Episode 59 - Starting Scared: Why You’re More Ready Than You Think (featuring Holly Tate)
Telling stories of turning transition into transformation. There is Life After Ministry.
What if waiting until you’re ready keeps you from ever starting?
In this episode of Life After Ministry, Matt Davis sits down with Holly Tate, founder of The Ready Network, to talk about leadership, courage, and stepping into the unknown.
Holly shares her own story of transition - from years at Vanderbloemen, to joining Leadr, to launching her own work helping leaders and teams move from stuck to unstuck.
Along the way, she opens up about fear, the myth of readiness, and how emotional intelligence shapes the future of ministry leadership.
For pastors, boards, and ministry leaders wrestling with change, this episode offers both empathy and clarity: you don’t have to have it all figured out. You just need the courage to take the next step.
Key Takeaways
Why emotional intelligence often outweighs skills in ministry hiring.
The unique challenges of church staffing versus corporate staffing.
Holly’s hardest transition and what it taught her about calling.
How the Ready Framework moves leaders from chaos to clarity.
Why starting scared is better than never starting at all.
The “Yes Barometer” that keeps teams from being derailed by new ideas.
How transformation requires courage, vulnerability, and faith.
Chapter Markers
00:00 – Matt introduces Holly Tate
01:30 – Early leadership influences and church impact
05:30 – Lessons from staffing and hiring in ministry
08:50 – Transition to Leader and lessons from 2020
15:10 – Starting scared: email, podcast, and new ventures
21:00 – The Ready Framework explained
26:45 – Why teams need the Yes Barometer
29:30 – Becoming ready by doing
Next Steps
Learn more resources for ministry transitions at MinistryTransitions.com
Explore Holly’s coaching and clarity framework at TheReadyNetwork.com
Find resources. Find hope.
This is a sanctuary for those who've experienced a transition out of church or nonprofit Christian leadership roles. Our mission is to provide a platform for sharing, learning, and growing through each other's experiences.
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Welcome to the Elder Hub, a platform designed to uplift, empower, and unite elders across Christian denominations. This group serves as support and guidance for those entrusted with the weighty responsibility of making critical decisions within churches and nonprofit ministries.
