True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are. Brené Brown. Strong Back. Soft Front. Wild Heart. These words summarise a life-long journey of learning to be vulnerable and learning to stand up for myself. Patterns are set when we’re children. We’re taught to keep the peace, be […]
A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don’t function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt […]
100 Day Creative Challenge Day 59: Safe Haven We all need a safe place to create. A place where you share your vulnerability. Sharing your creative work is vulnerable. It comes from the spirit and soul and heart and mind. If even our relationship with our work is fraught with insecurity and doubt and […]
100 Day CreativeChallenge: Day 33 Frame It! Build It! I’ve been on a road trip the last couple of days and, because I’m recovering from surgery, all I’m allowed to do is read. (Not that I’m complaining! Reading is my number one hobby.) Reading is my hobby, but it’s also homework. (Seriously!) I was privileged […]
The One Hundred Day Creative Challenge: Day16 I am an obedient sort of person. A rule-keeper rather than a rule-breaker. I always wait for the green light to cross. I don’t enter when it says ‘Don’t Enter.’ I want to do the ‘right’ thing. When it comes to writing the temptation to always seek permission […]
Dear Brené, Well, we’ve made it to the end of Rising Strong. When I embarked on the adventure of an online book club with Amanda and Jodie, I didn’t realise how exposed we’d all feel by the process. Amanda, Jodie and I have something in common—if we do something, we do it wholeheartedly. Maybe that’s […]
Dear Brené, As I’ve rumbled with shame, identity, criticism and nostalgia I see that I’ve cut off parts of my true self, silenced parts. In being the name of being tough and strong and resilient I’ve created emotional orphans. If you’re not living wholeheartedly you forget how to really be yourself. Being vulnerable and recognizing that I […]
Dear Brené, As I dive into Rising Strong my life is being edited to pieces. The story is getting more convoluted and messy—more a *SFD than a polished piece of work. In my head there’s this idealized version of my life. Sort of like the website It’s Like They Know Us. https://www.facebook.com/itsliketheyknowus?fref=ts But in real life […]
For the last three weeks, Jodie, Amanda and I have been having a conversation in our online book club. The conversation has been challenging and rewarding. From Rumbling With the Dark Side, to being an Emotional Ninja to The Reckoning we’ve all been through an emotional tumble dryer. Our lives have been shaken, stirred and shifted […]
