What if some of the most painful parts of your story became the very places God used to shape the way you lead?

Zahara McCoy was born in Uganda and lost her mother during the AIDS epidemic when she was just ten years old. Without a parent to advocate for her, her future became incredibly uncertain. But through sponsorship, Zahara was connected with Marianne McCoy in California, a relationship that eventually led to adoption, education and an entirely different future.

Years later, Zahara returned to Uganda and encountered children facing circumstances painfully similar to those she had once experienced herself. It became a pivotal moment in her story: she was no longer the child needing someone to step in for her; God was now giving her the opportunity to step in for someone else.

Today, Zahara leads Children of Grace, the organisation her adoptive mother began, supporting vulnerable children in Uganda through education, mentorship and holistic care.

In this conversation, we talk about Zahara's journey from Uganda to America, faith, identity, advocacy and how our lived experiences can profoundly shape the leaders we become.

A Leadership Truth to Take Into Your Week

One of the things that stayed with me after this conversation was Zahara's statement: “Identity precedes performance.”

Leadership isn't only shaped in boardrooms, qualifications or positions of authority.

Sometimes God uses the very experiences we would never have chosen to develop our compassion, perspective, courage and ability to advocate for others.

So perhaps the question to take into this week is:

What has God allowed me to walk through that could now help me lead and serve someone else well?

Connect with Zahara

You can connect with Zahara and follow her work on social media:

Instagram: @zaharamccoy X: @zahara_mccoy

Children of Grace

https://www.childrenofgrace.com/

Sponsor a child

https://childrenofgrace.donorshops.com/sponsorship