Ep 340 Play Big Series Part Two: Esther – Crowned for a Reason
This episode is powered by Move to Millions Live: Bigger May 21-23, 2025
"Crowned for a Reason: Esther’s Blueprint for Bold Leadership and Strategic Impact"
"The palace wasn’t Esther’s reward—it was her assignment." — Dr. Darnyelle Jervey Harmon
If you’ve been playing small to protect your platform, this episode is your spiritual confrontation and your strategic activation. Visibility isn’t the goal—responsibility is. In this second installment of the Play Big Series, we unpack Esther’s journey from orphan to queen to intercessor—not as a fairy tale, but as a prophetic pattern for how you must lead in today’s business landscape.
Too many successful women are crowned but still hiding—afraid to offend, afraid to activate, afraid to fully embody their divine assignment. But as Esther shows us, you weren’t placed in position to preserve your image—you were placed there to protect a people. And silence, at this stage of the game, is no longer an option.
Through this episode, you’ll learn how to stop waiting for permission to lead, how to leverage timing with precision, and how to speak up in the moments that matter. Because as a Legacy-Led CEO™, you don’t need a bigger audience—you need bigger boldness. You were crowned for a reason. Now lead like it.
Grab your Move to Millions Podcast Notebook, a pen and your favorite beverage and listen in to discover:
✔How to confront your fear of visibility and step fully into the leadership your platform demands
✔ How to leverage discernment, timing, and spiritual authority to lead with precision, not performance
✔ How to use your influence as an intercessor—not just an expert—to create impact that transcends income
✔And so much more
This episode is a rallying cry for Legacy-Led CEOs who know they’ve been playing small, masking their mission, or withholding their voice. It’s a prophetic invitation to step fully into your leadership—not for applause, but for assignment. If you’re ready to activate your Esther moment, this episode will show you exactly how.
This is your invitation to stop performing and start positioning—because the people you’re called to serve are waiting on your courage. You’ll walk away with divine clarity, spiritual urgency, and a strategic blueprint to use your voice when it matters most. For such a time as this… it’s time to lead.
- "You don't need a bigger platform. You need bigger boldness."
- "You can't protect your platform and your purpose at the same time. One has to win."
- "Favor without strategy is a missed opportunity."
- "Playing big isn’t about elevation—it’s about intercession."
- "Silence has never protected legacy."
- What platform have I been underutilizing because I’m afraid of how I’ll be perceived?
- What divine assignment have I been delaying because of fear or false humility?
- Who is waiting for me to fully activate my voice and leadership?
- Am I playing chess like Esther—or playing small to preserve comfort?
- What would change if I stopped hiding behind excellence and chose impact instead?
Resources Mentioned
Personal brand website: https://drdarnyelle.com/
Company website: https://incredibleoneenterprises.com/
Move to Millions website: https://movetomillions.com/
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:00:00]:
Number one, stop hiding. You are not crowned just to wear a title. You were placed to protect and serve the people that you have been called to. These are the people who have been unsuccessful solving their problem on their own. They are looking to you. Did you know that only 1.9% of women entrepreneurs, 0.9% of black business owners, and just 0.5% of black women entrepreneurs ever cross the seven figure mark? That changes right here. If you are ready for high level, high income conversations about all things millions, your mission, your mindset, your methodologies, your mandate, your movement, your messaging, your marketing, your metrics, and of course your money. Just by listening, your income is going all the way up.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:00:55]:
Every week you'll hear powerful stories, transformational interviews and million dollar business growth insights to help you scale and sustain a seven figure business with grace and ease, not hustle and grind. I am your host, Dr. Darnyelle Jervey Harmon, award winning spiritual business growth strategist, eight figure entrepreneur and God girl on a mission to help you experience abundance in your life because of your business. This is the Move to Millions podcast. Welcome home. Welcome back to another Move to Millions podcast episode. I AM your host, Dr. Darnyelle and I am excited.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:01:39]:
We are in a series called Playing Big and this episode number two, we are going to talk all about my girl Esther. We're going to get into the courage to lead when the stakes are high. This is episode number two in our Playing Big B study podcast series. Listen, I'm doing all the things trying to get it in here and I'm so excited. I want you to just really think about the fact that right here, right now is where legacy led leaders are born. There is a moment in every leader's life where silence becomes betrayal. When not speaking up, not showing up, not stepping forward is no longer about your fears. It's about a failure to lead.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:02:25]:
So for Esther, that moment came when the fate of her entire people was on the line. And when the moment came, she played big. She didn't come from royalty, but she was chosen for it. And the question is, when you experience a similar moment and no, it won't be exactly the same thing, right? But when you come up to one of those moments where playing small is not an option, will you opt in or will you opt out? I want to use this episode to help you to not only understand Esther's story, but I want you to see yourself in it. I want this to be a mirror for the legacy led CEO who's on the inside of you, who's been placed in A position of influence, but hasn't fully activated it yet. Esther's journey is going to challenge you to lead boldly, to steward your platform, and to use your voice for such a time as this. Let's start by building a business parallel and we're going to talk about Esther's ascension and your authority as a CEO of a business on the Move to Millions. So Esther was raised by her cousin, right? And that's the equivalent of you starting without privilege, without any generational blueprint, without money in a bank account that you could just draw on.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:03:42]:
Like those of you who are like me. I remember starting this business with $500 that I put on a credit card when I had all that credit card debt before I actually ended up filing bankruptcy. That's how Incredible One Enterprises got started. I didn't have anything. I didn't come with privilege. I didn't even have a business plan and really know and understand what it is that I was going to do inside of this business. All I had at that point in time, and there is an episode here on this podcast, I had some ramen noodles and I had a dream. Then Esther was taken into the palace.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:04:15]:
She enters room where she didn't belong, like why should she be there, right? And they remember Mordecai had her change her name. Her name was actually Hadassah. I think that's how you pronounce it. But he had to change her name to Esther so she would be perceived in the palace as someone other than a Jew. Right? So think about your own journey when you've entered rooms where you don't belong on paper, like you shouldn't be there. But the favor. Someone knew somebody who knew somebody who got you into a room that you should not have been in, right? That's the parallel. Now let's talk about when Esther became the queen.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:04:53]:
That's equivalent to you and your journey starting to have people know who you are and experiencing visibility but still hiding your identity or your full purpose. Can I put my hand up on that one? Because listen, I've been in this game for a minute, but I have not always been standing boldly and flat footed in my identity. I have coward and played small more times than I care to admit to you, but I'm always going to keep it real and keep it honest with you. I did not wake up like this. It was a gradual knowing in my knower that I needed to show up more powerfully and actually getting the courage to do so. Then Esther heard Haman's decree, right? And the decree was that they were going to kill all Jews, all because he did not like Mordecai, which is like, petty, but anyway. And I want you to parallel that to facing a threat in your own community with your voice or your purpose. Something that comes up.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:05:53]:
Right? One of the things we have our clients do on a quarterly basis is the SWOT analysis, where you're looking at your strengths, your weaknesses, your opportunities, and your threats. And I want you to think about the threats. Threats are things that are external to you, but they could impact you massively. Like Haman's decree could have potentially impacted Esther and her people, because, remember, she was. They didn't know her as a Jew then. Her making the decision to intercede and you, the equivalent of that being choosing your purpose over your comfort and risking your platform to serve the mission. Can I get an amen? That's how I feel right now. Like, I know when I came back while I was in Sedona, before I went to Sedona, when God gave me God, Girls making millions, right? I knew that I was supposed to be carving out a lane and really going deep into spiritual principles and business growth strategies.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:06:48]:
And I've done it on the surface, but I knew I was supposed to go deeper, that I was supposed to be literally leveraging this powerful platform for people that have already been earmarked and reserved for abundance to leverage the power of entrepreneurship to step into that abundance. I remember when I got the prophetic word in 2015 for the very first time, that I was going to be working with clients who made money. It wasn't about the money anymore for them. They needed the systems and, and the infrastructure so that they could multiply their money. And those are the clients that we are attracting and working with today. So I just wanna tell you that I've been there, I've done that. I've gotten the T shirt. I know exactly how you feel.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:07:28]:
We're gonna leverage Esther and her powerful story and we're gonna use the soapy Bible study method as we go through this episode to help you to really anchor in what the scripture is saying and how you can leverage this story in order to see a shift inside of your business. So the scripture that we are talking about is Esther, chapters one through seven. So rather than just referencing it, I'm going to walk you through it. And I'm going to walk you through it like you're watching a movie in your mind. If you love the Move to Millions podcast and the Move to Millions book.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:08:02]:
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Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:08:18]:
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Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:08:45]:
All right, so let's set the scene. Esther's story begins in Persia, where King Erxes rules a vast empire. His first queen, Vashti, is banished for refusing to perform for his drunken guests a bowl stand that opens a door for a new queen to rise up. Listen, we need a moment. We only need a foothold. And I know in the Bible they're talking about the devil, but guess what? For opportunity to show up, we also only need a foothold. A royal search actually begins. So Esther, who is a young Jewish woman raised by her cousin Mordecai, is taken into the king's harem not by ambition, but by decree.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:09:23]:
She doesn't fight it, but she doesn't flaunt herself either. She just is there to be obedient and follow instructions, and she positions herself. Now she gains the favor of Haggai, who is a eunuch in charge of the women. But here's the nuance. She listens, she observes, and she plays the long game. While others grab for attention, Esther walks in discernment and grace. She's chosen to be queen not because she's loud, but because she's strategic. Meanwhile, her cousin Mordecai uncovers a plot to kill the king.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:09:56]:
He tells Esther, who tells the king Mordecai's name goes into the royal record. It's not rewarded yet, but the seed is absolutely planted. Then enters Haman, the villain in the story. He is promoted to the royal authority and he demands that all bow to him. But Mordecai refuses, so he gets mad. Haman manipulates the king into issuing a decree to kill all the Jews, Esther's people. Now, here's where it starts to get a little tricky. So Mordecai sends a message to Esther.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:10:27]:
Don't think you'll escape this, he says. You are a Jew too, and if you remain silent at this time, relief will come from somewhere else. But maybe you were placed here for such a time as this. That's where that famous line that we often quote comes from. Now I ain't gonna lie to y' all. Esther is terrified. She is scared because if she approaches the king without him asking for her, it could mean that she dies. But she feels like this is her moment of activation.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:10:54]:
So she sends a message back to Mordecai saying, gather the people fast for three days and I will go to the king. And if I perish, then I perish. Oh, I have chills right now. As I'm recounting the story. This becomes a defining moment moment for the entire story. In Esther's journey, the orphan becomes a deliverer. She steps into a new realm by being in a passive position holder and actually becomes a purpose driven leader. So she experiences a massive shift.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:11:30]:
She stops being passive and she becomes purpose driven, which is awesome. So let's talk about the strategic execution of Esther at this moment. So she doesn't rush in screaming. Instead, she plays chess, not checkers. She dresses in her royal robes. She approaches the king. He extends his golden scepter, which means she has found his favor. She invites the king and Haman to a private banquet, then another to build the suspense and deepen her favor.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:12:02]:
And she is also setting the stage. This is like when you are starting a campaign and you have your awareness generation phase before you actually start the promotion phase to get people to sign up for your launch event. Meanwhile, the king, he can't sleep. He reviews the royal record and he remembers Mordecai's service. So he orders Haman to honor the very man that he hates. But he kind of does it in a disguising way. So Haman actually thinks he's talking about him, but he's not. So anyway, it blows up in his face.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:12:33]:
By the time of the second banquet, Esther actually reveals the plot. She says, there is someone seeking to destroy me and my people. Who? The king demands this vile Haman. She responds, Game over. Haman is executed on the very gallows that he built for Mordecai. The decree is reversed, the Jews are saved, and Esther's leadership changes the course of history. That's all. What happened? If you love the Move to Millions.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:13:00]:
Podcast and the Move to Millions book is blowing your mind, then you have got to join us for Move to Millions Live. All the details are waiting for you to secure your seat atMove to Millionsevent.com. if you've got Move to Millions the book you need, Move to Millions the planner. It's the perfect companion as you plan, prepare and position to Profit to and beyond the million dollar mark. Grab your planner today at Move to Millions.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:13:31]:
Now, let's determine how this makes Esther a legacy led leader. Don't try to say that three times. Twice. Okay. Number one, she is obedient in obscurity. We saw this theme in last week's episode. We were talking about Joseph right before she was crowned. She followed instructions.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:13:49]:
She built favor quietly. Your palace moment will require your preparation in hidden seasons. Somebody better write that down and underline it twice. Number two, she understood timing. We're talking about the kairos of God. She didn't panic. She prayed. She fasted.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:14:05]:
She paused and she waited for divine alignment. Favor without strategy is a missed opportunity. Number three, she didn't let her fear stop her from taking action. Fear was real, but her purpose was more real. It was greater. She chose impact over comfort. You can't protect your platform and your purpose at the same time. One has to win.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:14:29]:
Number four, she used her influence to deliver others. Esther didn't just save herself. She saved a nation. Playing big isn't about elevation. It's about intercession. That is so good. So good. All right, so how do we apply this for the CEOs who have been silent too long? If you know, you've been hiding.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:14:51]:
If you know it's time for you to play a bigger game, you are ready to stop playing small. Let's talk. Because if you're hiding your identity, your mission, or your real voice because you're afraid of what it might cost you, then I hope that Esther's story is an invitation for you to. Number one, stop hiding. You are not crowned just to wear a title. You were placed to protect and serve the people that you have been called to. These are the people who have been unsuccessful solving their problem on their own. They are looking to you.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:15:20]:
Number two, I want you to start stewarding your influence now. Whether you have five clients or 5,000 clients, your platform is sacred. Who is waiting on your leadership podcast team? Let's do that whole thing again. Whether you have five clients or 5,000, your platform is sacred. It is significant. It needs to be aligned. So I want you to ask yourself, who is waiting on your leadership? Number three, you are invited to say speak up when it most matters. Silence has never protected legacy.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:15:51]:
Playing small to preserve image is not leadership. It's fear. And lastly, I want you to lead with strategy and wisdom. It's not about noise. It's about timing, precision, and power. Esther did not scream. She studied the room. And so should you.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:16:09]:
All right, let's Pray. Lord God, we say thank you just first and foremost because of who you are. And we thank you for the boldness of Esther, for reminding us that we are never too unlike, too hidden, or too afraid to be used by you. God, I pray that you give us the courage to stand boldly when silence is more comfortable. Help us to use our platform for purpose. Give us the wisdom to wait for divine timing, but the boldness to act when the moment comes. Let us remember that you placed us here in the role that you have in this business in this time, for such a time as this, God, we choose to play big for the people that you have called us to serve in your mighty, matchless name, in Jesus name. Amen.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:16:55]:
Amen. Amen. All right, so why is Esther's story a matter for you as a marketplace legacy led leader? Because too many leaders are still hiding. I noticed that at God Girls this past December, I had a whole room full of powerhouse women who had collectively done over $124 million in their business in 20. Yet they were still hiding. They were playing smaller. There was more available to them that they were not stepping into. And here's the truth.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:17:24]:
You don't need a bigger platform. You need bigger boldness. You weren't placed in that boardroom, that Zoom Room, or that community by accident. You were placed there because there are people whose futures are tied to your obedience. You may be the only intercessor advisor or advocate that they ever encounter. So it is important that you step up. The palace wasn't Esther's reward. It was her assignment.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:17:52]:
Your position isn't your proof of success. It's your responsibility to make legacy moves. So I want you to ask yourself, how do you activate now? Holy Spirit, activate. Lord, how do they activate for such a time as this? So the question I want you to ask yourself is, what platform are you not using to its full potential because you're afraid of the backlash, of the rejection, of the failure, or whatever the other excuses you are making? Here are the questions I want you to ask yourself. What have you been called to confront? Who are you afraid to disappoint? And what would change in your life and your leadership if you stopped playing small? If this episode has shaken something loose in you that excites me. If you're realizing that you have been hiding and you're hoarding your voice and downplaying your power, then it is time for you to get in the room. At Move to Millions Live, we are not just talking strategy. We are activating your divine assignment.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:18:49]:
I invite you to go to movetomillionsevent. Com so that you can step fully into your Esther moment. Because the world doesn't need more influencers. It needs more intercessors in position to shake the planet for such a time as this. Let's go. I'll see you guys next time. Take care.
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon [00:19:10]:
Thank you for joining me for the Move to Millions podcast. The way I see it, you deserve a business that generates millions. We love to have you join us in May at Move to Millions Live to help you prepare, plan and position your company for the million dollar mark visit Move to Millions event. Now to grab your seat. If you enjoyed our time together, do yourself a favor, head on over to iTunes, subscribe rate and leave us a review until next time. Remember, millions are your birthright and to access them, you need only move. See you next time. Take care.
