Relationships with other women can be some of the greatest gifts in our lives—and some of the places where we've experienced the deepest wounds. From gossip and comparison to jealousy, competition, and church hurt, many of us carry stories that make friendship feel complicated. But what if God has something better for us and for our daughters?

In this episode of Courageous Girls, we sit down with Natalie Runion, author of I Don't Even Like Women (and Other Lies That Get in the Way of Sacred Sisterhood), to talk about the challenges and beauty of building meaningful relationships with other women. Natalie shares her own journey from avoiding women's ministry to discovering that God often uses other women to bring healing, wisdom, and transformation into our lives.

Together, we explore how moms can model healthy friendships for their daughters, navigate gossip and conflict with grace, and create communities where women of all ages can flourish together.

🔹 Moving beyond gossip – Why gossip is often rooted in a desire to belong, and how we can become women who build trust, safety, and connection instead of division.

🔹 Understanding jealousy and comparison – How insecurity, social media, and a scarcity mindset fuel competition, and how God's truth frees us to celebrate one another.

🔹 Raising daughters with empathy – Why it's important to look beyond labels like "mean girl" or "drama queen" and help girls understand the deeper hurts and needs behind difficult behavior.

🔹 The gift of sacred sisterhood – How women need women at every stage of life, and why multi-generational friendships can become a powerful source of encouragement, wisdom, and faith.

With honesty, humor, and biblical wisdom, Natalie reminds us that we were never meant to navigate life alone. God often works through the voices, prayers, and presence of other women to strengthen us and our daughters. As we learn to pursue connection over comparison and grace over judgment, we create space for the kind of sisterhood that reflects the heart of God and leaves a lasting legacy for the next generation.

Website: natalierunion.com/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/raisedtostay

Learn more about the Courageous Girls movement at www.mycourageousgirls.com

Follow along on Instagram: @mycourageousgirls

Read the book: Courageous by Terra Mattson

Download the Courageous Girls App—available on any app store.

Courageous Girls' motivation is to see a generation of women who are navigating trusted relationships, are confident in who God says He is and who He made them to be and are resiliently moving through the peaks and valleys of life. A generation of women who are rooted in grace and free from the performance-based treadmill we are enticed with every day.

CG answers this goal by providing clear and trusted Biblical, clinical and relational wisdom for moms. With the long-term goal in mind, lessons are created as building blocks and encouraged to unfold within community.

Not only does a CG community provide the perfect place to practice the art of relationship, but it also allows the moms to share the load which provides a diversity in leadership. All the while nurturing a trusted connection with the first model in a daughter’s life, her mom.

Groups provide a safe place to focus on God’s word rather than the competing influences in the world. Instead of competition, comparison and judgment… groups strive to grow in gratitude, joy and acceptance. CG is an intentional choice to equip ourselves and our daughters to love others well and to live from a place of wholeness and grace.

To connect with Courageous Girls, go to:

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Websites

MyCourageousGirls.com

Resources

Courageous: Being Daughters Rooted in Grace

Helping Moms Raise Confident Daughters Courses

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