Exposing the Propaganda That Divides Women

FINDING HER PLACE

Born and raised as a preacher’s kid in Cincinnati, Ohio, Natalie Runion grew up in the church. After years of seeing firsthand the good and bad that come along with ministry, she was convinced that having a job in ministry was not for her.
As an adult, when it was time for Natalie to pick a vocation, she did nearly everything to run away from ministry, ranging from acting to teaching physical education, but God had other plans. Natalie eventually knew where she was called to serve: the Church.

For twenty years, she has served on staff at several churches in various ministry roles, particularly as a worship pastor and women’s ministry leader.
During her transition from worship leader to women’s pastor, Natalie struggled. When her pastor had asked her to lead the women’s ministry, disappointed, Natalie blurted out, “I don’t even like women!”
 
I DON’T EVEN LIKE WOMEN

Her comment was not a dismissal of women in general, but rather an honest reflection of the discomfort many women experience with female relationships.  She realized her reaction echoed a deeper hurt and struggle that affects many women—difficulty trusting and connecting with other women due to past hurts, insecurities, or cultural narratives.

In her latest book, I Don’t Even Like Women, Natalie unpacks the reasons behind this sentiment. She acknowledges that even women in the Church often find it hard to trust—or like—other women.  

Using humor and storytelling to challenge these barriers, Natalie’s aim is to flip the script on harmful narratives and encourage meaningful female friendships rooted in God’s design. Her goal is to validate past experiences while encouraging healing and growth in women’s relationships leading to what she calls “sacred sisterhood.”
 
FLIPPING THE SCRIPT

Natalie’s key messages about friendship and trust among women, emphasize the following:

• Sacred Sisterhood: She advocates for moving beyond superficial friendships toward “sacred sisterhood,”
where women offer each other grace, authenticity, and support, particularly in faith communities.

• Honest Conversations About Hurt: She addresses the pain of betrayal and disappointment, especially within
church contexts. Natalie encourages women to acknowledge and process their hurts instead of denying or minimizing them. This honesty paves the way for healing and true connection.

• Breaking Lies That Divide: Challenging the “mean girl mentality,” cliques, and the lies that women are not safe with one another, she dismantles the scripts and stereotypes that have created mistrust and insecurity in women.  Natalie advocates for vulnerability and transparency instead of suspicion and self-protection.
 
• Building Trust Through Vulnerability: The book invites women to lean into discomfort, to trust again even after being hurt, and to ask God for discernment regarding new friendships. Trust is a process that involves taking a risk and trying again, instead of living isolated or guarded.

• Empowerment Through Friendship: Natalie shares that meaningful female friendships foster spiritual growth and equip women to better live out their faith callings. These kinds of relationships are essential for resilience, leadership, and overcoming adversity.

• Community Over Competition: She advocates for women championing one another—in ministry and daily life—cultivating a culture where women don’t compete but instead support and empower one another.
 
RAISED TO STAY

After decades of ministry experience, Natalie has noticed people leaving the Church at an alarming rate due to hurt.

She explains, “In 2019, after watching many of my friends and family walk away from not only the church but their relationship with God, I started writing about my own experiences as a pastor's kid turned pastor, and before long there was a growing community of nearly 200,000 followers willing to have hard and holy conversations that can bring restoration. In 2023, after 44 years of living my life within the church walls, I founded ‘Raised to Stay,’ an online community of Christ followers who have wrestled with their relationship with the Church but who are desperate to stay with Jesus and find healing for their hurt so they can help others heal.”
 

For more information on Natalie Runion click the LINK! And to purchase her book I Don’t Even Like Women: And Other Lies That Get in the Way of Sacred Sisterhood click the LINK!  

CREDITS

Best-selling author, I Don’t Even Like Women: And Other Lies That Get in the Way of Sacred 
Sisterhood (David C Cook Publishers, 2025); Founder, “Raised to Stay,” an online community with approximately 200,000 followers; Worship leader, songwriter, teacher, & mentor; Married to Tony, two daughters: Annabelle and Selah.