Hi Reader, There's something important I want to say,
If you're the type of person who feels things deeply, the world needs you. AND... the world needs you to NOT beat yourself up or let the emotions around you drain you beyond empty.
I often say, leadership is EMOTIONAL—especially if you care.
And if you're reading this newsletter, you're the type of person who cares. Cares about changing the world. Cares about your team. Cares about becoming a better leader.
But who cares for you? There's good news and bad news / neutral news: YOU are responsible for caring for yourself.
Take a moment to acknowledge yourself for opening this email and for all the little ways you've pursued what you need to sustain yourself. Now, imagine if you amplified that intention. How much more energy could you access?
Imagine being able to extend real compassion when others experience sadness without overthinking or overextending yourself. Imagine having the capacity to hold space for frustration and anger without getting pulled into an unproductive tornado of defensiveness and shame. This reality is possible with awareness and practice.
Are you intentionally caring of your emotional well-being?
I'm here to help on your journey to becoming a more effective and emotionally regulated leader.
Emotions can sometimes feel like a bit of a mystery. Depending on your personality, family background, and cultural context, you have a particular way of interacting with emotions.
How you process, digest, and classify certain emotions as good or bad can significantly impact your energy, motivation, desire to collaborate, and willingness to take action.
In order to access more energy and feel more in control in their leadership my clients practice expanding their emotional capacity in their specific situations. With more knowledge and awareness emotions become less of a threat and an energy to be engaged.
This process includes redefining how you experience empathy so that you can be an effective leader capable of making change, rather than a burned-out leader wishing you didn't care so much.
This is both possible and essential for your emotional well-being.
Reflection Questions:
What's your current level of emotional awareness?
How many emotions can you name? Do you know what they feel like in your body?
Do you know how to create a safe and compassionate space for others to have their emotional experience?
💃🏽 Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month September 15- October 15
I am a Chicana, born and raised in Denver Colorado. As I mentioned in a LinkedIN post, everyone's heritage impacts their leadership whether they acknowledge it or not. Increasing the number of confident Latinx leader in all sectors and contributing to more inclusive work environments is a passion of mine, so let's jump into this week's learning.
HISTORY LESSON TIME: Did you know that in the 1930's the U.S. illegally deported nearly 2 million Mexican Americans (many of whom were U.S. citizens)? The Repatriation raids separated families, disregarded our rights, and continued the violent precedent of removing people from their land in the name of the U.S. economy. The president at the time, Herbert Hoover, used the racially-coded slogan "American jobs for real Americans" which implicitly approved of these illegal raids. Today, candidates aren't even coding their language -it's outright and it's stomach turning.
My Grandma Juana Turja (lborn 1922 in Madisonville TX. Lived through this piece of history.
Under Hoover's presidency, the secretary of Labor helped pass local laws and arranged agreements that prevented Mexican Americans from holding jobs. Some laws banned Mexican Americans from government employment, regardless of their citizenship status. Companies like Ford, U.S. Steel and the South Pacific Railroad agreed to lay off thousands of Mexican American workers (source).
This is a reminder that leaders at ALL levels matter in creating a safer, more just, and equitable world.
Are the school board candidates on your ballot banning books that highlight a more accurate picture of American history? Is your city mayor speaking up on behalf of immigrants? Are your local police chiefs willing to do better and integrate anti bias and de-escalation training? Your vote matters.
No one can individually carry the various crises in this moment - you are not meant to, your nervous system will overload and your body will break down. However, we can channel our concern into small yet impactful action as a community.
We can learn the history that has been ignored and celebrate the action of change agents who have come before us, like U.S. Representative, Esteban E. Torres of California, who pushed for the recognition of Hispanic Heritage month in 1987. Would you be reading this history without his effort? ... I don't know, but I do know that our actions matter and contribute to the world we want to see.
Did you know this piece of U.S. history? I didn't until well into my adult life. I'm curious, is this new to you?
Are you feeling a pull to improve the way you show up in your life—as both a human and a leader? I’m here to help you find internal peace so you can smash the social norms in your mind that keep you stuck and exhausted. Ready to explore what is possible?
