From feeling burdened as a leader to experiencing a “midlife expansion,” feeling deep self-love, activating her inner healer, and channeling her purpose with clarity and confidence. 

When Leah first began working with me privately, she was feeling burdened in her leadership as the CEO of a major animal rights organization and was trying to find a way to stay engaged, feel sustained, and be at peace with her work. 

Her intention working together was to increase her capacity to feel and process emotions in a safe container where she could be fully expressed and welcome her authenticity to shine in all areas of life, especially at work. She also desired to cultivate a sense of gratitude, spaciousness, and peace that was easily accessible throughout her day navigating the stress of leadership.

Before working together, she would roll her eyes at the idea of self-care, but overtime, she began to unravel the story that “self-care is selfish” that she was socialized to believe as a woman in a patriarchal and capitalist society under constant pressure to do more. As time went on, she got to experience the impact of making space for herself, realizing that she was able to be more present, available, and responsive for her team and her family, giving from a place of genuine desire and capacity rather than guilt and expectation.  

Leah began to release the need to do it all and started to honor her sacred no. As a result, she led one of the best board meetings to date, spoke up about needing support, was heard and understood, and is now in the process of bringing on another team member. This helped her realize that she was creating unnecessary stress for herself pretending like she could be superwoman.

When she finally took off the cape and authentically acknowledged her capacity, she discovered she was more supported than she thought! No one actually expected her to figure it all out on her own, that was her story… which means she held the power to change and create a new narrative. Reclaiming her power, she decided she doesn’t have to choose between service and enjoyment, and each sacred no created space for her full body YES. 

Now she REALLY gets that the more you care for yourself, the more you can care for others and embody your higher purpose. So much so that we’re actually in the process of proposing to speak about the topic at an animal advocacy conference in the spring to share the importance of this message in the movement and empower other leaders to love themselves for longevity, passion, and authenticity in their activism.

I can see the ripple effects of Leah's investment in herself so clearly. The new relationship she has with herself has transformed her relationship to others – even her husband commented on how centered she was while navigating an unexpected change that would have previously sent her spiraling. Her organization now has the leadership of someone who is truly excited to be there, resulting in greater presence with colleagues who feel seen and heard. And as the CEO of one of the largest animal rights organizations in the world, this has a massive impact on the movement. 

Just imagine what we could accomplish for collective liberation if our leaders were all feeling this connected to their truth, embodying radical self-care and sacred boundaries for sustainable advocacy – we would be unstoppable! This is my purpose and commitment, to empower change makers to lead with greater ease and joy so that we can co-create the world we feel proud to pass on to the next generation (while also having a lot of fun along the way!).