Dear Brave Heart and Courageous Rebel,

 

Have you ever felt trapped...in a job, a role, a path, a life? You know something doesn’t fit right, but you don’t quite believe it could be any better, or you don’t *think* you know what else you might do. 

 

You’ve become caged in walls of your own design. Held hostage by your own mind, self doubt, fears, comparisons, anxieties. I’ve been there. I have so been there. And I still visit regularly, but I try not to hang out for too long. I am learning to see the teachings in these tender moments and then flow through them.

 

Only you hold the key, only you can step into your river of change. And trust yourself, there is SO much life waiting for you on the other side of that threshold, outside the habitual way you’ve trodden, taking in the view sitting backwards on the train. There is a way of being beyond fear, status quo sameness depletion, exhaustion, burnout. And it actually holds the key to sustainably addressing those things in the world you care most about, and showing up as the powerful leader you know you are.

 

What if you could create and receive beyond what you thought possible?

 

You think that’s wild, yeah? Well it doesn’t happen through the limitations of our obsessive, strategic, over-thinking, fight or flight always busy brain approach we so revere and are accustomed to (particularly in the work setting). The breakthrough happens when we are open to the rhythm of the heart and the body, accessing resources and deep wisdom to guide us along a path of alignment with values and passions.

 

 

 

Who are we really, when we strip back layers, take off masks, drop armor, let go of societal narratives which no longer serve our own definition of success? What blossoms when we unlearn our human doing-ness as validation of worth, and relearn the nature of what it is to be a human be-ing? 

 

What is it to feel fully alive and fulfilled? In what ways might we need to shift for it to be possible to pay close enough attention to notice subtle invitations? To recognize and call ourselves out when we are resisting risking a new precipice? Or become aware of when our vision has become too clouded to see? Befriend the creative possibilities of uncertainty and compassionately step into your courage. Take your own hand and risk with ease.

 

Where our attention goes, energy follows. What we pay attention to, gets watered and grows. Will this be values, aliveness, pleasure, serving, fears, self-doubt, anxiety? The choice is entirely yours.

 

During my most recent trip to Sri Lanka paradigms shifted, new visions emerged, and I stepped more fully into what serving means to me (multifaceted) through my presence, my being, my way in the world over “doing” and productivity as my worth or contribution. This showed up in my remote coaching of big hearted rebels in business, through conversations with those in my local community, through heart-centered engagement and deep listening to a place in crisis, as well as through really seeing others and empowering them to embrace their passions and abilities and even use them to start a business (that now helps a family in Sri Lanka put food on the table as tourism begins to rumble back to life...please check out @jungleridesbyaja on the socials!). 

 

With courage (and vulnerability), intention and determination, I have created space to be in nature and hear my own inner voice. I have wrestled with wounds, picked at scabs, cried, danced, sang, written journal after journal after journal, fell into a trough of self doubt, worked with psychologists, coaches, mentors, and eventually...surrendered to self compassion and then joy. The curtain lifted. (and like seasons this cycle goes on and on...the story is by no means finished)

 

I am being called to take a risk again now. I am willing to risk being wrong about old modes of doing and leading. I am willing to risk teaching *new* concepts. I am willing to risk being vulnerable. I am willing to risk getting raw and real. To weave together a life, a love, a vocation full of passion, impact, joy, and freedom. Hint: 🏝

 

 

I followed fear with curiosity to meet (quite unexpectedly) true joy in Sri Lanka. I have coupled that experience with 14 years of corporate social intrapreneurship (did you know I first worked for Marlboro with the intention to “save” the world by influencing change from within Big Tobacco 😅) and over a decade leading global corporate responsibility in the fashion industry's supply chain. I am a student of mindfulness and spirituality. This dynamic combination has evolved, re-framed and re-shaped my view of business, leadership, life, and our capacity to impactfully and authentically shape a better future. 

 

It has led me to question everything, valuing powerful questions over the need for quick answers. Fear after fear. Risk after risk.

 

But that’s my story. You can find joy/alignment/passion/freedom/insert your word here right where you are, within yourself, closer than half a world away. Today. Right now. You don’t have to travel to Sri Lanka to meet her (but you sure can!!! See below for a wildly fun invitation).

What are you willing to risk for? What threshold is calling to you now? What is nagging for your attention to dive in? What wants to be shed? What wants to grow powerfully in its place, with ease?

 

Curiosity, self reflection, purpose and an ability to courageously prioritize self compassion and align behaviors with values are crucial skills for leaders who care deeply about shaping a more beautiful story for the future, and the ability to sustainably keep showing up to the call.

 

This is IT!!!! The invitation you've been waiting for. The invitation that's been waiting for me too.

 

Is a leap calling to you? Maybe you can feel it but the path is unclear? Or perhaps you're ready for a breakdown - a break through - to realize there is another way of working, influencing, giving, contributing to the world that doesn't cost so much of your soul  - and is more powerful. Maybe you're craving supportive space and community to boldly begin that new project, chapter, or up level in your business or role...

 

Are you seeking more meaning, freedom, community, courage and have a desire to lead positive change in the world through business and a more joyful way of living and working?

 

Spring/Summer 2022, come with me. Together we will co-create the soil to invite what wants to emerge into being while held in a safe and supportive container of nourishment for your purpose, curiosity, creativity, and heart on fire desires to thrive.

 

Step into your courage. It's time for a new way of leading.

 

Imagine: leadership development meets luxe and low key yoga retreat vibe meets co-working and living space meets boutique coaching meets a community of like-hearted humans.

 

And if travel is like love, it is, in the end, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. ~ Pico Iyer, Why We Travel

 

With enough space to work remotely as a location independent, write that chapter of your book, step into your courage to create something new for yourself and the world...Get your passport ready, your vaccine card, your digital nomad visa (we can help with this), and join me for a 1 - 3 month experience on the jewel of the Indian Ocean sure to rock your world and transform!