The Sacred Feminine in Business: Leading With Wisdom, Not Just Strategy
“She opens her mouth in wisdom; kindly instruction is on her tongue” (Proverbs 31:26).
In a world that often rewards force over finesse, and strategy over spirit, it’s easy to forget that as Catholic women in business, we are called not just to achieve but to anoint—to bring grace, truth, and presence into the marketplace. We are not just strategists. We are stewards. We are not just leaders. We are light bearers.
Embracing the sacred feminine is not a weakness. It is a strength the world cannot replicate—rooted in intuition, nurtured in communion, and expressed through wisdom, compassion, and moral clarity.
I define the “sacred feminine” as an expression of womanhood grounded in Catholic faith that leads with intuition, wisdom, compassion, and wholeness, integrating grace with strategy in service of divine purpose. In this article, I invite you to explore how to lead from your sacred center and not just your professional skillset.
Lead With Intuition, Not Just Information
In business, we are trained to analyze data, create projections, and mitigate risk. But there is another layer—an inner knowing that defies charts and speaks in stillness. Intuition is the Holy Spirit’s whisper to the feminine heart.
Scriptural Echo:
“The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16).
Action Items:
Start every business meeting or decision with a moment of silence, inviting the Holy Spirit in.
Keep a journal to track intuitive nudges—and note the outcomes when you obey them.
Balance data with discernment; ask not only “what’s logical?” but also “what feels aligned with God’s peace?”
Build Through Relationships, Not Just Revenue
The sacred feminine thrives on connection. We’re wired for empathy, listening, and nurturing growth. While numbers matter, souls matter more. Your ability to build trust, community, and lasting impact will outlive any quarterly profit.
Scriptural Echo:
“Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
Action Items:
Call a client or collaborator just to check in—not to pitch but to pray or encourage.
Build rituals of gratitude: handwritten thank-you notes, feast-day messages, etc.
Consider employee engagement through the lens of spiritual and emotional wellbeing, not just KPIs (key performance indicators).
Practice Discernment, Not Just Decisiveness
Fast decisions aren’t always holy ones. The sacred feminine doesn’t rush the truth. She waits, watches, and prays. There is power in pausing, in refusing to move without clarity—even if the world says “go.”
Scriptural Echo:
“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).
Action Items:
Institute a 24-hour prayer buffer before major business decisions.
Use the Ignatian Examen weekly to assess the spiritual movement behind business growth.
Say this prayer before meetings: “Lord, let me not act out of fear or ego. Let me act out of love and light.”
Serve From Wholeness, Not Just Hustle
Many women burn out trying to prove their worth. But you are already beloved. You don’t need to earn rest—it is holy. Operating from overflow, not depletion, is part of your sacred stewardship.
Scriptural Echo:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Action Items:
Honor the Sabbath. Let one day a week be work-free and worship-rich.
Create boundaries around your time and energy—and keep them sacred.
Schedule regular spiritual retreats, even if just a morning alone with your journal and Our Lord.
Saint Spotlight: St. Hildegard of Bingen
Benedictine abbess. Composer. Visionary. Entrepreneur of beauty and order. St. Hildegard led with both fire and form—rooted in spiritual insight and gifted in healing, science, and governance. She saw no divide between the sacred and the strategic—she embodied both.
Prayer to St. Hildegard:
O St. Hildegard, prophetess of divine wisdom,
Guide us as we lead with light in a world of noise.
Teach us to balance courage with contemplation,
Power with presence, productivity with peace.
May our businesses be monasteries of justice,
Our decisions, liturgies of love.
Intercede for all Catholic women in business,
That we may thrive not by might, but by grace.
Amen.
Dr. Glory Enyinnaya is a management consultant who worked at Accenture before founding Kleos Advisory. She is a member of the faculty of Pan-Atlantic University in Nigeria. Glory is consecrated to Mary and serves as an official of the Legion of Mary in the Archdiocese of Lagos. She is a cooperator of Opus Dei and an Associate of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.