Reverend Rebekah Carpenter has spent over twenty-five years creating and presenting leadership development initiatives for corporations, colleges, public and private schools, businesses, non-profit organizations and churches. Early in her career, Rebekah began noticing that most leadership initiatives soon became “flavor of the month” – forgotten and replaced with the next new shiny program – all offering at best, temporary results and empowerment. Rebekah’s mission became to develop leadership development keynotes, seminars, author a book “Awakening – 12 Tools to Unlock Ultimate Potential and a Facilitator’s guide for small groups, that all take people beyond surface learning, into true absorption of leadership material taught and presented – holistically, consistently and more permanently opening up critical thinking, innovation, vitality, creativity, teamwork, accountability, and authentic passion and productivity.

After 15 years in the field of leadership development, Rebekah wanted to further explore how suppressing original thought, creativity, imagination and authentic potential begins in childhood, often reinforced by the culture. Rebekah entered a Master’s Program in Psychology at the University of West GA, focusing her research on how to “unblock” children, youth and adults from this suppression. Her research was primarily focused around the school systems. Rebekah’s goal was finding out how, in the midst of learning required curriculum, children and youth could keep from becoming simply “downloaders” of information, rule followers and good workers, but they could regularly connect to their ability to critically think, to be innovative, creative, collaborative, and most importantly, authentically passionate about living into their unique calling and God-given potential. Rebekah began adding what she learned into her leadership programs for children, youth, teachers and adults.

Lastly, one short, intuitive and deeply spiritual occurrence shifted and deepened Rebekah’s journey even further. While at home, a brief flash of an intuitive message went through Rebekah’s mind and heart: “death and rebirth” – ‘This’ is what you have been doing and what I want you to continue doing.’ Rebekah began to more intentionally frame all of her leadership keynotes and seminars around the idea of dying to the old (outdated beliefs, paradigms, identities, relationships), discovering one’s voice, gifts, authentic identities, passions and purposes, and rising to the new by designing ones’ life around these new discoveries. Not surprisingly, soon after this, the call to seminary emerged. During this precious seminary time, Rebekah deepened her study of the bible, deepened her study of Jesus’ powerful, world changing journey of living, dying and resurrecting – embodying “death and rebirth” in the most profound way possible. Now as an ordained minister in the PCUSA church, Rebekah continues helping others model, practice and embody “death and rebirth” in all parts of their lives.