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. ;))
Where's the Magic in Your Mess?
Here’s a story from my life where things were messy and magical at the same time – often the case, right?
Are You a Giver? What if...?
Let’s face it: many of us were feeling depleted before the pandemic even hit us. And now we’re looking at a long winter without many of our usual ways of coping, let alone thriving. To prepare for this time and even enjoy it, we may need some new tools or perspectives or to be reminded of some "oldies but goodies" we might've forgotten.
Considering Ourselves Leaders
Have you noticed that many people, especially women, don't consider themselves to be leaders, even though they are clearly often exhibiting leadership qualities? I have certainly seen this, and lived it too. Leadership needs some redefining and redesigning.
Do You Believe in Synchronicities?
Do you believe in synchronicities? (I do. I want to make empowered meaning wherever I can get it!) I want to share a very fresh synchronicity – it just happened a few minutes ago. So, as you may know, I am hosting the first ever Making Room For YOU Circle tomorrow night. And, I have been planning on using the brilliant Claire Zammit’s Feminine Power visioning circle outline as the main structure for the Circle. It’s what I have used for the last two years and it is hugely effective.
It’s Cold and I’m Tired… Why Would I Go Out to a Circle?
You might well ask: Why would I make the effort to brave a dark, cold January night, after a long day, to join a Visioning Circle? Well, to answer your question, the bottom line is, the effort will pay off for you in spades – you may arrive tired, and even overwhelmed, but you will leave with a level of energy and clarity about your intentions for the year (and beyond!) that will be galvanizing for you. You will have clear steps to implement right away and a feeling that you are well supported.
A Broader View of Mother's Day
I’m celebrating the beautiful, loving, nurturing energy that we all have inside of us - whether we have children we are responsible for in our nuclear family or not.
Are You Pot-Bound?
There’s an inevitability to growth. Just like that plant, programmed to become a large oak tree, you are designed to grow into your potential. And yet if you are in too small a container, both your roots are contained, and your height is contained. You cannot grow tall and straight with your branches reaching out, aligned with who you are inside. How sad is that?
I Do, and I Don’t, Want to Transform
If you are anything like me, you probably have mixed feelings about the idea of transforming certain aspects of yourself or your life. When I would hear Claire Zammit, the founder of Feminine Power, talk about how we were going to transform in the first course I took with her, I would feel a good dose of fear along with any excitement. I feared that transformation would mean that everything I had built - my marriage, my family, my friends, my work - would be on the table for transformation.
Practices for A Successful Career Transition For Women Lawyers
These are all practices I use myself and recommend to my clients, whether in a transition or not, frankly, in most cases. They are tried and true. I am not a career coach per se - my expertise is in supporting professional women to be connected deeply to themselves, self-confident, and purposeful, so the practices reflect that perspective. They will be supportive to you in then being able to have the clarity and confidence to access the skills and support you need to make your career transition successfully.
Taking A Stand As An Act of Leadership
I have been immersed in the Feminine Power Advanced Trainings since last June and it has been a transformative experience for me personally and professionally. As the trainings wind up and a 9 month practicum begins I am starting to integrate more and more what I have learned recently with what I knew “before”. It’s really fun – I love connecting dots and seeing what ideas I can come up with that really excite me and lead me to support others in more powerful ways.
Feeling the Pull Toward Something Greater in a Mystical Landscape
I went with my family to see Mystical Landscapes: Masterpieces from Monet, Van Gogh & More at the AGO this past Sunday. The exhibition explores the mystical experiences in nature of 37 different artists. It was a gorgeous (if crowded!) experience. I was so inspired. At one point we were encouraged to focus on one of Charles-Marie Dulac’s works and just sit and be mindful, noticing what we saw.
The Story of the Horse, the Monkey and the Bird
This is the story of the horse, the monkey and the bird. I took them all to Texas with me to a coaches' conference back in 2010. In fact, I take them everywhere with me. They are me. They represent my mind (the monkey), my body (the horse) and my spirit (the bird). They really came to life for me while I was on the treadmill at about 6 am one morning during this conference.
A Grounded Loving Tornado
I have been playing around with naming a very powerful source of energy that I have been able to tap into at times in the last couple of years. I am calling it being a “grounded loving tornado”. My sense is that this energy is a type of human spirit energy – connecting to something larger than ourselves and also acting in alignment with our deepest values.
It Happened At Spadina and Dupont
It happened at Spadina and Dupont on my morning walk two springs ago. I had an insight that would profoundly affect how I live my life... But before I get to that, let me backtrack to a few years earlier. Again, I was outside, on a run this time. I was using the workout up clear my head, feeling like the wind blowing by me was literally blowing the messy toxic debris and clutter out of my mind as I ran.
Game-Changing Questions for Family Life (Hint: Fun is Involved)
It’s been four years since I read a book that changed the life of our family for the better. Much better. The book is Honey I Wrecked the Kids: When Yelling, Screaming, Threats, Bribes, Time-outs, Sticker Charts and Removing Privileges All Don’t Work by Alyson Schafer. I picked it up in a time of need over the Christmas holidays. I was looking for help in my parenting of my youngest son.
Harnessing of "The Upside of Stress" by Kelly McGonigal
Whenever I feel compelled to talk a lot about something I have just learned, I realize that it is an important idea.
Come Out of Your Box And Find Work-Life Synergy
Come out of your box and find work-life synergy (and the joy, freedom and sense of purpose that come with that)! Many years ago when I was a young lawyer, eager to learn, I had a conversation with a senior partner at my firm. He told me that part of his success had to do with the fact that he was able to put things in boxes and focus on one box at a time – he had a work box, a family box, a house box, a friend box, etc.
AHA! Work-Life Synergy!
I had an epiphany on my yoga mat recently that I would love to tell you about, but first a quick back-story. This summer, I was sharing with my coach that I couldn’t name the kind of coach that I am. I have never felt like a life coach, or a career coach, a leadership or an executive coach, though many aspects of each resonate with me and are reflected in my coaching.
Dialing up the Vulnerability - Lessons from Brew Creek BC
For 30 or so years, I believed that I was not good at public speaking. I was in a fixed mindset about this… a very fixed mindset. I did not know there was another way to be about this issue. This was a classic “limiting belief” that I had about myself.
- authenticity
- brain
- change
- coaching
- collaboration
- confidence
- courage
- energetic
- energy
- feminine power
- giving
- gratitude
- growth mindset
- happiness
- humility
- international womens day
- intuition
- leadership
- perfectionism
- potential
- pride
- receiving
- reflection
- replenish
- resistance
- savouring
- self-compassion
- self-doubt
- selfishness
- silence
- social change
- success
- vulnerability
- wisdom
- workplace
- yearning