Authentic Life & Leadership
Learn More
Most recent blog post…
Prayer: The Greatest
Dating & Marriage Strategy
My husband did not grow up in a Christian home or have an example of a Christian marriage. He was actually the person who led his parents and sister to the Lord after becoming a Christian. So, he learned about relationships and future marriage for the very first time...
3 Things to Do When You Feel Like Quitting
Did you think about quitting this week? It's common for leaders to think about throwing in the towel. Leadership is not for sissies! I've heard it said, "Don't throw in the towel, wipe the sweat off your face and keep going!" I don't know who said that first, but...
Mercy and Me: How My Rescue Dog is Helping Me Grieve
I am unabashedly a dog mom. I have adult children who are wonderful human beings, but I also have other living beings that I take care of who reside in my house. And they mean the world to me. (By the way, new research suggests that cat and dog 'moms' and 'dads'...
When Grief’s Stinger is Stuck in Your Throat
"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love." Washington Irving I stare at this...
The Fog of Grieving
Since entering my season of grief in December, it has felt like I’m in a fog, specifically brain fog. Creative ideas typically flow out of me like Niagara Falls, gushing forth with everything from blog posts to sermons, to team meeting ideas, to books, to articles, to...
3 Realities of Grieving
(And How to Respond)
Let's get this out of the way up front: I'm not a therapist. I'm just a middle-aged woman who has navigated a lot of personal loss in times past, and I am going through it again now in several aspects. What you're about to read are simply experiences from a fellow...
That Time I Consistently Broke One of the
Ten Commandments
When I was growing up, I mistakenly thought a Sabbath day constituted making sure you went to church on Sunday and honored “The Lord’s Day.” I was completely mistaken about what Sabbath is really all about. I learned about the importance of Sabbath when I began my...
Invite Deanna to speak at your next event!
Deanna is invited to return and speak at many of the same places time and again because the result has been an overwhelmingly positive experience with lives changed, and people encouraged.
BIO
Dr. Deanna Shrodes
Dr. Deanna Doss Shrodes is an author, speaker, and spiritual life strategist whose work has been featured by CBS News, People Magazine, The New Yorker, Woman’s World, GOD TV, and HuffPost. She holds a Master’s in Ministerial Leadership and a Doctor of Ministry from Southeastern University, where she also serves as an adjunct professor.
Dr. Shrodes currently leads as Women’s Ministries Director for the Pen Florida District of the Assemblies of God and directs the Stronger Leadership Network, where she mentors pastors and leaders through practical coaching, spiritual formation, and cohort-based development. A sole author of five books and a contributing writer to five others, her latest work, Uncommon Answers, was released by Chosen Books (a division of Baker Books) in April 2025.
Known for a warm pastoral presence and clear, actionable teaching, Dr. Shrodes speaks at conferences, churches, and leadership gatherings on calling and purpose, prayer and spiritual formation, women’s leadership, and organizational health. She is married to her college sweetheart, Larry; they have three grown children and five grandchildren.
Areas of Focus: spiritual formation & prayer, women’s leadership development, calling/purpose in midlife, marriage, healthy ministry culture, cohort-based mentoring.
Become Your Most Authentic Self
Free E-Book
Are you tired of being who and what others expect you to be, instead of who God created you to be?
If you find the pressure of other people's expectations exhausting and you are ready to be the authentic YOU that you were always meant to be, Deanna would like to gift you with an ebook, 29 Ways to Become Your Most Authentic Self.
It's time to break free and finally live according to your divine design!
