Crystal Clay is ready to thrive and she wants people to join her.

Thrive in True Identity is the 31-day devotional book she designed to assist women in realising their identity in Christ.

“This devotion evolved from a vision to host a 31-day virtual Bible study challenge last summer which became a global platform for women around the world to thrive in their true identity in Christ. The women in that study encouraged me to make it a book,” she said.

Determined to see her vision through, Dr Clay sat down and “literally wrote and sent out the devotions every day for 31 days”.

“It was quite a challenge because I made the commitment and had to follow through and show up every day with a devotion, but also wanted to be sure I sat and waited for inspiration for that day to give people something meaningful and provocative.”

Thrive dives into the subjects of identity, authenticity and empowerment, all of which Dr Clay discussed from a cultural perspective in her doctoral dissertation.

“The topic of identity is complex and yet so important. Every decision we make depends on how we see ourselves, what we think we deserve, how we see our worth and the things we accept. In these times of fear and uncertainty one thing is constant, our identity in Christ. Knowing who you are is more critical now than ever. Every day your identity will be challenged.”

She believes readers will benefit from her experience with Olive Branch Consulting, the coaching and leadership development company she founded.

“I am an executive coach and [a Gallup-certified strengths coach] who is passionate about helping women to realise their full potential and thrive in their God-given gifts. Prior to becoming a business owner, I enjoyed a career in talent development in the corporate sector which has afforded me the opportunity to mentor, coach and develop hundreds of women over the lifetime of my career.”

Her personal journey to faith is not unlike many others. Dr Clay was raised in the church and found her own identity in Christ as an adult.

“My faith journey started as a child but, like many, I strayed from the faith in my teenage years. I recommitted my life to God in my early twenties and since then, I have experienced the joy of a relationship with the Lord and ministering to women in a variety of settings.”

She believes her devotionals offer a lot to readers.

“I want the readers to take away from the devotional the need to be authentic. I want women to believe the truth about what our Creator says about them. There should be some alignment. We don’t need to seek external validation. God is the chief architect and He has the blueprint. We do not have to compete or compare or live according to anyone’s expectations of us.

“Second, I want the reader to know that they don’t have to give up on themselves or their dreams. When we were children, it seemed as though we were fearless, saw life as limitless. We were hopeful and optimistic about our future. As we face some of life’s harsh realities however, that courageous spirit, sometimes those limitless possibilities, dreams and visions can grow dim and spiral into a loss of our identity, causing us to become a shadow of ourselves.”

She continued: “My hope is that the reader will be challenged to boldly ‘show up’ as their authentic best selves, fearlessly rise to their fullest potential – and thrive.”

Creating the 31-day devotional challenged Dr Clay as it required commitment to bring it to fruition. Her advice to other would-be authors is to “just do it”.

“Don’t procrastinate. If you have a message that will benefit someone, don’t deprive the world of the gift you have for them. You never know who needs to hear your message.”

Thrive In True Identity is available at Royalty Books, Sacred Gifts and other bookstores. For more information visit www.drcrystalclay.com/the-book