It’s hard to follow in the footsteps of a parent who has risen to global prominence. Yet Sarah Jakes Roberts, daughter of T.D. Jakes, has authentically and gracefully risen from her own ashes to become a globally recognized leader, businesswoman and New York Times bestselling author.
Forecasting the future impact she will make, in 2023 she was named to the TIME 100 Next list, which highlights 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future. What has set Jakes Roberts apart as an impactful leader is her willingness to embrace and share her life journey with raw authenticity. In Jakes Roberts’ various books, she honestly discusses life’s challenges, including her experience with teen pregnancy, identity struggles and divorce. While sharing these personal struggles and hardships, her books offer a message of hope and redemption with practical advice that helps others to live up to their fullest potential—much like her movement Woman Evolve. But she didn’t start there.
Jakes Roberts’ road to ministry was filled with shame and insecurity. At 13, she became pregnant as she detailed in her first book Lost & Found. As the daughter of a pastor, she felt like the black sheep. She felt disqualified from favor, from anointing, from being used. She started blogging out of a need to express her pain, anger and insecurity, attempting to make sense of her own life. Never did she think that anyone would pay attention. But they did.
Feeling that she had no reputation to lose, she began speaking, not out of confidence, but rather from a position that if tere was something God wanted to say, then she would try. With no expectations on herself or from others, Jakes Roberts decided to surrender her shame. She realized that even if she hadn’t done everything the right way, she could do better. That one thought changed everything for her.
At 23, Jakes Roberts was at a crossroads in life. She could either accept the limits often placed on women or break free from these bounds and choose growth. Her choice to start a journey of growth ultimately led to her evolving into the woman she is today. She writes in her latest book, Power Moves: Ignite Your Confidence and Become a Force, about the fluidity of power, and how she believes power evolves in each season of our lives and one can harness it to live up to their true potential. True to her own message, Jakes Roberts has made her own power moves, igniting a global movement.
The Woman Evolve movement, born from a choice to break free from limits and desire to create a space where women can unapologetically bring all parts of their lives, launched in 2017 and has since grown into a global community that connects, inspires and equips women to become the most powerful version of themselves. Woman Evolve equips women with tools to make positive, lasting changes in their lives through a podcast, weekly newsletters, a book club, e-courses, inspirational content and annual conference. Jakes Roberts is now at the forefront of an intergenerational movement helping women from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds erase the limits that are often placed on women. Her goal for Woman Evolve is to create a space for women to learn and grow together.
Last year’s conference became the fastest-selling women’s conference in history at Globe Life Field with an economic impact for the DFW region of approximately $35 million. More than 40,000 people attended from across the globe, including Australia, Netherlands, South Africa and the United Kingdom. The conference is set to return to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Sept. 26 – 28. Woman Evolve will bring tens of thousands to Arlington and welcome globally recognized voices to address a variety of disciplines, including faith, business, finance, emotional health, physical well-being, and relationships all wrapped in the theme of surrender.
Speaking to thousands of women at her conferences and to the millions who follow her online, Jakes Roberts is a phantom of the 13-year-old who felt ashamed. She could have put her past behind her, yet she remains humble to where she started and how she has personally evolved. She is more than relatable; she brings others with her.
At the end of the day, Jakes Roberts is proof that a perceived rocky start in life is no indication of how the rest of one’s life will actually turn out. If one is brave enough to take the next step and make a choice. For Jakes Roberts, her decision to be better has catapulted her ministry to global portions.
