“Women are usually in one of three places,” says White House resident and businesswoman Lisa Millman. “Either she is going into a wilderness season, she’s in the middle of it, or she is coming out of one.”

The wilderness wooed Lisa into creating Active Abundance, a nonprofit whose mission is simple: “loving women in wilderness seasons.”

Founded in 2021, Active Abundance has developed a unique approach to walking alongside women through difficult seasons.

“Healing does not happen in a weekend or a workout,” Lisa explains. “It happens in rhythm, in practices we return to again and again until they begin to reshape us.”

“A lot of women,” she says, “feel so alone in their wilderness seasons. They feel stuck. They feel like they don’t have a place.”

Lisa knows that wilderness firsthand.

A gut-wrenching divorce battle from 2014 to 2016 brought her to a place of deep seeking.

“I didn’t grow up in church. During high school, friends would take me to church, but I didn’t really have a relationship with Christ. I didn’t really understand the discipline of discipleship and what that meant as a follower of Christ. I was going to church on Sundays, but that was about it.”

Then, in 2017, Lisa read through the Bible cover to cover for the first time.

“That was life-changing.”

Newly married and walking in the grace of healing, Lisa and her husband traveled to Zion National Park later that year.

“Active Abundance wasn’t on my radar,” she says. “We were just hiking.”

Hiking.

Praying.

Digging into Scripture.

That combination created a life-changing rhythm for Lisa — one she soon realized God was calling her to share with other women.

As she began walking with women through some of their hardest seasons, four things kept emerging as essential to lasting transformation. Active Abundance calls this rhythm WILD, and it shapes every pilgrimage the organization leads:

W — Walk in Worship.

“We move our bodies and lift our eyes, meeting God in the beauty of His creation and in the simple, steady act of putting one foot in front of the other.”

I — Ignite Your Faith.

“We make room for God to reawaken what the wilderness has worn thin, stirring up fresh hope, courage, and trust in Him.”

L — Lean on Community.

“We walk shoulder to shoulder with women who understand, because no one was ever meant to carry her season alone.”

D — Dwell in God’s Word.

“We root every step in Scripture, standing on God’s truth above our circumstances and our feelings.”

That faith became especially evident in August 2023, when Lisa put a deposit down on a house in Zion National Park.

There was no detailed plan. Not yet.

Simply a step of faith.

“I felt like God was telling me, ‘You have to go put a deposit on a house.’ So I did. I had nobody. I had no plan. I just said, ‘Okay, we’re going to Zion.’”

Then, piece by piece, the plan began to come together.

Friends committed to partner with her, even though she never asked. A generous business owner sponsored airfare for every attendee. And, somehow, there was a woman for every bed.

In May 2024, Active Abundance held its inaugural retreat with four volunteers and four women.

Those days changed Lisa forever.

“After that experience, I thought, ‘There’s no way I could ever stop doing this as long as I live.’”

Now, fresh from leading her fifth retreat, Lisa’s face lights up as she recounts what continues to happen when women step into the wilderness together.

“People always ask, ‘How was it?’ I can’t describe it.”

What she can describe is the transformation.

“I think what I have to put into words is the visible transformation I see when women walk through the door compared to when they leave. Their circumstances haven’t necessarily changed. But they know they’re equipped to go back.”

Going back stronger.

That is the heart of Active Abundance.

It isn’t about fleeing the wilderness. It’s about allowing God to use it to teach you, shape you, and strengthen you in beautiful ways — ways that breathe courage into women like Lisa.

Courage to keep walking.

Courage to trust.

Courage to live out your calling.

For more information, check out their Facebook page or visit their website.

Active Abundance is also grateful to accept donations to provide scholarships for women who want to attend. Currently, the organization’s waitlist is twice its available capacity — a powerful reminder of just how many women are searching for a place to be seen, supported, and reminded that they don’t have to walk through their wilderness alone.