Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Kavanaugh.
Hi Maggie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey began in a counseling and coaching background, where I spent years helping people work through the wounds, struggles, and circumstances that kept them from moving forward. Over time, I began to realize that healing is only part of the journey. People don’t just need to overcome what has held them back—they need to discover who they are, find their voice, and learn how to move forward with confidence and purpose.
Through my years of working with women, I noticed a common thread: so many women have a message, an encouragement, a testimony, or a God-given idea inside of them, but fear and insecurity keep them from sharing it. They question whether they are qualified, good, or confident enough. They compare themselves to others, worry about what people will think, and sometimes remain silent when they were created to speak.
That realization has shaped the direction of Moving Forward Ministries. What began primarily as a ministry focused on helping people overcome is becoming a place where people are also equipped to step into who God created them to be.
In 2027, we will be introducing a new equipping program called **The Godfident Lab**. It is designed to help women move beyond simply knowing they have a message and actually develop the confidence, skills, and courage to communicate it. Whether that message comes through speaking, teaching, leadership, media, ministry, business, or simply by encouraging others, I want women to understand that their voices matter. Working with the younger generation through my TV show, Godfident Next Gen, I see the growth that comes from living a balanced life of truth.
For me, moving forward has always been about more than overcoming your past. It is about discovering what is possible when you stop allowing fear and insecurity to define your future. I believe there are women carrying messages that the world—and the next generation—needs to hear. My passion now is helping them become Godfident meaning that they take the pressure off of themselves and let God lead them.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, not at all. There have been plenty of moments when I wondered, “What am I doing?” and “Can I really do this?” I’ve had doors close, plans change, finances get tight, and seasons where I simply had to keep going when I couldn’t see what was next.
I think one of the hardest parts of building a ministry is that you can have a vision in your heart long before you have the resources, people, or circumstances to make it happen. There have been times when I had to learn patience, trust God, start over, and sometimes just take the next step in front of me.
I’ve also had to learn not to measure my progress by someone else’s timeline. That one has been big for me. It’s easy to look around and think everyone else is further ahead, more successful, more polished, or more confident. But I’ve learned that comparison will steal your joy if you let it.
My struggles have shaped me. They’ve made me more compassionate, more willing to listen, and less concerned with looking like I have it all together. I’m still learning, still growing, and still saying yes to things that scare me.
If anything, the hard roads have taught me that you don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward. Sometimes faith looks like taking the next step with shaky knees and trusting that God will meet you there.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At the heart of what I do is equipping people to find their voice and navigate life with confidence and purpose. Through Moving Forward Ministries, our nonprofit work focuses on educating and equipping young people and women with practical tools they can actually use—not just to succeed, but to navigate life well.
A big part of my work involves public speaking coaching. I love helping someone who says, “I could never get up there and speak,” discover that they actually have something worth saying. Public speaking is about so much more than standing on a stage. It teaches communication, leadership, confidence, critical thinking, and the ability to articulate what you believe.
I also have a real passion for the younger generation. Through our programs and media work, we talk about the things young people are actually facing—relationships, communication, decision-making, confidence, leadership, social pressures, and the everyday skills that aren’t always taught in a classroom. My goal is to help them learn to navigate life before they spend years recovering from choices they weren’t prepared to make.
My background in counseling and my many years as a coach have given me a pretty good gauge of what can be worked through and what someone needs to move forward. I can often see beyond what someone is saying to what may actually be holding them back. That perspective has become one of my greatest strengths.
What am I most proud of? Honestly, it’s watching someone who once doubted themselves begin to believe in themselves. It’s seeing a young person find their confidence, a woman finally use her voice, or someone realize that their past doesn’t have to determine their future.
I think what sets me apart is that I don’t just want to inspire people—I want to equip them. Inspiration can get you excited for a moment, but skills, confidence, guidance, and someone willing to walk alongside you can help you actually move forward. That’s what I’ve built my work around. I am launching a program in the early part of 2027 ,which will be a membership that allows people to grow in personal development public speaking and leadership called “Godfident Speaker Lab”.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I don’t know that I would have called myself a risk-taker years ago, but I’ve learned that sometimes faith requires you to take a risk.
For me, risk isn’t about being reckless. It’s about being willing to step into something when you don’t have all the answers or a guarantee. I’ve taken plenty of those kinds of risks—starting a nonprofit, stepping into media, creating programs, investing in young people, and continuing to build a vision even when I didn’t necessarily have the resources to see the whole thing through.
There have been times when I’ve thought, “Well, this is either going to work or it’s going to be a really good lesson!” But I’ve learned that a failed attempt isn’t necessarily failure. Sometimes it gives you information you couldn’t have gotten any other way.
My counseling and coaching background has also taught me to look at risk differently. I tend to ask, “What is the potential outcome, what is the cost, and what can I learn from it? I don’t believe every opportunity is something you should say yes to. Sometimes wisdom is knowing when to wait.
But I also believe fear can disguise itself as wisdom. You can analyze something so long that you never actually move.
Some of the biggest risks I’ve taken have been saying yes before I felt completely ready. Looking back, those moments have often led to some of the greatest opportunities to grow and help other people.
At this stage of my life, I’m less afraid of taking a calculated risk and more concerned about looking back and wondering, “What would have happened if I had just been willing to try?”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.movingforwardministriestn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggiemkavanaugh/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motivationbymaggie/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@movingforwardmedia
