Her Story: Carla Shellis
her |həː, hə| pronoun 1 used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to a female person: Her strength and passion are inspiring.
We had an inspiring start to the New Year at last night’s first Equipped by Faith of 2020 with our friend and speaker, Carla Shellis!
Carla is the Founder of Arise, a speaker, a builder, and a woman who lives with a passion to see the female-side of humanity living their lives in the fullest measure of freedom. She wants to see women break away from the grip of unworthiness (or not feeling good enough), insecurity, fear, and rejection so that they can live their lives in the fullest expression of their feminine design.
Carla wants to create a world where “she” knows and walks in the power and beauty within the fiber of her makeup—because it is from that knowing that she will not only find what she was created to be and do in this life, but she will become a desirable, beautiful woman that overflows with a confidence that is uncontainable. Her passion is to reach ladies of all ages all around the world to help encourage and equip them to be the very best they can be and to receive from their life the very abundance that God has promised in His faithful Word.
Read more about Carla’s story in our interview below!
Q&A with Carla Shellis
1. What do you think you were put on this earth for? What is your biggest dream?
I believe my entire calling and mission is to help restore the home, family, and marriage through the woman. When SHE is free and living through her creation and purpose, SHE is the most powerful being on earth. When SHE has decided, everything in HER surroundings is abundant in peace and joy. 2) My biggest dream is to see women rise up out of the ashes of life (misconceptions, hurts, offenses, religious mindsets of bondage etc.) and walk out in the purest form of the feminine. To see HER beautify, nurture, bring life and bless every area she chooses to touch & impact. To see HER free from the prison of thoughts and lies and focused on making HERSELF the best version of who God created her to be.
2. What are some of the obstacles you have had to go through to get to this point?
The biggest obstacle for me has been to overcome the rat race of blaming everyone else for where my life was. Blaming my husband, my parents, my kids, my employees, everything. It was surrendering completely once and for all. The obstacle was to stay consistent in working on me and me only and break the habit of leaning into everyone around me for my joy. Little did I know the obstacle I avoided was, in fact, the one and only thing that once surrendered to the principles God showed me, I found the greatest freedom, joy, and peace that I had never known possible.
3. What motivates or inspires you?
I work in the space of restoring victims of human trafficking & women who are exploited inside their own homes through abuse, adultery, and being lost inside life. What motivates and inspires me is to see girls who are the most violated, the most radically removed from any sort of normal reality and seeing the work we do with them bring them into healthy and independent living. To see these girls who were once so violated walking in healthy identity and freedom. To see them beautify, walk with class, learn how to have and hold a home, to see them WANT to be beautiful and contributing. That is what inspires me!
4. What do you want to be remembered for?
I want to be remembered as the woman who created the greatest, life-changing and impacting resource for women. The resource that in one place give them the tools to be set free, teaches them how to impact life to the fullest through living and to dream bigger and learn how to see their dreams come to pass. FREE, LIVE, DREAM.
5. What advice would you give other women searching for their purpose, passion, & faith?
Start with YOU. Start with finding freedom & identity for yourself. Do the work on you. We can’t possibly find our purpose and passion when our identity is tied up in the hurts of the past, the expectations of those around us to fulfill that calling or in waiting for the people closest to us to get life right SO THAT we can begin living. When you are free from the past, free from giving power to everyone in your life over your identity and worth then and only then will you find why you were created and the passion will follow. This passion will be revealed in a tidal wave that will propel you right into actually living on purpose.
6. What has been your greatest achievement in life?
My greatest achievement has been raising two amazing human beings. Raising kids is challenging, scary and always a gamble. I am so proud of my two, Michael and Jade and the contributing human beings they are. My second achievement is staying married through so many trials and near divorces. The great achievement is the same man I married when I was 20 years old in 1990 is now and finally the man of my dreams.
7. How does what you do reflect what God placed on your heart to share with the world?
I am the founder of Bochy’s Place, Bochy’s Box. Bochy’s Place is a safe-house for women who have been rescued from sex trafficking. Our entire curriculum and program is the manifestation of what God has called me to do. He told me when we help bring restoration to the broken of the broken, what we put together for them, will apply to all women. He told me, START THERE and the rest will follow :) Bochy’s Box is a subscription box we created in order to use the profits to support the rescue and restoration of these victims.
8. What books are you reading?
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, The Bible, and My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.
9. How do you stay encouraged & faith-filled?
By my daily routine. I listen to one sermon per day through podcasts (Bill Johnson Bethel Church, Robert Morris Gateway Church, are a few). Keep worship playing in my home 24/7. It keeps the Spirit of God present and flowing. I do not compromise my quiet time in the morning. I start my days in my quiet room in the Word, devotion, journal, and prayer. My daily declarations over myself and my vision board. I am intentional at who I allow in my inner circle. Who I allow to speak into me and who I surround myself with without apology :) I sow everywhere I go and every chance I get. The posture of giving keeps the prosperity of increase in my fore-thinking.
10. Favorite scripture of the moment (or ever)?
Isaiah 61 is my life scripture.
“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20
Thank you, Carla! We love you and were so inspired by your passion and authenticity!
Be sure to mark your calendars for next month’s special February “Valentine’s Day” themed Equipped by Faith gathering with our friends, Sean and Catherine Lowe on Wednesday, February 5, 2020!
XO-
Equipped by Faith