Making Room for Magic

It has been almost two years since I first thought about creating something like Women | Faith & Story.  At the time, it was just a whisper of an idea to put together classes and coaching for women. I wasn’t really sure where it was all going or why I would bother or who might show up.

Then Covid forced all of us to do life differently. The good news was I had lots of time to plan, think and create. The bad news was that what I wanted to plan, think and create was in-person events and retreats which were no longer possible. 

So, we launched WF&S in September of 2020 in a fully virtual mode. It was amazing to be on a video workshop with someone from Portland, Oregon, and Atlanta, Georgia all at once. I had never considered how Zoom would be able to connect women from literally all over the country. For several months, we thrived in the newness of being able to learn from anywhere but then, the screen fatigue set in for just about everyone.

WF&S pivoted slightly and offered both virtual classes and in-person events in the Fall of 2021. We kept workshops small, in-person, and watched what might happen. It felt like every time we launched a virtual workshop or gathered in person,  a little bit of magic happened.

Whether it was a woman reading her words aloud for the first time or a mother and adult daughter creating in their first art class together or two friends getting babysitters so they could learn together, some kind of special joy was always sparking. As coaches, we were lucky enough to witness it, but emails and texts let us know you felt it too.

At our fall retreats, we were able to extend the magic with walks in the woods, lingering over the art tables and waking up to wonder all around us. But the day I felt an eruption of energy was in the room with 200 of you and Kelly Corrigan.

 If you were there, you know the feeling was a happy electricity. Not only because Kelly was both warm and witty, but because there was a roomful of women who had not laughed or hugged or connected in so long that it reminded us all how much we needed it. Maybe it was just a reminder of how we need each other.

There is something that happens when women come together. Sharing stories. Sharing laughter. Sharing tears.  Sharing this life.

That is what I want Women| Faith & Story to be about—making room for that kind of magic.

Making space for deep thinking and deep conversations and deep joy and seeing what happens next. Because that is where the magic lives.

We have just started planning 2022 and our website is ready with new workshops and retreats. There will be a few virtual classes but recognizing the screen fatigue, we will be focusing on  what we call “Gatherings & Getaways.”

“Gatherings” will be small group events for in-person learning in Charlotte, that often will include food, wine and fun. It feels like we all could use a little more of that!

“Getaways” will be retreats—one and two-night escapes near Charlotte so that your getaway does not have to mean hours in the car. If you live in another city, we wanted to make it an easy drive if you are flying into the Charlotte airport.

We also want to connect you with 1:1 Coaching with any of our amazing coaches. Choose where you need direction: Life Coaching, Spiritual Direction, Book Coaching, Purpose Coaching, Therapy & Wellness Coaching, or Nonprofit Coaching. 

And if you have your own group of fabulous women and want us to come to inspire or teach, we offer custom programming so send an email about what you want to host

We will be adding new Gatherings & Getaways throughout the year and yes, omicron may require we keep pivoting and changing. But there is a lot of “Big Magic” waiting to happen in 2022 and we want you to be a part of it.

—Kathy

Kathy Izard is the founder of Women | Faith & Story (www.womenfaithstory.com) and the award-winning author of three books. Her first memoir The Hundred Story Home released in 2016, received a Christopher Award for outstanding inspirational nonfiction. In 2019, she created a children’s book, A Good Night for Mr. Coleman with artist Evelyn Henson, encouraging kids to dream big and do good. Her new memoir, The Last Ordinary Hour, is now available in ebook, audiobook, and paperback through your favorite booksellers. Kathy’s work has been featured on NPR as well as the Today Show inspiring people to be changemakers in their communities. Learn more www.kathyizard.com.