No Longer Letting Words Fuel Our Self-Doubt
Milisa Burns Milisa Burns

No Longer Letting Words Fuel Our Self-Doubt

As a transformational coach and facilitator and as someone who strives to "walk her talk", I'm all about questioning deeply-held assumptions and beliefs. Reading Pip Williams' debut novel The Dictionary of Lost Words was a transformational (and enjoyable) experience for me. In this post, I explore some of that transformation and invite you to consider what words you want to redefine or invent.

I grew up being quite the rule abider, a perfectionist and a people pleaser. This was my mentality: Tell me the rules. I will follow them and I will do my best to excel. That worked well enough for me until my twenties when, as a newly minted corporate lawyer, I started to question everything.

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Boundary-Setting Inspiration from Lord of the Rings
Gratitude, Well-Being/Happiness, Reflection Milisa Burns Gratitude, Well-Being/Happiness, Reflection Milisa Burns

Boundary-Setting Inspiration from Lord of the Rings

I’ve long struggled with setting boundaries, personally and professionally, in a way that is more compassionate and self-compassionate, rather than rigid and resentful. A perennial people pleaser, I’ve had to practise saying anything other than a full on “yes” when responding to a request. In this post I share a big shift I had around boundary-setting which has resulted in me feeling both encouraged and understood by my family when I need to take time to myself, to gather my strength and reconnect with my courage and clarity.

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What a Foal Taught Me About My Leadership Presence
Leadership, Self-Compassion, Growth Mindset Milisa Burns Leadership, Self-Compassion, Growth Mindset Milisa Burns

What a Foal Taught Me About My Leadership Presence

The main takeaway I got from the retreat was a teaching from the beautiful foal lying on the ground at my feet in the photo above.

Her teaching to me: that I am very, very trustworthy.

My learning since reflecting on the retreat recently: That since I'm so trustworthy, I can trust myself even more than I already have so far. I can grow into greater self-trust as I continue to grow into my leadership. (Not surprisingly, my clients also learn to trust themselves at much deeper levels through our work together. We coaches often coach on what we also need to learn. ;))

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International Women’s Day - Empowering & Galvanizing
Leadership, Proactivity, Energy Milisa Burns Leadership, Proactivity, Energy Milisa Burns

International Women’s Day - Empowering & Galvanizing

That we women need help gathering our strength again is an equity issue. That we are willing to ask for and co-create this support is a sign of our already existing strength. However, we are actually even stronger. And we need help gathering that strength back in. It's more than time.

We've been shamed, denied, gaslit, crushed by others, by society and most devastatingly, by our own selves. Why? Because we've absorbed the harmful myths of a society steeped in the toxicity of patriarchy. This has been going on for more than 2,000 years!

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Moving Beyond Too Little Too Late
Milisa Burns Milisa Burns

Moving Beyond Too Little Too Late

Are you a fellow (recovering) perfectionist? There are many of us around! I’ve been challenged by perfectionism for as long as I can remember. It’s only in the last 15 years or so that I have been able to really root it out or at least become aware of it.

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New Website - A Collaboration
Milisa Burns Milisa Burns

New Website - A Collaboration

The new website is the result of much collaboration and years of yearning and learning on my part.

My intention was to “collaborate and co-create beautiful spaces, physically and virtually, for women to come into and make room for themselves in service of the greatest good, to be the change they desire to see in the world”.

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Hope You Enjoyed Mother’s Day

Hope You Enjoyed Mother’s Day

I hope you enjoyed some moments of goodness, even joy, yesterday, however and with whomever you celebrated.

I savoured some time outside in the backyard reading our book club choice this month, Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain. A highlight for me was taking in the beauty of our young magnolia tree, which is covered in blooms for the first time ever.

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