Pastor Bianca Franco launches Approved, published by Editora Vida, where she shares how she overcame the trauma of rejection and abusive relationships by finding acceptance in the Word of God. The work offers practical and spiritual strategies to help other women heal emotional wounds, strengthen self-esteem and break cycles of pain, highlighting that true approval comes from Christ.
Your journey in Approved is deeply personal and marked by intense emotional challenges. As you revisited these experiences to write the book, did you face any moments of internal resistance or pain that almost stopped you from continuing?
Yes, reliving certain memories was difficult and required courage. Writing Approved – Healing from Rejection was like crossing emotional valleys again that still echoed within me at that moment. But even in the midst of these memories of the past, God reminded me that my story would be a bridge to healing for other women.
You mention that the search for acceptance in abusive relationships was a reflection of the emotional deprivation experienced in childhood. At what point did you realize that you needed to break this cycle and that true acceptance was found in God?
The moment I understood that no relationship could fulfill what only God could. What I was looking for in people or even in my parents, I could only find in communion with the Creator. That was when my process of liberation began until the day I received complete healing.
In the book, you talk about the importance of forgiveness in overcoming toxic patterns. Forgiving is a difficult process for many people. What advice would you give to those who feel that forgiveness is impossible when faced with certain pains?
First of all, we need to understand what forgiveness really is. Many people believe that forgiving means forgetting what happened or pretending the pain never happened — but that’s not the case. Forgiving is an act of courage, and of course, also of faith. It’s recognizing that something hurt us, yes, but deciding not to live as a prisoner of that pain anymore. The first step is not to try alone, independently, but to recognize our limitations and say sincerely: “Lord, I can’t do it, but I’m willing. Help me.” Forgiveness is not a feeling; it’s a process that begins with a decision. God doesn’t expect us to be ready; He expects us to be willing. And as soon as we take that step, even if our hearts are still in pieces, He gives us grace. Forgiving is giving up the right to hold those who hurt us accountable, even if we’re right, even if there are justifications. It’s stopping taking justice into our own hands and trusting that the Lord, our just Judge, will take care of everything. Forgiveness doesn’t change the past — but it frees our future.
The Approved-inspired conference brings together thousands of women every year. What kind of transformation have you witnessed in the participants after this encounter with God and their own identity?
It is difficult to put into words. What happens there goes beyond a program. I see women who arrived with their hearts in pieces, hidden behind masks, being taken over by a presence that disarms their defenses and touches where no one else has been able to touch. The Approved conference has truly been a meeting between Heaven and Earth. We have seen eyes that once carried weight shine again. Many voices that had been silent for years are rising up with firmness and authority, being prophets of their own stories. Tears that fell on the altar and, in place of pain, God gives new clothes and a restored identity. It is not just an event, it is a turning point for many women. And a restored woman is a house standing, a house standing with authority transforms a society.
The need for validation is something that is very present in the lives of many women. How do you believe that communion with the Holy Spirit can help someone free themselves from this constant search for external approval?
It is in communion with God that we find clarity and identity. When we draw near and have communion with Jesus, external voices lose their power, and His becomes the only voice that truly matters. The need for approval is replaced by a supernatural conviction—the conviction that we were loved before we were seen, chosen before we were noticed, approved not for what we do, but for who we truly are. Because those who know they are daughters no longer live for acceptance—they live for identity. And identity established in the Spirit does not depend on a stage, recognition, human rewards, or applause. It depends only on one voice. The voice of Jesus calling us every day by name.
Situations such as abandonment, abuse and betrayal leave deep scars on self-esteem. How do you think it is possible to rebuild a sense of self-worth when the past still seems to weigh heavily on a person’s identity?
Healing does not happen by chance—it requires intentionality. It is a journey with God in which the biblical reality of the Word confronts lies and begins to give new meaning to pain. The past may have left its mark, but when exposed to the light of the Spirit, these marks become testimonies. God does not erase history; He transforms it. He recalculates the path that was used to hurt and heal. What seemed like the end, in the hands of Jesus, becomes a new beginning. Rebuilding your personal value is allowing God’s voice to speak louder than any trauma, rejection, or label from the past.
In Approved, you offer spiritual and practical strategies for breaking cycles of pain. For someone who is just beginning this healing journey, what would be the first essential step to begin this transformation?
The first step is to acknowledge that there is pain and stop hiding it. As long as we try to pretend that everything is fine, healing has nowhere to go. But when we have the courage to say, “I am hurt and I need help,” something begins to break within us. Invisible chains begin to unravel in the simple act of being honest with God. Sometimes, all we can say is, “Lord, help me.” And that is enough. God does not demand strength, He demands surrender. There is healing in vulnerability. Think of it this way: if someone has an illness, the first step is to make an appointment, expose where it hurts, and let the doctor investigate. Only then can treatment begin. With God, it is the same. He is the Doctor, but He is also the Father. He does not invade. God does not heal what we hide; He heals what we give up. And even though it may seem small, this first step is actually the most powerful of all. Because it is there that the journey truly begins again.
Your testimony has impacted thousands of people on social media and in your church. Is there any story or memorable moment of someone being transformed by the message of Approved – Healing Rejection that moved you in a special way?
Yes, many. But what touches me the most are those women who tell me: “I thought it was just me. I thought I was alone, that what I experienced was exclusive, as if the whole world was against me.” And then, when they read Approved: Healing Rejection , they find strength. They feel seen. They understand that they are not a lost cause and that God can do something for them too. The pain that once paralyzed me, when I gave it to God, became an answer for someone else. This reminds me that God works in the details, between the lines, in ordinary days, in moments when we don’t even realize we are being used. These testimonies teach us that our obedience has a purpose. That what we have experienced — even the painful ones — was not in vain. When a woman awakens to her identity and understands that she is approved by a God who knows her entire story and, even so, calls her his daughter… that changes everything.
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