Stephy Nobles-Beans is taking what she’s learned from others in leadership and paying it forward.

“Everybody wants you to pay for something,” she says. “But somebody poured into me and didn’t charge me a dime. It’s important to give back to the community.”

After decades of service in academia and at the pulpit, the retired Whitworth University professor and chaplain has designed a free leadership program for both businesswomen and teen moms.

The program, titled She-Brews to Lead, combines Nobles-Beans' years of experience in education, ministry, and mentorship.

“With our climate, we need good, strong leaders,” she says. “We need them to know that they can lead well, not be afraid to lead, and be in a space where we can help each other lead.”

The program will be launched in mid-June and will be held at Diverse Roots, located at 4750 N. Division in the Northtown Mall.

Nobles-Beans, 70, retired from Whitworth in May of 2024. She was the associate chaplain for diversity, equity, and inclusion ministries. In addition to her chaplain position, she spent seven years as an adjunct professor teaching leadership. She has a master’s degree in administrative leadership from the private Christian university in north Spokane.

“I love leadership, and I love talking about leadership,” she says. “It’s my ministry, as well. It’s helping women to be the best that they can be in leadership.”

The She-Brews to Lead curriculum covers a range of topics, from developing leadership skills through public speaking, conflict resolution, and decision making to fostering relationships by building strong connections and creating mentorship programs that pair experienced leaders with emerging ones, says Nobles-Beans.

“It’s about helping people find where they belong in leadership,” Nobles-Beans says. “It’s about having commitment, integrity, and confidence.” 

Nobles-Beans says the program will be centered around what she refers to as the three "L's," which stands for leading, learning, and loving, and is meant to develop leadership skills and mentorships through learning and training.

The program will focus on developing self-esteem, emphasizing the motivation and perseverance required to pursue education, she says. “In growing to love and believe in themselves, they are more inclined to be confident and receptive to leadership opportunities.” 

Along with the basics of leadership skills, the program will include guest speakers and provide access to podcasts, online courses, and leadership book resources. The classes will meet as small groups and explore different leadership models, says Nobles-Beans. 

“We want to encourage members to support one another in their professional, personal, and spiritual journeys,” she says.

Since retiring, Nobles-Beans has collaborated with Lumen High School, a charter school in downtown Spokane that serves teen parents, by bringing leadership into its curriculum.

She says she loves having the opportunity to teach leadership to teen moms.

“It’s not just about helping them lead others, it’s about helping them rediscover their own power,” Nobles-Beans says. “Many young mothers face stigma, self-doubt, and overwhelming responsibilities. Leadership education offers them tools to rise with confidence and purpose.”

Through mentorship, communication, skills, goal setting, and self-awareness, teen moms can learn to advocate for themselves and their children, she says.

“I tell teen moms, ‘When you hit the floor, you have to take care of your baby, and when you hit the floor, you are a leader,'” adds Nobles-Beans. “‘You gotta get up, you gotta cook, clean, wash, and make sure your baby gets to daycare.’”

Nobles-Beans says her leadership training teaches students that their “voices matter, their stories are valuable, and their influence is real.” 

She says when teen moms see themselves as leaders in their homes, schools, and communities, they break cycles, build legacies, and become powerful role models for the next generation.

“How do we become the leaders that we’ve been called to be in our community?” she says. “And with those gifts, how do we plug into our community and help women in leadership, not just in family, but in corporate America?” 

Nobles-Beans also hopes to redirect teens from internet-focused learning.

“The internet has really robbed our kids,” she says. “I heard one young lady say, ‘Google is right.’ No, Google is not right. (Students) need to step out of the internet and get into some book reading. ‘Get your face out of the Facebook and get yourself into the books,’ is what I say.”

Aside from her work at Whitworth, Nobles-Beans is a publisher, playwright, and author. She’s also an ordained minister, assistant pastor, and adult educator at the Church of Berachah, on Spokane's South Hill.

Nobles-Beans also owns an online coffee business, Mama Beans on Holy Grounds, which sells a variety of coffee beans roasted by Spokane-based Indaba Coffee Roasters. The website sells coffee, books, t-shirts, and coffee mugs. Proceeds from the company help support her leadership program.