Meet Ann Thompson

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ann Thompson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ann below.

Hi Ann, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Very early in my career, God gave me a phrase I didn’t fully understand at the time: “leader of leaders.” I assumed it meant climbing straight up the ladder until I reached the top.

But in hindsight, my career hasn’t been a straight line at all. It’s looked more like a game of chutes and ladders — not because I was lost or unfocused, but because I was following where God led me. At times, He asked me to take a step down, sideways, or into unfamiliar territory. What looked like detours to others were actually His way of shaping me.

Through that, I came to see that my purpose wasn’t about titles or constant upward motion. It was about influence — living out that whisper of being a leader of leaders by helping others thrive in the work God has given them.

I believe our ultimate purpose is always to worship God and bear witness to what He has done in our lives. But I also believe He designed work as one of the primary places where that purpose is lived out. Work isn’t separate from calling — it’s one of the most tangible ways we get to love, create, and serve in His name.

For me, that has meant stepping into coaching and writing. Coaching allows me to walk with leaders and professionals in real time as they navigate transitions. Writing lets me share those lessons more broadly, offering encouragement and tools to people I may never meet in person. Together, these two avenues have become my “confident stride” — not because I have it all figured out, but because I am finally walking in rhythm with what God invited me into for this season.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Today, I’m a leadership and career coach, speaker, and author. My focus is on helping faith-driven professionals who find themselves at a career crossroads. That crossroads might look like a new opportunity, an unexpected setback, or simply a quiet restlessness that won’t go away.

So many of the people I work with describe the same struggles:

They’ve reached a level of success they thought would satisfy them — but instead, they feel restless and wonder, Is this all there is?

They feel the constant pressure to perform, to say yes to everything, and in the process they’re losing themselves.

They wrestle with whether it’s God’s whisper leading them forward, or just the noise of ambition and outside pressure.

And many feel like their faith and their work live in two separate worlds — unsure how to bring them together.

Those are the very places where I get to come alongside leaders and offer hope. What excites me most is helping people pause in those moments, see that God is in the middle of their work, and move from confusion to clarity. My role is to give them the tools, courage, and perspective to take their next faithful step.

This fall, I’m launching my first book, Faith at Work: A Practical Guide to Aligning Your Career with Who God Created You to Be. It grew out of years of coaching conversations, my own zig-zag career, and a deep conviction that our work is more than just a paycheck or a path to retirement. The book introduces eight types of career transitions — from moving up to making a wholesale pivot — and shows how each can become an invitation from God into deeper purpose.

Beyond coaching and writing, I also host the Faith Driven Leader podcast, where I interview leaders and authors about integrating faith and work. And I’m passionate about building community — whether through mastermind groups, teaching in local nonprofits, or speaking to organizations who want to equip their people with faith-driven leadership tools.

At the end of the day, my “brand” isn’t about me. It’s about pointing people back to God as the author of their story and reminding them that they can walk confidently in the work He’s given them.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

When I look back, three qualities have made the biggest difference in my journey: humility, relationships, and self-understanding. And the truth is, they’re deeply connected — each one strengthens and deepens the others.

Humility. There were seasons when I thought I had to be the smartest person in the room or prove myself through achievement. But I’ve learned that humility — the willingness to listen, to learn, and to admit when I don’t know — has opened more doors than striving ever could. My advice: start practicing humility now. Ask good questions, seek out mentors, and don’t be afraid to fail forward. God can use failure to shape you just as much as success.

Relationship with God and others. My career hasn’t been a straight line; it’s been more like chutes and ladders. At every turn, my relationship with God has been the anchor. He reminded me I’m not defined by a title or a paycheck, but by His calling. And I’ve also seen how crucial it is to build deep, honest relationships with others — colleagues, mentors, friends — who can speak truth and encouragement when you can’t see clearly. My advice: don’t go it alone. Cultivate a rhythm of prayer, Scripture, and community. Invite people into your decision-making.

Understanding who I am, uniquely. For a long time, I tried to fit myself into the mold of what “success” should look like. It wasn’t until I did the deeper work of understanding who God made me to be — creative, wise, adaptable, a visionary planner, an optimistic realist, full of grace — that I began to find freedom. My advice: take time early in your career to notice how God designed you. Reflect on your strengths, your gifts, and the patterns that energize you. Don’t waste years chasing someone else’s version of success.

What I’ve come to see is that these three are inseparable. Humility and relationship with God and others create the space for us to see ourselves clearly. And when we learn to trust His design and His leading, we stay humble and interdependent on Him and the people around us. Together, they form a foundation — not just for career success, but for a life of purpose and impact.

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal client is someone who finds themselves wrestling with questions about their work. Often they’re standing at a career crossroads — unsure which way to turn and afraid of making the wrong move.

Sometimes they’ve already achieved the title or the paycheck they thought would satisfy them, only to realize it doesn’t. Other times, they’re feeling the relentless pressure to perform and wondering if they’ve lost themselves along the way. Many wrestle with discerning whether it’s God’s whisper leading them forward or just the noise of ambition and outside expectations. And almost all of them feel some measure of the faith-work disconnect — unsure how to weave their faith and their career into one integrated story.

My ideal client isn’t defined by a specific role, industry, or age. What they share in common is a longing to do their work differently — to align it with who God created them to be. They want clarity, courage, and a framework that helps them take their next faithful step.

Those are the people I love to serve through coaching, writing, and speaking. Because when someone begins to see their career through the lens of their faith, it changes everything — not just for them, but for the teams they lead, the families they love, and the communities they influence.

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