Women Of God

My life did not begin in peace—it began in survival. From a very young age, I experienced deep trauma. I grew up in an abusive home, endured sexual abuse as a child, and as a teenager, I was taken advantage of in a relationship that left lasting wounds. By the time I was 16, I was already carrying pain that no child should ever know. As I got older, the cycles continued. I found myself homeless, living out of my car with my dog, with nowhere to go and no safety to return to. I entered a marriage that became physically and emotionally abusive, and for five years I lived in what felt like a blur—filled with fear, brokenness, and unhealthy coping, including alcohol use and the loss of pregnancies that added to my grief. But even in my darkest moments… God never left me. There were times I didn’t understand His presence, but looking back, I can see that He carried me through every storm. In my lowest hour, I was given a glimpse—not of the life I was living, but of the life I was meant for. I didn’t fully step into it right away. I struggled. I questioned. I searched. It wasn’t until the passing of my mother that I felt a depth of pain that brought me to my knees in a new way. In that moment, I cried out to God not just in sorrow—but in surrender. I asked Him, “What is my purpose?”Soon after, my father-in-law passed away, and my husband and I found ourselves navigating grief together. But in that shared pain, something shifted. What once felt like brokenness began to reveal clarity. We realized that everything we had endured was not without meaning—God was calling us to something greater. Through every hardship, I came to understand that my story was never just about me—it was about what God could do through me. That calling became Rescuing Families—a mission dedicated to restoring safe, accessible homes for families in need, particularly those living with disabilities. What began as pain transformed into purpose. What once felt like survival became service. Today, I stand not as someone who was broken—but as someone who was rebuilt by faith. Jesus didn’t just change my life—He gave it meaning. And now, through the work I do, I strive every day to be a light for others who may still be in their darkness… showing them that healing is possible, purpose is real, and God’s love never leaves—even when we feel the most lost.

 Kathleen Cooke is a media executive, Hollywood Screen Actors Guild actor, speaker, writer, and Co-Founder, along with her husband, Phil Cooke, at Cooke Media Group and the nonprofit, The Influence Lab, which focuses on mentoring and using media strategies in the digital age. She leads Influence Women in Hollywood for Christian professionals to encourage their alignment of faith and work. Kathleen is the author of the highly acclaimed devotional Hope 4 Today: Stay Connected to God in a Distracted Culture, now in its 2nd edition, which encourages readers to engage with God personally. She writes and posts the weekly online Influence Lab Journal and a weekly blog mentoring women in media, entertainment, leadership, and the arts. She speaks globally on culture, media, women’s issues, and faith and has been interviewed on numerous top national and international radio shows, and podcasts, as well as Christian TV networks such as CBN, TBN, and The Hillsong Channel. Link to Influence Women Trailer: https://youtu.be/FapGvQQqVHU?si=Fu3YSSZMhBh1jxpd

My life is a testimony that Jesus still redeems what feels completely broken.From a young age, I lived in an environment filled with chaos, stress, and emotional pain. By the time I was 14 years old, the weight of what I was carrying internally became physical—I developed acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, a condition caused by extreme stress. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I would cry uncontrollably at school and eventually passed out from exhaustion. That was just the beginning of what pain looked like in my life.I grew up navigating constant conflict, instability, and relationships that did not reflect love, safety, or peace. As I got older, those patterns followed me. I found myself in unhealthy relationships, searching for something I didn’t yet understand how to receive—real love, real security, real identity. There were seasons where I felt completely lost. Seasons where I questioned my worth. Seasons where my past felt louder than any future I could imagine. And yet—Jesus met me there. Not in a perfect moment. Not when I had it all figured out. But in the middle of the pain, the confusion, and the brokenness. He didn’t just comfort me—He revealed truth to me. He showed me that my past did not disqualify me—it prepared me. That everything I had walked through, every painful moment, every relationship that wounded me, was not the end of my story. There was a redemptive thread woven through all of it. And once I saw that, everything changed. Today, I walk boldly in that calling as the founder of Your Local Hope Dealer Ministries. My heart is for the woman who feels like I once did—the one who is hurting, questioning, and silently wondering if her life can actually change .I create spaces where women can come as they are—without judgment, without pressure, without pretending—and encounter Jesus in a real, life-changing way. Through teaching, mentorship, and honest conversations, I help women renew their minds, break strongholds, and begin to see themselves the way God sees them. Because I know what it feels like to believe you’re too far gone. And I know what it feels like to be proven wrong. I don’t stand in front of women as someone who had an easy story. I stand as someone who has lived through deep pain and has seen firsthand that Jesus still restores, still calls, and still transforms lives. My message is not theory—it’s lived truth: Your past does not outweigh your calling. There is always redemption. There is always hope. And if Jesus could rewrite my story… He can rewrite anyone’s.

Lacey is a devoted mother whose life has been shaped by love, resilience, and unwavering faith. For over a decade, she has been the primary caregiver to her special needs child, pouring her energy, patience, and heart into ensuring he is supported, understood, and deeply loved. Through long days and uncertain moments, she has developed a quiet strength and compassion that defines who she is.When an unexpected opportunity arose to act in a film, Lacey stepped into it with courage and openness. What began as a new experience quickly became another avenue for her to share her story and connect with others. Her journey into acting reflects her willingness to grow, even in unfamiliar spaces, while staying grounded in her purpose.At the core of Lacey’s life is her deep and abiding faith. She believes firmly in the power of Jesus to heal, to bring comfort in hardship, and to call people into a life of faith and hope. Through her words, actions, and testimony, she seeks to uplift others and remind them that even in life’s most challenging seasons, there is grace, strength, and that meaning can be found.

Through pain and trial, Jesus uses it all for His good pleasure. Within the same timeframe, I found myself divorced after 21 years, my mom died, my dad died, and my dog died. I embarked upon a purpose to go wherever Jesus lead me. In Haiti, I found a purpose to build a school teaching 500 students, a small hotel for short-term missionaries, and helped construct a three-story church. My book, Be The Donkey, chronicled those adventures. Now that the war roars in my second home Haiti, I have sponsored many to the States and have college-educated two. One still remains in my home. A network of one Christian family in Haiti has made a profound difference not only in their own lives but in the lives of those in their homeland. I am humbled to have been used by God to assist in these endeavors. Please pray that the war ends, peace reigns, and the nation of Haiti can thrive again to its status in the past, The Pearl of the Antilles. I have been blessed immeasurably since. God blessed me with a wonderful husband, a former worship pastor and missionary to Istanbul, Turkey. Albeit I personally have never given birth, I now have eight children and twelve grandchildren. My Haitian family has moved across the waters and they are all within minutes of my home. In 2024, I was crowned Ms. Tennessee Senior America. With the crown on my head, many doors opened for service to others, including the elderly. I sing and dance with a troupe at nursing homes and senior centers. Through it all, I pray I leave this world a little better by my being here and I rest assured that when I enter the gates of Heaven, I will place my crown at His feet.

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 Linette’s Heart:When I pause and look back, I can clearly see the hand of God woven through every season of my life. At just eight years old, during the Jesus Movement, I gave my heart to the Lord. Those early years shaped me deeply—especially through the Missionettes program, where I fell in love with Scripture, leadership, and missions.At 17, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit before serving five years as a U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman. That encounter anchored me through long nights in hospitals and quiet moments in the barracks, teaching me that ministry isn’t confined to a pulpit—it happens wherever God places you.In 1995, what began as a simple clothing outreach in New York grew into the Trading Post Community Care Center, in Springville, NY— a million-dollar ministry serving over 50,000 needs each year. When the Lord asked me to release it in 2017, it wasn’t easy, but as I surrendered it all, I witnessed Him multiply the mission far beyond me, joyously watching other start up projects use our outreach model and run with it. I’ve also walked through deep personal valleys, including divorce and seasons of heartbreak. Yet through it all, God has been tender, faithful, and near—reminding me that nothing is ever wasted in His hands.Today, I pour my heart into mentoring women through Daughters United, raising up modern-day Esthers around the world. It is my joy to walk alongside women as they embrace their identity, step into their calling, and move forward with Godfidence and Grace. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s this: God writes the most beautiful stories when we trust Him with our “yes.” My life and leadership reflect a consistent, surrendered “yes” to God, one that has multiplied into global impact. Through this mantle of ministry and decades of experiences, the Lord has uniquely position me to equip thousands of women across 12+ nations to heal, grow, and step into their God-given callings as leaders, mentors, and movement-makers. My heart is not to just inspire my sisters, but to mobilize them to strengthen their families, serve their communities, and expand Kingdom of God in tangible ways. In a time when the world is searching for identity, purpose, and hope, my "HOLY ACHE" is to faithfully raise up women of God who know who they are in Christ and to help them become equipped to live it out in their everyday spaces and places.  The benchmarks of my calling as a leader is marked by serving in love, unity of the Body of Christ, and an unwavering commitment to the truth of God’s Word. Vision & Ministry OverviewAt Daughters United, we believe every woman carries an Esther Calling, a God-given purpose. Our heart is to help our sisters discover, develop, and deploy their gifts and callings through mentorship, authentic community, life-giving retreats, and hands-on outreach. Together, we link shields of faith, courage, and commitment, to reach the next generation for Jesus,  For…Such a Time as This! The Lord has entrusted Daughters United with a mandate to champion a five-pillar movement. These are truths that the entire Body of Christ can rally around with agreement and conviction:1. The Sanctity of Life2. The Sacredness of Marriage3. The Ministry of Motherhood & Fatherhood4. Identity in Christ5. Equipping for Ministry, Calling, and Service