Teen Leadership: Build Something Bigger Than Yourself
- 6 days ago
- 10 min read
Why Character and Integrity Matter More Than Popularity
Everyone dreams about doing something meaningful with their life.
Most people want:
influence
success
strong relationships
purpose
leadership
a life that matters
But here’s something teens don’t hear enough:
The life you want is not built only by talent.
It’s built by character.
And if your character is weak, eventually the life you’re trying to build will struggle to stand.
Because leadership is not sustained by popularity, attention, or image.
It is sustained by integrity.
My Journey Didn’t Happen Overnight
Sometimes people look at Chicks Ministry now and assume it all came together quickly.
But honestly?
Everything meaningful in my life began as a vision from God long before it became reality.
Before there was:
a podcast
an app
a website
a Bible study
social media platforms
leadership opportunities
There was simply a dream in my heart. And honestly, that’s how most meaningful things begin.
Not fully built.
Not fully clear.
Just a small vision and the willingness to keep moving forward one step at a time.
My Journey to Building Chicks Ministry
I attended Iowa State University and started my career in education.
My path looked like this:
Teaching Career
Master’s Degree by 25
Published my first book in 2007
Life shifted unexpectedly in 2007
Consulting and mentorship opportunities
Launching Chicks Ministry in 2010
And through all of it, one thing stayed consistent:
I kept building.
Even when life changed.
Even when I didn’t know exactly what I was doing.
Even when the future felt unclear.
That’s something I really want teens to understand:
You do not need to know everything to begin.
A lot of people stay stuck because they think successful people started with complete confidence and a perfect plan.
Most of us didn’t.
We learned while building.
Growth happens through action.
You learn:
by trying
by failing
by adjusting
by asking for help
by staying teachable
That’s leadership.
The Vision God Placed in My Heart
In 2008, God placed the vision for Chicks Ministry in my heart.
At first, it was simply the idea of starting a group for teen girls.
That was it.
No massive platform.
No huge audience.
No big ministry organization.
Just a desire to help girls:
grow in faith
build leadership
create healthy friendships
and live powerful lives
Today, that vision has grown into:
Chicks Meetings
The Chicks Ministry App
The Faithful Chicks Podcast
A website and blog
Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest content
And a published Bible study
But none of that happened overnight.
Leadership takes time to build.
And more importantly:
The person building the dream has to grow too.
Your Character Will Either Build or Destroy Your Future
One of the biggest mistakes people make is focusing more on image than character.
Culture teaches people to carefully manage appearances.
But leadership is deeper than appearances.
Eventually, your real character shows up.
And honestly?
A lot of dreams are destroyed not because people lacked talent…
But because they lacked integrity.
Lying destroys trust.
Manipulation destroys relationships.
Substance abuse destroys clarity and stability.
Risky decisions create consequences that can follow people for years.
And the scary part is this:
Many of those choices feel small in the moment.
But repeated small choices shape your future.
Galatians 6:7 says: “A man reaps what he sows.”
That principle is true in every area of life.
Your habits eventually produce results.
Integrity Matters More Than Image
One of the most important leadership qualities you can build is integrity.
Integrity means:
being truthful
being consistent
being trustworthy
being the same person privately and publicly
In other words:
You cannot live one way online and another way in real life.
People can usually sense when someone is creating a fake persona for influence.
And eventually, fake leadership collapses.
Real influence comes from authenticity.
From consistency.
From living what you say you believe.
That doesn’t mean leaders are perfect.
It means they are honest.
Be a Person Who Means What They Say
One leadership lesson I’ve learned over and over is this:
People trust leaders who are clear, honest, and consistent.
Don’t become someone who:
constantly changes to fit the crowd
tells people what they want to hear
acts differently depending on who is around
Strong leaders know who they are.
And honestly, teens who build that kind of strength early are setting themselves up for a much stronger future.
Proverbs 10:9 says: “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely.”
Integrity creates stability.
And stability is powerful.
Build Something Bigger Than Yourself
One thing I want every teen girl reading this to understand is this:
You were designed for more than attention.
More than temporary popularity.
More than trying to impress people online.
God created you with purpose.
And leadership becomes meaningful when your life begins helping other people grow too.
Real leaders:
respect others
stay truthful
offer wisdom and value
refuse to become the negativity around them
And honestly?
That last one matters a lot.
Because culture right now can feel harsh.
People are quick to attack, gossip, manipulate, lie, or tear others down.
But leadership requires emotional maturity.
You do not have to become the negativity around you.
You can stay kind.
You can stay grounded.
You can stay strong in your values.
Romans 12:21 says: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
That is leadership too.
Final Thoughts
If you want to build something meaningful with your life, start building your character now.
Not later.
Now.
Because the qualities you build in private will eventually shape:
your leadership
your relationships
your opportunities
your future
and the impact your life has on others
Dream about building something bigger than yourself.
And then begin becoming the kind of person who can sustain it.
One decision at a time.
Reflection Questions
What kind of person am I becoming?
Are my choices strengthening or weakening my future?
Do my online actions match my real-life values?
What habits could sabotage the future I want?
What leadership quality do I most need to grow in right now?
A Final Encouragement
If you’re trying to grow in your faith, leadership, confidence, and identity, my Bible study Just a Girl Who Loves Jesus was created to help teen girls build a strong foundation for life.
It’s filled with practical encouragement, biblical truth, journaling, and leadership-minded growth designed specifically for teen girls navigating real life.
Because leadership doesn’t just start with a title.
It starts with who you are becoming every single day.
Another Post About Leadership
Faithful Chicks Podcast Script
Episode Title: Teen Leadership: Build Something Bigger Than Yourself
Hey friends, welcome back to the Faithful Chicks Podcast.
I am really excited about today’s episode because I want to talk about something that honestly affects your future more than most teens realize:
Your character.
Not your image. Not your follower count. Not whether people think you’re cool. Not whether you look successful online.
Your character.
Because if you want to become a strong leader… if you want to build something meaningful with your life… if you want healthy relationships, influence, stability, and purpose…
You cannot build a strong life on weak character.
And honestly?
I think culture is really confusing teens right now about what leadership actually is.
A lot of people are trying to build influence before they build integrity.
And eventually that catches up to people.
So today I want to talk about:
why character matters so much
how leadership is sustained
how your daily choices shape your future
why you don’t need to know everything to begin
and how God can place a vision in your heart long before it becomes reality
And honestly, a lot of this episode comes directly out of my own life story.
So let’s jump in.
Everything Meaningful Starts as a Vision
One thing I’ve realized looking back over my life is this:
Everything meaningful started as a vision before it became reality.
Before Chicks Ministry was:
a podcast
an app
a website
social media platforms
a Bible study
or a ministry reaching girls in different places
…it was simply something God placed in my heart.
And honestly?
That’s how most meaningful things begin.
Not fully built.
Not fully figured out.
Just a burden.
A vision.
A desire to create something meaningful.
And I think that’s important for teens to understand because social media makes it look like successful people suddenly appear fully formed.
But real growth almost never happens that way.
Most meaningful things are built slowly.
And leadership takes time.
My Journey
I attended Iowa State University and started my career in education.
And honestly, I’ve always been someone who wanted to build something meaningful.
My journey looked something like this:
teaching
earning my master’s degree by 25
publishing my first book in 2007
And for a while, I thought my future would probably involve educational leadership and becoming a principal.
But life shifted.
And honestly, leadership requires learning how to adjust when life changes.
There were seasons where things did not unfold the way I originally imagined.
But even when the path changed…
The desire to help people never left me.
In 2008, God gave me the vision for Chicks Ministry.
At first, it was simply the idea of creating a group for teen girls.
That was it.
Nothing huge.
No giant ministry platform.
No perfect plan.
Just a vision.
And in 2010, Chicks Ministry officially launched.
And over time it slowly grew into:
Chicks Meetings
mentoring opportunities
a website
social media
the Faithful Chicks Podcast
the Chicks Ministry App
and eventually my Bible study, Just a Girl Who Loves Jesus
But I want you to hear this clearly:
I did not know how to do most of what I do now when I started.
Not even close.
And honestly, I think that stops a lot of people.
They think:
“I’m not ready.”
“I don’t know enough.”
“Someone else could do this better.”
“What if I fail?”
But leadership often starts before confidence shows up.
You learn by moving.
You grow by trying.
You figure things out one step at a time.
You Don’t Need to Know Everything to Begin
This is one of the biggest leadership lessons I’ve learned.
You do not need to know everything to begin.
Some of you are waiting until:
you feel confident
you have all the answers
you feel qualified
your life feels perfect
But honestly?
Most leaders learned while building.
Growth happens through action.
That means:
asking questions
making mistakes
learning new skills
staying teachable
adjusting when needed
And I think teens sometimes underestimate how much they can learn simply by starting.
Leadership requires movement.
Not perfection.
Character Sustains Leadership
Now let’s talk about the part people don’t always want to hear.
Character.
Because leadership is not sustained by talent alone.
It is sustained by integrity.
And honestly?
I think a lot of dreams get destroyed because people focus more on image than character.
Culture teaches people to carefully manage appearances.
To create a brand.
To create a persona.
To look impressive.
But eventually your real character shows up.
And if your private life is unhealthy, eventually your public life starts cracking too.
That’s why integrity matters so much.
Integrity means:
being truthful
being trustworthy
being consistent
being the same person privately and publicly
And honestly?
You cannot build strong leadership while constantly lying, manipulating, or pretending.
Eventually people stop trusting you.
And once trust is broken, leadership becomes very difficult to sustain.
Your Choices Have Consequences
I really want teens to hear this next part because I don’t think enough adults say it clearly.
Your choices matter.
And some choices create consequences that last far longer than people expect.
Things like:
substance abuse
risky relationships
lying
manipulating people
creating fake online personas
constantly chasing attention
Those things don’t just affect the moment.
They shape your future.
Galatians 6:7 says:
“A man reaps what he sows.”
That principle is true whether people want to acknowledge it or not.
Repeated choices create patterns.
Patterns create habits.
Habits shape your future.
And leadership requires understanding that your daily choices either strengthen your future…
Or slowly sabotage it.
Don’t Become Different People Online and Offline
I think this is especially important right now because social media has created so much pressure for teens to perform.
A lot of people feel like they need to create a version of themselves online that gets approval.
But honestly?
People can usually sense when someone is fake.
And fake leadership eventually collapses.
Your values online should match who you are in real life.
That doesn’t mean you have to be perfect.
It means you should be genuine.
It means:
saying what you mean
living what you value
being honest about who you are
refusing to manipulate people for attention
Real influence comes from authenticity.
Not performance.
Real Leaders Build Others Up
One of the things I’ve learned through ministry is this:
Real leaders make other people stronger.
They:
respect others
stay truthful
offer wisdom and value
refuse to become the negativity around them
And honestly, that last one is difficult.
Because culture can feel so harsh right now.
People are quick to:
gossip
attack
cancel
manipulate
humiliate
tear people apart online
But leadership requires emotional maturity.
You do not have to become the negativity around you.
Romans 12:21 says:
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
That’s leadership too.
Strong leaders know how to stay grounded even when culture around them is chaotic.
Build Something Bigger Than Yourself
I think one of the saddest things in culture right now is how many people are building their lives around temporary attention.
But you were created for more than attention.
More than popularity.
More than trying to impress people.
God created you with purpose.
And leadership becomes meaningful when your life begins helping other people grow too.
Dream about building something bigger than yourself.
Something meaningful.
Something lasting.
Something that actually helps people.
Because honestly?
That kind of leadership is powerful.
Final Encouragement
So today, I want you to really think about this:
What kind of person are you becoming?
Not just:
what do you want to do
where do you want to go
what do you want to achieve
But who are you becoming while you build your future?
Because your character will either strengthen your dreams…
Or sabotage them.
And if you want to become someone who can sustain leadership, influence, purpose, and meaningful impact…
Start building your character now.
One decision at a time.
One habit at a time.
One choice at a time.
And remember:
You do not have to know everything to begin.
You just need to keep moving forward.
Thanks so much for hanging out with me today on the Faithful Chicks Podcast.
And if you’re looking for more encouragement around faith, leadership, confidence, identity, and purpose, my Bible study Just a Girl Who Loves Jesus was created specifically to help teen girls build a strong foundation for life.
I’ll see you guys next week.
Bye friends.