Love makes a leader a Leader.

November 15, 2016

Many of us are reeling with disbelief that DJT is our President-elect. Many are elated. I continue to have waves of tears of grief. I would like to offer a bit of perspective from the frame of human growth and development and our emotional-psychological-spiritual healing, both individual and collective.

Given that the election results split the outcome between the Electoral College and the majority popular vote, it appears that Trump was “chosen” for a greater reason and purpose that is beyond our conventional comprehension at this time. So read what I share with this perspective in mind. Also consider and include any other situations both personal and collective that you believe are “crises” at this time.

What We Disown Wreaks Havoc

Despite our claims of equality, this country was founded on and the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights were written from a white, patriarchal mindset while we engaged in genocide of Native Americans, slavery of people of color and contempt for and prejudice against women. DJT showed us that these injustices were never healed. These wounds merely went into our subconscious to be played out time and time again through our social-economic-political system and policies that are prevalent today. DJT exposed this with stark clarity; it’s time for each of us to own our participation in this at both individual and societal levels.

DJT’s election is our coming out of denial and acknowledging what is present under the surface. This enables and is a catalyst for our emotional-spiritual healing and growth. We must embrace our darkest shadows before we can integrate them to grow and evolve beyond them. We have never done this and we cannot move forward until we do. DJT’s election symbolizes our readiness to heal and move forward. This does not mean that we placidly conform or remain silent. This does not mean that change will be without the discomfort of disruption and upheaval as we seek and create our way forward.

Hope Is Trust in Life, in Truth.

In order to heal, we have to feel. So, deeply feel your fears, anger and grief and try not to feed them with more fear-based thoughts. As challenging as it may seem, we are asked not to fight, blame, demonize, protest, or call anyone a name that further feeds polarity and separation. We are asked not to judge; we are asked to be Centered in Love and Compassion. Don’t engage with and perpetuate fear. Don’t engage with and perpetuate divisiveness. What we resist persists: Our divisiveness today creates continued divisiveness in the future. Self-righteousness is no different than hate. Channel your emotions into passion for constructive, positive actions that stand for equality, inclusion and justice.

Whether you voted for DJT or not, this election is catalyzing people to take action to change our culture at deep levels. The evolution of our humanity rests upon choosing to match our personal and collective beliefs with our True Nature that nurtures our spiritual as well as our physical needs. These needs cannot be mutually exclusive; one cannot exclude the other.

Unity is founded in the depths of our humanity by healing all forms of separation within ourselves – our beliefs that our labels and agendas are real – not by pretending the separation isn’t there. We are all Leaders as we heal and integrate all divisions within so as to heal all divisions with and among others. Commitment to anything else is not Leadership and is not Love.

We are in a time of mass initiation and awakening. We must allow our hearts to break, personally and collectively, before we can heal. Our emotions are our connection to Spirit that when felt completely, bring us back to the Heart where we can engage fully with Life with Strength and Courage. We are simply ending one and beginning a new chapter that we get to write from a place of conscious Self-Awareness and Action as Love as Truth and Freedom, Unity and Wholeness. This is our Power as Leaders. This is our Power as Creators. This is our Power as Love. We are all in this together: The shared Power of Equality for social, economic and political justice.

Leadership is Service to Life. Leading is Love.

February 8, 2016

The life I am living is not the same as the life that wants to live in me.

Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent.

My life is not only about my strengths and virtues; it is also about my liabilities and my limits, my trespasses and my shadow. An inevitable though often ignored dimension of the quest for “wholeness” is that we must embrace what we dislike or find shameful about ourselves as well as what we are confident and proud of.

Let Your Life Speak ~ Parker Palmer

For nearly 40 years, I have worked in individual, leadership and organizational alignment, growth, development, change, and transformation. Initially, I used conventional methods to “maximize performance”, such as selection, performance management, learning and development, assessments and surveys, management systems and practices. These all are founded in the belief in the need for conformity for the sake of reducing feared “chaos.” All they really do is suppress results by seeking to eliminate our inherent diversity.

As time went on and I went deeper into who I am, I came to realize a paradox: That we only establish unity, truly collaborate and achieve potential, possibilities and results for ourselves and with others when each of us are contributing who we uniquely are as a human being. This goes deeper than labels or even talents and skills. Fully recognizing, acknowledging and owning all of ourselves through thoughtful reflection on our lives, allows us to be fully present with others. The “me” naturally becomes “we.”

As we align ourselves within, with who we are as a human being, essentially unite with ourselves at the deepest level, we naturally align with, expand and amplify our contribution to Life through what we do with others.

Why Should You Care?

As you align to Let Your Life Speak, to Lead your Life through your Centerpoint for Being, you:

Live your personal Truth and compass for compassion, the ultimate flowering of Love, the unity within that unites you with Life.

Attune with the impulse and flow of Life as Wisdom, Love and Service.

Express your unique purpose, power and passion, your contribution to the whole that brings peace, joy and fulfillment.

Actualize your greatest potential and growth.

Have boundless Freedom and expression.

Walk your Path of integrating wholeness with a nonjudgmental context and vantage point for yourself and your Life.

Are clear about who You Are and what no longer Serves you falls away, as you re-examine your belief systems and all that you held as unquestionable and absolute.

Are grounded in Self-Love. You see that you are not “better” or “less” than any one person or group, it is your uniqueness that makes you equal to and connects you with others. Your ideals for Life as Love are as valid as anyone else’s.

Are guided to the highest and greatest good for all, starting with yourself.

Define your own Success.

You Lead as Love.

You Lead Your Life

Perhaps our greatest fear is of the unknown, of losing certainty about life that comes with Love as Truth and Freedom. We release our past laden with regret, guilt and shame. We release the future crippled by expectations, apprehension and anxiety. We release comparison, competition and conflict. We release hate, the rejection of Love, and evil, the absence of Love, the rejection of Life.

There is an excitement of “what now?” with all its messiness as Life unfolds. We are present, wide open, courageous, without labels, ideologies or rules that tell us how to look, what to think, say or do, what goals to go after, or what we must have in order to “fit in.” We innovate. We create the new.

Freed of the belief that conformity means you are connected and belong, there is no need for approval that we take as “love.” You Are an integral part of and moved by Life Itself, inspired by your unique Centerpoint within. You Are the Power of Love.

Leading as Love is our mastery of Being a human being, our united and infinite intelligence consciously creating Life. It is only as you Lead your own Life that you Lead others.

As We Love We Lead – As We Lead We Love

Leading as Love is the conscious, active application of your Centerpoint for Being, your unique guiding principles, for every aspect of Life to unfold as Love. I guide you to your own inner voice of wisdom to consciously experience deeper meaning, purpose, contribution, growth, and choice.

In your 20’s and 30’s – Establish your inner foundation for Life.
In your 40’s and 50’s – Discover your universal contribution to Life.
In your 60’s and beyond – Actualize your legacy in Life.

We work together in grounded, practical ways in all aspects of your day-to-day life.

I Serve as a Friend who is a Maverick, Mystic, Messenger, Midwife, Mentor, Minister, and Partner in Life. As a coach, I work with you in the discovery and exploration of your Truth and Freedom. You strengthen and expand your expression of your unique Centerpoint for Being to Lead as Love.

The commitment to Lead as Love is the one change that changes everything.

My Offerings

For those who ask, “So what do you do?”

I offer Leading as Love for both alignment with and fulfillment of Life through your unique Centerpoint for Being. It is not about fixing a deficit; it is about opening to and expanding who you know yourself to Be expressed through what you do. Leading as Love is about you Being You.

Individuals, Leaders, Groups and Organizations

Working together we reveal your unique Centerpoint for Being. This provides a starting point and can be done for individuals, groups and organizations. You can think of it as a Vision, Values, Purpose, Mission, and Strategy for your own Life or for an organization, all rolled into one.

Because each path is unique as it unfolds, I offer mentoring and coaching to individuals to align, balance and integrate every aspect of your Life with your Centerpoint. This can be done in-person, via Skype or on the phone. I offer consulting to groups and organizations to align, balance and integrate systems and practices with its Centerpoint.

Knowledge and wisdom only come with reflection on experience. Focused and ongoing reflection on our history and how it is playing out in the present is required to access this wisdom and spur our growth. In working with me, I will challenge you to confront yourself, your emotional history and boxes of thinking and wholeheartedly support you and encourage the full expression of your Centerpoint in the here and now.

To truly embody Leading as Love, we must shift our deepest beliefs, not just change an outer image, a mask of words, behaviors and actions. As you open to your Centerpoint and willingly expose the thoughts, beliefs and emotions that get in its way, their energy is released and transformed.

To support building the inherent capability of individuals, groups and organizations to mentor and coach their own alignment and growth, I also offer:

Leading as Love Mastery Circles: Facilitated, small-group peer mentoring.

Leading as Love Communities of Practice: Member facilitated mentoring.

Co-creative Collaboration Circles: Facilitated, focused work that generates innovative solutions to eliminate problems.

Leading as Love Individual, Group and Organizational Assessments.

As a Leadership strategist and commentator, I offer:

Strategic Advice and Consulting on What It Means to Be A Leader and Leading as Love.

Thought-provoking Commentary and Discussion on What It Means to Be A Leader.

Coaches and consultants are welcome to contact me to explore how this might integrate with your own work.

Living as your Centerpoint for Being, Leading as Love, is an exploration and actualization of your own unlimited potential. What is yours?

Let Your Life Speak. Boldly. Bravely. Brilliantly. Nobly. Lead as Love.

January 25, 2016

Simple does not mean easy. Leaders live in questions, not answers.

How do I ensure the dignity, well-being and growth of each and every person as a human being?
How do I engage in co-creative collaboration allowing Life to expand, to emerge and unfold?
How do I balance and integrate diverse perspectives into choices and actions that benefit all?

The Answer to How Is Yes.

Leaders Are Love’s Presence

Who and what do I need to Care About that expands our meaning and contributions in Life?
Who and what do I need to Understand with compassionate comprehension?
Who and what do I need to Respect and not control or limit in any way?
What is my Responsibility in current circumstances and our mutual responsibilities for the future?

Leaders Create Unity in Diversity: Simple Truth of Life

How does this fulfill our unity and interdependence?
How does this fulfill our uniqueness and diversity?
How does this fulfill our freedom of choice?

Where are we disregarding our unity and interdependence?
Where are we disregarding our uniqueness and diversity?
Where are we disregarding our freedom of choice?

Leaders Embody Unity. Leaders Are Unique. Leaders Are the Truth and Freedom of Being.

We Are All Leaders in Life

Leaders Expand Truth and Freedom for All.
Leaders Live in Integrity, Authenticity and Security of their Centerpoint for Being.
Leaders Live the Uncertainty of Life.
Leaders Live Possibility and Potential.
Leaders Live without Easy Answers.
Leaders Trust themSelves, Life and so others.

We are all Called to Lead as Love.

The Commitment to Lead as Love is the one change that Changes Everything. It starts with you.

What is Your Choice? How may I Serve You?

July 20, 2015

I am a Partner in a Dance. I am one part of a greater whole. My facet is complete unto itself. Yet it really takes a shared moment for this to come alive as intended. I live for the sensation of being tapped, of being asked to give of my essence and let the Truth resound all through my Being. How can I not seek the charged moment of encounter? I am the breath of new Life, awaiting winds that blow. ~ Ellias Lonsdale

Each and every one of us is a Centerpoint for Being, a point of balance, of stillness where our body, mind, heart, and soul are in integrated wholeness, in integrity and authenticity as our unique Truth and Freedom and in unity with the flow of Life as Love.

Each and every one of us also has a predominant ego structure that we have taken on as “true” and “real” that separates us from our Centerpoint. Mine is a need to be “valued” so that I lived others’ expectations for how I should show up, for what I should say or do, or what I should not say or do. The price I paid was a loss of Self-Value, Self-Worth, Self-Love. As I showed up more and more as the Truth and Freedom of my heart and soul, the price I paid was the loss of “friends” who couldn’t look in a Mirror of Self-Love. What is caring to the growth of the soul often seems “punishing” to the ego.

Truth Heals, bringing Freedom as we accept that no matter how disruptive or uncomfortable to our ego structure, Love is inviting us back into Being ourselves. It takes great strength and courage to look at one’s self and one’s life through the eyes of Love as Truth and Freedom.

Your Centerpoint for Being

• Is your personal Truth and compass for Compassion, the ultimate flowering of Love.
• Attunes you with your Heart-Mind, the impulse and flow of Life as Wisdom, Love and Service.
• Is your Unique Purpose, Power and Passion, Your Contribution to the Whole that brings Peace, Joy and Fulfillment.
• Is the catalyst, source of and channel for your greatest Potential and Growth.
• Gives you boundless Freedom of Spirit and expression.
• Provides your Path of integrated wholeness, giving you a nonjudgmental context and vantage point for yourself and your Life. When you are clear about who You Are, what no longer Serves you falls away.
• Is your foundation for Self-Love.

You Lead Your Life

Perhaps our greatest fear is of Love as Truth and Freedom. There is no past with regret, guilt or shame. There is no future with expectations, apprehension or anxiety. There is no comparison, competition or conflict. There is no hate, the rejection of Love, or evil, the absence of Love.

There is only the excitement of Now, with all its messiness as Life unfolds. We Are Present, wide open, courageous, without labels, ideologies or rules that tell us how to look, what to think, say or do, what goals to go after, or what we must have in order to “fit in.”

Freed of the belief that conformity means you are connected and belong, there is no need for approval that we take as “love.” You Are an integral part of and moved by Life Itself, inspired by your unique Centerpoint within. You Are the Power of Love.

Leading as Love is our mastery of Being a human being, our Heart-Mind of unity and infinite intelligence as Spirit in physical form consciously creating Life. It is only as you Lead your Life that you Lead others.

As We Love We Lead – As We Lead We Love

Leading as Love is the conscious, active application of your Centerpoint for Being, your unique guiding principles, for every aspect of Life to unfold as Love. I guide you to your own inner voice of wisdom to consciously experience deeper meaning, purpose, contribution, growth, and choice.

In your 20’s and 30’s – Establish your inner foundation for Life.

In your 40’s and 50’s – Discover your universal contribution to Life.

In your 60’s and beyond – Actualize your legacy in Life.

We work together in a grounded, practical way in all aspects of your day-to-day life.

I Serve as a Friend who is a Maverick, Mystic, Messenger, Midwife, Mentor, Minister, and Partner in Life. As a coach, I work with you in the discovery and exploration of your Truth and Freedom. You strengthen and expand your expression of your unique Centerpoint for Being. You Lead as Love.

The commitment to Lead as Love is the one change that changes everything.

How may I Serve You?