BTS of Chief of War 🌋 is a Perfect Example of Divine Purpose & Nature Alignment
When you answer the call of your true purpose, a purpose that comes from a higher power (such as God or your Supreme Being), you act without question—you simply do it. When you answer this call, you might have this (sometimes) overwhelming feeling of going for it, no matter how ridiculous or impossible the task.
“I remember feeling and thinking that the island has memory. Because we were honoring the story and so it responded.”
Full disclaimer: I have not watched the Apple TV Series, Chief of War…yet. I’ve watched some of the trailers, but this behind-the-scenes video about filming the last episode gave me chills!
As you watch this video, you’ll notice the drive, determination, and surrender Jason Mamoa has when directing this particular battle. It reminds me of what it feels like to be on a divine assignment.
What do I mean by “divine assignment’?
When you answer the call of your true purpose, a purpose that comes from a higher power (such as God or your Supreme Being), you act without question—you simply do it. When you answer this call, you might have this (sometimes) overwhelming feeling of going for it, no matter how ridiculous or impossible the task. You feel like you don’t know where the motivation comes from, and you might have this supercharged energy, like you MUST do the impossible. And sometimes to others, that call seems downright crazy! But just as Mamoa pitched the scenes to his producers, his team trusted him, and they followed through! (at timestamp:048)
What’s even more fascinating about this video is that I recognize the response from the land! It’s exactly why I can’t really explain what happens during healing hikes. But watching from timestamps 1:56 - 2:59 about the volcano, Mauna Loa going off right when they needed to film that scene, reminded me that when we walk on the land with prayer and intention, it’s hearing us and it’s responding. We may not be setting off volcanoes, but we definitely experience alignments and synchronicities on our silent walks because we go through an opening ritual, then ask for permission to walk, and remember HOW to communicate with nature.
Some of you who have done a healing hike had this experience of direct communication with nature. To this day, 10 years of leading healing hikes, and I’m still in awe every time someone receives messages of alignment or ah-ha moments on the trail. Our groups have even had shared alignments and synchronicities that come directly from nature, showing us that collective healing can happen! And the messages that come out of this are always profound and accurate for hikers who receive their message. And anything coming directly from nature is indisputable, in my opinion!
How are you paying attention to the signs that nature is guiding you towards divine purpose?
THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORY!
IF YOU FOUND THIS RESOURCE HELPFUL
PLEASE SHARE WIDELY TO YOUR NETWORKS & FRIENDS
Comment below to dialogue with me!
Attuning to Nature’s Rhythm by Mapping Out Workload Overwhelm
If an overwhelming workload is most present for you, I've got you covered with this simple diagram to help you chip away at that heaping pile of things to do so you can ease into a moment of pause or spaciousness. I share to help you manage your task list so you can manage your time, energy, and specifically your emotional well-being.
Attuning to nature’s rhythm can be challenging in a world…
that is structured around production and the engine of capitalism. Our bodies aren’t naturally designed to physically work through stress or times of the year, like wintertime. But how do we strike a balance of being in this word and in our human bodies? Here’s a tool I’ve found used across many industries from leadership development to corporate wellness so that leaders can avoid negative impacts such as burnout or exhaustion. If an abundant workload is most present for you, I've got you covered with this simple diagram to help you chip away at that heaping pile of things to do so you can ease into a moment of pause or spaciousness.
No doubt, you can use the graph below to manage your task list, which in turn manages your time, energy, and ultimately managing your emotional well-being so you can more effectively sustain the change in this world you’re working towards.
So, I'll be truthful to you, the graph below isn't the entire answer to your busy-ness and overwhelm, but it gives you a good start in thinking more critically about your time and what you're placing value on. It's a good "workload" reset with respect to what you think is important versus urgent. And yes, “important” and “urgent” are not the same thing!
So, let's get to sorting your mess out. According to your goals for the week, take your huge list and split tasks into either "URGENT" or "IMPORTANT". Don't think too hard about this and go with what your gut reaction. Now, we examine what kind of urgent and what kind of important is it?
Take a look at the graph I created below. The more urgent a task is, the more of a time suck it is and will get you caught up in a storm. The more important the task is for you, the more likely you'll make time for it and put it in your schedule.
So, let me break it down even more for you…
TORNADO - This is the danger zone. When a task is too urgent it tends to take up and drain us of our energy and attention, leaving you at risk of getting swept up in the chaos. Do you have a task that’s sweeping you away from your goals like a storm?
BOXING GLOVE - These tasks are both important and urgent, so these you want to just knock out. Get them done, that’s just what needs to happen. It’s like, LUNCH at noon!
TRASH - These tasks are neither urgent or important. Somehow they made their way onto your list, but the consequences are minimal and just get in the way. Toss it!
CALENDAR - I always say, what’s important to you will be what you make time for. So, if you regard a particular task as more important than urgent, leap into your planner and block off an empty slot for it!
NOW, let’s do a quick recap on the steps:
Gather or set some clear goals for your week.
According to those goals, list out all the tasks involved in meeting that goal or project.
For each goal, mark them on the graph in its respective place, or quadrant.
Take a step back and see if your graph feels reasonable to you, holding your GOALS as the anchor.
Are tasks in their proper places to meet your goals?
What needs to be switched around so that you are successful in meeting achievable goals?
Now take a deep breath! I mentioned before, this isn’t the answer to end all overwhelm with your busy and your impactful life, but rather it’s a worthy step forward in the direction of really understanding where your time is spent and how you value the limited amount of time we have in a day.
TIME MANAGEMENT IS A PRACTICE AND REQUIRES OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW FROM LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW YOU FUNCTION
This activity can also reveal more clarity about how you hold boundaries. If you’re a people pleaser you might find that most of your tasks are in the “tornado” because you’re meeting other people’s needs. Or you might find the trash bin quadrant empty. Challenge that by really examining if tasks are really important or urgent; you might be “catastrophizing” the circumstances around tossing that task out.
The last thing I want to mention here is about your organization tools how they can be helpful for the follow through of your workload. I find these tools are often used by high functioning, leaders in high demand as a game changer that can tame the madness. For me, I looked into different journaling strategies (bullet journal, best self journal, etc...) to stay organized and have collected my own combination of reflection and planning sections. I made it work for me. And I would say I have my own customized diary-like planner/journal that I populate every Sunday night to get my week started.
Want more tools like this? Sign up for the newsletter to get tools and resources directly into your inbox!
"Root To Bloom" - A Program Born from My Healing Journey
Like many passionate providers, I thought vocalizing my needs would get me somewhere. But I’m about to share a story about the many years (10+) of a swerve-y, chaotic, and down right traumatic career path.
Each season we hire community healers, & wellness practitioners as guest speakers to add to the wealth of resources around us. Here we are in the EcoCenter with movement healer, Sammay Dizon.
I used to be a community-based service provider and vocal advocate for diversity within land-based organizations. I spoke out, led efforts, formed groups and containers to drive the narrative of “lack of diversity” and hold myself to the fire, challenging my higher ups and the authorities-that-be, for more inclusive space for people like me and the communities I serve, who often looked like me. But I quickly learned through many failed attempts and fallouts that this wasn’t where my fire for change was going to be affective.
Sadly, like many other passionate (I would even say wounded) providers, I thought vocalizing my needs would get me somewhere, but it only left me burnt out. I was left with bigger questions about “Who am I in this work?”, “Why do I feel the need to stay?”, and the most challenging, “Why can’t I be who I am and focus on the actual work of creating change for my community?”. Well, the story I’m about to share below is a story of many years of the unfolding story that answered these questions. And when I say many years, I’m talking about 10+ years of a swervey, chaotic, and down right traumatic career path.
If there’s anything I hope you gain from reading the origin story of Root To Bloom, its that
(1) the path to your true purpose is hella long and arduous. If it’s not, you probably have more to learn and grow from
(2) when you finally surrender and listen to more than your experience, meaning your listening to your heart, your ancestors, your guides beyond the Earthly realm, you begin to listen to the forces of nature that have always been guiding you since you were born. You begin to trust the things that are beyond this world and magic begins to unfold.
So, I’m grateful you can take the time out to hear how this program speaks so much to my journey of healing as woman of color in environmental education work and that’s it is possible to create beautiful things for the people to meet their blooming!
🌺 Years ago when I started my non-profit environmental justice career I worked as a Program Manager in San Francisco's Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood. I thought it was my dream job and I would be there for a long time. Little did I know, the day I walked into the office on my first day...I was walking into what would be a 2 year nightmare. The organization's leadership had crumbled 2 weeks prior to me starting. Ironically the park site, Heron's Head & the EcoCenter's education programming centered the historic toxicity of SF's Southeast. I was teaching about toxicity and experiencing toxic work environments at the same time.
I don't know if you've ever experienced a level of workplace toxicity that causes you to flee from the community and distance yourself for your own safety and well-being, but I spent many years away from the community except for the few trusted relationships I kept close as I transitioned and explored other avenues of my career.
Almost 10 years after that job I found myself on the same park site, different professional path as an entrepreneur but still working with nature, focused on providing a healing learning space for community-based service providers. I couldn't believe that the path I walked to come back to a site that caused me so much harm would be a place that would not only provide healing for me, but also heal the providers in the program.
Our program theory of change disrupts the cycle and value on productivity in our providers with self care and healing practices
I am always in awe of Root To Bloom being in my life. Being my life's work. It could be that my healing needed this program to be designed to disrupt the toxic work environment of valuing productivity with valuing self care and provider well-being. Because from my experience, I knew that the productivity value that plagues many community-based service centered organizations can perpetuate capitalism’s engine of seeing people as a commodity of labor instead of seeing them as stakeholders of our greater community’s long-term health and wellness. I always wanted someone to acknowledge this in the organizations I worked in, especially those that targeted marginalized communities. So, in the Root To Bloom Program I made sure we talk about colonization’s design to keep us locked into productivity so that we don’t attain the awareness that we can value ourselves as gifted contributors to our own needs for a healthy and fulfilling life. Because if we attain such power, we can’t be controlled.
It always strikes me as my radical stance on loving my community by being able to create this program to say these things and teach emerging leaders to reclaim their power with tools we share in the program. Because I’ve been a product of burn out and being outcasted, “laid-off” or ostracized from leadership in previous organizations where I’ve attempted to integrate these values as was retaliated against in some form or fashion. But something many years ago kept me tethered to my beliefs and stayed steadfast in my search to find a way to still say these things and have autonomy as safety. It just so happened I needed to leave the non-profit structure and create an entity that, to be real, only I can fire myself from, lol!
Root To Bloom has unfolded as this safe place and container for fierce providers like me to have a home for processing and understanding our intergenerational traumas without retaliation or stigmatization; something I wish I had especially when I was providing direct service to adjudicated youth. Now, I have so many people, spirit guides, ancestors to thank for this. More importantly I can thank myself for saying yes to a path most wouldn’t dare step into. That inner voice of my WARRIOR SELF was definitely wounded but committed to my true purpose and I mostly send her rest and gratitude these days.
Testimonial from Denicia, Season 2 graduate
Allowing myself the surrender to other messages in my dreams or the synchronicities showing up in my everyday walk are just some of the reasons why I think Root To Bloom holds such a special vibe and space for the community that surrounds it. Together with my co-creator and conspirator, Kisai of CommUNITY, this program has consistently shown us the power of creating something so unique and exactly what we would have wanted as frontline staff; a holistic and transformative space where we could truly just be and heal.
And as we’ve begun to open our space for the fourth year of Root To Bloom, I’m reminded again of the power of my healing journey to heal some of our community’s deepest wounds. I can’t say that my healing has ended. I don’t believe its even possible to “be healed”. So as long as I’m on this Earth, my healing will continue on. But what I do know is that after these many years of diving into the scary parts, moving through the roller coaster of life and leadership, there are moments that I’m reminded all of my struggles and experiences can serve me later by showing up as healing for others. I just have to keep listening, keep trusting.
So I’ll leave you with some of the coach-y type reflections you can take as you continue on your journey of self discovery and healing in hopes that your journey can find a point of coming full circle. And I hope you can share your thoughts and responses with me below. I’d love to engage with your story of healing.
Click this image to listen to our IG Live session sharing the magic that birthed our program and its impact on our community
Reflections to Reclaim Your Purpose & Power:
🤔 If you were to spend a day doing exactly what brings you complete alignment with who you are and your natural born gifts, what would that day be like and more importantly how are you feeling throughout that whole day?
🤔 If you can speak truth to your power, as in say ALL THE THINGS you want to say to your current workplace/community about what real change looks like, what would you say? Make sure it’s as raw as you would say it if you had all the freedoms to say it all the way you want to say it!
🤔 What do people tend to say or witness in you when they describe who you are or what your leadership is like? You don’t have to agree or believe them because these can be signs of your true gifts and purpose in life whether you like it or not!
THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORY!
IF YOU FOUND THIS RESOURCE HELPFUL
PLEASE SHARE WIDELY TO YOUR NETWORKS & FRIENDS
Comment below to dialogue with me!
How You Know It's Time to Heal
But it took a lot of years and life experience to get to a point where I decided to engage in some real and deep healing. For a long time I thought certain reactions or ways of viewing people were normal, until I realized I can do things differently. I’ll be share with you a couple of ways that helped me embark on a healing journey that proved to me, worth charting unknown territory.
How You Know It’s Time to Heal
3 Signs that say you’re there
Someone once asked me, "What's the most challenging part of working in community?" I answered, "When community doesn't believe healing is needed."
All I could think about were times where I witnessed normalized violence and toxicity in my family. For a long time I thought certain reactions or ways of viewing people were normal. Like, road raging as a young adult. I knew it was dangerous and violent, but I grew up with a road raging father. At the time it seemed normal to be around that. But then somewhere in my body and psyche, I began to agree with this attitude and response and I adopted it when I was younger. It wasn't until I started to give myself permission to pay attention to how I was impacting the world, that I realized I can do things differently. Mostly this was because my impacts on others were sometimes negative.
But it took a lot of years and life experience to get to a point where I decided to engage in some real and deep healing. So, I wanted to share with you a couple of ways that helped me embark on a healing journey that proved to me, worth charting unknown territory. And FYI, these things still happen to me all-the-time! We don’t reach a point of being “healed”, rather healing is a constant journey throughout life; there’s always something to work on.
Here are just three signs that let you know when it's time to heal.
You find yourself frustrated and overwhelmed by things that normally don't bug you - here's a sign that where you are in life is just not enough. You want more and you know more is possible.
How does this translate to what needs healing? If you can thread your frustrations back into its origin, what we’re really being presented with is our sense of value and self worth. Frustrations about how things are done or how you’re observing them can give you clues into what you know to be possible. What exactly are you frustrated about? Have you felt similarly in the past and what was the core of that frustration? Find common threads in moments that left you feeling the same type of emotion and it can lead you to a place in life where you felt like you knew something was better or possible for yourself.
You're going through or have just come out of a major life event or situation - life has just thrown you a bunch of information and opportunity to flex your abilities. Here's life showing you your capacity and IT showing you that you are made for more.
It could feel more like you’re in survival mode, but doesn’t survival mode also put us in a place to search urgently for extra resources and support? Like clamoring for something to help you in times of great need, we’re also pushed out of our comfort zones or edges just to make it through the next step. Oftentimes, stepping back from the situation or reflecting back on what just happened can help reveal what needed healing from those events. Like having a realization that you just survived something tremendous, or that you just made it through those tough times. Finding out exactly what you did or what you were thinking in those critical times can bring so much awareness to your capacity to hold challenges now that you’ve overcome them. You’ve just gone through some kind of healing when you’re able to wisely observe key points in your life.
More than a few things in your external environment seem chaotic, but not always directly because of you - this is the Universe's way of saying, "I know you see this! Now, what are you going to do about it, oh wise and gifted one?"
I went through a lot of these types of messages when I was younger, about the time of my first Saturn return (typically happens around ages 28-32). So many things imploding, exploding, relationships going awry, structures and institutions unraveling…sound familiar these days?
Now, pandemic times have certainly played a perfect example in what I’m saying here. So what healing has this pandemic revealed to us? Much of what we see today in our external environment is causing us to go inward and ask ourselves, “what went wrong?” , the challenges around this pandemic have been around the care for others and the long brewing tensions between us racially and culturally. So, when it seems like the world around us is about to topple over, we can begin asking ourselves,
What did I miss?
What was I not paying attention to or investing my time in that caused me to not see beneath the surface and now this is what would be the outcome?”
Because life is actively showing us that we’ve missed the assignment. So, what can you do now to get back on track and focus on your well-being?
In many ways, the signs that you're ready to deepen your life experience and skills require you to FIRST know and believe that healing is needed; that you simply want things to be different. What stops us from diving into a true healing journey can be the facts that
you’re not really ready to face the dark stuff, the shadows, the traumas, the yucky feelings
you may be intimidated by your level up; like knowing that the different you will be more powerful puts you in a place of resistance
you just don’t know where to start
More often than not, the majority of us WON’T sign onto a healing journey because of the reasons I just pointed out. What’s more common is to find yourself at rock bottom or in a situation where you’re left with no other choice but to begin healing. So no matter what, we all have the capacity to get started on some version of a healing journey.
And healing isn't just about when you are directly harmed and in need of support. Healing can also mean that younger versions of you still need tending to because you're not able to access your full and whole self today, as an adult. The latter scenario is one of the biggest areas I tackle with leaders in private sessions!
As a leadership coach with healing centered approaches, I always advocate for the normalization of these challenging times and yucky feelings because the more we ignore them, the more those feelings will start to nag at us to get to the healing it needs before you can level up. This is where triggers come from; unhealed parts of our past that get signaled to come back to us as adults. Now, have you cultivated the tools and wisdom to now offer your younger, hurt parts? That’s where someone like me can be that support for you.
If you want to know more about where you are in your time to heal through barriers and blocks preventing you from the life of liberation you crave, you check out my offerings below
sign up for the next cohort of Trailheads To Healing
book a quick consultation with me to explore private coaching
join any type of healing hike to put you in direct connection to the Universe’s messages for you
check out other events or workshops to get to know more about my work
THANK YOU FOR READING!
IF YOU FOUND THIS RESOURCE HELPFUL
AND WOULD LIKE MORE LIKE THIS, SUBSCRIBE
TO MY NEWSLETTER BELOW!
Nature & the Apocalypse - Tapping Into Your Untapped Resources
In apocalyptic times it’s easy to forget about the multiple dimensions of resources we all have to make it through challenging times.
So I thought I’d break down these dimensions unique to my message and what I created as a pillar of the Radical Nature Framework. It’s like a breath of fresh air to just acknowledge that we exist on multiple planes.
Nature & the Apocalypse
Your Untapped Resources
In apocalyptic times it’s easy to forget about the multiple dimensions of resources we all have to make it through challenging times.
So I thought I’d break down these dimensions unique to my message and what I created as a pillar of the Radical Nature Framework.
Click this image of Terry Crews & Jameela Jamil in conversation about toxic masculinity and an emphasis on 2 ways that people get inspired (1:34).
I remember talking to my business coach and he asked me, ”What is it that actually motivates people to get a real start on their true life’s work and invest in the real support needed to get there?”. And I responded and told him that we typically don’t take a leap until we get to our extremes. So, near-death experiences or arriving at what might seem like the lowest point in your life will get someone to take action. Those are usually the times when we generally see people create their businesses or “launch” their life’s work. Not everyone needs to get to extremes, but I see it as an example of a general human tendency.
Today, I’d say there’s also this apocalypse. And by apocalypse, I’m taking its root definition, below. Our ability to now see the truths of our world has caused us to face, head-on the many things we need to repair and heal to move forward.
Not what we expected as an apocalypse the way Hollywood depicted it? What we’re faced with is an existential crisis. And this existential crisis requires us to ask the deeper questions about WHO WE ARE and WHAT OUR PURPOSE IS while we’re here on this Earth.
I think this is why when I introduce my “Belonging & Identity” diagram to groups it seems to be the illustration that hits people viscerally in what work needs to happen to make it through to see what world we’ll arrive to after all of this chaos.
Source: etymonline.com
Why does it seem to hit home for most? I’m guessing that this is the missing piece in the narrative of leadership, organizational development, or entrepreneurship;
the fact that we are made up of more than just our human existence
We have multiple dimensions of being and our sense of belonging to things not ONLY this Earth. It’s like a breath of fresh air to just acknowledge that we exist on multiple planes. And this is what came to me when I took a deeper look into nature’s systems from multiple disciplines; science, spiritually, coaching, etc…
So let me break down each of the dimensions as they relate to our human sense of identity and belonging and leave you with some ways to start thinking about this for yourself.
The goal is that you can find the many untapped resources of your resilience and begin engaging with these dimensions as the world as we know it begins to dissolve….
Look at the multiple dimensions of your being, from the human self all the way into the expansion of your place in the Quantum or Universal Realm.
How do you relate to each dimension?
How does each dimension show up in your life?
Consider answering the questions posed with the breakdown of each of these dimensions below:
SELF - your body, DNA, physical abilities, capacity to intellectualize, living family, existence in your specific life time
REGION/LAND - the place on the planet where your ancestors come from, your lineage, all the specific plants and animals found in that region, your capacity to relate to particular plants and animals because they are part of your origin story
GLOBAL - the world’s resources, the things we all have as a global human species like emotions, basic needs, our capacity to see yourself in others (kapwa), our connection to land and water on this Earth
PLANETARY - your connection to the stars/planets/solar system, your birth chart, your capacity to see your spiritual position in relation to the Earth and other starts
QUANTUM/UNIVERSAL - our collective consciousness, the place where everything exists and belongs to, beyond the stars. It’s the universal energy of our existence, your capacity to reach your ancestors and become one and back and forth...
Take this resource with you and your answers and apply your multiple dimensions the next time you need to find answers to take the next step during the apocalypse! And let me know what shows up by commenting below!
THANK YOU FOR READING!
IF YOU FOUND THIS RESOURCE HELPFUL
AND WOULD LIKE MORE LIKE THIS, SUBSCRIBE
TO MY NEWSLETTER BELOW!
Life Re-traumatized & How I Stopped the Cycle of Harm
When I first started working in juvenile justice facilities I knew what I was good at. And that was to reach and teach environmental education to "high risk" youth populations. What I didn't know was that I was experiencing compounded trauma by placing myself in these situations. Let me be more explicit about what I mean by compounded trauma.
Life Re-traumatized
& How I Stopped the Cycle of Harm
Yes, working in prisons isn't for the faint of heart. It takes a certain type of person to be there on a daily basis. For me, it was one of the most rewarding and meaningful experiences of my career. In addition to that, I always tell people (mostly for people of color) if they have any interest in working in prisons don't do it. Well, don't do it unless you are fully aware of what you're getting into AND you've got a strong self care plan, fully loaded with resources and allies inside & outside of the facility.
When I first started working in juvenile justice facilities I knew what I was good at. And that was to reach and teach environmental education to "high risk" youth populations. What I didn't know was that I was experiencing compounded trauma by placing myself in these situations. Let me be more explicit about what I mean by compounded trauma.
As a woman of color working in direct service to said communities, it wasn't until I left my last non-profit where I was now able to observe a more privileged white woman doing a very similar job of educating in prison. After being an observer to her facilitation, I realized just how traumatizing it had been for me to have done this kind of work as a conscious (woke) woman of color. During her facilitation I noticed that when the dialogue from one student touched on a statement about the actual system of oppression that prisons represented, she listened, but her response redirected the dialogue to focus on something more superficial. I can't remember what she started talking about specifically, but I knew that was the point of difference for me. And I was triggered by that. I felt the dialogue was shut down, that the student wasn't validated or nurtured in their beliefs about "the system" and there was no space to continue to dialogue around that.
I started to sense that unlike her, (with checked assumptions here) who she can do the J-O-B, be in these facilities with these communities, then go back home to something different. I couldn't do that. I didn't have the privilege of putting my blinders on whenever, to not find commonality with my students in the way I looked, maybe the ways in which I grew up and had similar lived experiences and emotions as my students, etc... Then on top of that, I had to go home and wonder why there was so much trash on my streets and broken down cars, why did another kid got shot at the corner store?, why is it such a struggle to just get ahead in life?...
I realized then, thatI worked in trauma,
"walked the streets" in trauma,
and I went home to trauma.
I had no rest.
The serendipitous part of that moment was that I finally came into a reconciliation about the differences between privileged white folks working in these communities and my own identity as a POC doing the same work.
I was more prone to being re-traumatized while on the job
But on my long drive home from that observation I came into that knowing. I said to myself, hey the men in that facility have gained so much growth, healing, and a safe place to process that I can't disregard that. If she, (privileged white woman) can do it, handle it, continue to proceed after so many years, then good for her! She's able to facilitate and impact these men and this program needs to keep it going! So, now that I reached that reconciliation, I had to make my next move. How then, would I continue to do the things I'm good at and loved to do while still working with my community WITHOUT getting re-traumatized? First,
I needed to find a way to END my own daily
CYCLE of trauma
I needed to begin my own HEALING
So what were my first steps in this journey?
Gather (get a hold of) myself
Gather my tribe of support
Figure out what needed to be healed
Start practicing
During that specific time in my life where I was in that prison observing this woman, I had just gotten laid off from my last position. And that lay off didn't go down as a mutual agreement in any way. I was emotionally vulnerable and I felt a little lost, mostly defeated. Still I held my ground and trusted that there was a bigger purpose for me. And that there must be something behind the pattern of losses and frustrations of working in non-profit environmental organizations. I was reminded from a good friend that I couldn't possibly take on all of the blame for how things turned out for me; that there are always those components of this system at play here.
So in trying to figure out what needed to be healed, I doubled down on figuring out where I needed to be next. I continued working with a small and special group of women as a support system to heal daily as well as to develop my spiritual awareness, I engaged fully in my coaching certification program and utilized our practice sessions to address these specific pain points, and I asked for more of myself to just surrender to my spiritual path as a healer.
No doubt its constant work, learning, and growth.
But my everything and every part of me is affirmed every time I'm with a client
or out with a group on a healing hike; I'm now walking my path.
I say this to many of my clients in exploration and wonder around what is next. I say, pay more attention to the things that bring you light, levity, and fulfillment. Those are the places you want to go towards. And for those places that aren't so bright, maybe they are darker in feeling, they are places of hurt or bad feelings AND approach them head-on and ask in the most direct way, "What are you here to teach me?"
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY STORY. IF YOU ENJOYED THIS PIECE, PLEASE SHARE WITH OTHERS AND JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION BY COMMENTING BELOW!
MEET THE COACH
Raynelle Rino, CPC
A long time social sector professional, Raynelle began her career in the sciences as an ecology field researcher then moved onto environmental education and social justice at the grassroots organizational level in the Bay Area. Her love for nature and youth development brought her to teach in unique settings like alternative high schools, environmental justice neighborhoods, parks, and juvenile justice facilities.
In 2016 Raynelle started Rino Consulting Solutions, a nature-based consulting firm that provides coaching and consulting services for professionals and other businesses. It’s mission is to support and inspire the leaders of today to live in the confidence of their identities as they move through a world in the midst of social, racial, and environmental transformation. Raynelle is a graduate of Humboldt State University with a BS in Biology, a Rising Leaders and 2042 Today fellow, and lives in Oakland with her husband and daughter.
"Waiting For Them to Leave or Die..."
I found myself saying this a lot in my career as I made an effort to climb into organizational leadership. Coming from an industry where progress was stalled one way or another by leadership, new ideas were met with skepticism and fear,…
I found myself saying this a lot in my career as I made an effort to climb into organizational leadership. Coming from an industry where progress was stalled one way or another by leadership, new ideas were met with skepticism and fear, it was an easy excuse to just get through the day to day. It was that last ounce of hope I would give myself saying, "I can just wait for them to leave or die, then things will change, it will get better"
But knowing me, that wasn't going to last long. I needed to leave or it would crush my soul to stay! Now, don't get me wrong, if you're feeling the frustrations of a stagnant organization or one where your values aren't aligned, I'm not saying you should leave, but what I AM saying is
THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO BE IN A SITUATION
For me, I realized that I can either be in REACTION to the situation or I can TAKE ACTION ABOUT the situation. So, what action did I take? I started to pay more attention to the PATTERNS that were showing up in my overall career as well as personal life experience. I realized that those patterns were actually messages telling me where I should or shouldn't be. And I say this to a lot of folks seeking their purpose,
"Whatever dims your light, move away from it. Whatever brightens or gives more light,
move in that direction."
Even after I reflected on the many things in my life that brought me joy and invigorating challenge, I still didn't now how to step forward. Now, as a coach, I realized what was missing in the process was a step I'll call
"NAMING"
Sometimes all it takes is just one quick and highly impactful session to simply NAME what life is placing in front of you to take the next step forward.
If you're at that stage in life of wondering, "what else could I be in life?", I encourage you to reach out to me for just a quick 20 minute talk to determine where you are in your journey towards a happier more fulfilling life's work and to set some goals!
Today, I know for sure that the "naming" step is just one of the three beginning steps I've laid out for the introductory level of work I do in supporting others through their journey. As we begin with naming what life is presenting you, we can get deeper into your knowing of Self and build your AWARENESS.
But I didn't get to the "naming" on my own. I had help. With the guidance of many others with their own life and professional experiences, I found those names. They knew the names of situations, they new the names of similar behaviors I was experiencing. And I took those as my tools to move forward.
I had to NAME my situation. I had to NAME what I was feeling, experiencing, and reacting to. Because without naming, I wasn't able to validate my situation or experience and contain it into a thing to work on. Without a name I would have no direction to look or walk towards. I was goal-less.
Curious to know what happens after
you name it?
Sign up for the newsletter to get information about what happens next!
A Directional Tool for Supporting Your Life's Purpose and Passion
As I was guiding high school students through a workshop on entrepreneurship, I gave my own story as an example of how my journey was reflected in the Medicine Wheel. So, I wanted to offer this priceless knowledge over to you as another reflection tool.
Who knew that something as simple as the directional compass can support and guide you through any of life's challenges and wanderings, both literally and metaphorically? Well, it wasn't until I began looking into more traditional healing when I realized the compass we were taught as young children also had some powerful significance for our ancestors and how THEY walked through life. In my work today as a nature-based coach, the compass, or Medicine Wheel is the central piece in reconnecting people to nature.
I even found it a valuable reflection tool for business development. As I was guiding high school students through a workshop on entrepreneurship, I gave my own story as an example of how my journey was reflected in the Medicine Wheel. So, I wanted to offer this priceless knowledge over to you as another reflection tool.
Download the activity and get deep into a reflection on your life's purpose.
Specifically, this downloadable activity is ideal for
- someone wanting to start a business or begin a major project
- a transition time where your next step can go one direction or the other
- if you need to re-evaluate where you are in life and need an organized way to sift through your thoughts
It'll help you to
- Intentionally reflect on YOUR PERSONAL PASSION, YOUR STORY, and YOUR SERVICE BACK TO
OTHERS - Reflect on what it will mean to you to begin walking this path or walking in it with more
ownership - Connect to the universal compass, the Medicine Wheel, and their respective natural ELEMENTS involved in developing your true path.
