#unlockingus

Brené Brown, Unlocking Us on Spotify

It was a long, amazing weekend. Fire Woman retreat online was the exact mental & emotional nourishment I needed (Thank you, @sexualempowerment for putting together such an amazing event! It was an honor to teach! ❤️). ⁣ ⁣ As a reward to myself, today I did NOTHING. I napped, condropped, and digested the experiences of the last 3 days. I also spent 2 glorious hours in the pool with my water weights and my waterproof Bluetooth headphones listening to @brenebrown's new podcast called #UnlockingUs. ⁣I've been working my ass of every hour of the day for a week solid & I really needed a relaxation day! ⁣ All of the above is highly recommended 😘❤️ #recreation #selfcare #takingabreak #cantworkallthetime (at Summerlin North, Las Vegas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAW7K_vpXaw/?igshid=18xxtwus2l04m

At the end of her #unlockingus podcasts, @brenebrown asks her guests a series of “rapid fire” questions. One is “Complete this sentence: ‘Vulnerability is ________.’” My personal answer is “the most brave and courageous action you can take.” Being open is scary and anxiety producing. Yet that fear is often magnified by our complexly imaginative minds. “What could go wrong?” Those of us with anxiety are brilliant at turning that question into a downward spiral. Yet, a small act of courage and being brave can reverse that into an uplifting spiral. By being brave, you can often inspire many others who’d otherwise remain silent out of their own anxiety. If you can do it, so can they. Such is the stuff of transformative movements. To use a metaphor referencing bygone eras: Which general is more likely to inspire and lead their troops? The one in the front, leading the charge, or the one pulling strings far behind the front, pulling strings from the safety of a bunker? Much gratitude to @michaelmcknight32 for consistently sharing powerful wisdom gems. https://www.instagram.com/p/CiEDgzjp1nMG-xPxPfYiSV2L-U02ZCivHNLS6Q0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

As he writes (see comments), this can be scary as all bejeebus. At the end of her podcast, #unlockingus, @brenebrown asks her guests some superb “rapid fire” questions. I like to imagine how I’d reply when I’m a guest someday. One is, “What is something people often get wrong about you?” That came to me last night as I listened to her interviewing @justinablakeney: That what I do in this world is not defined by the pigeonhole that was my last position. This can be extremely frustrating. The classic example was when I was once looking for work. Well -meaning people kept suggesting QA roles for me simply because that was the one of the last functions I’d performed when I left a startup. I’d engaged in myriad roles, many simultaneously, in the very early phases of this dynamic environment. The irony was that I left, in part, precisely because the company was beginning to evolve toward a more pigeonholed corporate structure. On some ways, I’m in a similar place, and despite much experience here, it’s still scary as fuck. Yet I carry on, knowing that “to thine own self be true” is critical to fulfillment and contentment. I’d rather be uncomfortable that live a lie. #multipotentialite #rainforestmind https://www.instagram.com/p/ChTTHTDJONUJXlzCk7r3TESDbe-dMsbqh1jSF00/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Relevant… realizing more and more that if a door doesn’t open, it’s often not my door… and that’s good! Over the years, I’ve somehow found my way over the threshold of too many doors that weren’t my place. I do not regret choices—they all teach something helpful. I am grateful for those journeys. Still, there is a price to be paid for going places that are not true to your genuine self. That’s accountability, put another way. I spent the last week binging two hands of fingers worth of @brenebrown’s #unlockingus podcast. You never know what you are going to get, but it’s invariably insightful and uplifting. I listened to guests that included @estherperelofficial, @roxanegay74, @debbiemillman, Eva Eger, @jenniferrwalsh, @smashfizzle, @emmanuelacho, and Drs. John and Julie Gottman. If there is a common theme with this congregation of minds, hearts, and spirits, it’s that choosing your own door, even if it’s unusual and highly irregular, is always the the right path. This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. —Hamlet Act 1, Scene 3, 79-81 #Repost @jeanneheilemanyoga with @use.repost ・・・ #itsnotyourfault #surrender #waveofgrace #lookforotherdoors https://www.instagram.com/p/CgphEi7vK9t6Q0P3ACPqzK-TBGMO7Zvi2HBC-Q0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

It’s #wonderfulwordwednesday. Do you think you can incorporate “gezellig” into your writing this week, or perhaps use it as a #writingprompt. Be inspired! And if you want to hear more about this word, check out @brenebrown #UnlockingUs podcast episode with the creators of #TedLasso as they describe how this word and all its meaning came into their lives and inspires them until this day. (Thank you @ellafsanders for this beautiful book filled with meaning.) #amwriting #stopwritingalone #wordwednesday #lostintranslation https://www.instagram.com/p/CT2sPj5r7qk/?utm_medium=tumblr

4/24/21.