Are leaders born or made?

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson says the answer is “both.”

“I think some leaders are born,” says Robinson on the latest episode of Where Ya From? with Rasool Berry. “I think some are made. And I think, whether you’re born or made, you all need training, you could always get better.”

Robinson herself knows that need to “get better” quite well. In sixth grade, she set out to be the best of the best in her class so she could afford to go to college. When her peers and superiors at the Naval Academy treated her as an outsider, she refused to quit and ultimately became a marine corps officer. And when her mother passed away unexpectedly, a college-aged Robinson became her family’s main provider.

Now, Robinson is an international speaker, executive leader, and author whose hard-won wisdom ministers to many. A staunch advocate for relational discipleship, Robinson challenges believers to cling to their faith in God even—especially—when life piles on more than they could have imagined.

Whether leadership in times of trouble comes naturally or is honed through a series of challenges, God is constant. May Robinson’s story of allowing God to shape her into a leader who points people to him encourage us to remain steadfast in our own seasons of difficulty. And may we, as Robinson says, “stay in awe of God” as he guides and directs our steps.