Mislabeled, Misunderstood, and Talked About
- Tina Smith
- Apr 6
- 3 min read
𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆.
There are stories that women who build and lead quietly hold.
They are the moments when you wake to the reality that you have been mislabeled, gossiped about, or spoken of in rooms you were never in. Moments when text messages surface, filled with misunderstandings and assumptions formed without context, conversation, or care.
Leadership can be lonely not because you stand above others, but because people often interpret decisions through their own wounds, fears, and perspectives rather than the weight you carry. Vision is rarely judged by its intent, but by how it disrupts what feels familiar.
I began building two organizations at the same time, a private practice and a not for profit. The private practice became the system through which I carried additional financial responsibility to build the charitable organization because I believed deeply in its mission to serve those who did not have access to care. What appeared simple on paper required countless nights planning and researching long after everyone was sleeping, ongoing discernment, and the intentional work of cultivating a culture that could hold two very different environments with integrity.
What I was doing was uncommon. Most therapists choose one path. I chose to steward both, learning through trial and error while consulting lawyers, business owners, accountants, and accountability partners along the way. Growth, change, and doing something different will always invite voices. Some are wise. Some are not.
I did not always get it right. Builders rarely do when they are creating something that has not been done before.
Which Voice Are You Listening To?
What I came to see in that season was this. The voices surrounding me began to echo louder than the voice of God. I listened too closely to the wrong voices. I allowed distraction, criticism, and fear to detour my discernment. That is not where any founder, visionary, or builder is meant to live.
Scripture reminds us that this pattern is not new. Noah built amid ridicule. Nehemiah rebuilt under mockery and opposition. Paul carried the weight of accusation, misunderstanding, and relentless pressure while building the early Church. Every person who builds something different will face resistance, gossip, and misrepresentation. The issue is not that the voices come. The issue is what happens inside us when they do.
(Genesis 6–9; Nehemiah 4–6; 2 Corinthians 11–12; Galatians 1:10)
In a season of healing, the Lord gently revealed the wounds that allowed those voices to knock me off His path. Strength in building is often forged in weakness, because it is God’s strength, not our certainty, that sustains us when pressure and noise rise.
If you are a woman leading, building, or carrying a vision that feels heavy, misunderstood, or lonely, I want you to hear this. You are not weak for feeling the weight. You are not failing because it feels hard. And you are not alone.
There is room here for your story, your questions, and your healing.
Join Women Who Are Growing Every Day
If this resonates with you, I invite you to subscribe at www.swordandgrace.org and continue walking with us as we create space for Christian women in leadership to speak honestly about the hard things, with faith, humility, and hope. It is a place that continues to soften you in love.
Tina Smith
Author | Mentor | Supervisor | Mediator-in-Training | International Coach | Director | Founder of Selah Treatment Center
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