171 | [Guest] The 3D Leader - An Ancient Blueprint for a Digital Age with Dr. Yolanda Powell

Speaker A: Today on Women of Faith in Leadership, we're diving into a conversation that feels incredibly timely for the world we're leading in right now. Because leadership today is often shaped by visibility, self promotion and performance. But what if the real blueprint for leadership has been there all along? I'm joined today by Dr. Yolanda Powell, an apostolic strategist, leadership trainer, and the author of the 3D An Ancient Blueprint for a Digital Age. With over four decades of experience across ministry and marketplace leadership, Dr. Powell equips leaders to step into influence with clarity, purpose and authority rooted in Christ. In this conversation, we explore what it means to lead through three powerful dimensions, purpose, people and power. And how the way Jesus leads still holds the answer for leaders navigating a fast paced, digital and often self focused culture. This is a conversation that will challenge how you think about leadership and call you back to what truly matters. I am so glad you're here.

Speaker B: Let's dive in.

Speaker A: Do you wish that you could lead your team in a way that honors and glorifies God? Are you struggling to overcome self doubt as a leader and have a desire to be more confident in your role? Welcome to the Woman of Faith in Leadership podcast. Hi, I'm Reka, and for the last decade I've experienced my fair share of managing challenging employees and teams in middle management leadership roles. I committed my leadership journey to God and it changed everything. And I'm ready to share everything I've learned with you now. Uh, if you're ready to lead your team in a way that honors God, grab that notebook and pen and don't forget your chai latte. And let's dive in.

Speaker B: Hi, Yolanda. Uh, to the woman of Faith in Leadership podcast. How are you today?

Speaker C: I am doing well. Rika. So glad to be here.

Speaker B: I am so excited for this conversation today. Now, where are you joining us from?

Speaker C: I am joining from right outside of Washington, D.C. my family and I live in Southern Maryland here in the United States.

Speaker B: Oh, uh, lovely. That's lovely. Uh, um, I never continue to be amazed about my connections from around the world and, um, how the Internet's making that possible. So that's awesome.

Speaker C: I think that's a beautiful thing. We are a global family and we need to be able to touch each other more. So it's, it's exciting.

Speaker B: Very exciting. Yeah. So why don't you take a moment to introduce yourself to our listeners and then if it feels comfortable to you, jump straight into the topic. What is the topic that we'll be talking about today?

Speaker C: Yes, well, I'M excited about it. I am a uh, woman who is committed to women, I always say. Um, I lead a group here in uh, Washington called Women of Apostolic Intelligence and Legacy. And I also run a company, um, which is communication, speaking and teaching leadership. So I am very much committed and have been for probably about 40 years to seeing how the Kingdom deals with leadership, both male and female. And how we do so much better working together than what has been purported many times is that we're separated. And so I do a lot of um, a lot of training and teaching about voice and speaking. Um, and leadership, which is my new kind of thing in my heart is that we need better leadership both in the Kingdom and in the centers of the world. And so we do a lot of work at Whale Worldwide and ypt, which is Yolanda Powell Transcontinental, which I lead, helping people have dialogue, communications, telling stories, um, about the human experience and about how the Kingdom can really affect people in the pop, in the public square. So it's exciting work.

Speaker B: Mhm. That's very exciting. And so, um, I saw when I was um, preparing for our conversation today that you um, have a model called the 3D. Um, is it 3D leadership?

Speaker C: It is the 3D leader. Yeah.

Speaker B: A 3D leader. Okay. What and what.

Speaker C: Yeah, and it's a new baby. I call it my new baby. Kind of out of years of dealing with local ministry and now dealing with marketplace, uh, is that God was really laying on my heart in my private time about the leadership of Jesus and Paul and how they really navigated uh, such. Well, Jesus particularly is an ultimate leader because he navigates leadership in a particular way that people still, thousands of years later really see him as the ultimate. And some of it's just simple stuff. It's just the way he represented the Father, the way he loved people, the way he use sacrificial power and didn't kind of overstate himself, but just touched people and made things work. And so the 3D leader is really challenging leaders, particularly uh, women in leadership and men to really look at how are we leading today? Are we following more of a transactional model where it's kind of do for me, I'll do for you, or is it really seeing that we have so much to impart that we can build not a monument to ourselves, but something that other people can, can really grow and glean from and then beyond our lifetime can really have things done well. So that was the challenge in the, the writing and the, the subtitle is an ancient blueprint for A digital age. So I feel like it's really going back to get all the good stuff that God has given us and then bringing that into what would seem like it's all about algorithms. No, it's about authenticity. So, so that's what we're writing about.

Speaker B: Yeah. And that's a, that's a, a really interesting, um, way that things have shifted over the last, um, you know, decade, I'd say, um, because even just a decade ago, uh, we were. Although we were embracing the digital age, it doesn't feel as if we were in the digital age as much as we are in 2026. It's actually quite shocking. Um, and I just did an episode on the, on the show about, uh, about AI, how leaders can embrace AI because if we don't embrace it, then, you know, it's. AI will never replace leaders. 100 will not. Because leaders are very, play a very important role. Um, and you said something very interesting at the beginning, um, that leaders have a role to play. And, and, and I thought immediately to myself about AI and, and AI or even robots would never be able to replace leadership in that, in that way and even the way that Jesus led.

Speaker C: Absolutely. It's a, it's a human factor, literally. It's the way in which we carry that God gene that AI will never be able to replace. And so we certainly are thankful that we have this fast moving, you know, speedy, uh, touch, the touch of your fingertips, knowledge. But it's not the wisdom of God. It's not the heart of a leader. It's not the touchability, you know, because, uh, AI can do all things, but he can't touch you, you know, and embrace you and, and, and hold you and, and pray with you and lead you, you know, in a way that says, I got you and I got you in my arms. That's not. Will happen.

Speaker B: So, and I thought about love as well. You know, AI can't love you the way that Jesus does and the way that your brother and sister in Christ can love you.

Speaker C: Yes, absolutely. The love piece is also very significant. Um, because God is love. You can't put that in a bottle, you know, you can't put that in the code. Even though the code is all in the, you know, the natural universe. God's love is in everything he created. Uh, but the things that men create, I, I question whether they can put love in it because it's usually all about the bottom line. It's about, you know, greed. It's about how much can we make. It's about using people's information to further manipulate them. It just gets crazy out here in these streets, as we call it here in the States.

Speaker B: Yeah. And uh, and that point of self promotion, because everything is all about self promotion as okay, I need to all about that greed. It's all about me, it's all about what I need and I need to step on other people to get to the top.

Speaker C: Right. Yeah. And, and that was one of the driving forces with the 3D leader, just as a, as a leadership concept in manual is that we really had been kind of duped to think about leadership from the perspective of what are my goals, what am I trying to accomplish, what is, you know, how many followers do I have, how many people can join my mission, my, my um, band, my, you know, whatever they're, they're talking about as opposed to what is it that I can do for you? What is it that I can give to this sector or niche of the market in which I have been blessed or I have been increased? How can I serve? So we've definitely hit some kind of, you know, element in the earth where it's gotten a bit out of control and we've got to pull that back in. And Jesus does it like no one else. When you read the gospel and you read the written letter letters and maybe we're not reading red anymore because we're reading it on our phone, but it's definitely. He's speaking in uh, a way that is selfless and that is not often what we see in leadership.

Speaker B: No. Um, and not in this day and age. So there's um, you know, um, I follow quite a couple of um, I mean leadership gurus if you want to call them. And it is interesting to see the ones who are not uh, godly or who don't have you know, faith, uh, based views. It's all about me, myself and I. Whereas everyone else who is faith based, I would say like John Maxwell who I follow, um, it's all about, it's all about everyone else. So there's that distinct difference. And I think, you know, as leaders we want to be that servant leader the way that Jesus was. But sometimes it can, it can. There's blurry lines in terms of, okay, but I need to look after myself because I don't want to burn out and I, I need self care. Um, but also then I need to look after my people. So. I don't know. I mean. Interested to hear your take on that.

Speaker C: Yeah, I think the balance really is about God's supply. Like he Supplies his leaders with more than enough Right. To do the work that he has given us, mission and called to do. So I, I kind of grapple with the burnout. I definitely feel like it's really about. We're just grinding so much to accomplish something in our own strength m. With our own kind of, uh, capacities that we don't really yield and lean in to God. Um, but I definitely know that in the heart of the Father is. Is. Is as much as I can fathom as we spend time, that he's always concerned about others. He strengthens us. He takes us through our process only so that we can really serve. But there's a balance in that. I know self care is important, but I believe that self care happens in his presence, and then the people become central after that. That's kind of my. My understanding, as I've written, of the 3D literate and saw him emphasize purpose, people and power. And he put those things in such a kind of a way where I could see Jesus saying, I only do what I see the Father doing. I only say what I hear the Father. So Jesus was. Purpose was to fulfill something greater than Himself. And so when we do that, that purpose, I think we can do this in a balanced way.

Speaker B: And so how did the 3D leader, um, how did that come about for you? I know that, um, I mean, your leadership experience. Experience and everything extends over, uh, four decades. So that's, that's, um. That's a lot of knowledge to put together in. In like one model or into one thing. So, um, yeah, I'm just curious. How did it come about for you?

Speaker C: It was about 2012, which is fascinating to me because it's so long ago. But I was having a devotional time with the Father, and He was showing me, um, the continents of the world and how much he wanted to do some things with me, to see bigger than just my local. Local house and my local work. And it began to develop into. I'm calling you into the market. I'm calling you into the. To the globe. And he began to share with me that I couldn't do that unless I could really understand Jesus's leadership. And that as he was taking me from. From ministry into ministry and marketplaces. I keep ministry with marketplace. It doesn't. You're not replacing it. But he, uh, began to show me that I needed to study the profile of Jesus and begin to look at him not just as my Savior, as I've always looked at him in my Lord, but as. As my leader. It was Fascinating to me, um, just to see the way he engaged, um, how he just always put his arms around people, how he did balance and say, come aside and rest a while. There was this kind of nuance of strength in which he was just pouring and then depositing again. It was, was wonderful. And so God began to tell me that that's what leaders are lacking. We don't have the balance of Jesus's model. And um, I began to kind of script those notes, did not write a book. I thought it was just for me. So for many moons I just did what I heard the Father say and followed it. And then one day, coming from Mexico, uh, in 2023, he just began to say, I want you to write my answer. And that puzzled me. Write my answer to what? And he said, the answer to the leadership crisis in the world. There's a crisis coming and it's going to need, we're going to need Jesus's leadership again. And so that began in the process of writing, which is kind of transferring the knowledge and the life into can other people get this? And then does this cross over to other people outside of the church? How do I write it? Who's my market? You know, and so trying to grapple took a while, but I really knew then that it was something that the Lord wanted, even those that don't know him, that there's a, there is a framework that Jesus operates in that can work even in corporate or in government or in politics. So it's huge.

Speaker B: Okay. And so you have published, ah, that

Speaker C: book, that part, the last part about the, the bigger part is coming. I'm writing mostly in this, the one that we just released in fall to just Kingdom Leaders. It's definitely written with that angle and that directive, but it's kind of grown as I've talked to people and others have said, well, you know, I don't really do the religious thing, but I want to read about leadership, you know, so it's been exciting to hear that.

Speaker B: Okay, okay. Well, um, fingers crossed, you know, there might be some developments by the time, the time the episode releases. So we'll. Yeah, fingers crossed. And if, and if so, everything will be in the show notes. So.

Speaker C: Absolutely. Good, good.

Speaker B: Absolutely. So that's, that's very exciting that um, God has entrusted you with that because it, it is interesting when you started talking about Jesus as the ultimate leader. That's the thing that's been on my heart as well.

Speaker C: Wow.

Speaker B: And so even from, ah, from the podcast perspective and um, even from creating potential online courses or Engaging with the audience. I've really felt like, okay, this is the way to go using Jesus as the ultimate leadership model. So I mean we can say it's a coincidence, we can say it's interesting, but that is, it's not, absolutely not, no, because God's using, God's using us to get to, to, to show leaders that, that Jesus is the ultimate leader, um, to follow the way that he, that he led his people, um, believers and non believers, um, is really the way to go. And, and, and I think it's, it's really tough for, for, for Christian leaders in the marketplace because we often feel as if we can't share what we know, um, with, with non believers because we don't want to force our uh, Christianity or our face down people's throat. Right, but what would you say, um, you know, as somebody who has now, also, um, and you've done, you've done much more work than what I have. But um, what would you say to those leaders who are really struggling to, to share not only their faith but leadership from a faith based perspective? What advice would you give them?

Speaker C: M. I have found that there is a, a language, um, that God wants us, a lexicon almost in which we can share the love of God, the presence of God, the power of God without being over religious or kind of making people, like you said, pull into our faith. And part of it is just taking a position of my experience. That's kind of how I found my way through a lot of places, is let me share my experience. And I think the my experience model doesn't sound preachy. It's personal, you know. And so when leaders take on uh, my experience or let me share you, share with you what I've experienced, it gives us a way in to share that caveat, that small piece in a larger context. And it's just wisdom. It's the wisdom of being able to articulate something to a people that don't know the language and the lexicon of the church, but didn't understand words like love or kindness or patience or integrity. You know, I'm hearing even in the marketplace words like manifest and breakthrough. So you know, we're hearing a lot more of this kind of language, kind of connection that's happening between marketplace and ministry. That's fascinating to me. But I was remembering and recanting. I think this will kind of help seal this part of the question. I was thinking of Jesus on Mars Hill today and how he was able to articulate standing on that Roman space with all of These, you know, on to the unknown gods and all of their particular things and how he was able to share about Socrates and all of their, their kind of poets and share the gospel without making it Jewish or Hebraic at all. You know, he did not even engage. He spoke from a Greek position. And I don't know why, but that just kind of hit me grocery shopping today. Like, God, we can do this. You know, we can speak to the Roman mind with their Greek poetic, you know, philosophy and weave in. But let me share with you who this unknown thing is that you, you see, what is this, you know, strange element or what is this, you know, mystery or secret or religion, you know, we can kind of weave through. And I think I was thinking, God, the wisdom of Paul to do that, give me that wisdom to be able to do that. So that was huge for me today.

Speaker B: Yeah, that's, and that's, um, that's very profound because I think often as leaders, Christian leaders, we, we want to be like Jesus, but we, we forget that Jesus spoke very plainly to non believers. Um, he didn't go into all sorts of religious language or into a language that they didn't understand.

Speaker C: Right, right, right. M. And he used things that they knew.

Speaker B: That's correct, yeah.

Speaker C: Use language, agriculture, things that they could relate to. So.

Speaker B: Mhm. M. And uh, previously you were talking about the stories as well as like using stories and using that sort of language as well to resonate with them.

Speaker C: Right. And it helps also when I'm working with businesses that aren't, you know, we're not talking about Jesus, but when we talk about stories. Story. I remember talking to the guy who was over like the power company here in Maryland one time and his wife had cancer. And I, um, was training them on public speaking and communications. And I say to, to them, you know, you should use story in your business transactions. When you're standing up and you're doing, tell your story, make it human. And um, he was like, well, I don't know how to do that. My life is so private. My wife has cancer. And you know, he was just, he kind of went off kind of like, you know, he was just kind of frustrated with, I don't know how I can do this. And I was. And so I began to say to him, can you imagine being able to say to a group of power brokers, you know, I know what it's like to be drained of your energy. I deal with a wife who's sick. And I began to give him these, and he was like, oh, okay. And it wasn't, wasn't uh, a religious setting. But I was saying this is the part of your humanity that should show up in your business, show up in your, know, your executive corporate role. And I think we can do the same with, with the gospel. We can make it touch and we can make it really feel something than we've done sometimes with people trying to just give them, you know, the salvation message, just give them the, the story. And I think the story can definitely make a difference.

Speaker B: So. Yeah, and that's, that's um, that's true because one of, I'm just m mentioning John Maxwell again now. One of his uh, books that I absolutely love is the five levels of Leadership. And one of his, you know, level number one is that relationship that you build with people. And a really good way to build relationship with people is stories through stories.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker C: Because it's the human way. You know, it's just we all love blockbusters, we all love movies, we all love C S Lewis, you know, we just love the stories. And I remember C.S. lewis saying uh, one of his writings that he didn't start with a, a Christian thought, he started with a fawn. You know, he started drawing an animal. And so it just became creativity then centered around his belief. But it wasn't like, I'm going to tell a Christian story, I'm going to tell a story and around that will be Christ.

Speaker B: So yes. And um, his um, writings are absolutely beautiful and has touched many non believers as well.

Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was in Finland one time and I use uh, C. S Lewis's stuff to minister a group of people and they were like, oh, this is so fascinating. You know, they were like, I think I'm gonna read this, you know. And so it's like I, I just tickled because I know that the Lord, you know, once I remember him saying to me one time, Rika, uh, he said, I want to be in industries. And that was the most fascinating thing. I never heard God say anything like that.

Speaker B: Like what?

Speaker C: He said, I want to be in industries. I want people to know me in industries. And I was like, okay, okay Father, help me to know how to do that. I'm kind of a church girl. I need to know how to bring you to industries. But it's, he's beginning that process and I think he's doing that for a lot of us. He wants to be outside of our local norms and our ah, walls, you know, he wants to be in all the world.

Speaker B: Yeah. It's interesting that you say, uh, you're a church girl because so am I. I grew up in the church. And so.

Speaker C: Right.

Speaker B: Um, you and I use the terminology today called Marcus marketplace ministry. And that's a, um, a terminology that I learned from, um, you know, another Christian lady that I followed also from the United States. And so what would you say for those listeners who don't understand what marketplace ministry is? What would be your definition or your explanation of what that is?

Speaker C: Yeah, I think marketplace ministry is that many times as we have grow, grown up, we have thought that God was confined to the four walls of the church. What we do on Sunday, what we do on a Bible study night, what we do may be in a youth group, but as we have learned, God has impact in every area of our kind of, what they call them the centers of our lives. Education, government, you know, family, uh, media, all of these areas, arts and entertainment. And so I would say that the marketplace is. Let's not leave God out of where people live and work every day like he should be in those spaces. So marketplace ministry would be taking God to work as a barista, taking God to work as the bus driver, being taking God to the school room where you don't have to preach, but you can love and, and touch. So it's really about not confining. I think that's the only word. Um, I'm really clear about not confining him to the church house, but bringing him into the full, you know, spectrum of life and work. And those thoroughfares where we cross and we move and we drive and we work and we have coffee and we have tea and we go buy stuff at the store. It's like God does not want to be restricted, so he's in all the market where all of this is going on every day. Yeah, I don't know if that makes sense, but that's kind of how I see it. Not confining.

Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I agree with you. Um, so for me, when I learned it for the first time, I was like, um, that was a very, very interesting concept. It's as if it's like modern day missionary, but in, but in the everyday world. In your everyday life, in your everyday world at basically in the marketplace. So in the, in the. You think about, um, uh, Jesus. Yes. In the marketplace. And where was the marketplace? They had made the marketplace in the temple. And he was obviously very extremely upset over that because that was his father's house. And so I'm thinking about marketplace ministry going into these, um, temples, going into the place that's been that's been transformed into a place that's not godly. Um, and then going into those places and ministering there. Yeah, but I always. I've said this on. I've said this on my podcast as well. And so I get a smile on my face when I think about it. But Jesus really did get angry. Um, and especially that day when he flipped tables. So does that mean, you know, because as.

Speaker A: I think, as.

Speaker B: As female Christian leaders, we always think, oh, Jesus was just so perfect and, you know, um, leadership. If I lead like Jesus, then, um, you know, it's all sunshine, moon and roses. Well, it wasn't. You know, he.

Speaker C: He did get angry.

Speaker B: So does that mean that, um, God. That we're allowed to be human? Absolutely. You know, just because we're leading like Jesus doesn't mean we're not going to slip out, doesn't mean we're not going to get angry, doesn't mean all these things. But it does mean that, you know, afterwards we've got that opportunity to talk to people about why we did get angry.

Speaker C: Right.

Speaker B: So. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker C: And it's kind of sometimes. No, I was going to say sometimes it's just tough love that Jesus was operating in tough love. You know, he was, uh, angry. He was disappointed. He was, you know, he had emotion. He was. He was showing his emotion, uh, for. For what I, I believe was a lack of truth in a place where truth should reside. Yeah. And it wasn't there.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: And so he had to press out, this is the tr. This is what truth should be about so that people don't get confused. So if we do this in reverse, kind of you say, you know, here's the house of God. Don't make it a marketplace. Right. But there's the marketplace. Make that a place of presence for the Lord. So it's kind of like that one doesn't work well because then we.

Speaker B: We.

Speaker C: We reduce God's presence. The other works well because we increase God's presence. And so that becomes very critical for us to understand because some people do have a little bit of, you know, they don't, like, oh, now y' all doing marketplace like you can't do. You know, they're like, m. You know, and they think it's kind of like, oh, now this is the. The new thing, but it really is a God thing. God wants to, um, be in the center of all of the concourses of life. And. And he should be because he's the creator and he knows 9 billion people individually, every hair on their head. Like, wow. So we should be definitely making sure they know they got a daddy, you know?

Speaker B: Yeah, definitely, definitely. So, um, I don't know if there's any last words that you wanted to share, but um, share with us just how people can connect with you. Where can they jump into working with you as well? Um, and is your program online or is it um, is it in person or just tell us everything that we need to know.

Speaker C: Absolutely. I am have my own website where you can find out all of the pieces, uh, about what we do in terms of training and coaching and speaking@doctor yolandapowell.com that's D R Y O L A N D A P O W E L L. And it's um, just easy to go in there. And we've got all of our, our kind of ministry and marketplace pieces there. And then also you can find out about the 3D leader, which is our new book. And I'm challenging women leaders to really take some time to really understand and gird up their leadership. I think that would be my last kind of thing to gird up their leadership by really studying their Lord again. Because m some of the things that we've experienced as women, you know, in, in our church spaces, in our workplaces is, it's exhausting because people keep making it like we, we don't have it. But Jesus says we do. He says that you are made in my image and my likeness and I've called you to lead and make a difference. And we see that in women across all of history. And women have done the things that nobody else would do. And so I just want to encourage, encourage women to stand up in that three dimensional space and, and really say, God, I have purpose, I know my people and I have your power and I can do this and I can lead.

Speaker B: Well, so amen to that.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: So, and are you um, are you on LinkedIn? Can M people connect with you?

Speaker C: I'm on LinkedIn also as Dr. Yolanda Powell and on YouTube. I'm kind of putting something. I have a presence, but I'm expanding my presence there. It's Dr. Yolanda Powell as well. So, um, you can find me in any of those spaces. And we're kind of enlarging a lot of our past places and, and spaces. We also have a school that we're doing. I don't know if they do that. Uh, but we have propel school where we talk about women's voices and expanding the voice of women. So.

Speaker B: Okay, we'll make sure that we put all those links in the show notes. All right, that sounds well. Thank you so very much. This is a really insightful conversation. I think if I, um, just keep on connecting with amazing women as yourself, we'll be together. We'll be empowering the listeners and other female Christian leaders as well.

Speaker C: I love that. Thank you, Rika. Thank you for all that you do. So excited to be here today.

Speaker B: My pleasure. And thank you so much for your time today.

Speaker C: All right, bye bye.

Speaker A: Hey, I hope you enjoyed today today's episode. If so, would you take 30 seconds and leave me a five star written review on Apple Podcasts? It would mean so much to me to read your feedback. Also, it would really bless me big if you shared this episode with a fellow leader who might benefit from hearing today's message. And remember, put on the armor of God daily and walk by faith and not by sight. I'll meet you back on Monday for another episode.