Meet Carina Dawn Reed | Pastor & Christian Life Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carina Dawn Reed and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carina Dawn, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
There is a simple phrase among Christians that we embrace; “risk = faith”. And it is derived from Hebrews 11:1 which says “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” Most people don’t associate Christians with risk but actually our entire faith, and the way we live, is all about taking risks. And this includes how we pursue our careers and how we involve ourselves in our local community and the world around us.

As I developed my relationship with God, and learned the spiritual side of Christianity (being guided by the Holy Spirit) I learned only to listen to God’s voice to guide my steps. This has led me to take many “risky” decisions that other people advised me not to take. But because these risks were faith based, it may have seemed like a risk to others but it didn’t feel like a risk to me.

My faith in God, and guidance of the Holy Spirit, has actually given me laser focus so I can make decisions quickly. I don’t need to spend time listings pros or cons, I don’t need to waste energy on worrying about the consequences of decisions that I will make, because God has given me clear instruction. I’m doing it with God, not on my own. It’s really His decision, not my own decision, so it takes the pressure completely off of me.

Because of God’s guidance and direction, I have traveled to third world countries to minister and aid those in poverty. In one country, Christianity is outlawed, so just my entry into that country put my life at risk. But God clearly opened up the door for me to go there and He gave me many signs that I would be protected. So as I planned my trip, not only did some advise against it, but those who didn’t oppose it told me that I should alter my appearance so I would be less attractive and could avert potential attention. But God is a God of excellence and I wouldn’t want to offer anyone on this earth a lesser version of myself. I may be going into the slums but I’m going to present my true self to each and every person. And I was always kept completely safe. Not only has God protected me, but it’s as if God actually hid me every time. Being able to love people who seem unlovable is such an honor, and I want to honor them with the best that I have. I spent several years having the privilege of ministering and praying for these people groups.

It’s the belief, without any kind of doubt, that I might not be able to see God but I know that He is there right beside me. It seems risky to some because they don’t see Him either, but they don’t have the level of faith that I walk in. Some say that faith is risk because we don’t know what is actually going to happen, or how a situation is going to turn out, but when you trust in God, you know that the outcome will always be good, because God is only good, so I don’t need to know all the answers before I proceed following His direction. He speaks, I move.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m the founder of Trumpets of Tirzah which is a biblical lifestyle and leadership academy for Christian women. Our mission is to empower women to live out their calling while bringing Kingdom influence to the world around them. We offer a variety of services, some which are free, and include: self-improvement, life coaching, leadership coaching, business coaching, deep inner healing, and creative retreats. We offer group courses and individual sessions. Everything we offer is virtual so that women from all over the world can join us.

Over the past two years we have experienced exciting growth! Our podcast has 80 episodes, we release every Monday, and our online events, meetings, and courses becoming international. I used to have to travel to different countries to teach but now different countries come to us. We currently have women not just in the USA, but also India, Malaysia, South Africa, Switzerland, New Zealand, Guyana, Canada (and we expect many more.)

I have had a very unique journey to get to where I am today, as most people do. At the age of 14 I started a modeling career which then transitioned into an acting career. It was sometimes glamorous but often ugly. Behind the scenes is very different than what the public sees. I became very tired of the superficial ways and all the egos and entered corporate America after almost 20 years of modeling/acting. I became an accountant and worked in corporate America but I was rarely taken seriously until my work was given a chance to speak for itself. Through it all, I learned a lot about working through adversity and believing in who I was and what I could offer. As I matured spiritually, I knew that even corporate America wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing. So I left a great paying job, and job security, to become an ordained minister.

I started to work for a ministry school where I continued to grow and found a group of people who had the same morals and ethical principles that I did. But one day I heard God’s Holy Spirit tell me that I was to start my own Christian academy. That was hard because my colleagues were like my family and I was going to be leaving them. God’s instruction was that it would be a safe place for women to learn their identity, develop the purpose that God created them for, while being in community together. So I began the process of founding my own organization. In the very beginning, in the planning phase, I had a couple places offer me space where we could meet (prior to 2020 we only had in-person classes) and when I declined their offers, they started to speak poorly about me. It was a rough start! I was being talked about in a negative light, even before I officially started my organization. All my previous life experience prepared me, although I did think that going into a Christian field would be different. But I learned to stay focused on God, and my task ahead, instead of what others were saying. Then once we got started, for our first two years, I would lose staff members over the most bizarre things; a couple moved out of the area, one became very sick, another went through a crisis in her marriage. It was another rough patch. Then as we entered into our third year, I had a couple women, on my board of advisors, that began to make unethical decisions. It was another mess which led to a purging process so that the organization could get back on track. But my faith, and God’s strength, had me continue on and keep moving forward. I regrouped and I can look back and see how it all actually strengthened my organization and where we are today.

The rough patches I faced really strengthened my relationship with God and His Holy Spirit. It made me study my bible, on a deeper level, to search for answers to the obstacles I faced. In that, I found a new strength within myself which God deposited there, and I hadn’t fully realized it was there to begin with. I started to understand more about God, and how He made me, so that I could even further equip and teach others who they are made to be. A big part of this is learning how to tune out voices that come against you, so you can hear God’s direction for your life very clearly. And this, on top of all the other life and business experience I previously had, then launched the coaching services that I offer today. Every rough patch happens so that we can learn from it, be strengthened in it, and come closer to God through it.

Trumpets of Tirzah is founded on biblical teaching, including our name. Tirzah, in the Bible, overcame an impossible circumstance but God showed up for her and gave her an inheritance of rich promise land. And that is what we teach others – no matter where you have come from, no matter what looks impossible in your life, God has a plan and wants you to inherit a very rich promise. I’m here to help you find where that promise is and the journey you take to get to that promise will be life changing and transformative.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Temecula Wine Country and it’s filled with great people and quaint places. We’d have to wake up super early to take a hot air balloon ride over the vineyards watching the sunrise. Then coffee is always a must, and we’d start off at Temecula Grind Coffeehouse to get our caffeine fix then head to Old Town to shop in the local boutiques making sure we stop at The Barn Yard which always has plenty of new treasures for home or garden. After we shopped through Old Town we’d head for a late lunch at Robert Renzoni Vineyard which makes their bread, and pizza crusts, from Italian imported flour and serves the best red wine in the valley. Because everything closes early in a small town, we’d host a group of friends during the evening, for dinner and prayer, discussing all the ways we saw God move during the day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am so thankful to my husband for his unending support and prayers in all my journeys! I’m thankful to my staff, the Tirzah Tribe, who provides me a tremendous amount of support on a daily basis.

Website: www.trumpetsoftirzah.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trumpetsoftirzah/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trumpetsoftirzah/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trumpetsoftirzah

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV-ixRBTJm7sMvBXISpgAlw/featured

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trumpetsoftirzah Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trumpets-of-tirzah/id1551900025 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4DCT4KBVsmzfnqyobR4ZwF