Dawn Damon: My guest today is an international voice in faith-based media leadership, and she is in personal transformation. She's a pastoral counsellor, a global keynote speaker, a podcaster, and three times best selling author, with over two decades of helping purpose-driven women rise up with confidence and clarity and courage. That is our language around here. She's also the host of the Daily Spark Radio and Daily Spark TV, a program now viewed in over 73 countries. Will you please welcome to The BraveHearted Woman Podcast, my guest today, Dr. Angela Chester.

Hello!

Dr. Angela Chester: Hello. Thank you so much for having me today. So excited to be with you.

Dawn Damon: Well, you're so welcome. And we've talked before and we always have such a great time talking about all things women empowerment and also mindset, and of course the Lord and living our dreams. And man, we could just go on and on, couldn't we? Of all the things…

Dr. Angela Chester: Yes, we could.

Dawn Damon: God has allowed us to do. And you know, I didn't even share everything in the opening. I didn't share that you have an M.D. in pastoral counseling with your specialized ministry and women's ministry, that you're a mental wellness advocate. You're the CEO and the chief editor of the Passione Magazine Marquee, who's who? And Canadian Global Award-winning honoree.

Dr. Angela Chester: Oh, thank you.

Dawn Damon: I mean, you're an amazing woman. You are no joke. You are amazing and I love it. And, maybe one thing, if somebody hears, these long introductions that you can sometimes have, like yours, they might say, how do you find work life balance? What's a day in a week like for Dr. Angela?

Dr. Angela Chester: That is a really good question Pastor Dawn and I get asked quite often because it can be a lot. However, for me it is something as simple as choosing a different word, instead of trying to put everything in balance, I try to live my life in harmony. Mm-hmm. Now, I know that sounds like just word play, but what it means for me is when things are in harmony, the various parts are always heard, they're always being sung. Mm-hmm. But some parts are louder, some are softer, some are in the foreground, some are in the background. And as goes my life, depending on the deadline, depending on the season, the month, the time of the day, and it just goes and it has found its very natural ebb and flow. And that's what really keeps me going.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't want to pretend that I don't have my days where it's, whoa, I need a extra coffee, or I think I need tea tonight after, you know, a nice hot shower to bring it all back down. I'm human just like everyone else, but at the same time. I understand the kingdom call. And as, as long as I have the energy to do it and I'm able to get out there and be a difference, I figured that let's do that while I have the energy to do that. So when I get to be more of a senior woman and perhaps I don't have as much energy, I can look back on, boy did I try to do what God called me to do.

Dawn Damon: I think that's a great perspective, and I love the word harmony. I see that visual. I can picture that, and I can hear it. I can hear when it's in harmony. I can hear when there's a dissonant tone. I suppose you can feel when things aren't in alignment or things. Yes. Aren't in harmony, but I believe in being fully engaged in the call of God as well.

Dr. Angela Chester: Yeah.

Dawn Damon: I love that you recognize that, and you know, it's kind of like if you were to watch a Broadway play, there are many actors on the stage, but a few of them have a dialogue or center stage at one time, and then they pull back, and then somebody else comes forward and mm-hmm. It's like that in our lives. There are things that take our time and yeah, their season, and then they kind of step back and something else comes forward.

Dr. Angela Chester: Yeah.

Dawn Damon: One of the things that you excel in is this whole area of media. You are involved in faith-based media, and you help others find a place for their voice. Can you talk to us about that for how you got started in media?

Dawn Damon: Were you the little girl with the hairbrush singing in the bathroom?

Dr. Angela Chester: I was.

Dawn Damon: I was, too.

Dr. Angela Chester: I was, and I think that we have a lot in common, Pastor John, in that. Our personality type is suited for a particular lane, and I tell everyone that it is very important to be the proper gardener-nurturer. For the child that God has blessed you with.

Dawn Damon: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Angela Chester: I was that little child that my parents saw that I needed to be, not just aware of the arts, but involved in the arts. So I took ballet, I took gymnastics. I learned to play the piano. I know how to play the clarinet, as if I were involved in the arts. So I have this natural inclination for those things that enhance who we are.

Another aspect of my personality is that I knew very early on, when I was around 16, that I had a conversation with my then-pastor of my home church. And long story short, he said Pastoral counseling is probably what you would want to do. I wanted to be able to still preach the word like for Sunday sermons, but also help people on a very personal level. So that's kind of the foundation. Then I realized that in helping people, it isn't always about your personal, it could be about your professional. For some people, they're fine when they get home, but it's when they're out there in the workaday world, it's being an entrepreneur. It's that C-suite man or woman who's having a really tough go at it, yet they are trying to do what they believe is their purpose in life.

Mm-hmm. Not to gloss over, but to give you a shortened answer, when I was given another opportunity at life as a breast cancer survivor, anyone who's ever had surgery, you know, they put you under, you wake up, praise the Lord. We're back in that understanding that all that I was supposed to do was not what I was doing. It wasn't just in providing counseling services, it wasn't just in doing local speaking engagements. The simpler the prayer, Lord, you know, I think I could do radio. I love doing the podcast, not the one I'm doing now, but I love doing this podcast. I think I could be on the radio. I get a call, air quotes here outta nowhere, saying we would love to give you a radio show. Speeding through all of that, of course, I knew that this wasn't out of the blue. I knew that they were following the prompt that God had for my life. Radio then turned into the addition of television. And even in doing all of that, I felt that I was doing what God wanted me to do, but I felt like there was still something more.

And that wasn't until I said, oh, the magazine, the thing that you gave me so many years ago, I thought that was just a fleeting thought when the magazine came about. And that takes a lot of teamwork to make that happen. When the magazine came about, I said, oh God, now it's time to do the podcast. Not that other podcast, but the podcast of the magazine.

So this way. I got it. God, I'm taking care of the faith part, the personal part with the Daily Spark platform, radio, and television. And then I'm taking care of the professional part with the passione, with helping people, be it that they're reading the magazine digitally or print, or they're listening to the podcast and being inspired not just by me 'cause I realized we're not in this alone, but there are are so many people out there that can be an inspiration, and I wanted to allow a platform.

For those who wanted to share their stories as well. Those that are faith-leaning or kingdom builders, faith-leaning, meaning they don't have a faith product, but their faith still drives them, or they are a faith-based brand, I wanted to give them an opportunity to come on, share, and inspire. So I guess I live by the motto of radio and television. Enlighten, inspire, empower passion is, you know, bold ideas, brave pursuits, and boundless inspiration. All of that to me is how God tells me to live my life. So I want to make my platform available for others who believe so as well.

Dawn Damon: You do such a great job of that as well. You're so generous with the gifts that God has given you and with the platform that God has given you, and thank you for doing that so that others can be heard.

I wanna go deep into your story of surviving, but before we get into that, because that's definitely a brave moment, and we love sharing our brave moments as women, but you had the good sense or the discernment to counsel people in their spiritual life, you could say, wow, there's another avenue here that people, they need coaching in their professional life that that's just as important part of our makeup, that God created us to produce, to fill the earth with whatever gift it is that he's given us. And so you help people identify their lanes, do you not, to help find their passions? Absolutely. You help them get clarity. What is the basic woman who would maybe come to you and say, I don't know where to start. I don't know what to do. Is that the kind of person you can help?

Dr. Angela Chester: Absolutely. And when you visit my website, you see all of these various options for you. And I do that because everyone is at a different stage and phase in their pivot, in their determining what my lane is.

So if you are someone who is fresh out of college, or perhaps you didn't go to college, because that isn't necessarily needed, depending on what your hope, dream, and aspiration are. So if you are now deciding I wanna be an adult. About being an adult, I need to make a decision. Then we need to sit down and have that initial consultation, the way that we would with any other important thing. And I wanna hear, what do you like, what don't you like? What really gets you excited, gets you fired up? What makes you wanna go home or retreat or turn inward if you are a naturally outward expressing person? All of these questions, so you never stop really being a pastoral counselor, even in the consultation, it is. I want to hear about you. Don't tell me about what your mother does, what your father does, what your family has historically done. What is it that you want to do regardless of what other people are telling you? And so many times, we're able to figure out how we can get your core desire to a place that actually allows you to make an income, have a living off of that thing that God has planted that seed inside of you.

So many people for, I'll give you an example. They wanted to go to the theater. They want to be an actress or an actor. They want to do something in the arts, but their parents would say too many, that's not gonna pay the bills, sweetheart. You need a real job. And unfortunately, many have been told that today's society has changed a little bit, but unfortunately, many have been discouraged from going into that field. Let's say you decide that you're gonna instead go into education. So now you're in education, and you're teaching our little ones how to be really great little ones. How can you still utilize that desire, that thing that you want to do, as far as being a part of the arts? Your classroom is now going to be one of the most memorable classrooms. Why? Because you are now singing with your students. You have the best bulletin boards, you have the best little. What are we gonna learn today? And I believe the word is edutain. Yes. You're going to create a space for them to be inspired to want to not only learn, but express themselves, and maybe you encourage a little artist on some level, and you are able to still tap into that and create that living, that lifestyle that you want.

There's also the pivot that many times comes a little bit later when you get to be in our age range, where you're going, I don't care what other people say anymore, I'm going to do this. Mm-hmm. And that pivot is a very hard pivot. Not hard, difficult, but a very decisive pivot. I am now going to step into that lane. I'm gonna be exactly who God has called me to be, and that tends to be much bolder, very bright, and. It allows your light to shine in a different way. Now you're a speaker, or you've determined to be an author, or you're simply out there painting and sculpting, and you are putting your artwork, your craft, your brand, no matter what it is, out there in the world, because somebody needs to hear your voice. Somebody wants to hear what you have to say. You just have to be bold enough. To trust that what you're hearing from God is exactly what you're hearing, and I help you learn how to decipher between your discernment, God's guidance, and that little voice that we all have. That's the self-doubt saying. I dunno if you could do that. Yeah, you can. Let me show you how you can do that.

Dawn Damon: That's so incredibly insightful, and I love the word courage. I love the word bravery in bold. You know, you're using those interchangeably as they are, and I think that's exactly what it takes. In my work, I work with so many women who are in that transition place. They are in that pivot place. Yeah. And they've done it. Emotionally, they've made the pivot in their heart. They know their seasons come to an end. Yeah. But it's scary and yeah, there's uncertainty, and what if I fail, and who will be there to support me, and what if I don't have what it takes financially or emotionally or whatever. And so trusting that what you've heard and what you're sensing in your. Spirit is from God is a step of faith, and it's a step of bravery, and God's got you. He is not gonna let you splat on the ground.

Dr. Angela Chester: It really is, you know, and you're right. Let's not discount the fact that there are so many people who are coming from a place of uncertainty and outright just fear.

For some, I don't know how to do this. I don't know when. I don't know what, I don't know if I'm gonna be right. I've been told no. Or that you were wrong or incorrect. You didn't have enough education, or you were overeducated, whatever. You've been given so many nos in your life that you've almost started to believe them.

But I want to encourage anyone who may be feeling that they still hear God's voice. Scripture reminds us, you know, that God says, and I'm gonna paraphrase. I'm gonna make it all inclusive for everyone here. Lord, please understand my heart where it is. Do you not hear? Do you not see? Do you not feel I am doing a new thing, and this new thing is. So if you have a desire to do something, if it is simply to leave a space where you are, to be in a safer space. That's an awesome pivot. Don't discount it. That's a personal pivot. It might not be a professional, but it's personal. And when you get your personal life all together, the rest will fall into place as well.

So, no matter which side of the coin, personal or professional, your pivot needs to come, or you're stepping out in faith, or you are determining that you are going to do it, it happens. As long as it happens, know that God goes with you. The Holy Spirit is right there with you. And if you're not sure, just say, holy Spirit, I think you're telling me to go. I think we need to go, and you can step out, and you will know the difference between your voice telling you to do it and God telling you to do it.

Dawn Damon: Yes. And you've had to do that throughout your life. You know, starting the business, you call yourself a mediapreneur. Is that what I am saying it correctly? You know, yes. So you're an entrepreneur in the media space and in the magazine space, which is still, you know, communications and media. I get that. I loved that your magazine is for professional women learning business, but all things right up to even fashion, which is totally my gig. I love that. And, so it's an all-inclusive kind of a magazine for faith-based women. And then the podcast comes from that magazine as well. So it's, you're doubling down, like you don't have to create two different kinds of things. That's one way you have harmony there in your life, isn't it, with that. Right. So you've had to have that determination.

Dr. Angela Chester: Yes.

Dawn Damon: And that bravery and that mindset.

Dr. Angela Chester: The magazine to me seemed that when we are looking at the ministry of women and what we as women do, we are multifaceted. We are multidimensional. We are the most hat-wearing gender. Right? We are moms, we're wives, we're sisters, we're daughters, we're teachers, attorneys, and pastors, whatever it is, we have all of these various labels that we wear. So, in having a lifestyle magazine, it allowed that woman to be inspired on one end by radio or television, but to also, in her leisure, in her downtime, she could still nurture herself. She could still inspire herself. She could still empower herself with something that's gonna also going to encourage her professionally as well. While the magazine is very lifestyle-focused, meaning we talk about travel, fashion, and things that are trendy in tech. We highlight various books and authors, so on and so forth.

My mother is a fashionista. She gets stopped on the streets. Still, my mother is 80, and people will tell her all the time, I love your outfit. I love your hair. My mother is such an inspiration. And because of that I said we need to include fashion as well because there are so many women who that is how they are able to share their faith or share about their brand. You look really beautiful. Where did you get it? There's a small shop down the street, so on and so forth, or this is something that my brand carries, however, we're able to spark the conversation we can do. So the podcast does focus a little bit more on the business aspect of what we do, so I try my very best to make sure that all aspects of who we are are covered because we are so many things, and each part of us is important.

Dawn Damon: You do it very well, and I really enjoy the things that you put out into the world, which had to have come into play. That tenacity, that grit, that faith that you have, which came first, the chicken or the egg? You went through a series. You went through a trial, a season of cancer.

Dr. Angela Chester: Yeah.

Dawn Damon: Did you have this bold faith before, or did it, was it birthed because of your, tell us a little bit about your journey.

Dr. Angela Chester: Oh, thank you, Pastor Dawn. You know, much like yourself, we are walking the path that the Lord has given to us, and it hasn't always been one that we were sure of what was around the next corner. Yeah. But we knew that we were supposed to take this journey. So as a child, I must admit that, and I know that I don't want people to perceive this as a brag, but more so of giving praise where praise is due.

I have great parents. My father encouraged me from the very beginning. You can do and be anyone, anything that you want to be. Once you have decided that that's who you are going to be, be that person. Now, I have to remind you that my parents are boomers. So they're encouraging me to be a person that I wish to be, when that may not have been the encouragement that they have always gotten, as far as society is concerned. You know? Sure. Boomer women weren't always encouraged to go out and work in the world, necessarily.

Dawn Damon: Right.

Dr. Angela Chester: So though my parents had a very traditional. Setting, I was encouraged, if you wanna go to college, you're gonna go to college. If you want to pursue your professional career, then you should pursue your professional career. All of that good stuff. Yeah. So I've always had that seed planted. Now, when it comes to the cancer journey, it was quite difficult to hear the news, as I think it is for anyone who gets that cancer diagnosis. I found the lump myself, so I knew that there was something there. I had to fight a little bit to make sure that I received the care that I wanted, meaning there are various options of how you can deal with it, and I was very much my own advocate.

I think that tenacity, that I hold is because I was given permission to be that person as a child. I wasn't told no, I was told more so along the lines of is there a better option? It's always about the mindset. What is the best option that we can make? It's kind of like the good, better, best, the easy, the fine, the better, you know, whatever word you wanna put there.

Dawn Damon: Sure.

Dr. Angela Chester: But in that, knowing that I could be better, I wanted to choose to be better. That's the physicality of it all. I knew that the medicine could, but my faith, on the other hand. Always said that I would be better, that my body simply needed to catch up to where my faith was.

Now, don't get me wrong, there were times when I said I don't wanna go have chemo. I had, I had chemo surgery and then radiation. There were times when I did not want to do it. Flat out simple. I don't feel good. No. But then I remembered, if I don't, how does that help anyone, including myself? So in getting through that and especially the surgery aspect, waking up from surgery, understanding that I had been given a second chance. The option of not moving forward was never an option again; you are no longer in the pullout of the lane. Trying to decide where you're going to reread the map to check the GPS forward is where you're going, the full stop. Period, point blank forward is where you're going. And in that, my determination shifted, and I said, okay, we need to get going.

So, not only do I need to start over my pastoral counseling practice, but I also have to let that go. I was in private practice just like myself. I didn't want to see clients in the various stages of going through cancer. So I let that go. So. Starting that over and then having the audacity to pray a prayer of, Lord, extend my territory. And God, in his very wonderful and great sense of humor way said, okay, here we go. So, in that, I said, challenge. Accept that. Let's go. Let's do. And B, exactly who you have called me to be. I've been like this all of my life. So, for those who have known me since being a child, there was no shock or surprise that I went into ministry. There was no shock or surprise that I've ended up on the radio and television in this media space. It is no shock or surprise that I don't want to keep it closed and just to myself, that I want to share it with others. Much like what you do, pastor Don. You don't want to just share your stories, but you want to bring others to, and continue to encourage those who know that the possibility is out there.

Dawn Damon: Yes. Amen. There might be a woman that's listening right now who's in a dark space like that, just got the cancer diagnosis. Or maybe it's not a physical dark space, but maybe it's that confusion, but specifically someone who just feels hopeless, or maybe that the journey ahead of them is just overwhelming, too much, and they can't do it. What type of encouragement could you give her today?

Dr. Angela Chester: Absolutely. Great question. If you have just received news that's gonna change your life from your medical team, it's okay if you cry. It's okay to feel overwhelmed, to feel sad, to feel like, oh my goodness, I don't know what to do next. Because we are, after all, human. God knows that we're going to have a human reaction to the things that happen to us as humans. So have your human expression, but before you close your eyes to go to sleep that night, switch to your spiritual self and say, Lord, I thank you for walking ahead of me and making a way for me. I thank you, Holy Spirit, for walking with me. As I go on this journey, I know that the road is going to be bumpy. If it was bumpy for Christ, it can and will be bumpy for us as well.

So do not be discouraged, be encouraged that God has done it for others, which means that he will do it for you. If your pivot is not dealing with anything medical, but it's just a place in your life and you're determined that you're no longer going to be stuck, that you want to be unstuck, you wanna be free, that you want to soar, mount up on wings like eagles, and go understand that God has made a way and scripture reminds us of that.

Now, I don't wanna get preachy or anything, but if he cares for the sparrow. He cares for you as well. So we have to rely upon our faith in those times when we are uncertain. And remember that King David cried out in his times of woe, but he also shared his times of praise. So if you are being, um, attacked or you feel as though you're being discouraged, just be reminded. That God will take care of you. He has been taking care of you, and he will continue to be there for you. The righteous are never forsaken. So get under that mighty wing of our Lord. Take a breath, take a beat. Give your cares to him and say, Lord, I know I can't do this in my power. Please do it in yours, and I will do that.

What do you determine for me? Even if I don't know, I will walk by faith and not by sight. Why can I say that? Or how am I able to say that? Because I've had to do it myself. I didn't know anything about cancer, but I knew that my gut had saved other people, so perhaps he would save me too, that he would help me to get me through this rough patch.

So. I just wanna encourage everyone, I just want to make sure that everyone understands that we all have a story to share, and perhaps this is the part of the journey that you are unaware of, that you didn't realize was going to be that wonderful pivot for you, so that you could encourage someone else.

Dawn Damon: It's so good, and I, as you were talking, just had such a sense that someone might be saying yes, but you started out with good parents. You started out with pe. I was in an orphanage. I was given up for adoption. I can hear a voice that says I was abused. I was abused. I didn't have that launch pad like you. Does that matter?

Dr. Angela Chester: It does not. It does not matter because our foundation is not the place that matters the most. It's the journey. So some people might say, well, I'm a woman. Women don't have it as good as men do in this country. Well, I'm a woman of color, so I don't always have it as good as perhaps some of the other women. There are so many reasons that we could give. That could keep us back, but if instead we decide that we're going to use the foundation of what God has given us, whatever is of the truest report, the things that are good, the things that are lovely, right? Those things, right? If we think about that and go, that's my new foundation. I'm not saying that your past isn't important. Because it has helped make you the person that you are right now. But you can always build a new foundation. If your house was built on the sand, this time you can build it on the rock.

If your home was built on a rock, but not the St. Sturdiest rock, there was a little bit too much sand under that rock, and you've had some rough times this time, guess what? You now have that experience, you now know to inspect and make sure that you are on the surest ground, the most solid ground. And no matter what, use that as a way to relate to others. You grew up in foster care, so did I. So we know what we've been through. Let's help others get through that as opposed to staying in the darkness because. That's what the enemy wants us to do. They want us to use this against me. This is against me. This wasn't for me. This isn't made for me and stay in that negative place, but that's not who our God is. So we can do all things through Christ. So that means no matter who you are, stand on that and say, Lord, I'm ready for my new foundation. Let's build it. And I cannot wait to see where you're taking me from here.

Dawn Damon: Amen. Amen. Well, today you're hearing it. This is your invitation, women. This is your invitation to rise, to believe in God. This is your invitation to step out, make that pivot, and discern your season. Get in your lane. God's got great things in store for you. I believe that. Yeah. Thank you so much for being with us today, Dr. Angela. We appreciate it. I know you have books, sessions, and coaching opportunities. How can someone reach you today?

Dr. Angela Chester: Of course. Thank you for having me, pastor Dawn.

Dawn Damon: You're so welcome.

Dr. Angela Chester: The easiest way to find me is you can visit my website, drangelachester.com. We have the coaching programs, the counseling programs, the magazine, the radio, all the media stuff. I try to make it a really simple one-stop shop, and you can start there. Click the link that applies to what you're looking for, and it will advance you to the section that you need to take a look at, including social media. All of that is there. It's easy as well on the social media platforms. At Dr. Angela Chester, and of course Pastor Dawn, we have a free section for all of your listeners and viewers. So if you simply click on that tab that says more, scroll down to free, and you will see that I have some free gifts for you as well.

Dawn Damon: Wonderful. We have to take advantage of that. Thank you very much for being with us. We'll have all of that information in the notes for you ladies, so don't forget to click those notes and see that information. And this is Dawn Damon, your bravehearted life coach. And I just wanna let you know, today I am gonna leave you as I do pretty much all the time.

Is this your moment, ladies, to find your brave and live your dreams!