Cohort Leaders
Refuge for Strength isn’t just a retreat. It also offers the option of joining a year-long Refuge for Strength cohort that meets monthly for ongoing spiritual formation. These small-group listening communities gather together to explore the practices described in Ruth Haley Barton’s Sacred Rhythms. Being in a cohort allows you to hear from God and others as you explore your identity in Christ and His purposes for you. Cohorts include both in-person and online meetings. The women below currently serve as cohort leaders.
Joyce Koo Dalrymple, CEO
Joyce is a pastor, speaker, and podcast host. She currently helps lead a house church and most recently served as the Pastor of Discipleship and Connections at Wellspring Alliance Church. A former television journalist and attorney, she frequently guest preaches at local churches and speaks at women’s events and retreats. She co-hosts Adopting Hope, a podcast from Christianity Today about foster, adoptive, and spiritual parenting. Joyce received a BA from Stanford University, a JD from Boston College, and an MDiv from Metro Atlanta Seminary. She and her husband Tim have three daughters and live in Wheaton, IL.
Cheryl Baird, CEO
Cheryl served as the Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Wellspring Alliance Church in Wheaton, IL, for over 20 years. She played a critical role in the merging of two Alliance churches, creating one of the most diverse churches in the Wheaton area. She is a licensed professional counselor who also mentors female leaders. Cheryl is a board member and consultant for the West Project, a non-profit group whose mission is to to listen, learn, love, and actively work for the growth and well-being of all people, in and through the powerful avenue of sport. She and her husband Brian have three adult children
Laurie Nichols
Laurie is founder of Common Good Communications and the Heromakers Movement. She serves a senior account manager and senior writer for Pinkston, a PR firm, and holds communications leadership positions with Seminary Now and Media Associates International. Previously, she served as the Director of Communication and Marketing at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. Laurie is co-host of the Heromakers Podcast and has written a book that inspires others to be heromakers that change our world. She holds a MA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Wheaton College. She and her husband Trent have two children and live in Wheaton, IL.
Jodi Chung
Jodi served as the Youth Pastor at West Houston Chinese Church for 13 years before becoming the Pastor of Discipleship at Parkway United Methodist Church in Sugar Land, Texas. She and her family recently relocated to the Chicagoland area and now attend Wheaton Chinese Alliance Church, where her husband, Mike, is the English Ministries Pastor. Jodi is a spiritual director, trained through the Selah certificate program in spiritual direction, and enjoys helping others experience the loving, healing presence of God. She and Mike have 3 children, Cole (11), Noelle (9), and Asher (6).
Lindsey Zarob
Lindsey attends Willow Creek's Wheaton campus, where she leads the women’s ministry, serves on the devotion-writing team, and leads seasonal small groups. She is a small business owner where she serves Christian non-profits with their storytelling and marketing needs as a strategist and copywriter. Additionally, Lindsey is a wife, mom of three (6, 8, and 10), and is currently studying to earn her Master's degree in Evangelism and Leadership from Wheaton College's Graduate School. She loves to study God’s Word, run on the nature path near her home, and connect with women over good conversation.
Michèle Phoenix
Raised in France by a Canadian father and an American mother, Michèle is an international educator, writer, and speaker. After teaching at an American school in Germany for 20 years, she launched her own global ministry advocating for Missionaries’ Kids (MKs), offering decades of experience and insight to churches, families in ministry, educators, and MKs themselves. As a trauma healing facilitator, she lends an empathetic ear to hard stories that need to be told and advises organizations seeking to be trauma-informed. In her spare time, Michèle writes novels, which have been published in the United States, Canada, Norway, and Poland. She loves good conversations, French pastries, mischievous souls, and Marvel movies.
Debbie Haliday
Debbie is Executive Director of nonprofits Restoration Sports and The WEST Project. Restoration Sports oversees “Jugamos,” a work that provides love and encouragement, teaching life skills and character development through sports clinics for underprivileged children in Baja, Mexico. It also offers Rest & Renewal retreats, contemplative spiritual weekends designed uniquely for women in sport. The WEST Project is focused on consulting work with sports teams at the collegiate and professional level. Debbie is a licensed Spiritual Director, working primarily with coaches and athletes. As an Enneagram teacher, Debbie enjoys helping others grow in self awareness in individual, group, and team settings. She has a BA in Sociology from UCLA where she competed as a student-athlete and a Master’s degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University.
Shari Plueddemann
As a “Third Culture Kid” born and raised in Nigeria, Shari has a heart for the Global Church and for immigrants. She teaches Multilingual Learners at Monroe Middle School (Wheaton, IL) who represent many language groups. Over the years, she has enjoyed volunteering in her church with junior high students, through the single moms’ ministry, and as a deacon. She serves on the board of Interaction International, an organization that serves Third Culture Kids and their parents. Shari loves being a mom to two adopted kids now in their early 20s. She has a passion for ministry to others who have experienced brokenness.
