Success is not a destination, it is method. Comparison will easily tempt us to believing that the successful are the ones who have achieved notoriety, that someone else is always making more or doing better than we are. But success, true success, is doing what you were created to do and doing so in a man that makes you better and betters those around you.
As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Christian Bevere.
Christian Bevere is passionate about seeing women discover their identity in Christ. A firm believer in God’s redemption story, she shares powerful truth and practical applications through her books, podcast, online platform, and teachings. Wife to Arden Bevere and mother to Azariah Jax Bevere, Christian is on a mission to help others encounter God, silence shame, and avoid settling for less than His best.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I appreciate the chance to share with your audience and thank you for having me! I was born and raised in lower Alabama along the gulf coast. Being the eldest daughter with three younger sisters gave me a heart for the innate God-given beauty and design women carry. Through my own experiences and lessons the Lord has shown me, I’ve become passionate about empowering women to step fully into their identity.
Is there a particular book or organization that made a significant impact on you growing up? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Literature began impacting me at an early age. My mother was influential in teaching us through books and encouraging us to read. I can vividly remember one day in elementary school, walking into our living room to see my mom holding a stack of phonetic books she’d just gotten for us and thinking, “Well that’s what we’re doing this summer break!” She imprinted a love for literature. Some of my favorite authors include C.S. Lewis and F. Scott Fitzgerald; I suppose any author who used initials in their name!
The art of writing was a way of learning when I was young and has since become a mode of creating and releasing that I am extremely grateful for and have been incredibly transformed by. In thinking of an organization that has shaped me most, I’d be amiss to overlook the legacy the local church sparked in my life. From my Mimi’s lessons in Vacation Bible School to the community building of my home church through high school, I know for a fact I wouldn’t be who I am today without the people behind those Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.
How do you define “Making A Difference”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
To me, making a difference is creating beauty or supplying support where there was lack thereof prior. We see Christ model this so beautifully, and uniquely might I add. He was a shoulder to cry on for the widows, a healer to the paralyzed, and a friend to the forsaken. We can limit our impact to our vocation, but simply being who He created you to be, a son or daughter who is the salt of the Earth, is making a difference — probably in more ways than we will understand this side of Heaven.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. You are currently leading an organization that aims to make a social impact. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
My husband and I are passionate about creating a legacy of impact in the lives of those around us. This season, we do that widely through content we create on our social platforms and on our podcast, Love Unscripted. We believe our peers are impeccably gifted for greatness and with the right tools and relational encouragement, will do mighty things for the kingdom. This is a vision we have shared since we first married in 2018. Together, we hope to change the division and misdirection we’ve seen in our generation and reign in a people walking in the fullness of their destiny.
Personally, I’m inspired to uplift women to their best selves as they avoid settling, silence shame, and steward their identity successfully. Through my new book, Break Up with What Broke You, I invite readers on a journey of restoration as they allow God to rewrite and redeem their story. And on my podcast, Dear Future Husband, some phenomenal guests and I share practical advice, healing insight, and relatable testimonies applicable to any woman’s current or future relationship. Overall, I want to change the way we women see ourselves and spread hope in the message that God’s design for womanhood and His personal promises to each woman are worth pursuing.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
After I married my husband, I met many women who questioned what I did to land such a man. He is an exceptional leader, intelligent, and down-right handsome, so I could see where the question came from but realized it made me feel like a fraud — that I wasn’t “good enough” to deserve such a person. I realized I’d battled shame for nearly two decades and questioned my ability to have and keep a thriving, godly marriage. As I realized my true identity, I released my regrets, insecurities, and hurts — as the title says, I really “broke up with what broke me.” Through that journey I saw the many areas that insecurity and fear can rob us and knew I wasn’t alone in these footholds. If this was the message that I’d wish I’d had when I was hurt be people close to me, made decisions I wasn’t proud of, or struggling with painful anxiety, then I decided I was going to write a book on it and create a platform to connect with others in the same tensions.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. We don’t always get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
For me it was a combination. Some researchers suggest that perfectionism is a tie to shame. So, as I’ve severed the pain of shame, I’ve had to cast off perfection as well. Many of my early attempts did feel too scary or I’d work at my dreams until I decided they weren’t good enough. Learning the difference in trying to be perfect and aiming for excellence has majorly changed my creative process and ability to adapt. We think authors, CEOs, and TED Talk’ers are masters of their craft, but I like to think we’re all just creatives trying our best and doing our best with what we’ve been given. Creativity and passion can come in waves, but we must remember to ride it out and take time to enjoy the world around us, so we don’t burn out and wash ashore or capsize under external pressure.
Many young people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
Failure and patience were my best stepping stools. It took time to fully articulate what dreams were the ones to pursue, and I had some failed plans in the process. May be surprising, but it took me four years to complete my book because the vision and need kept evolving. Today I’m thankful I took the time to revise and pivot as necessary because I believe the words in those pages are what they need to be for when they need to be, but that doesn’t mean there were not frustrations or disappointments. Some days I’d write 2,000 words that’d ultimately be tossed out; others I’d have a deadline and could hardly muster 100 words.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
For entrepreneurs and leaders, we tend to overthink our impact and question if our dreams are worth pursuing — something I’m well familiar with. When I first got started creating my business and content, I doubted if it was the right path and if others would connect with it. At the time we had just moved to Tennessee and last minute attended a conference for young communicators. I felt many in the room were ahead of and better than me career wise. But to my surprise, a group of inspiring women approached me and exclaimed that they had seen what I’d been creating and that it was inspiring them. I couldn’t believe that the dreams I had were reaching far more people than I realized and that women I admired were admiring my work. It goes to show that we cannot despise the day of small beginnings.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?
It may be too soon for me to laugh, but I had to completely delete my podcast this month. The show launched in 2022 and has created a wonderful community with amazing insights from several guests, but for whatever “funny” reason, the platform I started with crashed the show. So, I rolled up my sleeves and restarted. That meant losing some of the content and all the hours, reviews, and success we’d created, but what was done was done. My takeaway is that it doesn’t matter about the numbers, what matters is the people. I was shocked how many people reached out right away to follow the new show, as if they hadn’t missed a beat. The episodes were impactful to them, and that created a bond was better than show reviews.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
Without a doubt. My husband, Arden, is my biggest supporter and catalyst. He always believes in me, even when I don’t. What still flabbergasts me is how I submitted my manuscript mere weeks after my son was born. My husband was a constant source of support and encouragement, even when I was sleep-deprived and hormonal. That’s really when you need someone in your corner, isn’t it! As for a mentor, I’ve had the privilege of working with and learning under my mother-in-law, Lisa Bevere, for the last five years and have gleaned from her dynamic storytelling and powerful teachings.
Without saying specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
What I believed to be a coincidental run-in led to a meaningful encounter. I briefly met a woman four years ago whom I have been able to have as a mentor and a friend. We’ve walked through much together in that time, and I’m proud of the way she has owned her past so that it no longer owns her.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
I believe we haphazardly enable shame by downplaying societal norms such as hookup culture, isolation, and accepting anxiety. When people are hurting, we do best to discover the starting point and uproot the true problem rather than masking it. If we stop settling for temporary anecdotes, we can find real life-changing solutions.
Fantastic. Here is the main question of the interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1. Success is not a destination, it is method. Comparison will easily tempt us to believing that the successful are the ones who have achieved notoriety, that someone else is always making more or doing better than we are. But success, true success, is doing what you were created to do and doing so in a man that makes you better and betters those around you.
2. Get over your past. Shame is such a liar. It will question every good intention and idea you have and taunt you into immobility. Who you are and what you are capable of, are not limited to who you’ve been or what you’ve done. Believe for more.
3. Don’t wait until you “feel” like it. When I first began writing, I thought I had to wait until I was completely in the zone and inspired. But those days can be few and far between. A powerful model is creating a working rhythm that allows you to cycle out ideas rather than dump them all out at once.
4. You will have bed days, and you will have good days. Isn’t this true! Resilience is the ability to ground yourself after the highs and lows. Remember your “why” and don’t let either distract you from the path you are on.
5. Live each day in 24-hour intervals. Especially for us driven, creative types, it can be hard to not get overly excited about the future or our next project. Or to not let the mess-ups and what-ifs of yesterday haunt us. But we live freer, create better, and present ourselves more authentically when we remain in the present.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
I believe many want to make an impact, but often doubt their ability to do so, that their voice carries weight, or that their shortcomings keep them from being worthy of greatness. If that’s you reading this, YOU CAN. Anything is possible for the one who sets their head and heart to bettering the world around us. Write your vision down and make it clear, then see it through.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Educator and author, Jenna Kutcher of the Goal Digger Podcast. I admire her ability to dominate the marketplace with authenticity, love for her family, and distinct flare. I’m sure we’d brainstorm marketing dreams over lattes, fresh fruit, and pastries.
How can our readers follow you online?
They can reach me through my website www.christianbevere.com or on Instagram at @mrschristianbevere and on YouTube at @christianbevereauthor.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Thank you for having me and the same to you!
Young Change Makers: Why and How Christian Bevere Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.