By: Sandra Holt
For many women, divorce can feel like the closing of a chapter they never expected to end. It can bring grief, confusion, and a deep sense of disorientation about what comes next. Author Coralia Leyderman understands that journey intimately, and in her book Meet Me at the Well, she offers readers a compassionate and faith-centered path forward, one rooted in healing, identity restoration, and the possibility of a renewed purpose.
Leyderman’s work is deeply inspired by one of the most powerful encounters in the Bible: Jesus’ meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well, described in John 4. That moment, she explains, serves as both a metaphor and a framework for the book’s message.
“The Well is a place of radical transformation,” Leyderman says. “Jesus drew me to this image in His Word, I believe, because the Samaritan woman represents so many of us today: she was ‘hidden in plain sight,’ carrying the weight of a complicated past and the shame that came with that weight.”
In the biblical story, the woman approaches the well during the heat of the day to avoid the judgment of others, but leaves having experienced a profound encounter that changes her life. For Leyderman, that moment speaks directly to modern readers who feel defined by past mistakes or painful life transitions.
“My goal is to show that one simple encounter with Jesus can be life-altering,” she says. “Just like the Samaritan woman, your ‘failure’ or ‘broken story’ can actually become the platform for your greatest purpose, if you’re willing to Meet Him at the Well.”
Rather than presenting divorce as a final identity, Leyderman reframes it as a moment that can lead to deeper spiritual discovery. Drawing from her own experience, she reflects on how the weight of that label once shaped how she saw herself.
“For many women, divorce feels like a permanent label, a mark that suggests we are ‘less than,’” she explains. “In my own experience as a divorced Christian woman, I felt like the scarlet letter ‘D’ would always be a part of my identity.”
That perception shifted during a deeply personal spiritual moment that changed how she understood her past.
“He showed me that He has a different ‘D’ for me: one that stands for ‘Daughter’ instead. My past hadn’t affected His love or view of me not even for one moment.”
This realization became a foundational theme for Meet Me at the Well, a book designed not only to comfort readers but to guide them through a structured process of emotional and spiritual healing.
The book is organized into ten “well-side conversations,” each one encouraging readers to reflect, pray, and engage in exercises meant to deepen their relationship with God. The structure, Leyderman explains, grew out of her own search for deeper healing years after her divorce.
“The ‘well-side’ structure was born out of my own season of desperation,” she says. “I’ve learned that when we are desperate to hear Him, Jesus always calls us to the ‘secret place.’”
Scripture plays a central role in shaping those conversations. Leyderman emphasizes that the Bible serves as the foundation through which she discerned the guidance she shares in the book.
“I believe Scripture, as the only infallible Word of God, must be the filter for everything we receive,” she says. “Because Jesus is the Word, He will never speak something to our hearts that is contrary to what He has already written.”
While the book speaks openly about experiences such as shame, anger, grief, and unforgiveness, Leyderman notes that addressing shame proved especially challenging during the writing process.
“Without a doubt, the hardest area to address was shame,” she says. “For a long time, that felt like a life sentence.”
Yet the process of writing the book ultimately became part of her own healing journey.
“Writing this book wasn’t just a creative process: it was my own personal encounter. It was as much a healing experience for me as I pray it will be for every woman who reads it.”
One of the unique aspects of Meet Me at the Well is its interactive design. It’s not a devotional or a memoir. Instead, each chapter is an invitation to hear what Jesus is speaking to the woman who will meet Him. The chapters then encourage readers to participate in their own spiritual journey through guided prayers, journaling prompts, and reflective exercises, which together creates a sacred space for a healing conversation. en the er
“God doesn’t talk at us; He invites us into a conversation,” Leyderman explains. “The guided prayers in each chapter are simply a starting point for the reader to begin their own dialogue with God.”
At the heart of the book is the idea of what Leyderman calls “soul-level healing.” Instead of masking pain with quick solutions, she encourages readers to address deeper wounds that may influence patterns and behaviors.
“Soul-level healing means we remove the surface bandages we’ve used to cover our scars and actually allow Jesus to clean out the deep infection caused by our past hurts,” she says.
For many readers, the signs of that deeper healing can appear in subtle ways, particularly when emotional triggers begin to lose their power.
“When you are no longer controlled by those sharp, emotional reactions to your past, you know the soul-level healing is working,” she says.
Ultimately, Meet Me at the Well is about transformation—not only recovering from loss, but discovering purpose on the other side of it. Leyderman draws once again on the story of the Samaritan woman to illustrate that a difficult past does not disqualify someone from a meaningful future.
“When we let Jesus restore our identity, our past is no longer a scarlet letter we try to hide; it becomes our authority for speaking when our turn comes.”
For readers approaching the book with uncertainty or hesitation, Leyderman offers a simple reassurance.
“You don’t need to be strong, hopeful, or even certain that God will meet you,” she says. “You only have to show up.”
Through Meet Me at the Well, Coralia Leyderman invites readers to do exactly that—to come as they are, to encounter healing, and to discover that their story is far from over.
Meet Me at the Well is now available on Amazon.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional counseling or therapeutic advice.
