History

The seed for BravelyRise was planted in 2015 when a former student invited our founder, Maxine Higgins, to speak at a Women's Empowerment Week at her college. This event became a pivotal moment for Maxine, prompting her to confront and unravel the lies that had shaped her own life. Though she didn’t know it at the time, this experience laid the foundation for what would become BravelyRise.

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In 2016, another door opened when Erik Olson, the founder of Pass the Rock, approached Maxine with an exciting opportunity. He felt divinely inspired to start a women's branch of his organization. After much prayer and many discussions, a partnership was born. It became clear that BravelyRise was meant to be a space for women to shed the false narratives imposed on them and embrace their true identity in Christ.

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Two years of dedicated planning, writing, and growing culminated in the official launch of BravelyRise in April 2017. Since then, we have been passionately working to empower women to discover and live out their God-given purpose.

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Today, BravelyRise continues to build a strong foundation across NJ, NY, PA, DE, and MD. Our partnerships with schools, organizations, and non-profits are flourishing, and we are excited to expand our reach and impact. In 2025, BravelyRise became an official ministry of New Life Wesleyan Church in La Plata, MD, marking a new chapter in our journey to help women step into who they are called to be.