.png)
A Wide Open Space
A Wide Open Space is a Womanist podcast for Black women of faith who are committed to the journey of flourishing. Hosted by Rev. Dr. Neichelle Guidry, this show sits at the intersection of faith and personal development, offering a decidedly progressive space where Black women are unapologetically centered.
Every episode, we explore the mindsets, practices, and rituals that help us root down and rise up - personally, professionally, and spiritually. Through scripture, storytelling, and soul work, each episode offers a devotional reflection, honest conversation, and a practical exercise designed to help you get 1% better every day.
Whether you're navigating a significant life transition or seeking to re-create your life from within, this podcast is your invitation to partner with God in creating a life you genuinely love. This is for the ambitious, faith-filled Black woman who takes her work and purpose seriously and wants to become her most healed, most authentic, and most excellent self.
Welcome to your Wide Open Space - where transformation meets tradition, and where Black women flourish freely.
A Wide Open Space
You're Not Behind. You're Right On Time.
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this New Year episode, I'm sharing something I'm living in real time - a different way of approaching 2026. I'm off to a slow start this year, and I'm completely okay with it. Actually, I'm more than okay - I'm intentional about it. Going slow is allowing me to ground for the year in ways that rushing never could.
Drawing from Deborah's story in Judges 4, we return to one of my favorite examples of seasonal leadership. Deborah wasn't always on the battlefield - most of the time, she was under her palm tree. This was her primary posture of leadership, and it's exactly where we need to be in January.
This episode is an invitation to plan differently this year - planning backwards from your values and vision instead of forward from obligation and hustle. Instead of setting goals you'll abandon by February, I'm teaching you how to think in quarters, how to create rhythms that honor different seasons, and how to be strategic about the support you need before you start building.
I'm sharing three mindsets that are shaping how I'm approaching 2026, and a grounded planning practice to help you think and discern with intentionality and strategy.
Exercise: The Grounded Planning Practice - A five-step process to start 2026 from groundedness instead of franticness:
(1) Name your gains from 2024
(2) Clarify your 3-5 core values for this year
(3) Plan your Q1 vision (just January-March, not the whole year),
(4) Identify your support needs to make that vision sustainable,
(5) Create your winter ritual - one grounding practice you'll commit to this quarter.
Connect With Me
Want to go deeper? Visit www.revneichelle.com to explore my work, my ministry, and how we can grow together.
Let’s stay connected! Follow me on Instagram and Substack for more inspiration and continued conversation.
Ready to transform? Apply for coaching - I work with ambitious Black women who are ready to partner with God to create lives they love.
Questions? Feedback? Just want to say hello? Drop me a line - I’d love to hear how this podcast is landing in your life!