Hey friend,

Alabama decided to act like it was February this week. Monday morning showed up cold, and a few parts of the state even had flurries (in March, which should be illegal). Good thing I had a cozy pot of spaghetti I made Sunday night to get me through the cold busy days, because the week did not slow down.

There's so much noise in the world right now, and I've been thinking a lot about what it means to cut through it with journalism that actually serves Christian women entrepreneurs. Solid reporting, sourced numbers, stories with weight behind them is what I want The Virtuous Creative to be.

On that note, I'm looking forward to interviewing a woman who survived a rare and aggressive blood cancer diagnosis in her early 30s, went through a bone marrow transplant, came out cancer-free on the other side, and now runs a hair salon and extension brand dedicated to restoring confidence in women navigating hair loss from medical conditions.

For now, let’s chat about this week.

Equal Pay Day falls on March 26th, and the numbers behind it are worth a longer conversation than a social media graphic can hold.

U.S. Census Bureau data shows women earned 80.9 cents for every dollar men earned in 2024, down from 83 cents the year before, and the Institute for Women's Policy Research called it the largest single-year decline in the gender earnings ratio since 1966.

Meanwhile, 455,000 women left the workforce between January and August 2025 alone.

A lot of the women reading this didn't leave because of a statistic. They left because the math stopped working, or because a calling wouldn't wait, or because the system kept proving it was designed for someone else's life. And some of them came here and started building.

Proverbs 31:24 says she sold linen garments and delivered sashes to merchants. She did not give them away. Stewardship includes pricing, and generosity flows from surplus, and surplus requires charging what your work is worth.

One opinion.

The gender pay gap gets treated as a distant policy problem, but for women in business, a portion of it lives in the prices we set before anyone else has the chance to underprice us.

One cultural moment.

Equal Pay Day is March 26th, and the data behind it this year is the worst it's been in decades. The Census Bureau updates these numbers every September, and I'll be watching.

One observation.

On Threads, I've come across women who take issue with the idea of a "Christian business," the Christian nail salon, the Christian boutique, the faith-forward brand. The position seems to be that the label doesn't belong on a business. I'd respectfully disagree, and I think the women building this way know exactly what they're doing and why. The Virtuous Creative exists partly because this.

Do you have an event coming up for Christian women in business? Conferences, workshops, masterclasses, retreats, pop-ups, and community gatherings are all welcome. Submit your event to the TVC calendar.

A free editorial pitch gets your story on The Virtuous Creative’s website with one attribution link to your website’s homepage. I shape the angle, narrative, and framing. The story serves the reader first, and your visibility is the byproduct.

Until next week, Danielle
Founder, The Virtuous Creative