In the last two months, and every workshop I've had, I've been stressing to leaders and teachers that this is not a year to “push.” Nah. We know how to work hella-hard, but this ain’t the year for that. We are already working harder than most years - still. We didn’t get a true break, y’all. And it’s no where in sight. The best we can do is “pace” ourselves.
This is a year for restoration, absolute restoration - and gentleness with self and others. When I say restoration. It doesn't mean that we're not going to do the work that we are purposed to do. It just means that we're going to do it differently. Instead of pushing, we will choose greater flow and ease. Instead of hard-deadlines, we will give a “range” of dates. Instead of working “whenever” like we generally do, we will set boundaries for ourselves to “stop working now.” I offer a mantra that I've been using for the last six months. And that mantra is “Pace over pressure.” I was pressurizing myself so greatly that I was creating more stress unnecessarily. And - as we can all obviously see - things are stressful enough without us adding to it. So I offer anchoring into this Year of Restoration..by doing only what needs to be done, what is calling to be done. Yet, in a way that is gentle with ourselves and gentle with others, where we choose the pace that we can handle. And if there's any pace that we can't handle, that we use courage and speak to that. We don't pressurize ourselves. We communicate more and say, “This is all I can do right now” or “Yes, I can get this done. But it's gonna take me a little longer.” or “I'm looking forward to doing this and I just need to see when I can realistically get it done, and I will let you know.” We're going with “pace over pressure.” We are not going to pressurize ourselves in a way that creates stress and dis-ease. It's just not worth it. We're in a marathon, not a race: “pace over pressure.” Here’s a visual reminder as my gift to you. ♥️ This newsletter is packed with new offerings, good news, and my first ever “Standing Tovation!” I hope you check it all out! There’s even more to share, but don't want to overwhelm you - pace over pressure 😉
Committed to you & your most courageous self -
And if you’d like another gift that supports your leadership, I invite you to use this free meditation every Sunday night or even daily.
Have you tried my powerful Leadership Meditation published by Mindful Magazine? It's the first time I’ve recorded and released such a personal meditation that I’ve used for years. #courage I encourage you to experience it; I hope it serves you well! And, of course, you can share it with others.
NEW OFFERING!!
It’s HERE - it’s finally here! Speaking of pressurizing...I couldn’t force the goodness that was cocooning in me...and it’s just about ready! I’m SOOOOO excited about this new offering - it’s a blend of some of some of the favorite aspects of my work for leaders who focus on facilitating spaces AND also spaces for racial healing and inclusion. And because I’m walking my talk about restoration and “pace over pressure” - this offering doesn't begin until 2022. But you can save the dates for yourself and you can register as early as next month! This is NOT one to miss!
This is a sacred space for leaders, coaches, and facilitators who understand the balance and purpose of doing our own SELf-work BALANCED with skills and actions to lead. In this series, we utilize SELf-Transformation for School & Systemic-Transformation SO THAT we can be more courageous in our leadership and facilitation to create more equitable outcomes.
GREAT NEWS! Both of our current RHA Courses have been approved by the International Coaching Federation to receive credits and count towards certification; this is fabulous news for all of your cachies out there!
And - without further adieu - our Fall session dates: Cohort #7 (can hardly believe it!) of our 4-Week “Mindful Allyship” course begins October 11! And for those who recognize the depth of racial healing and transformation and want to emphasize the inner-work of allyship, along with some tools and community, there’s our 11-week course “Embodied Allyship” that begins November 8 (please be sure to see the rep-req info).
Brene says, “Collective courage in an organization is the best predictor of ability to be successful in terms of culture, leadership development, and meeting the mission.” We’ve increased intimacy and connection - so instead of 20, we are capping this one at 16. Starting soon and there’s a few seats left! DTL Leadership Immersion Program September 14 - November 9, 2021. I will never be able to say enough about the power of doing this over 9 weeks along with private coaching sessions and thought-partnership. If you truly can do this, it’s where the magic happens on an entirely different level.
Standing Tovation!
This month’s “Standing Tovation” goes to….(drum-rollplease) to a very courageous high school principal, Karl Losekoot of Menlo-Atherton High. Just last week, I was able to witness Karl, who often leans into his “armor” of intellect, act with great vulnerability, great empathy and great courage in his staff meeting last week. He had the courage to share with his staff that he and his son had tested positive for COVID, and that they were quarantined at home. It wasn't so much what he shared, it was the way that he shared it: by acknowledging the feelings of shame, embarrassment, and fear of how it might look or what people might think about him. And this is his first year as principal! He was met with so much compassion by his staff of over 100 teachers. Karl used this moment not only as a moment to create connection, but to deal with the fears and feelings that show up during change and upheaval. He normalized the difficult emotions. And he used this to underscore the importance of doing what we need to do to make it through this very difficult time. Karl then stressed that if any staff is feeling unwell, that they need to stay home for the safety of everyone, no matter how it may appear to others, and that this is a time to extend generosity and grace. As his coach and courageous leadership consultant, it was truly a proud moment. Thank you, Karl, for allowing me to share this as you model courageous leadership.