We recently had the chance to connect with Angela Lippens and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Angela, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
For me, integrity is the foundation that everything else rests on. Intelligence and energy are wonderful strengths, but they can only take a person so far. Integrity shapes how we show up when no one is watching, how we treat people, and how we make decisions that reflect our values rather than our convenience.
I’ve seen it in our work at Unfaulted and in my own life that someone with strong character and a genuine commitment to doing what’s right can overcome gaps in skill or experience. Skills can be learned. Energy can ebb and flow. But integrity determines whether a person will put in the effort, take responsibility, and grow with humility.
To me, integrity is the heartbeat of meaningful leadership and the foundation of any mission worth giving your life to.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Angela, and I have the privilege of serving as the CEO and Co-Founder of Unfaulted, a nonprofit in DFW that walks alongside young women who have aged out of foster care. Our mission is deeply relational. We don’t just offer a program, we offer people. Consistent, committed, judgment-free community.
Unfaulted was born from a simple but heartbreaking reality: aging out of foster care is one of the most vulnerable moments in a young woman’s life. Many step into adulthood alone, unsupported, and unprepared and the outcomes can be devastating. I believed then, and still believe now, that no young woman should face adulthood on her own.
What makes Unfaulted unique is our long-term, wrap-around approach. We’re not a short-term program; we stay with our girls for years. We provide life-skills training, community events, counseling partnerships, mentoring, Bible study, a workforce development apparel line called Freedom Threads, and a team of volunteers who become a steady presence in their lives. More than anything, we create a space where they are seen, known, and valued.
Right now, we’re expanding our life-skills conferences, growing our Freedom Threads initiative, and building new partnerships to serve even more youth across North Texas. Every step forward is driven by the same belief we started with: healing happens in relationship, and every young woman deserves a safe place to land and a community to grow with.
It’s the greatest honor of my life to do this work and to watch these incredible young women discover their worth, pursue their dreams, and rewrite their stories.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
For me, the strongest bonds between people are built on honesty. Not surface level honesty, but real, vulnerable, consistent honesty. When honesty is present, trust grows. When it’s absent, even in small ways, relationships begin to crumble. A single lie can fracture something that took years to build, and the pain of that break can linger long after the moment has passed.
Restoring those bonds is absolutely possible, but it’s not quick and it’s not easy. It requires time, transparency, and two people who are genuinely willing to do the hard work of rebuilding. Trust can’t be rushed or demanded; it has to be re-earned through actions that match words, day after day.
What I’ve learned, both personally and through the young women we serve, is that honesty is the bridge back to connection. When both people are willing to face what happened, communicate openly, and show up consistently, healing can happen. It may not look the same as before, but it can become something even stronger.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has shaped me in ways success never could. It has taught me endurance, the kind that can’t be learned from ease or comfort. When everything comes quickly or naturally, you don’t develop the same depth of gratitude or appreciation for what you’ve gained. But when you’ve fought for something, when you’ve walked through pain to get there, the growth becomes part of who you are.
My hardest seasons have also sharpened my problem-solving skills. Struggle forces you to think differently, to get creative, to dig deep into strengths you didn’t even know you had. Success never pushed me to that level of resilience.
Most of all, suffering has taught me that pain can produce something beautiful in us. Romans 5:3–4 has carried me through many valleys: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” That truth has played out in my life over and over again.
Success feels good, but suffering transforms you. It builds character, stretches your capacity, and roots you in a hope that lasts far longer than any achievement.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I am unwaveringly committed to seeing the youth we serve succeed, no matter how long it takes, no matter how many setbacks we walk through together. Their stories matter, their potential is real, and I will continue to support, encourage, and pray for them with the belief that their past does not define their future. A difficult childhood in foster care should never sentence someone to failure in adulthood.
In our volunteer training, we tell people to expect about 18 months before trust begins to form. Eighteen months of showing up, listening, and proving through consistency that you’re not going anywhere. That kind of trust can’t be rushed. It’s slow, sacred work, and it requires sacrifice, patience, and a willingness to stand with someone long after the initial excitement wears off.
This isn’t a project you check off a list. It’s a lifelong commitment to walking with young people as they grow, struggle, heal, and eventually thrive. And I am in it for the long haul, because every single one of them is worth that kind of devotion.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people remember me as someone who loved Jesus with her whole heart and genuinely tried to live out His love in everything I did. My deepest desire is to be the hands and feet of Christ, to treat people with compassion, to serve without hesitation, and to pursue the things that matter for eternity.
If the story people tell is that I loved well, sought the Lord faithfully, and poured myself into others in a way that pointed them to Him, then I’ll feel like my life counted in the ways that truly matter.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.unfaulted.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfaultedco/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/unfaulted_unfaulted-fostercare-foster-activity-7020801245795799040–K2s/?trk=public_profile_like_view
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unfaulted/
