She Speaks Truth 2026
There are moments in our story when the only explanation is — “Only God.”
Only God could move the mountain. Only God could heal the heart. Only God could restore what was lost.
Join us for She Speaks Truth: Only God — Stories of Hope, a powerful half-day gathering where real women share real stories of how God showed up, made a way, and changed everything.
In Scripture, hope isn’t wishful thinking; it means confidence — a deep assurance that God is who He says He is and that He is with us, right here, right now. Together, we’ll celebrate the One who clears the path to our hearts, pours out His love until it overflows onto those around us, infuses us with strength to live holy, and fills us with confidence in His presence.
Come expectant. Come ready to experience the God who makes the impossible possible.
Early Bird Tickets – $39
(Price Increases December 31, 2025)
Standard Tickets – $49
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Saturday, January 17, 2026
9:30AM-1PM (Doors open at 9:00AM)
Avenue Church
6050 S. Buffalo Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89113
Register
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Friday, January 23, 2026
6:00PM-9:15PM (Doors open at 5:30PM)
Christian Center
571 Adams Blvd. Boulder City, NV 89005
Register
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Saturday, January 24, 2026
9:30AM-1:00PM (Doors open at 9:00AM)
Canyon Ridge
6200 W Lone Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89130
“May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you! And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you… May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father.”
— 1 Thessalonians 3:11–13a
She Speaks Truth Speakers
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Vanessa has a heart for people to grow in intimacy with Christ. She is passionate about transforming potential into action. At the age of 24, Vanessa founded her ministry, Ignite Life, with the mission to equip, empower, and mobilize women to be the spark that ignites change in the world for the sake of Christ. Out of her desire to mobilize women in the church, one small conference gave birth to a movement of Christian women. Although this ministry is a huge priority in her life, her first ministry is her family. Vanessa has been married to her “Prince” Evan, for 11 years and her life is filled with joy and chaos raising her three children (Owen, 9; Ethan, 7; Charlotte, 5)
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Kenisha “Nish” Taijeron is a manager at Western Alliance Bank with a passion that reaches far beyond her professional life. Deeply rooted in faith and community, she’s actively involved at Central Christian Church and serves on mission trips with The Crossing Church, where she finds joy in connecting with people and sharing God’s love through service.
Nish’s passion is especially for women — the ones who have caused the friendship hurt or the ones still feeling the effects of it, something not often talked about in therapy or at church. The ones not willing to take accountability, the ones who would rather fill their calendars with all the things than slow down to grow and heal. The burnt-out, weary, tired, and hungry-for-rest women. Through honesty, empathy, and grace, Nish creates a safe space for women to feel seen, heard, and reminded that they’re not alone as they pursue healing, growth, and a deeper relationship with God.
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Sara Jessa is a dynamic speaker, encouraging coach, and passionate mentor. Recently transitioned from her 20-year career, Sara is following the Lord’s leading to fully embrace her blessings as wife, mother, friend, and follower of Christ. Sara finds her greatest joy in helping others experience Jesus in everyday life!
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Sofia Lara is a mother of six and grandmother of two. While she has spent her professional life working in management for over 25 years, she knows God created her to be a mother. Sofia is eager and excited to share the testimony that God has written into her life, saving her from a dark, empty, and hopeless place, redeeming her to experience joy and help others. Sofia’s hope is to be obedient and allow God to use her to bless others. She belongs to Avenue Church and in her spare time, can be found cooking and gardening.
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Robin Smith is the founder of RS Focused Consulting, where she helps women in ministry and nonprofit leadership discover how to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose. After nearly 40 years of serving in both ministry and nonprofit work, Robin knows firsthand the joys and challenges that come with leading others — and she’s passionate about walking alongside women as they grow into the leaders God created them to be.
Robin also partners with Ignite Life, where she provides training, program development, and leadership support. She absolutely loves being part of a ministry that’s changing lives and helping women step into their God-given potential.
When she’s not coaching or consulting, you’ll probably find Robin poolside with a good book in hand. She never gets enough of Jesus, her husband, the Bible, and the great outdoors — all things that keep her grounded and inspired.
Robin calls Avenue Church home, and one of her greatest joys is speaking to women and watching God’s Word come alive in their hearts. Her mission is simple: to help women see themselves the way God sees them — strong, capable, and deeply loved.
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Shari Ziesmer loves helping women discover their God-ordained purpose and experience the transforming love of Jesus. A lifelong learner and teacher, she’s spent years encouraging others to grow through her experiences as a wife, mom, daughter, sister, mentor, and music educator. Whether leading worship, teaching, or sharing her heart in conversation, Shari is passionate about seeing women lean into God’s love and begin to see themselves the way He does.
Grounded in a deep trust in God, Shari serves in Celebrate Recovery leadership at The Crossing, walking alongside others on their healing journeys. She and her husband love exploring trails and mountains together—running, hiking, and skiing as a way to connect with each other and with God’s creation. As a mom of three emerging adult children, she understands the changing seasons of family life and the faith it takes to navigate them. Shari brings warmth, authenticity, and encouragement, inspiring women to find confidence in Christ.
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Passionate about God’s truth, Allma Johnson helps women of all walks of life live boldly by faith and recognize the God-given legacy meant to impact generations. She is a Professor of Biblical Studies, author, and speaker who finds great excitement in teaching the Word of God and encouraging women to embrace their identity and purpose in every season of life.
Allma hosts The Seeds of Transformation Podcast and Seed - Journey with Dr. Allma Johnson on YouTube. Her work has been featured on Christianity.com, Crosswalk.com, and the YouVersion Bible App. She attends Canyon Ridge Church where Drew Moore is the Pastor, where she serves and continues to grow in community and in Christ.
As a simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplant recipient, her story breathes authenticity and hope into every message. Her survival journey fuels her mission to bridge generational gaps and spark Christ-centered transformation that touches the whole person spiritually, emotionally, and practically. A fun fact about her: she’ll try almost anything once, as long as it doesn’t bite or interrupt her coffee time!
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Jennifer has always been driven by a passion for serving others, meeting people right where they are, and helping them find hope. Over the years, her passion has taken a variety of forms, from working in the medical field to being involved with several non-profits. Jennifer has experienced the power of having a community of Jesus followers in her corner - people who are willing to go deep, encourage, challenge and walk alongside her as she continues to pursue God’s calling on her life. That same calling now fuels her work at Hoving Home, where Jennifer continues to live out her passion to serve with a focus on fostering relationships, building community and ultimately helping women experience freedom from addiction and life-transformation in Jesus. Jennifer is a New England native, now having lived in Las Vegas with her husband Kevin, for the last 13 years. Jennifer and Kevin love to camp in the amazing southwest, travel to new places and enjoy watching a good Patriots game!
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Hi, my name is Martine! I was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I’ve called the Las Vegas/Henderson area home for the past 14 years. I’ve been married to an amazing husband for 12 years, and we have a spicy 10-year-old daughter named Aurora.
Together, my husband and I own and operate a local apparel company, and I also serve as the Kids Ministry Coordinator at The Church at Lake Mead. A fun fact about me: I’ve been nicknamed the “child whisperer” because I seem to have a knack for calming and refocusing little ones—especially when I’m teaching dance, my other job (though it hardly feels like work!).
I’m so excited to speak to women and share my experiences. My hope is to bring joy, affirmation, and a sense of solidarity as we walk the unique paths God has set before each of us!
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My name is Jenny Bland and a fun fact is our Bland family is from Normal, Illinois! I am a mom of 5 and also have 5 beautiful grand children! My husband and I founded Goodness Gracious Ministries that serve people experiencing food insecurities and homelessness in Las Vegas Valley for over 10 years. Prior to moving to Las Vegas we were missionaries in the Dominican Republic where we fought human trafficking for 2 years.
City Light Church is our home church. I am super excited to speak to women because I love encouraging women to live with confidence that they are enough to make a difference in this world because of Jesus’s work in their hearts.
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Mary Leonard loves Jesus and her life is living proof of the saving grace, hope, and transformation in Christ. Having found freedom from addictions in her 20’s, Mary has dedicated the last 40 years of her life partnering with Jesus in sharing the message of hope and change available to all.
She served 20 years as a church leader in Celebrate Recovery, and has helped several churches launch faith-based 12 step recovery. She loves leading bible studies, particularly those that show biblical solutions to unhealthy life patterns. She is a Board Certified Life-Recovery Coach and trained at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology in Narrative Focused Trauma Care, which simply means she takes seriously the sacredness of sharing our stories of harm with one another. We’re not meant to do our healing alone.
Because of what God has done for Mary, she sees her responsibility and joy is to help others break free from the binds of shame that come from trauma and addictions and reveal the never-ending thread of God’s goodness throughout their lives. She’ll be first to tell you that Jesus is Source in all our healing, and recovery studies and small groups are re-sources.
Mary and her husband/best-friend John have been married for 31 years, live in Henderson, and recently began attending The Church at Lake Mead. Mary loves writing and cooking and kayaking and being on the trails with John and their dog, Jilly and generally celebrating life with family and friends. And when not doing those things, you might find her in a bright green, high-vis hat and jacket with a stop sign in her hand and a smile on her face helping our kids get to and from school safely. That’s another place she feels the sense of responsibility and joy.