I Am M.U.C.H. Woman’s Origins with CortneyJo
Show Notes
CortneyJo takes the guest seat in this episode of the I Am M.U.C.H. Woman Podcast. With Cat Samuel stepping in as host, they explore CJ’s journey of faith, healing, and the origins of M.U.C.H. Woman Ministries. She reflects on past struggles, how Luke 12:48 shaped her path, and the transformation she’s experienced over the years. Through challenges, CortneyJo has deepened her faith, leaning on therapy, scripture, and personal growth. Now, she embraces her identity as a leader, mother, and ministry founder.
Episode Highlights:
(2:59) How the I Am M.U.C.H. Woman podcast came to life
(8:26) What life has looked like for CortneyJo on her three-year journey of healing and growth
(16:07) CortneyJo’s current views on relationships
(20:24) How CortneyJo’s relationship with the Lord has evolved over time
(25:12) How she’d answer the question “Who is CJ?” today
(28:37) Where the podcast is heading in the future
(33:27) What being a M.U.C.H. woman means for CortneyJo
Transcript
CortneyJo: But I really feel a sense of confidence that I just don’t know if I felt before. And so, that’s what’s different about my connection with the Lord now, is that, yeah, I really feel… I’m just grateful to the Lord, and I feel very, just very connected in a beautiful way.
Welcome to the I Am MUCH Woman podcast, where we inspire and guide women to deepen their personal relationship with God, and grow in their understanding of His Word. Welcome back, MUCH Woman podcast family. Can you believe we’re already eight episodes in? This journey has been absolutely incredible, and we are so grateful for each and every one of you, and we thank you so much for tuning in. Thank you for your support and walking with us through this journey. We truly hope that every episode has blessed you in some way, whether through encouragement, wisdom, or something that spoke directly to your life. Today, we’re switching things up a bit, and I, CJ, who normally sits in the host seat, will be moving over to the guest chair while our show’s fan favorite, Cat Samuel, takes over as host today. Cat, hi and thank you so much for being here today.
Cat: Hey, CJ. Yes, today, I am stepping in as host because we want to hear more from you [laugh]. Yay. Last month, I know we had an incredible episode with your therapist, Dr. Brian Humphreys, where he shared about his philosophy on therapy. It was such a great conversation.
And also a quick side note, Brian is like a dad to me now. Ever since I heard what he had to say, I was like, okay, Brian is in dad mode right now. I really shared how much that he says that he’s the same person at home as he is with his clients, and that is just so good to hear. So okay, let’s get back on track. I had to take a little side detour there [laugh].
So, in that episode, we learned more about Brian and how he helped you grow and heal over the past three years, but today, we want to go deeper, and we want to hear more about your personal journey. So, three years ago [laugh]—yeah, three years ago, you experienced a difficult loss, the death of your marriage, and Brian played a huge role in helping you heal. But beyond that therapy, what else have you been up to during this season of your healing? I have so many questions to ask you, so is it possible, can we just go ahead and jump right in?
CortneyJo: Let’s jump right in, Cat.
Cat: Let’s do it. Okay. So, let’s start with the heart behind all of this. We are all tuned in because this is MUCH Woman podcast, and it is what comes and flows out of MUCH Woman Ministries. So, how did that come to life? What inspired its conception and its growth?
CortneyJo: Thank you so much, Cat. And before I get started, I do want to say, I’m so glad that you enjoyed the episode with Brian, and he felt like dad to you as well. He was definitely like a dad to me, and just grateful for my experience with Brian, and glad that he’s in my life. So, I just want to thank him again. And yeah, thank you so much for even making that comment, Cat, and glad that it was meaningful to you to hear that.
I will say it is a little interesting to be in the other chair being interviewed, but this is exciting, and I’m looking forward to sharing more about my story. So, MUCH Woman Ministries. How did it all come to life? So, about 20 years ago—and I remember this because I was in college—and I remember just reading in the Bible, and I remember I got to Luke, the gospel of Luke 12:48, where it says, “To whom much is given, much is required in return.” And I understand that the Lord is talking about leadership, you know, there in general, you know, anybody that’s a leader and you’re given a lot of responsibilities, you know, you need to be responsible in return.
But I kind of took some liberties with the scripture. I started telling myself, well, I’m a MUCH Woman because it was at the time I needed the encouragement to live. I remember at 19, Cat, you know, you and I had just met around this time. It was 19 years old when I truly made the commitment to follow the Lord. Now, when I was younger, I believed in God.
I remember at 11, you know, walking up to the altar saying, “I want to give my life to Christ.” I remember those things, but it was age 19 when I decided to truly commit and devote my life to Christ. And I remember those first six, eight months or so, it felt a little lonely at times. And you know, just, you’re starting to live countercultural, if you will. You’re starting to make choices that you know people are not—you know, the culture says one thing, and then living for Christ is like, there’s another decision you have to make.
And so, to encourage myself, I would say, “I’m a MUCH Woman.” You know, I’m a MUCH Woman. And also, when it came to, like, dating or things like that, I would be like, well, I need a MUCH Man. That’s what I would always say. And so, it was kind of like a funny thing for me. I share a little bit about that story in my bio on the MUCH Woman website, but that’s where MUCH Woman, just that part of it, started off with.
But also, after graduating college, I continued to do student ministry. At the time, the student ministry that I was a part of as a college student, the Impact Movement, they would invite me back and come and, like, speak and things like that. Also,j the church I was attending at the time, Second Missionary Baptist Church in Columbia, Missouri, we were starting a young adult ministry there, and I remember starting talking about MUCH Women more because I wanted to encourage other women, other young women like myself, to be okay with living this life that is countercultural, with saying I am going to live according to the godly standard. I am going to allow God and His Word to make me godly. And I wanted to encourage them, and so that’s where that came from.
And then over time, Cat, I started thinking about, I would really love to have a MUCH Woman—not MUCH Woman, just a ministry, a ministry for women. And so, I started, I looked back at some old journals. I think maybe around 2016, Cat, I started really, um, journaling about, I really wanted to have a women’s ministry. And then MUCH Woman came and honestly, it was, you know, we talked about, you know, me experiencing the death of my marriage, which was really hard. It was unwanted, not what I wanted to happen, never would I—I didn’t even see that coming.
But it was after I got on the other side of that, if you will, I’m now by myself, where MUCH Woman and women’s ministry started to connect together. So, I was like, okay, I’ve always wanted to do women’s ministry. How about MUCH Woman Ministries? It was one of those type of situations, Cat [laugh].
Cat: Thank you so much for giving us the heart behind MUCH Woman. I know someone can log into a website, and check it and see what you have written there, but to hear this story going along with it is really impactful, and it really makes a difference when we can hear your heart. And those journals, girl, I’m so happy you documented this along the way [laugh]. You and I have talked about those journal entries, and they are amazing.
CortneyJo: Thank you, Cat. You know I got years and years and years of journals, [laugh] journal entries.
Cat: So, beyond the therapy, what has life looked like for you over the past three years? What are some of those key moments or lessons during that season of healing and growth for you?
CortneyJo: Yeah. Oh, these three years have been hard, but they’ve been so good as well. I kind of feel just, you know, like I say, you know, experiencing something that I never expected to experience or wanted to experience, but here we are. And I knew that I had two choices. I could, you know, lean closer to the Lord, or just lean in a totally different direction.
And I’ll be honest, right after things had changed, I was very discouraged. I did have a moment where I had a crisis of faith. I did. And I’ll try not to cry; I’m always, like, crying on MUCH Woman. But I did have a crisis of faith for probably about a year, if I’m honest. Because I was so disillusioned Cat. I was confused, I was disillusioned, I had no idea what I felt like everything I had believed, like, it was like, what is happening here, you know?
And Cat, you’ve been with me my whole life, practically, and you were really with me during that journey, so I thank you for that so much. But you may remember me kind of having a bit of a crisis of faith, and I’m so glad that Brian and I had already been connected [laugh] by that point [laugh] because I was grateful to have someone with me to, kind of, help me stay true to myself. But I had to figure out, well, what is true to myself, you know? I had to… that was something I had to remember, or even discover, if you will. Um, so that first year was hard, and I remember, once I started coming out of it, coming out of the disillusioned season, I decided, I said, you know, Lord, I’m going to lean into you in a way that I don’t know if I ever have before.
And whoo, so grateful for, again, grateful for therapy. But that was when you know just, it was just a surrendering. Like, Lord, okay, you know, you got me. Here I am, and I know that I cannot do this without you, Lord. And I just felt like just moment by moment, the Lord just began to rebuild my faith.
He began to, like, show Himself to me in ways that maybe He showed me before, but I saw Him differently this time. Those journals, Cat, I was able to go back and read when there have been other challenging times in my life, and how did I deal with that? How did I get through that? And that was documented in those journals, so I was able to remember, you know, remember. And so, I just, you know, I just decided, like, there is no way that I am going to do life without the Lord. There’s no way.
And so, I just leaned in and I have this scripture reference that was really good. I have it on my phone. It’s Proverbs 29:25, it says, “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.” And at the time, I remember just nervous about everything, scared about everything, not sure if I can trust anyone, you know? But the Lord was just reminding me to trust Him.
And so, you know, I couldn’t—I just had to go through it. And I’m so grateful for you and other friendgirls that were with me as I was continuing to just kind of rebuild. And that’s really so—and I would say now, here I am today, you know, three years later, I definitely feel completely different. I will say really quickly, last year was pretty monumental. Cat, do you remember back in the day—and I don’t think you did this with us—some of us girls was reading Knight in Shining Armor. Knight in Shining Armor by P. Bunny Wilson, oh, she’s incredible. If anybody knows Bunny Wilson, please connect her with me.
But several of us was reading that years ago, and it was her book encouraged women to take six months off, and like, six months from, you know, trying to date or anything like that, and just really consecrate yourself to the Lord. And so, in 2024 I decided to do that, and let me tell you, the last six months of 2024 were probably the most life-changing of these three years. I remember the six months started off with the Lord having me do some forgiveness work. I had some unforgiveness in me that the Lord challenged me with, and I was obedient, and I did what he asked me to do. I forgave.
And then it was just a series of events after that. So, I would just say that, and here I am in 2025 now, and I just feel incredible. Not that—there are still challenging circumstances, still challenging things that I’m dealing with day-to-day, but I truly feel like a woman that is ready for this, you know? Like, I mean, but it’s the Lord. I mean, he has truly, truly, like I said, rebuilt my faith.
But I feel more grounded and more anchored in Him than ever before in my life, and so—and Cat, you know because you and I talk every day, so you know I’m facing some significant challenges right now, but the, the… the peace I feel. Come on now, [laugh] listen, it is—I don’t—I just—you cannot have this level of peace without your faith really being strong in the Lord. And so, I am grateful to God for rebuilding my faith, increasing my faith, and now I’m good. I feel so good, and I feel ready to deal with everyday life [laugh].
Cat: So, one, I want to come back to the end of 2024, and that time you took away, stealing away with Jesus the whole time, but before we go there, I just want to say, I mean, it’s one thing for someone to be vulnerable with your friendgirl, [laugh] you know, on a phone call or on a Zoom or you know, or even in a private, intimate setting, but the vulnerability that you just shared with us now, I mean, that is, it’s so life-giving to hear that you are at a place to where you can share that very vulnerable place that you were in, and you’re coming now from a place of healing. And so, for those who may be experiencing those lows, knowing that there can be a place of healing to where maybe you are willing to share with others in different settings. And so, I just thank you for being vulnerable like that for the audience and the viewers and those listening in. That’s amazing.
CortneyJo: Thank you Cat. Thank you Cat. I appreciate that.
Cat: So, let’s go back. You said you took six months, [laugh] and now you are ready. So, I’m just saying, maybe inquiring minds would like to know, are you ready for marriage? Do you see that in your future? Are you currently dating or open to some possibilities? You know, there may be some people listening who would like to know. I know I always like to know [laugh].
CortneyJo: Oh, that’s so funny. I love it that you said maybe some people listening that might want to know. You know, this question is hard for me. It’s because my response kind of changes to it, Cat, from, like, day-to-day a little bit. So, let’s see, am I dating? So, short answer, no, I’m not dating right now, but would I like to… [uncertainly] Y-y-yes? [laugh].
I say it like that because it’s a little scary. It’s definitely a little scary. And I really, I just want to say, I really admire people that are good daters, you know? People that you know they can date and just have fun. I admire all of these brave people that get on these online dating apps and different platforms, I really admire the bravery of people that do that.
And I’ve learned that those type of platforms are not for the faint of heart, and I am the faint of heart, okay? I [laugh] I cannot—I just—so it’s probably a reason why I’m not dating because I probably I—for me, in my opinion, I just need a more of an organic connection, maybe not through a platform like that, but maybe through, I will be open to mutual connection or something like that. But I think being able to, like, get to know someone over a period of time without the pressure of, are we dating, or do we like each other, anything, I think I would probably appreciate an experience like that. And so, as far as remarriage, you know, like I said, it changes with the day, but yes, I mean, yes, I really would love to be remarried. It’s still sometimes hard to be like, I’m not married now, but I would love to be remarried.
But yeah, I would say yeah, I think that’s really just kind of my answer to that question. Not dating right now. Would like to at some point. Do I feel ready for it? I do feel more ready now for it. I believe that I’m at a place now where I’m not willing to go against my values, to be in an experience, and I’m happy about that.
I feel like again, as we you asked me the question about the last three years, I feel like my identity in Christ has been solidified for me, right? Like I better understand my identity in Christ, and because of that, it’s important to me, like, I think about, like, the fidelity to myself, right, making sure that I stay true to myself, and I don’t find myself in any experience where someone is asking me to be someone I’m not, asking me to go against what’s important to me, what my values are. And so, that’s why I feel like I’m probably more ready to try dating because I am very confident in, like I said, the fidelity to myself that I’m not going to go against myself to have any experience. No, so I may be more ready now [laugh].
Cat: But that’s so good. For those who would like to play matchmaker, you know, maybe we know how to pray for you now. We’re like, “Lord, give her an organic experience. This is the desire of her heart.” So, yeah, thank you for sharing that.
CortneyJo: And you know I’m laughing at you. You know why I’m laughing at you too [laugh] by saying that. Because you’ve been, like, maybe a matchmaker, right?
Cat: Like, well we know how to pray now. I was just—this—I’m only speaking for the audience today.
CortneyJo: I love it. I love it [laugh].
Cat: So, you were talking about how rooted and grounded you are and using the word ‘fidelity,’ I mean, I don’t think we use that anymore, and I appreciate you bringing that up. And I feel like it has come, these things are coming to you as you have connected with the Lord over this time. How has your connection with God evolved? In what ways has your relationship with him change, you know, from then and how it is now, what are those changes that have happened?
CortneyJo: Yeah, thanks for that question. I love it because a lot has changed. Well, one, you know, as I expressed, you know that first year was really, really hard, with me struggling with, like, a crisis of faith, and I will give, like, a plug—and I’m not getting paid for this or anything, but I do want to encourage people to check this book out, but I read Lecrae’s book I Am Restored: How I Lost my Religion, but Found my Faith, okay. That book was so good for me. It was, like, really critical. I really appreciate Lecrae’s testimony and him sharing that, so I do recommend that people, you know, if you ever kind of struggling a little bit, or even if not, it’s a great book.
But I remember like, that kind of got me back. Like, I felt like I was reading about somebody that kind of understood what it was like to have a crisis of faith. And so, after I got past that point, I just started slowly getting back into reading the Word of God. And I started off with just 15 minute intervals. And that’s what I tell people, that I’d set the timer on my phone for 15 minutes, and I’m like, I’m going to read for 15 minutes.
I was just trying to build that daily habit back up because I knew that yes, like, think about at the start of MUCH Woman, when we interviewed Grandma. Grandma talked all about prayer, you know? She was like prayer, you know. So, I was praying, yes. But then episode two of MUCH Woman, Erika was talking about really digging deep into her Word.
And so, it’s like, listen, we need prayer, we need our Word, and so I started with those 15 minute intervals, just rebuilding my Bible habit. And oh, my goodness, that was so monumentous for me. So, I got back into my daily reading habit. And then I got to a point, Cat, where I started reading, like, a single book for, like, three months. Like, last year I was in 2 Timothy for three months.
Like, I kept reading those four chapters over and over and over again. And I started, uh, 2025 off reading the book of James like that. I was reading James, those five chapters, over and over and over again, and so, oh man, what it’s doing, I feel the power, like, I feel God’s word, like, strengthening me because I know His Word. Like, it helps me better understand him and his character. I just feel powerful.
So, when we talk about putting on the full armor of God, you know, and your sword of faith, you know, like, it’s like the Word of God, you know? It’s just been so great. And so, I would say that my connection with the Lord is just deepened, and like I said, it’s just really anchored in a way that I’m not sure it was anchored before. Or maybe it was, or I like to think of it, you know that song, “Firm Foundation.” You know, “Christ is my firm foundation, but the winds may come,” and things like that, but if the foundation is firm, you’ll stand strong.
But I guess what I’m saying to that is, like, maybe my foundation was strong before, but it definitely feels very strong now [laugh]. And I just feel confident, you know, in my connection, my relationship with the Lord. I really do. And it’s trusting him, like I say, even though the fiery trials are still, whoo, the fiery trials, but I really feel a sense of confidence that I just don’t know if I felt before. And so, that’s what’s different about my connection with the Lord now, is that, yeah, I really feel—I’m just grateful to the Lord, and I feel very just very connected in a beautiful way.
Cat: As you were speaking, it reminded me of, like, trees when they are in the ground and they’re taking root. In the beginning, you know, the roots are a little shallow, and then they get deeper, and deeper. And it’s not like you weren’t in the ground the whole time you were in Christ, but now you’ve had a chance to, like, really get those roots deep down in there [laugh].
CortneyJo: Yeah, I love that. That’s good.
Cat: So, if someone were to ask you, “Who is CJ?” How would you answer that today?
CortneyJo: Yes. So, I did actually have someone ask me that recently, and it was a little challenging because it wasn’t that I didn’t know how to answer it; it was… I wasn’t sure what to say because I had been for a little minute, feeling like I had to hide a little bit, Cat? You know, I was strengthened, getting stronger, and things like that, and I felt like I needed to hide parts of me, like, to protect, I guess, to kind of protect myself. But when I got asked that question, and I told the person that asked me, I said, “Give me just a second to take some time with this. I need to sit down and really put my thoughts.” And I journaled it, of course.
And then I ended up deciding that, on LinkedIn, so in my career field, LinkedIn is a big thing in higher education, and I was like, you know what? I think I want to become more active on LinkedIn again. Or I never was really active, but I was like, I want to become more active on LinkedIn, and I would like for my colleagues and people that are—I want people to really know who I am because I would say that’s where I was hiding the most. I was hiding the most around, you know, like, in my career, like, oh, let me protect this, or let me protect that. Let me protect this. I don’t know.
I’m not saying that anyone would judge me, or anything like that; I just felt like I needed to not share so much. But I chose to put this post out on LinkedIn saying, “Hey, you know what? Somebody asked me who I am. And in the midst of, like, challenging our students to also say, who are you know, who are you?” And so, I was like, “In solidarity with the students, I’m going to also just, you know, live at my full identity, be open.”
And so, I shared that, hey, here’s who I am. I’m this higher education leader, I’m a Student Success Advocate, I’m a CliftonStrengths coach, I’m the founder of MUCH Woman Ministries, I’m a theater enthusiast. Like, these are all these facets about me. This is who I am. And I was just really proud of myself to be able to just say, “Hey, I’m all of these things. I don’t have to just be one thing over here, and be just one thing over there, and then one thing over there. Like, I can be my full self in every space.”
And so, who am I today? I’m just what I just listed, all those things, but first and foremost, most importantly, I am a daughter of the Most High. I am a jewel in his crown, and I love that so much. And also I’m a mother. And so, two of my favorite roles of all the things about my identity is being a daughter of the Lord, being a jewel in His crown, and also being a mother to my two beautiful children. So, I hope that answers.
Cat: Yeah, I love that. Thank you so much, and I think it does. It takes courage to step out and say, I am all of these things, and this is how God created me, and I can flourish in those things as well. Yeah, absolutely. So, I know I enjoy listening to the podcast and everything that is coming out of MUCH Woman Ministries. So, can you give us a little glimpse into where the podcast is now, and where do you see it going, your vision for its future? Let’s hear a little sneak peek of where we’re going.
CortneyJo: Yeah, yeah yeah yeah. So, I have been, first of all, just beyond grateful to do this venture. And Cat, thank you for joining me on the venture and helping me, definitely, you know, helping me behind the scenes. You know, doing MUCH Woman has been just incredible, really a dream come true. I still can’t believe that when I read these journals about this, I was writing about this, I was writing about the podcast, you know, some years ago, and this is a reality today. I mean, my mind is still blown.
My mind is blown that I want to give HumblePod Productions, I want to give them a shout-out. I’m just… I mean, being connected to HumblePod, and I just couldn’t have imagined all of these things. And so, [laugh] MUCH woman is nothing without HumblePod. Let me just tell y’all [laugh] that. So, just a little FYI.
So, the podcast, I do want to just share that you know, the early episodes and things of the podcast was really dedicated to just becoming a MUCH Woman, like, encouraging women, starting with myself, to become a MUCH Woman, and going forward. You know, we wanted to take these next couple episodes to just share more—like last month’s episode with Dr. Brian Humphreys—to share a little bit more about me and what I’ve been up to, and then, of course, today’s episode. But going forward, I look forward to, like, well, you know, we’re going to be talking with you again. And also, I look forward to being able to interview other women.
I know we have another episode coming up, we’re going to be talking about women’s health, so that’s really exciting, nutrition and fitness. So, I’m excited about our guests that we have coming on to talk about that. We’ll also be bringing the MUCH Woman panel back with Tamika, Mya, and yourself. And we want to talk about the confident woman. I have a really good friend who I just feel like she embodies [laugh] what a confident woman is. I love her. And so, just things like that.
And then going forward, even past some of the episodes that we have scheduled coming up, my hope is that we can continue these conversations. I’d love to talk with some other mothers that may be single mothers and having—you know, what’s that like, living for Christ as a single mother, I love to just explore a lot of different dynamics. Love to be able to chat with some fellas, Cat. Like to have some fellas. Like, what’s it like, you know, engaging with MUCH Women. What’s that like hanging out with a few MUCH Women?
But yeah, my hope is that as the podcast continues, is that we can continue to encourage and encourage women to be their full selves, to be very… just sure of who they are, confident in that, and not feel the need to waver for any reason, you know? Which is why, when we talk about MUCH Woman, and we’ll talk about that a little bit more, but just you don’t have to waver. You can be true to who you are. And that’s what I hope that we can continue to do with MUCH Woman, through the podcast, through other opportunities, speaking engagements, workshops, whatever the Lord may have in store. The hope is that more women, you know again, starting with me, as I’m on this journey as well, but that we will just continue to stay grounded in who God has called us to be.
Cat: Yes. That is—it’s exciting. Thank you for giving us a little glimpse into the future, and I am so excited to hear the new guests that will be joining because I can see you giving us a whole person approach. This is a whole woman that is going to be able to be nurtured and grow through listening and tuning into your podcast. It’s not just one-sided. We can come and hear how to take care of our whole selves, and very practical application as well.
And we appreciate, of course, the spiritual grounding in it all because that’s where we stand. And then we’re able to have that practicalness that will take us in our day-to-day, how we interact in our lives. So, I’m really excited for what’s coming up and even what we’ve already experienced and journeyed through so far. So, I know this is the time when you usually ask a particular question, and now we want to ask that question back to you. What does it mean being a MUCH Woman? What does that mean to you, CortneyJo?
CortneyJo: Ah, MUCH Woman. Okay, what does it mean to me? I love asking this question to guests, and so I love being able to answer it as well. I think what I love so much about MUCH Woman and what it means. So, M standing for Measured, I love that so much, you know, that she is a woman who is deliberative. She is thinking about praying about her decisions before she makes them.
And that resonates with me so much because I feel like that is me all day these days. Like, I am pausing and I am praying, you know, okay, Lord, what’s my next step? Because, you know, I ain’t moving without you, I ain’t getting ahead of you. I have experienced what it was like to get ahead of you, God, so I don’t want to do that again. And so, I have appreciated that part that is like, what does it mean? She’s a woman, that she waits on the Lord. She waits on the Lord. She doesn’t lean to her own understanding, and she trusts Him. In all of her ways, she trusts Him. That’s what it—you know.
And then to be unafraid, you know, really unafraid, to stand firm, stand true, be brave. Like, I love that. And to do it with class, honey. So, C being for Captivating, to do that with confidence, and walking with your head held high because, as the Lord, he tells us he was like, you literally do not have anything to worry about. Like, what are you worried about? Remember how Jesus would always say to the disciples, “Ye of little faith,” you know? Like, you’re with me, you know [laugh]? I love that.
And they’re heroic. Being able to make those tough decisions, you know, even in the face of difficulty. And so, I just feel like a MUCH Woman is a woman that is grounded in her faith, just really true, and she is not allowing anybody, no one, to sway her, okay? Like, now is she humble? Yes, she is a woman who is, she’s humble.
She is a woman that knows that she still has so much to learn, and grow, and that, you know, she is, you know, flexible to God’s will, you know? Like, Lord, not my will, but Your will be done. But she just stays true to that, really stays true to that, even if it means—and this is the hard part—even if that means not having everything you want right away or at all, I mean, rather, you know? Because you know we were talking about dating earlier, and how I said, you know, I will not—you know, I will not give up on myself to be in an experience ever again. I will not do that.
And so, that means, I don’t know, you know? That means, like, Lord because I’m so focused on being true to you and that’s important to me, God, that means that I don’t know if I’ll get these things. I don’t know if every marriage is on the hori—I don’t know, you know? But Lord, I trust you and not my will, but Your will be done. That part is, it’s hard. That part is hard [laugh].
I had a sweet friend tell me, she was like, “CJ, I feel like you are suffering well.” [laugh]. Like, it was a cute—it was sweet because with Christ, you know, there’s going to be some suffering, you know? You don’t get everything that you want all the time, right away, and the way you want it, and things like that. And sometimes that’s hard. But being able to get to a place where you’re comfortable in that space of, Lord, I trust you, you know, even when it’s really hard.
And so, that’s who a MUCH Woman is to me. In church last Sunday, our pastor, he told us to pray every day this week. He says, “Start with this prayer.” He said, “Lord, I don’t know it all, I can’t do it all, and I don’t need it all. I just need you.” He challenged us to pray that prayer every single day.
And so, to me, I’ll end with that: a MUCH Woman is a woman who she may not know it all, and she may not be able to do it all, and she certainly doesn’t need it all, but she does only need the Lord. She just needs him. And if she can claim that and hold on to that no matter what, that’s a MUCH Woman.
Cat: That’s a MUCH Woman. I love it.
CortneyJo: That’s a MUCH Woman.
Cat: Oh, CJ, thank you so much for sharing your story and your heart for MUCH Woman Ministries. Like, this is not just something that happened overnight; this has been brewing inside of you for decades, [laugh] and it’s been lived. I challenge our listeners to go back and listen to this again, and reach out to me personally if you do not hear in CJ’s story how she was measured, how she was unafraid, how she was captivating, and how she was historic. I mean heroic. And historic. I’m going to put you in history too.
CortneyJo: [laugh]. I love it.
Cat: She was all of those things in the story, just in what she shared with us during this time on the podcast, and even more so in life. I’ve experienced life with you. There’s many others on the—even you’ve had on the podcast that have experienced you, and they know you are a MUCH Woman. And I bless you, as you raise up from your ministry more MUCH Women, women who are really in this to say, “All we need is Christ Jesus.”
CortneyJo: All we need is him. Thank you, Cat. Cat, thank you so much. This was so much fun, and thank you. I truly appreciate you stepping in as host today and giving me an opportunity to share a little bit about my story. Thank you so much.
And guess what? Next month, we’ll be interviewing you again. I’m so excited about that, by the way. So Cat, after our friendship episode back in November, I had several listeners reach back out to me, wanting to hear more from you. They were especially drawn to how you shared the counter-experience of being a MUCH Woman, and they are eager to dive deeper into why you felt that way, and more importantly, how you transformed into the incredible woman you are today, a true embodiment of what it means to be a MUCH Woman.
I really thank you so much for your willingness to come back and share more of your journey, and I cannot wait for our conversation. And so, ahhh, I can’t believe we’re already at the end here. Cat, this was fun. Thank you. So everyone, thank you so much for listening today. We’ll be back again next month with Cat. She’s going to be talking a little bit more, sharing all things Cat Samuel. And until then, anything you want to know about the podcast, about the ministry, all of those things can be found at [muchwoman.com](https://muchwoman.com). Thank you so much, and we’ll see you next time.
CortneyJo: Stay updated with the latest episodes of the podcast at [muchwoman.com](https://muchwoman.com), and tune in on Apple Podcast, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever fine podcasts are available. We look forward to seeing you next time.