I spend a lot of time contemplating and teaching about leadership. I'm not quite sure where this passion originated in my life. I think it was organically and over time. When I was a teacher in the public school system I saw how a lack of leadership and organizational dysfunction could affect everyone in the system in a way that left them feeling defeated. I was inspired toward leadership through my work and study in Shambhala which teaches leadership as a recognition of one's wisdom and dignity. And I was catapulted into a new understanding of personal leadership through a program I took at the Academy for the Love of Learning in Santa Fe which taught me that leadership is about transformation.
Leadership is a practice where we never quite arrive. It eludes us. It's misconstrued and misunderstood. It's overused. People shy away from it. There's a lack of it and there's too much of it. When we look around in our world today the lack of true leadership is painful. In my work in healthcare, where I teach and develop curriculum about leadership, leadership is often about performance. I half-joke that my job is to help people function within a dysfunctional system. People are tired.
A new kind of leadership is needed in a world that's falling apart. A leadership that does not come from the same place which created the world we now find ourselves in. A world where materialism and individualism are put before the earth and non-humans. A world where immense human and non-human suffering have become the norm.
We need post-colonial leadership. A leadership that eschews the rules of capitalism and corporate culture. A leadership that will guide us through what Joanna Macy calls, ​The Great Turning​. Leadership development has often been thought of as a path of ascending to higher states and stages, but what about the path of descending down and back into the earth, into a primordial understanding of who we are?
The world needs a leadership that calls forth from deep within our wisdom body the capacities to:
open and tenderize our hearts toward ourselves and others
fall apart (without sacrificing the structure of our lives)
become liquid inside so we can transform
trust in our bodies, in the basic goodness of others, in the power of vulnerability
let go of our outdated identities and live into a new way of being- one that supports relaxation, presence, stillness, and not knowing
a willingness and space to grieve, there is so much to grieve
courage to live into a future that will get worse before it gets better
the willingness and creativity to not do it alone
a practice of embracing descent while still metabolizing our growth
what else? what does your wisdom body already know will be needed for you in the times ahead? what does a post-colonial, post-patriarchial leadership look like and feel like in you? how might you earth down to find it? where is your edge? can you embrace it with gentleness and curiosity?
some of us have heard the notion that the buddha of the future will not be an individual but a collective. now is that time. we are the buddha. this collective buddha body is the leader we all need. we are the leaders we've been waiting for.
In light of this new leadership that's needed in our world, I feel called to work with women and female-identified leaders who are ready for a shift. A shift from "business as usual" toward a way of being that feels authentic and true to what they know deeply in their core. Women leaders who do not want to perpetuate the toxic work cultures and patterns of dysfunction that keep themselves and others stuck.
I believe that to support this kind of radical shift we need support. That's where I come in. I'm offering a six week coaching program for women leaders to support growth and transformation and guide them with tools and practices to move toward a new way of being. You don't need to be in a position of leadership or even see yourself as a leader to sign up for this coaching experience- in my mind a leader is anyone who is ready to come up against their growth edge with curiosity.
In a world where "business as usual" often leads to burnout and stagnation, my leadership development workshops offer a refreshing shift. Tailored for non-profits, small businesses, and groups, these workshops create space for leaders and teams to pause, reflect, and approach challenges with renewed energy and creativity.
By focusing on collaboration, emotional intelligence, and authentic communication, I help organizations move toward a more intentional, aligned way of working using cutting-edge tools and methodologies. Let’s create a new path forward—one where your team thrives, feels empowered, and embraces meaningful change.
Taming the Mind
Just in time for the dark months ahead, I'm offering a half-day workshop on November 2nd from 9-12 at the Albuquerque Shambhala Center to re-ignite and deepen your meditation practice. The workshop will include guided instruction and practice, discussion, and some teachings on Buddhism.
What's inspiring me
I was driving to work the other day and almost had to pull over from the tears messing up my vision as I listened to this beautiful and heart-wrenching episode of the ​Modern Love podcast with Andrew Garfield ​about love and loss and onism, the sadness and frustration of only getting to experience the world through our singular experience (my definition).
My hero right now is Ta-nehisi Coates. I read his book The Water Dancer recently and was incredibly moved. I am also in awe of the recent interviews he's been giving about his new book The Messenger as it relates to Gaza. I will read that next, want to read it together? Ping me!
I recently showed Cadence the movie Napoleon Dynamite for the first time. We love it so much. I can't stop watching his dance number. That awkward vulnerability with confidence is exactly what the world needs right now.
Sending many blessings and tons of love.
Please be in touch!
Halleluiah
You are receiving this newsletter because at some point in my journey you have been a friend, a champion of my journey, a mentor, or a fellow traveler. Thank you!!
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