Where To Begin: The Awareness to Action Pathway
Hello Friends,
In this email I’m going to be sharing:
How I’m managing uncomfortable feelings and encouraging clients (and you!) to do the same
Current ways to connect with and work with me!
Things I’m paying attention to that may be interesting to you too!
Let’s get into the good stuff!
I’m literally sitting here watching Stevie Wonder sing We Are The World at the Grammys and I’m feeling all kinds of feelings, some more comfortable than others. We have our work cut out for ourselves these days - There are so many terrible things that are vying for our attention and we have to be even more intentional about setting healthy boundaries around what we take in and instead, pay attention to right things. Right things like people and organizations who are putting their heads down and tending to their own well-being and the well-being of the humans who need our full attention and energy. Individuals make up systems and if we are well, we have more energy to put towards the things that need to be righted in those systems and spaces we interact with regularly.
During a previous period of discomfort, when COVID first hit in 2020, I was doing some consulting work in a large school district south of Seattle. I had the opportunity to support staff, students and even parents as we all navigated a lot of discomfort together. I collaborated with some incredible leaders and created the online course Cultivating Wellness where I taught social emotional skills to adults who were caring for kids. These adults never had a formal education to learn the skills to be mentally, emotionally and relationally well EVEN DURING TRICKY LIFE STUFF like a global pandemic and how in the world can we give to others what we don’t got (so to speak)?
Was the course a magic bullet? No, but little by little participants became more confident and capable in caring for themselves so they could show up for others, especially students, in the best possible way. Staff reported less burnout, more motivation and job satisfaction, and were practicing the very doable, evidence-based strategies to be well even as they were strapped for time and energy.
Because I believe we need this kind of education and skill building more than ever, I’ve created a new online space for organizations that makes developing these skills as simple, affordable and accessible as possible, similar to what I created for the school district. I mean, why mess with a good thing?!! The Where to Begin Membership—is a subscription-based, transformative online resource designed to help people and organizations get to the root of their people struggles and build cultures of resilience, adaptability and well-being.
If this message resonates with you, I’d love to connect for a quick 15-minute chat to answer questions and explore how we can collaborate . You can book a time here: Calendly
Again, if this aligns for you, please make an introduction to business owners, leaders, etc. who are ready to invest in their people.
Things I’m Paying Attention To:
5 Calls App - Such an incredible resource! If you want to feel actionable right now, check out this free app that does all of the legwork for you to connect you with your state representatives and let them know what you care about. If you hate to make phone calls like I do and/or don’t know what to say when calling your representatives, the app even provides scripts! PLEASE CALL YOUR REPS NOW ABOUT THE SAVE ACT WHICH HAS ALREADY PASSED THE HOUSE AND JUST NEEDS TO PASS THE SENATE - REGARDLESS OF POLITICAL LEANINGS, WE ALL DESERVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE AND THIS BILL COULD SIGNIFICANTLY GET IN THE WAY OF THAT OR ELIMINATE IT ALL TOGETHER.
Connecting In Person - We need community more than ever and it’s a lovely way to develop our resilience. When I’m about to spin out into helplessness, anger, sadness, what have you, I remind myself that I just need to be in connection with others and I make it happen. I just need to look into someone’s eyes and get grounded in that energy. Be choosey about who you connect with though! I suggest avoiding flame fanners…
Ground News - This is a new-to-me app that identifies blindspots in the media so you can get better information AND develop critical thinking skills. The only other news app I check is the BBC because I like the outside perspective.
Check out the latest episodes of Make Discomfort Your B*tch with Ron Higgs and Alexia Hoffman…The episodes are the perfect commute/walk your dog length and invite you to add more tools to your tool belt to navigate the discomfort of life.
The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto - This is an oldie but goodie apparently but I just discovered it and ended up gifting a bunch of people with it for the holidays. This book with change your life! Highly recommend.
Wishing all of the joy, connection and success possible! xoxo