TD Jakes is well known as a champion of women and his Women Thou Art Loosed! events attract tens of thousands. Now he and his daughter Sarah Jakes Roberts are taking on Mental Health, Gender Equality and Domestic Violence. This was the theme of their recent Women Thou Art Loosed! Master Class event for business women.
Sarah, who heads up WomenEvolve, has clearly picked up her father’s mantle and preaches with the same passion as the best-loved Bishop. This clip will tug at your heart as you hear Sarah preaching a message entitled Everything Must Go, delivered at Elevation Church in September. In this video she shares her heart to see woman overcome every obstacle that stands in the way of them laying hold of God’s anointing in their lives.
It is this heart to see women overcome depression, addiction and other trauma that led Sarah to start WomenEvolve and to host the Master Class with her dad where some 10,000 faith-minded businesswomen from 19 countries gathered to hone their skills across business, entertainment, healthcare, technology, finance and ministry. Speakers included Cynthia Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks; Nona Jones, manager at Facebook; and Michelle Williams, Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter.
Self-care sometimes means saying no
Michelle, a former member of Destiny’s Child and now reality star with her new series Chad Loves Michelle on OWN, shared her struggles with depression and stressed the importance of prioritizing mental health, as more than one in five adults experience mental illness in a given year.
She encouraged busy women to release the temptation to do it all, emphasizing that “self-care sometimes means saying no,” and commented on her visit to a mental health facility stating, “It was one of the best things I could have ever done.” She debunked the myth of those who are stereotypically thought of being in a mental health facility, telling conference attendees, “Look at the person sitting next to you; that’s who was there.”
Bishop Jakes’ “Conversations with America” study found 54 percent of Americans believe women have fewer economic opportunities than men, which is why this year’s Master Class format featured panels on topics such as the challenges female leaders face in male-dominated work environments, how to succeed in corporate America, tips to gain financial freedom and how to achieve work-life balance.
“We recognize the immense challenges facing women today, especially women of color,” said Bishop Jakes, entrepreneur and senior pastor of The Potter’s House. “Powerhouse female businesswomen and leaders cast their vision and provided practical tools to help women advance in their unique spheres of influence. My hope is that we are going to see a ripple across America of strong female leaders rising up.”
About Woman, Thou Art Loosed!
For more than 25 years, Woman, Thou Art Loosed! has been training, teaching and inspiring more than half a million women. It began as a women’s Bible study in 1992 by Bishop Jakes and has since birthed a best-selling book, a widely acclaimed stage play, a Grammy-nominated CD and a national conference. In October 2004, Woman, Thou Art Loosed! was developed into a movie and became a box office top-10 hit, winning a 2005 NAACP Image Award. Since its inception, the national conference has reached more than half a million women from around the world. For more information, visit
About The Potter’s House
Founded in 1996, The Potter’s House is a 30,000-member nondenominational, multicultural church and humanitarian organization led by Bishop Jakes. Consistently ranked among the largest and most influential churches in the USA, the Potter’s House has five locations across Texas, Colorado and California.
About WomenEvolve
Woman Evolve is a movement of progressive women committed to erasing limits and challenging the norms of what it means to be a modern woman of faith. Sarah Jakes Roberts messages spread throughout the world defying cultural, religious, gender, and socio-economic boundaries. Alongside her husband, Touré Roberts, she co-pastors The Potter’s House at One LA and The Potter’s House Denver. At 23 years-old Sarah was tempted to allow her journey as a woman battling insecurities, teen pregnancy stigma, low self-esteem, toxic relationships, and depression to define the rest of her life. It wasn’t until she was in her darkest moment that she realized she only had two options: settle or evolve. Sarah dared to harness the wisdom of her past wounds and apply them to the hope for her future.