Simone Gibson - The Net that Binds Women Together

Simone Gibson is a 20-something year old island girl, who believes in the power of owning your truth and sharing life experiences with other women as a means to inspire, empower and heal others. Having had her own share of  experiences, she confesses to seeking love in all the wrong places, especially dead end relationships with men. And after a continuous cycle of self destruction because of poor relationship choices, and becoming broken beyond self repair, she called on God because she knew she couldn't receive the help and healing her soul longed for on her own. Since then she has founded the Pure Purpose Network and has been actively involved in a number of speaking engagements in schools and other events as well as her monthly Girl Talk sessions as a motivational speaker and mentor for young women, whereby using her testimony to encourage young women to make positive choices for their lives and futures.

Personal Mantra: Be the change you want to see in the world!/Faith is not believing that God can. It's knowing that He will.

Your best moment when working with young girls and women: I have so many of them, it's hard to single one out. Every time a woman or a girl tells me that I inspired her to change for the better is always a great moment for me.

Your life goal: To inspire change! I want to be able to help change and mend hearts of so many and provide countless opportunities for women to truly experience positive change.

What inspired your passion for working with young girls and women? 

It breaks my heart to see women living in a world of chaos and dysfunction and because I was once that woman. I know what it's like to be broken and I also know how amazing of a feeling it is to be healed. There is so much peace that happens when you live a life totally surrendered to Christ, I want women and young girls to experience that joy. Most women like I once was, are afraid to open up to another woman because we were raised from children thinking that another woman is our competition rather than our sister. I want dispel the myths that society put in place to make women believe we cannot get along with another woman, we are not good enough and another woman is our competition.

Share with us the inspiration behind your session 'Girl Talk'?

Girl Talk was inspired by my life, I have three girlfriends and we don't talk every day but when we do it's powerful. We laugh, we cry, share difficult situations, get advice and support, share makeup and fashion tips and pray with and for each other. I learn so much from them and also learned that authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It is genuine, heart to heart, sometimes gut-level, sharing. It happens when we get honest about who we are and what is happening in our lives. Darkness is used to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are. Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection and being hurt again. We only grow by taking risks, and the most difficult risk of all is to be honest with ourselves and with others. I want to give women an outlet to experience genuine fellowship.

You speak a lot about the importance of women supporting and empowering each other, how have you personally benefited from good relations with other women?  

I have benefited greatly from the relations with other women! I've made some awesome connections with some absolutely amazing women, who I have learned so much from. Some of theses women have pushed me spiritually and prayed for me relentlessly, some of them have sowed into my life and ministry, they are all talented  and beautiful women who offer an added bonus to God's kingdom! One woman can make a difference, but together we can rock the world!!!

How does the quote 'Own your truth and let it be your story. Share your story with others, so that it may inspire, heal and empower' in the For Women to Women Philosophy speak/relate to you? 
It's one of my favorite quotes! It's something that I live by daily. For a long time, I didn't think I had a story because it was nothing like the sad ones I heard, I didn't grow up poor, I was never abused as a child neither was I a premature baby who almost died. I had a pretty good life, and I figured that no one would want to hear that kind of story. One day God told me to own my truth and then I came across that quote and I started to share who I was and what I experienced and surprisingly so many other women could relate to my story! What I overcame and who I have become has helped others heal, inspired them to be great and has empowered their lives.

What story have you shared that has helped to inspire, heal or empower young girls or women?
My story I've shared has been my truth, I've made mistakes and my past wasn't squeaky clean but God still used me. I try to encourage women and young girls that God can turn your mess into a message and despite anything they've been through, good or bad it can be used for better.

Your advice to women who constantly seek validation for who they are, their beauty, their place in society and their worth? 
Our value and worth is found in Christ alone. Society could never validate us!  What is the focus of all these “feel good” questions? It’s self-centered me. When our eyes are on ourselves and our inner cravings for approval are found in our own doings, accomplishments, and successes, we have lost sight of the gospel. As wives women it is easy to get depressed and discouraged because we are setting out hope on our own accomplishments, and what society says what we should look like and who we are and not on the truth of the gospel.

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