by Shauna Heathman | Women
Shauna Mackenzie Heathman is the owner and founder of Mackenzie Image Consulting, South Carolina’s only full-service image consulting firm. Shauna is certified by both the Association of Image Consultants International and the International Institute of Image Communications.
Shauna Mackenzie
Want self-confidence? Put yourself out there
It’s a scary, frightening concept to put ourselves out there.
So much so that this fear holds many people back from reaching their potential, from following their dreams, building relationships, or stepping outside their comfort zone for the betterment of their well-being or attaining their goals.
My job as an image and personal branding consultant is to make sure the benefits of putting yourself out there outweigh the fear. (more…)
by Sharon Becker | Women
Sharon Becker
Being a psychotherapist, I am fascinated by the process of change.
Beyond what I do, my current passion for helping others, particularly women, to take advantage of the change process has exponentially grown based on my own personal experiences.
At age forty, I changed career paths, discovered new skills I possessed that I would never have imagined and began to view the world through different lenses.
What changed?
It was more of an unfolding. (more…)
by Shari Stauch | Women
When I first decided to narrow my marketing focus to work with clients with whom I shared a passion – authors – I had no idea what that would look like as a business model. It turned out to be the best decision I could have ever made. I enjoyed the work and connection; and clients enjoyed learning how to promote their words.
Business grew and as it did, the majority of my clientele happened to be women. As it grew more, this clientele further defined itself into a dynamic group of savvy women who, unbeknownst to each other, were exposing deeper issues in their writing, issues that would resonate with the masses… (more…)
by Sharon Becker | Women
Today’s LeadBIG guest author is Sharon Becker, LISW, ACSW, licensed private practice therapist and passionate about women using their power to support women.
Remember the days of grade school when one student was picked as the line leader and the rest of the class had to form a simple straight line and follow the “leader?”
That’s how our early impressions of leaders, followers, and power were planted.
As women, we have fought (and continue to do so) to define new leadership roles in contrast to those created by men.
Leadership involves the power of speech.
It is the ability to create a voice to inspire rather than persuade or command compliance. (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Women
Dr. Herbert O’Driscoll shares this compelling story about the power of love and vulnerability.
When I was a child, my grandmother died and was buried in the churchyard in Castlecomer, Ireland. The following year I went there on holiday.
One day we drove to visit relatives, I in the back seat with my grandfather. As we pass the graveled driveway leading up to the churchyard, my grandfather, thinking he was unobserved, pressed his face against the window of the car and with a small, hidden motion of his hand, waved.
It was then I came to my first understanding of the majesty and vulnerability of love.
Powerful, isn’t it?
What leapt out at me in O’Driscoll’s story was how the grandfather acted only when he thought no one was looking. I do that. Most people I know do it, too. I think I do it because I don’t want the world to know that I’m a big ole marshmallow inside.
The business world is harsh to those who care. Be the tough guy, was the advice an early male mentor gave me. Never let them see you sweat or think that you care. As the only woman sitting at the negotiating table across from Teamsters and Meat Cutters, that seemed like good advice. Looking back from the perspective of time, I don’t think that it was.
In a high-IQ job pool, soft skills like discipline, drive, and empathy mark those who emerge as outstanding. -Daniel Goleman
Let’s put sex and gender issues aside for now, OK?, and concentrate for now on empathy.
Research tells us (as do our hearts, especially when we have a boss who’s overly detached and makes us feel like the filing cabinet in the corner) that employees want to feel valued. When employees feel valued, they’re more productive.
Productive employees = good news for the employer and the bottom line. It’s a win-win all around.
Letting our employees and colleague know we care isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a neon light of strength.
Only those who are willing to let themselves to vulnerable are destined for greatness..
What about you—who on your team will you be strong enough to let know that you care?
Image credit before quote added: Pixabay
by Heather Stubbs | Women
Whatever your challenges, you have the potential to stand tall, glowing with the knowledge that you’re a worthy, valuable human being.
That’s what’s happening for a group of young women I met nearly two years ago. They are all people who are supported by Community Living, an organization which helps connect people with intellectual disabilities into their community so that they can participate and be included as rightful citizens.
Community Living in Peterborough, Ontario received funding through a project initiated by the Ministry of the Status of Women Canada.
Combining that project with the desire to raise CLP’s profile in the community, the Director of Operations, Barb Hiland, decided to embark on a series of public presentations in which women with intellectual disabilities would speak about themselves and their experiences and, ultimately, conduct presentations to the public about issues pertaining to women living with intellectual disabilities.
Knowing there would be training required, Barb hired me to spend four coaching sessions with these young women. In Use Your Gifts, I wrote about how inspiring it was to work with these enthusiastic students.
Ambassadors
Eight young women from the group carried on to become “Ambassadors” and leaders for the Status of Women and Community Living Peterborough. Take a look at some of their accomplishments. (What follows are not their real names.)
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- Jenny gave a presentation at a Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, speaking clearly and seriously.
- Cathy thanked a crowd of over 600 people at a fund raising activity.
- Christie won the Youth Award at Community Living Peterborough’s AGM for her contributions to increase thinking about and awareness of women’s issues.
- Maggie speaks so well that she volunteered to do an interview for the local TV station. The interview publicized a Community Living event to which she donated one of her paintings. This week, Maggie has a photo shoot with a provincial magazine for an article on accessibility. She was chosen as a model from many across the province and will be paid significantly for her time.
- Barb tells me that Linda is now a member of Community Living Peterborough’s Board of Directors and a member of People First, a self-advocacy group for people with intellectual disabilities. Barb has no doubt that Linda will be President of the Peterborough Chapter some day. She is on too many committees to remember, and she just shines!
These eight young women have conducted presentations all over the community—over 40 and counting! They carry their heads high and have all the confidence in the world to speak up to have others hear their voices. They are now mentoring another eight women to follow in their footsteps.
Meeting with the PM
Recently I received an email from Barb Hiland to update me on the latest accomplishments of my public speaking students. Barb said, “As the pinnacle of our goals, we hoped to go to Ottawa and see the Prime Minister to thank him for the funding and to tell him about all of the personal accomplishments these women have made to our community.”
That dream came true in May of 2012, when four of the eight young women were well received by Prime Minister Steven Harper, as well as the Minister for the Status of Women, Rona Ambrose, and Peterborough’s MP, Dean Del Mastro. I have on my computer screen some photos of the event. I wish I could share them all with you, but I don’t have permission to publicize them.
The one that particularly gives me goose bumps is of tall, willowy Jenny, formerly so shy, standing at full height, shaking hands firmly with the Prime Minster of Canada, and looking him squarely in the eye. What a transformation!
Training = Growth
Barb writes,
“All the women have done exceptionally well. Their former teachers are ‘stunned’ at their growth and they never envisioned such a positive future for them. I think it was critical to have you come so early in the Project and teach the group about public speaking and the skills they needed to develop. It was our most intense topic for training, but well worth the investment. It had a huge impact on the young women’s development and ultimately, their success. Public speaking training instilled them with confidence, and as a result, the sky is the limit for their success.”
Do you find it challenging to speak in front of a group? When I’m thinking of the challenges these young women have overcome, I realize that the only thing that holds us back is what’s in our head.
When we change our thinking, truly, the sky’s the limit!
This inspiring guest post is from Heather Stubbs who puts her work and life experience as a stage and concert performer to good use today as a speaker and presentation skills trainer. Here Heather shares the longer-term view of “thinking” work she did with disabled young women…recounting the successes and joy!
Image credit: morgueFile
