From Postnatal Pain To Faith-Based Planning with Ivy Mujuru

She moved countries, had a baby, tried to keep her career running, and quietly unravelled. If you’ve ever looked “fine” on the outside while feeling angry, afraid, or completely overwhelmed inside, you’ll recognise the pressure Ivy Mujuru describes and the way it can push a woman into perfectionism and isolation. 

We’re joined by Ivy, the founder of God’s Whole Woman, a community for multifaceted Christian women who want to excel in every role while staying rooted in Christ. Ivy shares her journey from Zimbabwe to South Africa to Ireland, how postnatal depression and fear shaped her early motherhood, and the moment she finally said, “Holy Spirit, I’m done.” What followed wasn’t a harsh overhaul, but gentle, practical guidance: one walk at a time, a deeper prayer life, restored identity, and a new way to approach marriage, homemaking, self-care, and finances with God involved in the details. 

We also talk about faith-based planning and why a holistic Christian planner can be more than productivity, it can be a tool for stewardship and peace. Ivy opens up about obedience when results don’t match expectations, including preparing for 50 women at a launch event and welcoming 12, then seeing God move anyway. If insecurity and fear of judgement have kept you from stepping out, this chat will help you reframe success and lean into surrender as the real breakthrough. 

Follow Ivy on Instagram @ivy_muj and @godswholewoman

Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review so more women can find Beyond Organised.

Transcript

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Welcome And Show Purpose

Mel 0:18

Welcome to Beyond Organised, the podcast that helps you simplify your life and amplify your purpose. I'm Mel Schenker, life coach, speaker, founder of She's Organised, but, more importantly, a wife and mum of four little kids. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, like you're constantly juggling everything but never quite catching up, this is the place for you. Here we go beyond just the tidying up and creating systems. We're talking about real life strategies that bring order to your life, but also we talk about the things beyond the organising, the things that really matter, like your parenting relationships and so much more. So grab your coffee and let's dive in.

Meet Ivy And Her Mission

Mel 1:00

Welcome back to another episode of Beyond Organised. I have Ivy with me today, and this lovely guest is a beautiful woman of God, and I'm very excited to introduce her to you. So, Ivy Mujuru is the founder of God's Whole Woman, a community for multifaceted Christian women. Their aim is to help women excel in all their roles: mother, friend, sister, daughter, entrepreneur, employee, etc., while their God-given identity and personality shines through. This is achieved through various faith-based resources and services that help the women plan and organize their lives while staying rooted in Christ. Love it. Ivy has the gift of coaching, mentoring, and inspiring women to live their best life by championing the word of God. Anchored in Proverbs 31, 29, many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Ivy strongly believes that there is a special place and assignment for all women in God's design. Amen. Her desire is that all women would discover God's vision for their lives and discover God's grace and strength. Yes, as they follow his guidance for their lives. Ah, I love this. You are my woman. I love this. Welcome to the show. Thanks so much, Mel.

Speaker 2 2:17

I'm so honored to be here with you today.

Mel 2:19

Oh, I'm I'm so glad to have you here. It's been a long time coming. I started talking to you last year, and it's great to finally have you on today. And I love everything that you stand for and completely, completely agree with you in everything here. But

Moving Countries And Losing Yourself

Mel 2:36

I would love to know what inspired you to get into the work that you're doing today.

Speaker 2 2:41

Oh, um, I suppose as many of our testimonies start from a very messy background. Um, so I so I originally actually I was born in Zimbabwe, but I moved to South Africa around when I was 18 for my uh university and just never left. So I met my husband there, started my career there. And, you know, at that time I thought, yep, I'm just gonna be a career woman until we decided to move, and we decided to move to Ireland. And when we moved, I was actually seven months pregnant. So we were scaring it. We were moving to new country, new job, new responsibilities as parents, and you know, everyone kind of warned us and said it's very different there, like in terms of you know, kind of maintaining the home and roles and responsibilities, because in South Africa, you know, you have got access to family and you know, just kind of help for everyday chores. And I thought, no, we'll be fine, you know, it's just the two of us, we'll make um and then we got here and initially it was okay, and then I gave birth, and I didn't realize I actually got postpartum depression. And so it actually got I was so angry. Like I look back now, and all I can see during the first couple of like nine months, I was so angry, so afraid. So when I came to my husband, like it was argument after argument. And then when I came to my son, I was so afraid of being left alone with him. I was so afraid that I was feeling him as a mom. I was like, I just I I can't describe why or where it came from. Um, and then I had to, you know, think about going back to work. And with that came another fresh kind of fear of will I be enough in a new country? Are my skills transferable? And it just, you know, kind of snowballed into trying to be perfect at work, which meant then all my other roles kind of had to take a pause. So I I was a mother on weekends and a wife on weekends. Um you know, Monday to Friday, I was predominantly at work, staying until 10 p.m. And God bless my husband, because he's always been the type to say, you know, do what you need to do. But at the same time, you know, even the strongest people can like they'll feel the load eventually. Um that just it just became a really messy life. And because of all of this, I wasn't taking care of myself. I wasn't, I was a Christian. I wasn't really a Christian, you know, when you're doing it all in your own strength. Exactly. Like you've got the placard that says, I love Jesus, but he's away in a corner somewhere. Um and it just, I'll never forget. Um, it was last two years ago, I was in my room. I think we just had another fight, and I just I was so broken. I was just my self-esteem was at its all-time lowest. And I just said, Okay, holy spirit, I'm done. I I can't do, I I don't know what to do anymore. I'm literally tell me whatever it is you want me to do, and I'll do it. But this this can't be what my life amounts to. And

Healing Through Walks And Prayer

Speaker 2 6:08

ironically, the first um instruction he gave me was to take a walk. And I thought, okay, fine, I'll go for a walk. And I would do that. Easy enough. Um, but on those walks, I started. So initially, actually, it was just okay, I'm just walking. And I would listen to, you know, music, I would kind of just take a walk. Um, but I started realizing, oh, I can actually take care of my body. I can actually kind of I felt I started falling in love with myself again. Um, and then I was like, okay, but I'm not being productive on these walks. And then I actually started praying on my walks. I started you know listening to the word on my walks, just talking to God. So literally, like my relationship with God got so much better, but at the same time, he retaught me to love myself. Um that it just kind of again, he then started sort of organizing my life little by little. And I love the Holy Spirit for that because he never overwhelmed me. It was never, you're broken everywhere, so we need to fix and overhaul everything. It was scratched exactly. Let's start here, then we're gonna go there. So it started with myself and just my identity in him, and then it moved into, you know, kind of all the mindsets, the emotions that I'd been so afraid, you know, just I'd literally just become such a shell of myself and isolated myself. So he had to really kind of get me out of that, get me to face all those emotions from my past that I was carrying for years. And then it came into my marriage, and then he's like, right, now I need to reteach you what it means to submit. Um, I honestly thought I knew what submission meant, but I I really didn't. And it's it was in the small things, you know, it's in it's it's in verses that we we look at and we think, oh yeah, I know that. You know, when the Bible says wives understand your husbands, and you think, oh yeah, yeah, I understand him. Yeah, but I get him, I know what he's like. Yeah. It really like the Holy Spirit started to reteach me. And it was the simple things, like, you know, my husband loves when I cook for him, but I'd gotten into this thing of, oh no, we're an island, we need to share responsibilities. You will cook, I will cook sometimes. And the Holy Spirit had to be like, nope, until further notice, you are the only person cooking in this house. And the first couple of times I had to be like, but I don't have time. And he'd be like, make time. So, you know, it it really came like I love the Holy Spirit because as he was mending, but he was also giving me that discipline that I needed, that consistency that I needed, that organization. And so a couple of, I suppose, years slash months, like months slash years later, you know, after he'd carefully gone through everything, even in my finances, I'd stopped tithing, I'd stopped kind of putting him first in my finances. I I love self-care, let me first put that out there. But I'd gotten into the overconsumption. Like I would, instead of buying one scrub, I would buy 10. Why I needed 10 scrubs, I'll never understand. So even in that, like he had to be like, no, you're gonna start saving again. And it was like, okay, I don't need to eat out all the time. Okay, I'm, you know, I'm gonna save a bit of money here. And after all these lessons, you know, it got to a point where I was like, right, I love organization,

A Planner That Covers Real Life

Speaker 2 9:40

I love planning. That's who I am. I do to-do lists. Um, and I said to him, but I need somewhere to put it all down. And so I was like, okay, let's let's get back back to diaries and planners, because you know, I love that. But I could never find good company.

unknown 9:56

Yeah.

Speaker 2 9:57

But I could never find, you know, one that was all encompassing. You can find everything that you wanted. I would find one that was like finance focused, or I'd find one that was health focused. But I really wanted something that had everything, including the bits around submitting to my husband. So homemaking and you know, cleaning my home and having all of those in one place. And I wanted it to be like safe. I love it.

Mel 10:27

I'm like, the all all the happy receptors inside my brain are just like going off right now. I need to get my hands on this. Oh my goodness. Oh, I love it. I love the holistic approach. I'm I'm very holistic in my organizing too, across time, home, finances, work, self-care. They're part of my pillars. And so everything you're saying is just like a lot of us, we we're so used to doing it in silos, but really it's the holistic approach that we need.

Speaker 2 10:59

Yes. And so I kept like saying to the spirit, oh, I can't find what I need, I can't find what I need. And in September, I will never forget because it was so close to December. And he's like, right, you're going to produce one. I was like, sorry, what? And initially, I was still in that phase of I was really starting to understand how the Holy Spirit speaks to me. And so I knew that thought wasn't my own. I still had that thing of that, no, surely not. But I was like, okay, nope, not a problem. I started like it, the thought wasn't like so nagging. So eventually I was like, right, let's do this. And that's actually where God's Hallman started. It started with the planner. Um, and to be honest, I thank God that he didn't tell me the full vision at the time because I would have been like, wrong girl here.

Mel 11:49

I know, right? I I um I'm agreeing with you on that too. Even the stuff that's coming out now, I'm like, I'm so glad you didn't tell me this at the start. Because I just would have said sorry, pass on, go to someone else.

Speaker 2 12:02

Um, but again, you know, baby steps started with the planner, then came the social media page, and then came our WhatsApp community, which is a smaller community of women. Nice. Um, and then after, and then it came to our launch event that happened in December. So he was literally like taking me baby steps. And then afterwards, after the launch event, then he's like, right, now I need you to get into coaching and mentoring. And I was like, This was not kind of the plan when we we said Christian resources. We said event planning, because I'd I'd already been, you know, kind of doing a bit of event planning. Um, and so, you know, when that came, I was like, okay, you're gonna have to open the doors. I'm gonna, I'm going to step in and I'm gonna do this. You're gonna have to be the one to open the doors, and you're gonna have to bring the women that you want, you know, me to coach and mentor. Yes, there'll be challenges, but I still want that piece to know that this is what you want me to do. And I must say, he's been really faithful. Like it's there's some doors that have opened that honestly, I'm just like, I don't, I don't know how I came across this opportunity. I don't, I don't know how this happened. And even one of the things was, what am I gonna talk about? But literally, like he's brought people into my environment, into my community that have really helped to shape the work that I'm doing. Oof. My I think my word for this season has just been obedience, but it's it's I've seen how faithful he is, I've seen how lucky he is, even when I don't understand the instruction. But yeah, yeah, it's it's been worth it. It's been so fulfilling. Um, so yeah, so that's how I that's how I got into coaching and reaching.

Breakthrough Comes Through Surrender

Mel 13:47

Beautiful. That is just so I I feel I can see a lot of parallels in your journey to mine with this. And yes, I'm grateful that he didn't give me the full picture and has just given me one or two steps at a time. But I am someone that likes to know the full picture, start to end. So it was a very big leap of faith just starting all this business. And it started off with she's organized, that's my business name, and just going that way. And now, like this year, even, it's just completely exploded. And the word that God gave me for this year was breakthrough. And there has been so much in my personal life, in my business, in the clients, the people I'm helping and coaching, like honestly, and and the new course that I've got, it's called Kingdom Woman Breakthrough. And all of that came from what God's been doing in me. And now I get to share that. And it's funny when you said before that you knew all the scriptures, you knew all the words, and you you knew you're a Christian, but there was that part of you that still really just liked to be in control, was probably the way of putting it, like still having it in your own way. My goodness, when God gets you to that place of realizing you gotta stop trying to do it in your own strength, in your own power, and fully surrender, like fully. Like you don't even know what that word means until you get into that. And it is hard. It is so, so hard. But my goodness, even this year alone, and obviously this has been a journey for quite a while, but even this year alone is taking me to like a whole other level again. And the breakthroughs and oh, the things that are just happening, I just think far out, like for starters, how was I not even at that level before? Like now that I see this, I can't unsee it. Like, if this is like what turning a corner is like, how many more corners are there? Like, how much do I still have to learn? Like, because this is nuts, but it's so good. And it's just when you have learned to really surrender because you've really got no other choice. You know, your finances are banked up. You have to trust him to provide. Your relationships are on edge, whatever it is. And you just have to trust him for that breakthrough when you're at that point, and not like a back against the wall, but like, okay, God, I'm gonna do it your way fully. Yeah. I mean, look at your life, look at my life. It's just like, wow, this is amazing. It's so hard, but I'm glad that God called me into this and that he's calling me to walk this because we're going to a level that a lot of people don't. But hopefully the people listening to this, God's calling you up to a level too. And why not you? You know, you might be thinking and hearing from all these amazing women and thinking, oh yeah, but they've got it together and they can do this, and they've got this skill and that skill. And it's not about any of that. It's about the heart attitude and obedience. Like you said before, obedience. It's just the rest, God can teach you. He can bring you through, but you've just got to be willing. You've got to have the right attitude, right?

Speaker 2 17:18

And and I think I love what you said there. Like a lot of us will look at other women and be like, oh my gosh, she's so talented. But each and every single one of us literally have a unique gift and talent that God has put in us. And one thing that I've really learned in this journey as well is the two of us, Mal, could be doing exactly the same thing. Like God could say to both of us, do a planner, but it's never gonna look the same. And by the time that he says, do this, there's an audience for you, there's customers for you, there's women and people out there that need your product. So there might be women out there sitting on a talent that they think is not worth it. Take it to God and see what he will do with it. Like just that that's surrender. Okay, God, I can cook. I'm gonna surrender this gift of cooking. Like he will open door that you didn't even think he could open. Yeah. And you know, sometimes again, we think, Oh, I'll impact people from a pulpit. But that's not the only place. You're cooking, you're planning, you're just serving. Yeah, exactly. Serving. As long as you're saying, God, I want to serve, He will use you to impact so many people.

Mel 18:34

You really have to have the right attitude, the right heart with everything. And yeah, I I love where this is going, and I feel like we're gonna end up talking for like 10 years. So let's just get back to

Insecurity And The Fear Of Judgment

Mel 18:49

it. But what would you say is the main thing that holds people back from your experience from stepping out and taking that leap? Oh, that's a good question.

Speaker 2 19:03

I think it is insecurity. I think a lot of the times, and I I see it in my own walk. We're so afraid of what other people will say. We're so afraid of, am I enough? We're so afraid of, but if I step out, that gives people a chance to reject me. That gives people a chance to judge me. But one thing I've learned, or two things I've learned, is one, your identity is in Christ. So you have to double down on who he's saying you are, you have to double down on what he says you can do, and then second of all, his approval is the only approval you need. Because especially when you start that walk of obedience, there will be instructions he gives you that makes no sense to anyone at all. Yeah, you know in your heart that that is what God has said, and you need to just run with it. And when you start running with it, again, the voices are gonna start, people are gonna question, you're gonna he's gonna tell you to post online, and no one is going to like, there's gonna be crickets. But as long as he says I'm happy with what you've done, that's it. And um, you know, like when when we did our Lord event, Mel, honestly, I will die on this hill because God said 50, prepare for 50 women. And I said, No problem, we're gonna have 50 women. Everything from the venue to the gifts to the pl, like literally everything I planned for 50 women. Right? And obviously, so you're you're praying, you're you're speaking forth, you're you know, all of these for 50 women, but your ticket sales, you're seeing your ticket sales, your event is in two weeks. You don't have 50 people. Yeah, it's scary. We got to the event and we had 12 people.

Mel 21:03

Okay.

Speaker 2 21:04

But by the time I got there, I had like I literally I just got to a point where I said, I'm not, I can't walk in fear when I'm doing something I've got. I can't. I have to just what the instruction you've given me is what I'm going with. And I the way God moved at our launch event is just was mind-blowing. Like it it became not even about the number, but you could see in each and every single woman that was there, something changed. And afterwards, because afterwards, I was like, but Holy Spirit, we need to have a discussion here. Because if I heard 50, like let's talk about this. Yeah. But it it it in getting to that day, it taught me so much. One, relying on God, not listening to anyone else, but uh two, like how I prepared for 50 was so different. To how I would have prepared if he'd said 10. And that preparing for 50 opened up other doors that I could not have imagined. But I had to get over the insecurity. I had to get over the fear. I had to get over the, oh my gosh, if I put this out there, what if no one comes? If I'm who am I to stand up and tell people you you can do this? Who am I to do an event and think people will be interested? But just going back to God, seeking God, saying, okay, I hear you. I'm going to stand on the identity you're giving me. I'm going to stand on the approval, the instruction that you're giving me, everything else gets sorted out. And even when the world looks at what you're doing and says you failed, you've disappointed, you whatever, it doesn't matter as long as God says you've done enough.

Mel 22:55

It's not possible to fail when God's involved. It's just not. Because even in that moment when you're expecting 50 and only 12 come, and the enemy comes in, ah, you've fallen short, you're failing, and 12 is like nothing, even though 12 is 12 souls, like that is that is amazing. And you can do it. You can achieve a lot with 12. But it's just the enemy likes to get in there and make you feel useless and feel like you haven't quite missed it. I've I've had a number of launches online, but a number of launches myself, different things, and I'm thinking they're gonna come in the masses, they're gonna be hundreds, and I'm selling tickets, you know, through event bride or whatever, and I'm like, yep, I've got a hundred limit. Oh, it's gonna max out in no time. 30. That's it. And I'm just like, oh, okay. But then 30 people, even on a screen or in a room, like if I was to have 30 people, yeah, that's still a lot of people. Like, it doesn't it doesn't really matter the number at the end of the day, because it's what what God is doing with those people that are in your space and what he's doing in their heart, but it's also what he's doing with us. And nothing is wasted, nothing is possibly wasted because he will use that opportunity every single time to teach us something, to grow us in something. And I've got to tell ya, if anything else, I know for me it's just grown a bit more grit and a little bit more resilience. Because, you know, 18 months later since starting this business, I'm still here. Like, if anything else, it's just a bit more grit, you know? And I'm still expecting more breakthroughs, more amazing things. And I know it will happen one day because he's shown me, I mean, he gave me, he gave me the blueprints of this business. And very much like with you, even if it was just piece by piece and putting one thing out at a time, he's leading it, right? So you know he's not gonna lead you into something that's gonna fail. It just can't. He can see it all. He knows. And as scary as it can be, because we're not in control and we don't know exactly what's going on. It's also exciting. And it's exciting and it's preying, especially for someone like me who loves to be in control. I will happily be in control of everything. There is a real freedom in being able to trust him, and goodness, it's such a such a growing point, though. Yes. Oh my goodness, anyway.

Surrender In The Small Details

Mel 25:37

So what's one thing that you wish more women knew? Just one thing.

Speaker 2 25:43

I feel like we're gonna sound like a broken telephone, but um, surrender is the key. I honestly I know it's like you're saying, when you want to be in control and you think, oh gosh, saying yes to God means I I won't be able to do a lot, I don't have choice. But actually, in surrendering, oh my gosh, that that is the sweet spot right there. And I was reading Psalm and I came across a verse that said, the God worshippers are the ones that he takes to his secret place. And I was like, gosh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mel 26:20

Like, if you if you want Psalm 39, I think maybe yeah, oh no, I've been I've been going to that secret place lately. It is just nothing like it.

Speaker 2 26:33

Exactly. And in that secret place, when you surrender it all and you just go with God's flow, he opens up so much. And even in the minutiae he's there, like just surrendering. Like, I've gotten to a point where if I'm going to an event and I'm like, right, okay, what are we wearing to this event?

Mel 26:52

And like literally, he will he will just all I'm a ball game. I hate that part. Um kids, my body is like, I'm just like, do I have to wear anything besides tracksuit pants? Come on.

Speaker 2 27:12

Um, but like literally, God wants to be involved in every area of our lives, and he's all he's waiting for is that invitation that God I've surrendered and you can take over. So surrender's the key to everything.

Mel 27:27

Oh, amen. Amen.

How To Connect And Next Steps

Mel 27:29

I completely agree. So, Ivy, if people wanted to get in touch with you, they're like, oh, I want to get my hands on this planner. I want to have you as a coach because I'm living in Ireland. Whatever it is, what's the best way to contact you?

Speaker 2 27:48

So the best way at the moment would be through um Instagram. So my Instagram handle is at ivy _muj. So feel free, you can DM me and we can start a conversation from there. Alternatively, for the planner, you can also go on our website. So www.godswholewoman.org. Um, you'd be able to order your planner. You'd be able to also send a message if you want help with anything. Yep.

Mel 28:19

Beautiful. I'll make sure all the details are in the show notes to make it nice and easy for those listening. But thank you so much for coming on today. I've really enjoyed our chat. And honestly, I think I'm gonna have to get you back in the future because I feel like there's so much we could just talk about.

Speaker 2 28:33

I really enjoyed it. Thanks so much, Mal. It was lovely conversation. And you know when it's just oh yeah, it's so lovely, you know, to just have those conversations where it's the same values, but it's also you're learning. Every conversation is a learning opportunity, and it's God's way of reminding you that when I said surrender, I wasn't being real when I said obey, you know, so it's it's always really lovely to have a conversation. And this was lovely, so thanks, Mel.

Mel 29:03

Definitely. Yep. Beginning of a friendship, I reckon. We're on the same page. I think it's good. Oh, thanks again, Ivy. Thanks, Mel. If you like this episode, don't forget to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you want to continue the conversation, you can connect with me on Instagram @shes.organised or for some free resources, head over to beyondorganised.com/toolkit. Remember, organising is a tool to live the purposeful life beyond it. See you next time.