible plan for you. For all of us. 

And that plan looks like restoration. So as we head full-steam ahead towards the Hopeful Woman Course, we want to prepare our hearts for the good work of becoming women of good grit by offering a FREE 5-day online challenge that we have dubbed "The Broken But Hopeful Challenge." This week has been specifically curated just for you, with a line-up of some of the world's most powerful speakers. Together, we will tackle each night being honest with ourselves, confronting our hurt, and fighting for the restoration of our voices as women, our relationships, our worth, our faith, and our grit. Our hope is that, before you even head to The Hopeful Woman Course Portal, you will have created a space for hurt and hope to coexist in your life. Don't miss these moments!

I, Toni Collier—the founder of Broken Crayons Still Color—want to invite you to join me and millions of women around the world as we go on a journey of finding hope and becoming women of good grit. We’ll see you at The Broken But Hopeful Challenge! Don’t let hope wait, sign up today.

Toni Collier is a communicator and consultant at North Point Ministries, an on-camera personality at The reThink Group, and the co-founder of The Resource Group: A faith based consulting firm. She works to grow churches and businesses in the areas of student ministry, creative marketing, leadership, innovation and strategic planning. Her passion is teaching a generation of people to be bold about their brokenness with her curricula, Broken Crayons and The Hopeful Woman. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Sam and her daughter, Dylan.

Broken Crayons

Broken crayons still color. A life mantra. A reminder that our past doesn’t have to define us.
Sign up at http://brkncrayons.com/ 

The Hopeful Woman

Go on a journey of finding hope, and become women of good grit.
Sign up at www.thehopefulwoman.co