Sarah Jakes Roberts released her new documentary, Behind the Surrender: The Making of Woman Evolve 2024, on July 30, 2026. The film gives viewers an intimate look behind the scenes of the major women’s conference. Available to stream on Woman Evolve TV and the Sarah Jakes Roberts YouTube Channel [1, 2, 3, 4]

Sarah Jakes Roberts is inviting audiences behind the curtain.

The bestselling author, pastor, and founder of the Woman Evolve movement has released her new documentary, Behind the Surrender: The Making of Woman Evolve 2024, offering an intimate look at the vision, preparation, and purpose behind one of the largest faith-based conferences in the world.

While the documentary is noteworthy on its own, its release carried even greater significance because it arrived during the very week that thousands of women would have been gathering for the 2026 Woman Evolve Conference.

Earlier this year, Sarah Jakes Roberts announced that the conference would be postponed as she continues recovering from a serious accident that resulted in a fractured neck, multiple herniated discs, and major surgery. Rather than returning to the stage before she was fully healed, Roberts chose to prioritize her health and recovery—a decision that was met with an outpouring of prayers and support from the Woman Evolve community.

Against that backdrop, the release of Behind the Surrender on Thursday, July 30, came as a welcome and unexpected gift for supporters who had anticipated gathering in Atlanta. Although this year’s conference could not take place, the documentary offered audiences a meaningful opportunity to reconnect with the heart of the Woman Evolve movement and experience the journey behind one of its most impactful seasons.

Known for her transparency and ability to connect with women navigating life’s most difficult seasons, Roberts has built Woman Evolve into a global movement that extends far beyond the conference stage. Through books, podcasts, digital content, and live experiences, the ministry has become a source of encouragement for millions seeking healing, growth, and spiritual transformation.

Now, with Behind the Surrender, viewers are given access to the moments that happen long before the lights come on.

Instead of simply celebrating the finished event, the documentary pulls back the curtain on the work, faith, collaboration, and perseverance required to bring the Woman Evolve Conference to life.

What to Expect When You Watch Behind the Surrender

Whether you’re a longtime supporter of Woman Evolve or discovering the movement for the first time, here’s what you can expect from the documentary:

• An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the 2024 Woman Evolve Conference.
• Sarah Jakes Roberts beyond the stage, revealing the responsibility, pressure, and purpose that come with leading a global ministry.
• The planning process that transforms a vision into a world-class conference experience.
• The people behind the movement, highlighting the teams, volunteers, creatives, producers, and leaders who help bring Woman Evolve to life.
• Moments of vulnerability and authenticity that reflect Roberts’ signature style of leading through transparency.
• The power of surrender, showing how faith, obedience, and trusting God’s timing remain central to every decision.
• Production insights into what it takes to execute a large-scale faith-based event that serves thousands of attendees.
• Encouragement for leaders, entrepreneurs, ministry teams, and creatives who are building something bigger than themselves.
• A reminder that purpose isn’t always glamorous, and that many of the greatest victories happen long before anyone sees the final result.
• An inspiring celebration of teamwork, illustrating that lasting impact is built through collaboration, preparation, and servant leadership.

More Than a Documentary

Faith-based storytelling continues to evolve, and documentaries like Behind the Surrender are helping ministries reach audiences in fresh and meaningful ways.

Today’s viewers are looking for authenticity. They want to see the process, not just the platform. They want to understand the sacrifices behind the success, the challenges behind the celebration, and the people behind the purpose.

Sarah Jakes Roberts delivers exactly that by reminding viewers that every powerful moment on stage is supported by countless moments of faithfulness behind the scenes.

A Powerful Reminder

For ministry leaders, event organizers, creatives, entrepreneurs, and anyone pursuing a God-given vision, Behind the Surrender serves as a powerful reminder that meaningful impact requires preparation, perseverance, and surrender.

The documentary doesn’t simply tell the story of a conference—it celebrates the journey of building a movement that continues to inspire women around the world.

Beyond the Spotlight

At ArtSoul Radio, we love stories that reveal what happens beyond the spotlight.

While audiences often celebrate the final product, it’s the unseen hours of planning, prayer, collaboration, and dedication that truly shape transformative experiences. Behind the Surrender captures those moments, reminding viewers that purpose is developed long before it is displayed.

For anyone seeking inspiration, leadership lessons, or a deeper appreciation for the work that fuels impactful ministry, Sarah Jakes Roberts’ latest documentary is well worth watching.

A historic celebration of democracy, culture, service, and hope to take place June 18th in Chicago and livestreamed to the world.

CHICAGO — The Obama Foundation today announced the performers scheduled to take the stage at the Obama Presidential Center’s Grand Opening Ceremony on June 18. The historic event, held at the Center’s John Lewis Plaza, marks a milestone for the city of Chicago and communities around the world. The ceremony will bring together global leaders, artists, changemakers, and citizens for an inspiring celebration of the values that shaped the Obama presidency and continue to power civic engagement across generations.

Located on Chicago’s South Side, the Obama Presidential Center is a global hub designed to inspire, empower, and connect people to create change. Beginning June 19, visitors of all ages will be invited to explore the open campus, engage with immersive exhibits and public programs, and discover how they can make a difference in their own communities. Celebratory events will continue through the weekend, offering a preview of programming that will bring the entire campus to life throughout the year and beyond.

“This Grand Opening ceremony will be unlike any other — filled with music, performances, and hope,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of The Obama Foundation. “The Grand Opening Ceremony will reflect a spirit of inspiration and joy, with a big boost from the performers who are sharing their talent with us. We hope to inspire people everywhere to believe in their power to bring change home.”

The Grand Opening Ceremony will be livestreamed globally beginning at 11 a.m. Central Time on Obama.org, and on The Obama Foundation’s TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook accounts. 

Performers taking part in the June 18 ceremony will include: 

• Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning artists The Roots
• Multiple GRAMMY, Oscar, Golden Globe, and Special Tony Award-winning artist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Springsteen
• Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning artist Christina Aguilera
• Multiple GRAMMY, Oscar, and Emmy Award-winning artist Common
• Multiple GRAMMY, Golden Globe Award-winning artist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Eddie Vedder
• Multiple GRAMMY, Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning artist Jennifer Hudson
• Multiple GRAMMY, Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning artist John Legend
• Multiple GRAMMY and Oscar Award-winning artist Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Stevie Wonder
• Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning artist Marc Anthony
• Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning artist Tems
• Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning artists, multiple Golden Globe winners, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, and Kennedy Center Honorees U2’s Bono and The Edge
• Actress and producer Marsai Martin

The Obama Presidential Center opens to the public on June 19. While Museum tickets are sold out for opening weekend, the rest of the campus is free and accessible for the general public.

The Grand Opening Weekend of the Obama Presidential Center is made possible through the generous support of GCM Grosvenor, Abbott, BMO, ITW, and Northern Trust. 

Robert H. Marshall Jr. does not enter rooms quietly. Not because he is loud, but because the weight of what he carries speaks before he does.

For years, Marshall has emerged as one of the leading voices at the intersection of faith, trauma, masculinity, healing, and identity—doing the difficult work many people preach about but few are willing to confront honestly. As a pastor, author, lecturer, mentor, creative, and advocate, he has dedicated his life to helping boys and men heal from invisible wounds while reclaiming identity, purpose, and hope.

But before the conferences, classrooms, pulpits, documentaries, and books, there was a little boy carrying pain in silence.

Marshall is a survivor of sexual abuse, fatherlessness, abandonment, and childhood trauma—experiences that deeply shaped his understanding of shame, emotional survival, and masculinity. Like many men raised in urban communities, he learned how to perform strength long before he ever learned how to process pain. For years, he hid behind leadership, faith, and achievement while privately wrestling with the emotional aftermath of trauma.

Those experiences became the foundation for his newest book, Shame Is A Liar: Man Enough To Heal, Man Enough To Be Free, a deeply personal and psychologically layered exploration of how shame impacts the minds, relationships, bodies, and spiritual lives of men. The book examines how abuse, violence, rejection, incarceration, addiction, silence, and unhealthy definitions of masculinity distort identity and keep many men emotionally trapped. Marshall challenges readers to confront the lies shame teaches and begin the difficult journey toward healing and freedom.

“Healing is the journey. Wholeness is the destination,” Marshall often says.

His work has resonated far beyond church walls.

Marshall has become a respected voice in faith-based, academic, and social service spaces, lecturing and facilitating conversations on male trauma, restorative justice, mental health, fatherlessness, violence prevention, and emotional wellness through his healing commuities The Survivors Circle & I Am Man, Inc. . As one of the youngest former deans at Moody Bible Institute, he helped mentor and develop emerging leaders while challenging institutions to better understand the emotional and spiritual realities shaping boys, men, and families in urban communities globally.

At the core of Marshall’s work is a sobering belief: that nearly 80–85% of boys and men in urban communities around the world have experienced some form of sexual abuse, trauma, exploitation, or premature exposure to sex. He believes many of society’s deepest crises are rooted in unresolved pain and that more than ever, communities must create intentional frameworks to heal and protect the next generation.

“Broken boys become broken men,” he says. “And broken men often break families, communities, systems, and generations. But if we heal a man, we can heal a family, a community, a nation, and ultimately the world.”

That belief fuels everything he does.

He launched The ARK, one of the first Christian conferences intentionally centered on healing for male survivors of sexual abuse.

“The core of my work is helping people feel safe, seen, and heard,” Marshall says. “I’m committed to becoming what I never had—a safe place.”

Through initiatives, healing circles, conferences, academic spaces, and community partnerships, Marshall works to humanize the lived experiences of survivors, create safe spaces for all people to journey toward wholeness, and empower those who walk alongside survivors to support them well. He strongly believes in diversity and views it as a full reflection of the Kingdom of God—where people from different cultures, backgrounds, stories, and experiences can heal, grow, and belong together.

While much of his work centers on healing boys and men, Marshall also openly identifies as a womanist who believes in empowering women leaders to lead boldly, heal fully, and walk unapologetically in their voice, influence, and calling.

At the heart of his message is faith. Marshall believes healing must move beyond empty religious performance and be rooted in authentic partnership with one another and the Holy Spirit.

Married to his wife Jackie for over a decade, he is the proud father of three children. He sees his life’s work as more than ministry, motivation, or a choice. It’s what God has chosen him to do: to become a conduit of healing in the earth. 

Follow Robert Marshall online to learn more about his latest book, ministry and events:
Instagram | Facebook | Tik Tok
www.roberthmarshall.com