The power of NOW

Hello Beautiful Human,

I am currently gathering the next cohort of Wired for Joy & Empowerment and I have been contemplating what prevents people from cultivating what they want in their life.

The sneaky phrase, “It’s not the right time” immediately came to mind.

And then, it happened: I saw where that phrase was showing up in my life.

The phrase sounds rational and thoughtful, but really it is just keeping us safe, small, and disconnected from our truth. I’ve been sitting on ideas and messages, allowing the delay to just happen.

Keeping myself from the power of action. We all do it.

We hedge our energy and emotional risk by thinking, it’s not the right time.

Which only further delays the action, the growth, and the dreams we actually want.

NOW can feel scary.

Until you realize that NOW actually has the power to bring relief.

NOW has the power to put you on your desired trajectory.

NOW is FIRE.

You can’t change what you did yesterday.

Tomorrow will have its own excuses and fears to be confronted.

NOW is where the magic happens.

And so,

In the power of NOW,

let me share what’s been on my mind.

Over the past decade of coaching, the following characteristics have consistently been themes I support my clients in overcoming and moving through.

• Perfectionism
• Binary, Either/Or thinking
• Fear
• Defensiveness & Denial
• Fear of Conflict
• Individualism (hero mentality)
• Prioritizing your head knowledge (i.e. the written word) over embodied and other ways of knowing.
• Urgency and time scarcity

Those working in racial justice and systems change work may recognize this list of characteristics as those associated with white supremacy culture.

When we find a way of being and leading liberated from these characteristics the world opens up. Authentic, effective, and aligned leadership can emerge.

I’ve seen it dozens of times and the results are magical. Our thinking is elevated and our personal transformation create space for ourselves and others to thrive.

The above themes are toxic and pervasive. Even among those of us deeply committed to racial equity.

Art by Tema Okun from the website whitesupremacyculture.info

Culture (organizational, societal, and familial) is like that, pervasive, it’s the air we breathe and the assumptions that drive our behavior without our conscious permission. 

So when I say I’m a culturally rooted coach, I am referring to my study, knowledge, and lived experience as a Latina leader. It also includes my awareness of the many intersecting cultures that feed our beliefs and create our reality. 

I believe we are ready to divorce white supremacy culture. We have watched its violent overt enactments administered from the highest office in the US for the past 16 months. It’s exhausting and damaging to all, including our planet.

Living within a certain culture does not condone it. It’s the smog we breathe. However, failing to name it and to consciously cultivating other ways of being makes us blind participants in it. 

We are ready to develop liberation from the Inside Out so we can more effectively lead our life, organizations, and movements. 

I didn’t set out to coach on creating liberation from white supremacy culture; my intention always was to help individuals and organizations thrive and become more effective at create sustainable change.  

Each of the themes listed above emerged from my client work independently. I studied and explored each from many different perspectives and with input from various educators, none of whom directly linked them to white supremacy culture. 

But I see the connection and I know the damage that supremacy thinking does to our ability to thrive. 

I wish I had compiled these thoughts two years ago to respond to the white women, DEI corporate practitioners who visibly showed their discomfort and shock when I asked to what extent they were addressing white supremacy within their work. The following year I was not surprised at how fast corporations dropped their DEI stance, they had never gotten to the root. Fear still reigned.

But now, thanks to the awareness of where I was stalling I’ve shared my observation and I will continue to support clients to connect with their liberation. I continue to journey out of perfectionism and the other characteristics that leave me disconnected from myself and others.

You’re invited to join me.

NOW is the best time to be awake.

Awake to the social and cultural norms causing disconnection and oppression within ourselves.

Awake to our power to cultivate a different way of being.

Awake to joy & empowerment. 

*Once you complete the application I’ll send you a link to complete your registration & payment. I promise, especially as I hit send on this email, ACTION NOW feels so much better than delaying.