Stretch Marks: What Hosting a Women’s Conference Taught Me About Myself
Published on May 3, 2025 by Manuela Izunwa
I didn’t know I’d leave my STRETCH Summits with stretch marks of my own. Not the kind that show up on skin—but the kind etched in the soul; proof that I had grown, expanded, yielded.
It started as a God-whisper. "Host a women’s conference", He said. "Give them room to rise". I nodded in the way we do when purpose speaks—half in faith, half in fear!
I thought I was hosting for them. But STRETCH wasn’t just their altar; it was mine too. Being out of the country for this edition was challenging. The months leading up were a blur of vision casting, venue scouting, budget priming, team-building and prayers. I found myself wrestling with self-doubt and thoughts like: Who am I to do this? Will anyone come? What if it flops?
Easter Monday morning, I stood in the hall, watching women stream in. Heels clicking, hearts heavy, eyes curious. They came dressed in expectation, unaware that I too needed what the Spirit was about to pour out. Not as the host—but as the woman.
I needed the grace to dominate!
As conference went on, I felt the weight of obedience and the cost of impact. Women cried, laughed, got real, got free. We stretched—into vulnerability, into truth, into healed womanhood and into strength!
And then came the quiet after. The photos taken. The thank-yous whispered. I was left with the holy mess of it all—tired bones, a full heart, and questions. Did it matter? Did they really receive? Was it worth it?
That’s when I felt Him near. Look at you, He said. Stretch marks, daughter. You made room. And in the process, I made room in you.
I bowed my heart in awe. Because I realised STRETCH wasn’t just about them leaving empowered. It was about me leaving enlarged. I left believing more in what God can do through one yielded woman—who dares to plan, prepare, and pour.
I left stretched.
Don't be afraid to do God's bidding. Stepping out in obedience and faith never goes unrewarded. What's that next step God wants you to take? Care to share?
Drop it in the comments section, I will pray alongside you!
#Stretch
##SeePossibilities
It started as a God-whisper. "Host a women’s conference", He said. "Give them room to rise". I nodded in the way we do when purpose speaks—half in faith, half in fear!
I thought I was hosting for them. But STRETCH wasn’t just their altar; it was mine too. Being out of the country for this edition was challenging. The months leading up were a blur of vision casting, venue scouting, budget priming, team-building and prayers. I found myself wrestling with self-doubt and thoughts like: Who am I to do this? Will anyone come? What if it flops?
Easter Monday morning, I stood in the hall, watching women stream in. Heels clicking, hearts heavy, eyes curious. They came dressed in expectation, unaware that I too needed what the Spirit was about to pour out. Not as the host—but as the woman.
I needed the grace to dominate!
As conference went on, I felt the weight of obedience and the cost of impact. Women cried, laughed, got real, got free. We stretched—into vulnerability, into truth, into healed womanhood and into strength!
And then came the quiet after. The photos taken. The thank-yous whispered. I was left with the holy mess of it all—tired bones, a full heart, and questions. Did it matter? Did they really receive? Was it worth it?
That’s when I felt Him near. Look at you, He said. Stretch marks, daughter. You made room. And in the process, I made room in you.
I bowed my heart in awe. Because I realised STRETCH wasn’t just about them leaving empowered. It was about me leaving enlarged. I left believing more in what God can do through one yielded woman—who dares to plan, prepare, and pour.
I left stretched.
Don't be afraid to do God's bidding. Stepping out in obedience and faith never goes unrewarded. What's that next step God wants you to take? Care to share?
Drop it in the comments section, I will pray alongside you!
#Stretch
##SeePossibilities