A Conversation with Katie Brazelton, Ph.D.

Q: There has been immense interest in books about life’s purpose. How do your Pathway to Purpose books differ from others on this topic?
A: I am an enthusiastic fan of Rick Warren’s titles. My books, however, are specifically written to women. I share women’s stories, address women’s life stages, and shed light on the challenges women face as they search for significance. And I encourage women to enter this journey with a Purpose Partner at their side, another woman who is committed to God’s kingdom work.

Q: Kay Warren penned the foreword to your book. What is your relationship with Kay?
A: Years ago I facilitated a two-day ‘Life Plan’ for my friend Kay, who is also my pastor’s wife. It was my joy to walk alongside her as she sorted out her spiritual gifts and clarified her unique contribution to God’s kingdom. I’ve done the same life coaching with many women, and it is my privilege to watch as they come to see their gifts, passions and pain as elements in a grand purpose. Although I can’t spend that same one-on-one time with readers, I hope these books serve as companions and guides for their own life purpose journeys.

Q: You share some of your personal journey throughout the pages of Pathway to Purpose for Women. How would you describe this process?
A: It hasn’t been a quick or simple journey, but it has been exhilarating. An unexpected divorce left me enormously dispirited and desperate for purpose. During the next several years, God placed strategic people in my life (my sister Maureen, a professor, Viktor Frankl, Rick Warren, and others) to challenge my thinking and unveil the passions of my heart. I now realize that a longing for significance is a God-designed phenomenon of human nature. God intends for people to be driven by purpose!

Q: There are several books in the Pathway to Purpose series. What book should a woman read first?
A: The introductory book is Pathway to Purpose for Women, available as a hardcover book and as an abridged audio CD. In this book I share my own personal journey from despair to purpose, and I encourage women to embark on their own journey of healing and discovery. The other books in the series help women as they enter this process. One book is a prayer guide (Praying for Purpose for Women); another title guides Purpose Partners through ten appointments to discuss life purpose (Conversations on Purpose for Women); and the final book is a daily personal journal for reflection throughout the discovery process (Pathway to Purpose™ for Women Personal Journal).

Q: Conversations on Purpose for Women is a guide for Purpose Partners to use. Explain how this book fits into the process of discovering life purpose.
A: Many women fail to discover and fulfill their significant life purposes because they have no Christian mentor, trainer, advisor, or tutor who can instruct them in the proper steps to reach the next mile marker. I certainly could not have done it without the help of my younger sister, Maureen. Conversations on Purpose for Women is built around ten weekly “appointments” with a Purpose Partner. Great power is unleashed when Christian women sit down to prayerfully focus on one single concept!

Available from Zondervan
www.zondervan.com