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Women's Journal

Joy Marie Dillard Is Shaping Beauty Through Faith and Prayer

By: Lennard James

In a world where the voices of young people often go unheard, Joy Marie Dillard is choosing to speak up—and speak boldly—for her generation. A spirited teenager with a heart full of purpose, Joy is the author behind “Dear God, It’s Me Again: A Pretty Girl’s Prayer Journal,” a beautifully crafted devotional journal aimed at uplifting, inspiring, and guiding young women in their spiritual journeys.

A proud member of Citadel of Deliverance in Memphis, Tennessee, Joy is not your average teen. Her life is a vibrant mix of lipstick and love for Jesus; track meets and tearful moments of prayer. While many her age are navigating school and social media, Joy has committed herself to something deeper building a personal and powerful relationship with God.

Her journey as a young author is deeply rooted in the spiritual legacy of her family. Joy is the daughter of Bishop Linwood Dillard and Lady Stephanie Dillard, leaders in both faith and family. Watching her mother walk in strength and grace while penning her own spiritual reflections in “Pretty Girls Pray” left an indelible mark on Joy’s heart. Inspired by those handwritten prayers and the example of faith her parents have set, Joy took a leap of faith herself, creating a journal that invites other young women into a deeper walk with God.

“Dear God, It’s Me Again” isn’t just a book—it’s a movement. It is a safe space where young women can come just as they are, with their questions, fears, dreams, and doubts. Joy’s journal encourages teens and women of all ages to pour their hearts out to God, reminding them that they are heard, seen, and deeply loved. Through daily prompts, heartfelt prayers, and scriptures that resonate with real-life struggles, the journal becomes more than pages—it becomes a friend, a guide, and a mirror of God’s grace.

What makes Joy’s voice, so refreshing is her authenticity. She doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, and she doesn’t write from a place of perfection. Instead, she writes from a place of honesty and growth—openly sharing her own prayers, her love for God, and the ups and downs of walking by faith as a young woman in today’s world. Whether she’s talking about confidence, friendships, school pressure, or finding your purpose, Joy connects with her readers in a way that feels like a conversation with your best friend—if your best friend also knew how to point you back to the Word of God.

But Joy’s message reaches beyond teenage girls. Women of all ages will find something special in her words. Her journal is a reminder that true beauty doesn’t come from flawless skin or perfect photos—it comes from a heart that seeks after God. It’s a message passed down from her mother, now echoed by Joy: “Pretty girls pray.” And in this journal, Joy proves that pretty girls don’t just pray—they lead, they inspire, and they walk boldly in their purpose.

As Joy continues to grow in faith and favor, her prayer is that this journal will not only bless those who use it but spark a new wave of devotion, reflection, and transformation among young women everywhere. She’s a living example of what happens when faith meets creativity, when legacy meets purpose, and when a teenager says yes to God.

In “Dear God, It’s Me Again,” Joy Marie Dillard doesn’t just write—she ministers. She reminds each reader that prayer is powerful, that our voices matter, and that even as teens, we can make a difference for the Kingdom. Her life, her journal, and her joy are all proof that it’s never too early—or too late—to start the conversation with God.

Because sometimes the most powerful prayer starts simply with: “Dear God, it’s me again.” Now available on Amazon.

Behind The Scenes Of “Himoriwabi”, The Sleepwear Factory That Feels Like an Art Studio

By: Ethan Rogers

It took me months to secure this visit.

Himoriwabi doesn’t do factory tours. They don’t allow influencers to film “behind-the-scenes” reels. Even many of their suppliers haven’t seen what happens inside these walls.

The brand, known for its serene Japanese samue designed to help you rest deeply, guards its production process like a quiet secret.

When the doors finally opened, what I found was nothing like the factory I expected.

A Factory That Feels Like an Art Studio

From the outside, the building is unassuming—a grey structure tucked between warehouses, with a small wooden sign that simply reads “日森侘 Himoriwabi.”

Inside, it feels more like stepping into a temple than a factory.

Natural light pours in through high windows, illuminating rows of wooden tables. The air is filled with the scent of clean bamboo fabric, and the soft hum of sewing machines is punctuated by quiet conversations in Japanese. There is no rush, no industrial chaos. The space is calm, deliberate, almost meditative.

Craftsmen At Work, With Care

At one table, an elderly craftsman carefully measures fabric, his hands steady with decades of experience. A younger apprentice stands beside him, watching closely, occasionally asking quiet questions, learning not just how to cut and sew, but how to see.

Another corner has a designer laying out swatches of fabric in muted shades of indigo, cream, and soft charcoal. Sketches of upcoming seasonal designs are pinned neatly to a corkboard, with handwritten notes discussing how a seam could be adjusted for better drape, or how a sleeve’s angle could allow the wearer to move more freely while retaining its clean silhouette.

Kaizen in Every Stitch

Himoriwabi follows the philosophy of kaizen—continuous improvement, even in the smallest details. Every craftsman here speaks of “微調整” (微 = small, 調整 = adjustments), small refinements that add up to profound quality.

Thread types are tested for both durability and softness. Stitch lengths are debated to ensure seams last years while feeling gentle on the skin. One craftsman demonstrated how he rubs each seam lightly between his fingers, eyes closed, to check for evenness.

They Wear What They Create

One of the most surprising things I learned is that Himoriwabi’s craftsmen test their own creations by wearing them to sleep.

A senior craftsman shared:

“A garment feels different when worn overnight. If there is a seam that presses into your side, you’ll only notice it at 3 AM. If the fabric doesn’t breathe well, you’ll wake up damp. We prefer to find these things before our customers do.”

They wear the samue to sleep, wash them repeatedly, and adjust designs based on these lived experiences.

A Place Where Calm Begins

Before Himoriwabi’s samue arrives at your doorstep, folded with care, tied with a simple ribbon, and wrapped in minimal packaging, it begins here—in a quiet studio where every fold and stitch is intentional.

There is a belief embedded into every piece they create: calm is not something you stumble into; it is something you design.

This philosophy is visible in the workspace, in the way the craftsmen move, in the respectful silence between mentor and student, and in the unhurried pace that defines every action.

Slow, Careful, Beautiful

As I left the building, stepping back into the noisy world of emails and notifications, I understood why Himoriwabi keeps this place hidden.

It’s not secrecy for the sake of exclusivity.

It’s protection—of the calm that begins in these walls and is carried through every thread to the people who wear their samue each evening as a signal to slow down, to breathe, to rest.

Himoriwabi is not just selling sleepwear.

They are reminding us, quietly, that a restful life is something you can choose—and that sometimes, it begins with what you wear.

👉 Discover the Eversoft Bamboo Samue here: HimoriwabiCouture.com/Collections/Samue

You Don’t Need to Be Stronger — You Need to Come Home to Yourself

By: Alva Ree

A story for every woman who’s tired of surviving

Yulia Khadartseva knows where real feminine power begins — not in struggle, not in control, not in becoming a “better version” of yourself. It begins in the return. To your body. To your intuition. To that inner knowing that was always there — just buried under years of survival, expectations, and silence.

Women come to her from all walks of life:

  • Some are rebuilding after divorce.
  • Some are burned out, despite outer success.
  • Some feel completely lost in their own life, unsure where the real “self” disappeared.

All of them carry one aching question:

“I’m exhausted from being someone I’m not. Where did I go?”

Yulia doesn’t offer cute “self-love tips” or another 21-day femininity challenge. She goes deeper. Her transformational method works through six levels: personal, parental, ancestral, karmic, cosmic, and universal. She doesn’t fix women — she helps them remember who they were before the world told them who to be.

Her work isn’t just psychology. It’s energetic. Systemic. Embodied. She works with ancestral memory, with the hidden emotional architecture of the body, with the parts of a woman that can’t be explained — only felt. One session with her doesn’t just shift your mindset. It shifts your entire frequency.

Yulia’s approach is not about finding strength in the traditional sense, but about rediscovering the inherent power that’s been dormant, buried beneath years of external demands. For many women, the idea of strength has become tied to endurance, to pushing through, to surviving. But real strength, Yulia teaches, lies not in constantly battling the world, but in reconnecting with your own truth. It’s about allowing yourself to release the weight of expectations that don’t serve you and embracing the quiet yet powerful force of your own presence. This journey is not about becoming someone else; it’s about remembering who you’ve always been and claiming that space in your life once again. Yulia helps her clients shed the layers of conditioning, enabling them to step into a more authentic, centered version of themselves. Through this process, women begin to see that their power has always been there, and it was never lost — only waiting to be reawakened.

“You don’t have to earn love,” she often says. “You already are worthy. You don’t have to prove your power. You are the power.”

This simple truth, spoken with calm authority, begins to heal what’s been aching inside for years.

Today, Yulia leads private sessions and retreats in New York, Miami, Washington, and Europe. Women fly to her from around the world because they’re done with superficial solutions. They’re ready to breathe again. Feel again. Choose again.

She doesn’t divide women into strong or weak. For her, every woman is sacred. Every woman is a channel. Some have blocked that channel with pain. Others with fear. Many with stories they inherited that were never theirs to carry. Yulia’s role isn’t to give answers. It’s to guide women back to the knowing that already lives inside them.

She speaks to women in a way no one has in a long time — without judgment, without manipulation, without performance. She gives women back their voice. And when that voice returns, it no longer whispers. It roars.

If you are tired of holding it all together, tired of performing, tired of feeling disconnected from yourself — you won’t just hear advice in Yulia’s presence. You’ll hear yourself. Because her work is a mirror. And for the first time in years, you’ll look into that mirror and see not a broken or tired version of yourself — but a woman who is very much alive.

And that woman?

She doesn’t need saving.

She just needed to come home.

 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Any personal or therapeutic decisions should be made in consultation with a qualified professional. Results may vary depending on individual circumstances.