As I’ve highlighted the stories of female leaders over the past 20 months, I’ve shared my reflections and takeaways. The process has given me the ability to refine and clarify my own philosophies and positions. That’s not a surprise. Growth is inevitable when you decide to get curious and are open to change.
However, what I didn’t understand at first - call it extreme naïveté - is that as I set out to learn from and develop new leaders, I’m actually helping empower women to change their lives.
The changes that have taken place in my life as a result of this work, are a direct reflection of that concept, and have caused me to better define what I do and who I coach. So I figured it was time to share a few of these revelations (you know how it goes, I learn and then I share!), and define what I mean by empowered or empowerment.
First, let’s start with some definitions.
Webster’s defines empowered as:having the knowledge, confidence, means, or ability to do things or make decisions for oneself, and empowerment as: the power, right, or authority to do something.
I then went to Wikipedia, and found more of an expanded and relatable definition:
Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights.
Yep! That’s what I do!
To be clear, there is a systemic or civic aspect to empowerment, which includes the laws, means or authority to claim your rights… and that falls more into the sphere of social justice where others are much more qualified and called to act… because, as professor Erin Murphy-Graham puts it just having knowledge isn’t always enough:
Education does not automatically result in women's empowerment, as the social and economic context in which women live can pose overwhelming constraints on their choices.
Meaning, just because you have an education, doesn’t mean the system is set up to help you flourish.
I will state for the record, that I see much work yet to do in this area, both in the US and internationally, AND I’m hopeful that empowering individual female leaders, dedicated to that work and to being role models for the next generation will equip and empower even more women to do what needs to be done.
But how?
It starts with the woman in the mirror.
There is absolutely no way around this truth, sister.
This is where I can see the changes in my life and growth making such a big difference. As I stated earlier, I believe the growth I see in myself is a direct reflection of the fact that developing leaders is, in fact, empowering them.
Living out a personal growth philosophy has its own effects, but couple that with learning from other leaders’ stories and expertise, and you have a fantastic recipe for exponential growth.
Let me break it down for you:
Learning from other Leaders’ stories
I’ve now interviewed 42 individual female leaders, and each story is different.
Every origin story, every bit of experience, every result, leadership principle and habit illustrates the pure unique and diverse nature of what leadership and empowerment can look like. When we learn from other women (instead of competing against them) we see the beautiful truth that we are truly all in this together.
We see the similarities to our own stories and experience, and it opens our eyes to completely new angles or lenses through which to view our circumstances. Shifting perspectives and seeing what another woman has accomplished enables us to dream a little bigger, and expand our own vision for what can be.
And that’s just their stories.
Learning from other Leaders’ expertise
Each woman I’ve spoken to has a particular area of expertise. I learn something new in every interview, and highlight what she can teach you, giving you a list of tips and takeaways to implement immediately.
I also include a Special Guest Speaker series where many of these women do a free, mini class that you can access as a member of my facebook group or, on my YouTube channel.
Pulling together leaders from such diverse areas is a true privilege and I am beyond grateful they are willing to freely share their knowledge in pursuit of this same end goal - empowering you and me, my friend, with the knowledge we need to build our confidence, employ the means and develop the ability to make decisions for ourselves and contribute to our own flourishing.
To be empowered.
Most importantly, though…
Living out a personal growth Philosophy and Plan - Intentional Optimism
Over the past 6 months - as I was basically learning what it means to be an entrepreneur, identity wise - I’ve had both the ability and necessity to live out the Six Tenets of Intentional Optimism in a real time, real world way. I discovered it was more than a philosophy, and began truly using them as my own growth plan.
As a result, I now have more of the knowledge, confidence, means, and ability to do what I’m passionate about and make decisions for myself, my business and my family.
I am becoming more and more empowered each day.
Honestly, any good personal growth plan will do this for you… but Intentional Optimism is mine, it works for me and my clients.
For instance this is what it looks like to live more purposefully into each tenet:
Speaking of which… there are so many ways you can begin your own growth - dare I say EMPOWERMENT - journey with the growth plan of Intentional Optimism.
To be empowered is to have the knowledge, confidence, means, ability and authority to do what you were put here to do, and to make the decisions necessary to make it happen.
So, while I can’t change the laws to make every woman externally empowered today, I CAN work with (if necessary), one woman at a time, helping her develop the strength, skills, knowledge and confidence to be the next leader and role model to do the same thing.
This is where having a nurturing environment comes into play. This is why I created Launch From The Beach. To offer you a space where you can explore your ideas and options, learn and grow, in a community based on the personal growth plan of Intentional Optimism.
As much as I can, I will always offer you training in leadership and empowerment. But like I said at the beginning - it starts with the woman in the mirror. You have to step in and choose to grow.
Pick any of the options I shared above, and just start. Or book a free 30-min consultation, and we’ll figure out your next best step on your road to empowerment.
ALL my contact information is in the show notes - let’s do this!
Until next time!
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There are events in life that define our journey. Once they happen, we begin describing everything else as “before X” or “after X”. For me,it was the day my mother died. Suddenly, I became aware of my own limited timeline. The drive to find my voice, purpose and place became urgent. I dove in, head first, and discovered the desire to help myself fueled a greater desire - to help others. Soon, I stopped defining myself in terms of roles (wife, mother, manager), but in terms of qualities: curious, determined, happy, adventurous. I've come to understand, that the qualities that make us who we are, are what we must celebrate. We each have a special purpose, unique perspective, and unlimited potential. Better yet, we can both discover and develop them.
I do this through speaking, training, coaching and writing - with a focus on helping women grow into the leaders they truly are. Intentional Optimism is my philosophy of life, and includes these five pillars:
Optimistic - Hopeful, Positive Proactive
Present - Seeking Wonder, Generous, Kind
Courageous – Leading Others, Adventurous, Resilient
Energetic - Industrious, Excitement, Life-focused
Wise - In Respect, Words and having Understanding
Intentional - Purposeful, Planning, Growth Mindset
I'm building a global community of women helping women. A place where we foster leadership from every stage or position in life. A place where we celebrate wonder; move forward with hope and openness; share wisdom and encouragement; offer each other a helping hand; ask freely, and share lavishly; and celebrate our differences as avenues of growth and expansion.
Let’s change our understanding of what it means to work, provide for our families, have financial stability, and be a leader in the community. Life is an adventure - let's live it to the fullest!
It’s time to laugh at the days to come! - Prov. 31:25
Won’t you join me on the journey?