As we anticipate our Annual Faith + Work Conference: Meaningful Work in an Age of Disruption on April 2, 2022, the Center for Faith + Work Los Angeles is proud to present this two-part conversation with one of our esteemed speakers, Michaela O'Donnell. Michaela is Executive Director of the Max De Pree Center for Leadership at Fuller Seminary and will be talking with our own Robert Covolo, Director of Vocational Discipleship at CFWLA.

In this episode, they discuss the road that brought Michaela where she is today—from her inclination to entrepreneurship, to the challenges she's faced in her career. Michaela and Robert will also explore the need for creativity, flexibility and lamentation in all believers' vocations.

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On the winding road that brought her where she is today (Michaela O'Donnell; 2:00)

"The fact that I am somebody who teaches who myself likes to start things, who likes to encourage others to start things and who teaches people who will never be entrepreneurs, more about the root things that they can adopt for their own life. I shouldn't be surprised, but I'm still surprised."

On the importance of lament and the capacity to endure failure (Michaela O'Donnell; 11:25)

"The capacity to deal with failure, I think is strengthened by the practice of lament for Christians. Lament is a biblical framework for being able to go and shake our fist at God, tell God, hey, we're really mad, we're gonna complain about what's happening. And in the same breath, we trust you God, we love you, God. And this thing totally sucks. Right? And, and we trust you, right? It's got this back and forth."