From Corporate Burnout to Kingdom Business: Sybil's Story of Obedience

When Sybil Stewart nearly had a stroke and was terminated from her corporate HR role just days after leaving the hospital, she didn't ask God to fix her circumstances. She asked for peace. That prayer changed everything.

"I wasn't praying for God to help me keep the job," Sybil recalls. "I literally said, 'God, I need peace. My spirit is stirred.'"

God's response was clear: Go speak. Go create safe spaces for her to tell her story.

Four years later, Sybil runs a thriving faith-based business exclusively serving Christian women entrepreneurs—helping them build platforms and businesses that honor both Kingdom purpose and marketplace excellence.

The Pivot That Changes Everything

But getting here required brutal obedience. For the first year of business, Sybil left God out of her operations. She hired what she thought was a "Christian business coach" who told her she wasn't "vibrating high enough."

"That's not biblical," Sybil says plainly. "I was following what the world said to do to build a business. My spirit was in constant conflict. God's not going to bless confusion."

When she finally integrated her faith fully into her business model—boldly declaring she only works with women of faith—everything shifted. Clients who weren't aligned left. Revenue grew. Peace returned.

"If I'm supposed to be serving man as unto the Lord, I can't treat clients like they're a problem," she explains. "Peace and prosperity belong together."

When God Prunes Your Business

Sybil describes God's pruning process in three categories: people, processes, and places.

"He made it very clear that if I didn't let certain relationships go, I would not flourish," she says. That included celebrating four years of sobriety—a journey that began with a single prayer: God, take this cup from me. I'm not strong enough to take it from myself.

The next time she attempted to drink wine, it tasted like poison.

"People said you can't do it cold turkey. I said, 'You don't know my God.'"

Daily Business Meetings with God

Today, Sybil starts each morning with what she calls "business meetings with God."

"God is the CEO. I'm the chief steward," she says. "We check in every morning—me, my coffee, and God—about what I'm supposed to do today."

She's learned to listen for how God speaks specifically to her: through music, through scripture, through audible direction. Once, when she was stuck in business, God told her to "grab your pink binder." Inside was the exact next step she'd been searching for.

Her Mission: Closing the Income Gap

Sybil discovered that while 5.8 million Christian businesswomen are registered in the U.S., only 29% earn enough to pay themselves a living wage with margin.

"My goal is to get as many women as possible into the top 3%—earning at least $300,000 annually," she says. "I have the national and global corporate experience that so many women don't have. That's why God pulled me out of corporate."

She's passionate about protecting women from what she calls "predatory coaching"—faith leaders who don't genuinely advocate for their clients' success.

Advice for Christian Business Leaders

When asked what encouragement she'd give other believers in business, Sybil's answer is direct:

"When in doubt, go do what God told you to do—not what you think He told you to do. Ask God: 'What was the last thing You told me to do?' Then ask: 'Did I do it?' That second question will convict you."

She also warns that marketplace ministry is spiritual warfare.

"In Nehemiah, he had the hammer in one hand and the sword in the other while building. We've got to be fully armed if we're going to win the spiritual battle. Because this isn't just building a business—it's calling people to Christ."

Walking Closer to God, Further from the World

The deeper Sybil walks with God, the less she participates in cultural norms that once felt normal. She can't watch certain shows anymore. She doesn't go certain places.

"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind," she quotes. "The closer I walk to God, the less I walk in the world."

And when people criticize her decision to work exclusively with women of faith?

"They talked about Jesus. They can talk about me," she says with a smile. "My pastor said if you're not feeling opposition, chances are you're going in the wrong direction. Anytime I feel opposition in business, it's just a reminder I'm going where I'm supposed to be."

Sybil's platform isn't just a business—it's a ministry. And she's fully armored for the assignment ahead.