Secular Professional - The GIVEN Institute

This specialty is designed for Catholic women called to a secular workplace or to the public square (e.g. business, finance/accounting, law, sports management/coaching, small business owner, educational leadership, government/public policy, journalist) who desire support as they integrate faith and professional life, navigate secular controversies with faith, and grow as a Catholic and a leader in the secular world. They will be mentored by Catholic professionals and executives who work in a diversity of fields.

Alumnae

Kathryn Brewer

Please share a little about yourself – feel free to include a fun fact! Hi there! I’m Kathryn. I’m currently a PhD candidate in biochemistry at Vanderbilt University. When I’m not in the [...]

Beth Leverich

My key takeaway from the GIVEN Forum was to be me - fully, unapologetically, imperfectly me. God made me good, very good, in fact, and I can be totally free to be the [...]

Candice Punzalan

The GIVEN Forum was an anointed time. We were close to the sacraments. We listened to speakers pour their hearts out and share their secrets. We were given time to silently wander around [...]

Alyssa Breen

"[My] key takeaway was a picture. At the last get-together, I think it was a brunch, one by one, the representatives from each religious community took their turn to stand up and be [...]

Allison Crawford

"My biggest takeaway from the GIVEN Forum was to not be afraid of Our Lady and to really let her into my life." Please share a little about yourself - feel free to [...]

Videos

Regina Boyd – Communication, Boundaries and Avoiding Burnout Workshop

Regina Boyd, LMHC presents a leadership training session at the 2022 GIVEN Forum. Leadership trainings offer skills that are practical and valuable for Catholic female leaders [...]

Sister Miriam James Heidland, SOLT – Receving the Gift of Femininity

What is Catholic femininity, and how do you receive it as a gift even through woundedness? Sr. Miriam James Heidland from the Society of Our Lady [...]

Sr. Bethany Madonna, S.V. – Action Plan

How do you put your dreams into action for God? Sister Bethany Madonna of the Sisters of Life speaks at the 2016 GIVEN Institute Catholic Young [...]

The Temperament God Gave You – Art and Laraine Bennett

Art & Laraine Bennett talk about temperament psychology and the 4 temperaments (choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic, sanguine) to emerging Catholic female leaders at the 2019 GIVEN Catholic [...]

Feminine Genius – Helen Alvaré

What is the feminine genius? Helen Alvaré (George Mason law professor, Women Speak for Themselves) speaks about the twoness of humanity and the feminine genius at [...]

The Holy Spirit’s Gift of the Kingdom – Dr. Mary Healy

Who is the Holy Spirit to us? Dr. Mary Healy unpacks the divine gift through the gospel story of the woman at the well. A talk [...]

Discovering the Freedom of True Femininity – Laura Wolk

Laura Wolk, the first-ever blind woman to serve as a Supreme Court clerk, speaks about femininity during the Millennials on Mission panel at the 2019 GIVEN [...]

A Physician’s Vocation to Care for the Human Person – Dr. Monique Ruberu

Pro-life Catholic OB-GYN Doctor Monique Ruberu speaks at the 2019 GIVEN Catholic Young Women's Leadership Forum.

Entrusted with Economic Issues – Dr. Catherine Pakaluk

How can we activate the feminine genius in economic matters? Dr. Catherine Pakaluk speaks at the 2016 GIVEN Catholic Young Women's Leadership Forum.

Caring for the Human Person – Dr. Mary Ann Sorra

Catholic OB-GYN Dr. Mary Ann Sorra speaks on the Engaging the Culture panel at the 2021 GIVEN Catholic Young Women's Leadership Forum.

Blog Posts

The Love of My Mother

A spiritual reflection on Our Lady of Guadalupe "Am I not here, I who have the honor to be your Mother? Could there be [...]

Recovering a Lost Vocation

Lost Vocation Pentecostal experience. These are the two words I use to describe my GIVEN experience. For over a year, I had longed and [...]

Women, Rise Up! Catholic Female Leaders in Action

During Women’s History Month, we are all more keenly aware of the impact of women leaders upon society. Especially on March 8th, media outlets [...]

Being Receptive in a Tumultuous Time

"As I reflected on the Given Forum 2019, the word ‘receptive’ had been planted on my heart. I had uncertainty about whether I was [...]

Advocacy Doesn’t End at the Ballot Box

It’s been 100 years since women earned the right to vote, 56 years since that right was extended to all women in our society. [...]

Embracing Your Femininity in Leadership: Q&A with Meghan Cokeley

During our first annual International Women's Day Panel, you submitted so many excellent questions to our panel that we weren’t able to answer them [...]

Embracing Your Gifts: Q&A with Rachel Bulman

During our first annual International Women's Day Panel, you submitted so many excellent questions to our panel that we weren’t able to answer them [...]

Embracing Your Single Years: Q&A with Beth Leverich

During our first annual International Women’s Day Panel, you submitted so many excellent questions to our panel that we weren’t able to answer them all. [...]

A group of volunteers passing out food to veterans

Veterans: Giving Back to Those Who Gave So Much

Have you ever wondered how to show your support for the veterans in your life? The people that fought for our freedoms often go [...]

6 Expenses to Watch Out for When Changing Careers

Perhaps you’re changing careers for a more lucrative salary - but taking on a new job often comes with unexpected hidden expenses. As a [...]

Finding Peace in the Smaller Dreams

As I entered the campus of the Catholic University of America for the 2021 GIVEN forum, I was filled with excitement. The place was [...]

Saint Stories

St. Catherine of Alexandria

From simple to sublime – that was Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Early in her life, she had a transformative vision of Mother Mary with Baby Jesus, which sparked her conversion into Christianity, elevating and [...]

Chiara Corbella Petrillo

Chiara was born into a faithful Christian family, and was part of the “Wojytla generation” of Catholics growing up during Pope John Paul II’s papacy. At the age of 18, she met the love [...]

St. Joan of Arc

St. Joan of Arc is remembered as a young and fearless military leader who inspired others to goodness and courage. Joan was born in the small village of Domrémy, France around the year 1412 [...]

St. Agnes of Rome

Tradition tells us that St. Agnes was born circa 290 A.D. to a wealthy family of nobility in Rome. Her family believed in Christ and introduced Agnes to the truth of the Christian faith. [...]

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

St. Edith Stein was born as the youngest of 11 children into a prominent Jewish family in Breslau, Germany on October 12th, 1891. That year her birthday coincided with Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day [...]

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

The struggles of living during the American Revolution did not damper the warm and outgoing demeanor of Elizabeth Ann Bayley. She was born on August 28th, 1774, into an upper-class Anglican family in New York [...]

Blessed Chiara “Luce” Badano

After 11 years of prayer for a child, Chiara’s birth was a special gift to Ruggero and Maria Teresa Badano. When welcoming their only daughter into the world on October 29, 1971, her parents [...]

St. Gianna Beretta Molla

Often women wonder, how is it possible to do it all, to juggle a career, a family, and still have time for my own sanity? This modern saint tells us the secret, which lies in [...]

Flannery O’Connor

When discussions at a famous literary gathering turned towards the Holy Eucharist, one well-known writer commented that the Eucharist was a symbol, and a pretty good one at that. Flannery O’Connor stood up, and [...]

Dorothy Day

Dorothy Day was a radical social and political activist who experienced failed love affairs, suffered an abortion, and attempted suicide before experiencing a spiritual awakening that led to her conversion to Catholicism. Dorothy was born [...]

Elisabeth Leseur

As a married woman and mystic whose prayer and suffering converted her atheist husband, Elisabeth Leseur is a compelling example of holiness lived in the context of marriage and in secular society. Raised in a [...]