SGchangeagent

The only way out is through.

I’ve been on an emotional journey that is giving me the space to understand how I can better respond to life and my own feelings as they surface.

This takes work! Sitting in the silence and noticing how things feel in my body is not easy. I would rather be doing things I love .

However, to know is to grow.

As I continue to focus on self awareness and self management, I’m finding opportunities to improve my own life and the people around me when I slow down enough to feel. To listen to myself and to others.

Why is it that people in general run or hide from our feelings and emotions?

Are you taking the time to notice what you are feeling during a difficult conversation or when you are experiencing anxiety over a specific situation?

Would you be willing to stop, take a deep breath and do some self reflection and jot these thoughts down?

What personal process are you taking to get your own stress under control such as a yoga practice, movement or cultivating an attitude of gratitude?

How can you align your own personal process with your own special vital needs?

What are you doing to level up your own emotional intelligence related to self awareness and self management?

I am a life long learner. I work consistently to grow and evolve as a free spirited yogi and as an inclusive fearless leader.

Sometimes that means slowing down to look at my own thoughts, emotions, words and actions and why I am feeling what I am feeling.

The words blessed, grateful, patient and compassion continue to surface in my mind, in my yoga practice and in my life.

As we approach the Thanksgiving’ holiday, I am feeling and reflecting on being thankful.

#namastefocusedongrowingasaperson

The month of September brought us to the end of our first quarter at work, a brand new year one fourth of the way completed.

September also brought me personally a reset, a new beginning. This reset became my intention as I hosted our annual kickoff at work and as I made my way to the Wrong Way River Lodge for a weekend retreat with Namaste in Nature.

Or should I say Weekend Reset?

Our weekend started with an opening ceremony like most yoga retreats I’ve attended over the years.

This retreat was in celebration of the Fall Equinox.

What was different this time was that we each drew a card to reflect on throughout the weekend experience.

My card was the Iridescent Muse.

As I reflected on this card (before looking it up to see what it actually means), I jotted down what this represented to me. At this moment in time.

I wrote these words in my journal.

Shine bright like a diamond through love, joy, pain and adversity. Be a positive example to others.

When I looked it up, I learned that the card I pulled represents the Iris flower that beckons us to express and give energy to our artistic side. To trust our own gifts, artistry and creativity.

The Iris also represents revitalizing, letting the dullness lift to feel inspired once again.

My art is my writing.

My purpose in writing is to motivate, inspire and encourage others and quite frankly myself.

To make a small and even bigger difference in this world, in my daily interactions with others .

What card or what words have you pulled lately? What inspires you to do what you do? Why?

At our corporate kickoff, I gifted our sales team with a book. Start with Your Why by Simon Sinek.

And here I am now at a weekend reset, thinking again about My Why.

As I continue to be a woman with purpose living, appreciating and being forever grateful to do what I love at work and in my personal space, I invite you to do the same.

Explore and embrace your passions and your purpose. Focus on your vital needs.

Do what you love. Don’t be afraid to express your own art and creative side.

We were asked to draw another card at the closing ceremony of our retreat.

My card was Change represented by the dragonfly which allows transformation into our lives.

How serendipitous is that for a change agent at heart!

Let inspiration fill your mind, energy and body.

#namasteconnectedtomypassions

All movement is forward movement. Replace fear with faith. Trust in my soul’s capacity to lead me, guide me and serve me.

I saw these written words in the journal that I’ve been jotting down notes in throughout the summer. They hit home for me strong today!

As a reflect on my notes and recent experiences, today I am filled with gratitude for so many aspects of my life, my spirit and my soul.

Growth and evolution starts with doing the work.

I’m often asked what does doing the work mean?

For me, it starts with self care, self reflection and self investigation of who I really am and how I show up and spend my time and energy. At work and at play. For myself and for others.

Self Care. What is your definition of self care?

Maintaining my own yoga practice helps me with my own self care. Finding local yoga workshops and scheduling yoga retreats around the world helps me focus on my own vital needs of variety of experiences and travel.

Self Reflection. What can you bring into your life that will help with self reflection?

For me, leadership courses, yoga education and quiet time writing allows me to bring it all together full circle into my blogs of inspiration to share with each of you.

Self Investigation. What are you learning about yourself today?

Sometimes in life, we don’t always recognize our own strengths until we may be faced with adversity and life challenges.

Over the summer, I tapped into my mental stamina of strength and resilience as I faced one of the most challenging situation of my life.

When I became anxious, I used my breath to bring me back to the now. Try it! Take a deep breath in, hold it, let it go.

Reconnect to the now. It’s not going to happen without self love.

Namasteconnectedtothenow

There was a move into Aries from Pisces during the month of April.

A new beginning to the quarter. A renewed sense of energy. A fresh new focus.

So as this cycle period of the past 12 years moves to closure, I’m going to encourage each of you to glance back to your life in 2011.

What themes stand out as relevant to your life journey?

Twelve years ago, I made a significant positive change in my own life. I started letting go of what was not good for me and began my yoga journey!

Little did I know all of the work I have done for myself during this shift in my life would be the foundation I would need to get through a challenging situation in 2023 that would test my mental stamina beyond words.

Doing the work means showing every single day to be a better you.

Making the investment in your own self worth and self care.

Defining what self care means to you. And acting on it!

Finding self compassion and grace for yourself.

Honoring your body, resting when you need to. Dancing when you want to!

Not just living life, but thriving in life.

Finding your purpose in life, what drives you, what motivates you, what do you love, who do you love, why?

As a change agent, I’ve always been driven by making a difference in people’s lives. I have been able to do this in my career motivating, encouraging and inspiring others to success.

And I’ve been able to do this in my personal space in a variety of ways that align with my vital needs of giving back to others.

April moved in May.

Mothers Day is here. I’m so thankful and proud of the man my son is growing into.

I’m encouraged, blessed, grateful and at peace.

#namastemovingforwardwithgraceandcompassion

I started the first quarter of 2023 participating in a silent yoga retreat weekend at the Moon Rising Retreat Center.

I wrapped up the end of this quarter being part of a Heart Cacao Immersion experience and sleeping in a tent the entire night.

There is definitely a humility in the silence as it forces us to look within. If we dare!

As I reflect on the many ups and downs that I’ve experienced this quarter, I can’t help but feel grateful and blessed.

Grateful for my voice and the words surrounding amazing conversations.

Blessed to live life and connect with like mind souls around the world and right here in my backyard in NC. At work and at play.

In my business world, I’ve learned that there is grace and strength in a soft approach to leadership. I know that we come together as a collective to make things happen every single day.

In life, I’ve learned that compassion and kindness are at the core of building connections. Of allowing ourselves to need and be needed by others.

Can we have compassion for ourselves?

Can we embrace both the pleasant and unpleasant aspects of life?

Can we let ourselves need others instead of always being so strong and self sufficient?

Can we even embrace sickness, be kind to it and follow the process to heal?

Now that in itself is certainly a loaded question to ponder on.

I enter into spring and this next season with a foundation built on these thoughts and principles along with others I’ve incorporated in my leadership and yoga journey.

As quoted from Bon Jovi, it’s my life. It’s now or never. I just want to live while I’m alive. It’s my life.

I’ve been participating in Kathy McAfee’s 8 week program and graduated today. March 1!

During the program, we were tasked with real life scenarios that included defining who we are, sharing a fearless moment story, writing a one page business plan and a ton of self reflection and self awareness. Perfect for my leadership path and my yoga journey.

Today, March 1, I’m bold enough to share my story.

We all have those pivotal moments in life where we take a left instead of a right, answer a call or let it go into voicemail, slip on the icy road and even learn that your name is spelled differently at a young age.

It’s pronounced like Sharon, not Shireen I would proudly state when my name was called in class as a little girl and later as a professional woman. I guess it got me over being shy at a young age. For the most part, but that’s another story!

To me, being a fearless leader is being fearless and ferocious in life. Finding the strength to accept and triumph over the forks and road bumps in this journey called life.

When I first started drafting my story, I automatically started writing and reflecting on my 30 year career in the technology space. The forks in the road where I’ve been recruited, promoted, demoted and even experienced my job being eliminated without any indication, more than once!

As I reflected on the past 6 weeks of our 8 week fearless leader program, I knew my story had to shift.

Little did I know, at the time, my story would take us all down a path of introspection, silence, love and healing.

In the midst of this program, I was told in the most random of situations due to slipping on the ice, that my tonsils were swollen and they needed to be removed as quickly as possible. During the brutal healing process, I couldn’t talk for over a week. A life changing experience.

Thankfully the New Year silent yoga retreat weekend, my job, the work I was doing in this program, my writing, yoga and a few select core people in my life were all the vital needs that helped my state of mind while I was healing.

Upon reflecting on our fearless leader program and the tools were we being introduced to, I share my insights here.

As a life long leader, we are at our best when on our game. Our leadership shadow is associated with those triggers that bring out qualities that may or may not show us at our worst. This came to light as I dug into my leadership shadow and starting analyzing ways to accept it and how I can continue to grow and thrive.

Words matter!  Thoughts matter. Relationships matter. As an Actualized leader, our shadows can turn into our greatest strengths. And our biggest allies. 

So next time you find yourself avoiding a conflict, quick to judge or not letting others shine, instead of labeling yourself conflict avoidant, critical or controlling, I am going to encourage each of you to consider your own shadow, think about the situation and the relationship. What path is it worth going down?

Be confident in your words. Be mindful in your actions. Stand tall in your strengths. Embrace your shadows. Be kind. You never know what the other person is experiencing. 

My voice and convictions are stronger than ever. I have a renewed focus on the next phase of my life.

As a fearless leader, I am strong. I am healthy. I am going to be ok. 

#namastestrongerthanyesterday

Surrender is a word that has come up quite frequently in my yoga practice and in my life recently.

It seemed to be aligned with books that I’ve been reading this quarter and the new experiences that I’ve engaged in.

For me, the action of surrender is letting go of expectations that could be tied to an outcome. To being open to new experiences and places.

So off I went after a business conference in Asheville to glamp, discovered the Moon Rising Retreat, participated in a Yoga Pre-Solstice Affair, enjoyed a Manhattan getaway weekend and experienced waking up to a New Year in the mountains of North Carolina.

I’ve had some incredible experiences to reflect on as we move into the winter season and a New Year.

As I continue to contemplate on these experiences, I’ve started to think about the in between. The start of something new and exciting and the end but what about the actual experience?

There is often a lot of build up preparing and planning for events and getting work done to be able to step away. The perceived expectation. The experience you think you are supposed to have.

How can we find more time and space within ourselves to actually be fully present when we get there. To relax. To breathe. To be silent. To enjoy the climb. To just be?

That’s what the in between is. Being in the moment of the experience. Surrender to it!

What’s your in between looking like?

What new things are you wanting to experience this year?

What words did you hear over and over?

What if there was no agenda or expectation of an outcome?

What do you want to take with you into the New Year?

What do you want to expand on for the New Year?

Most importantly, what are you willing to let go of to make space for what you are taking with you and expanding on for the New Year?

I surrender. To the growth. To being in the moment. To this in between called life.

I’m a work in progress on a journey of self actualization becoming more motivated each day with every experience to reach my optimal potential as a leader, a friend, a mom and a woman.

#namasteinbetween

I’ve spent the last few days of my 10 day Egypt Travel Experience and Yoga Retreat reading, writing and reflecting as I sit at the healing Red Sea.

We traveled by car, by plane, by bus, by boat throughout the week to get to our destinations. Although our host, Christine Lewis Spoken Word Yoga provided us literature about Egypt throughout the year as we prepared for our trip, I didn’t realize the magnitude of what I would see, experience and learn during this travel adventure!

After a 10 hour plane trip from JFK, we arrived in time to have dinner at a fabulous local restaurant. There were a total of 25 of us making our way to Egypt. Flights were delayed and missed. Bags were lost and eventually found. No one was going to let that stop us from experiencing the wonder of this historical place.

Cairo is seven hours ahead of US time. It felt odd to go forward In time! When it was 3 pm in Egypt, most people I know at home in the US were just starting their work day.

I managed to quickly acclimate to Egyptian time. We had pyramids, temples, sphinxes and camel rides to enjoy. Surrender.

The words reflect to grow became part of my mantra during our meditation and yoga time. I soon added the word heal to the mantra. More about that later.

When have you taken the time to completely dig into your purpose?

I’ve come to realize over the past 10 years that my purpose is grounded in the foundation of affecting change to make a difference in people’s lives and careers. It’s rooted in the inspiration, motivation, education and encouragement that I give to others in so many different facets of my life. It was born to grow as some sort of legacy to our future leaders.

Why do you truly think you are here on this earth or for me here today halfway across the world? I’m here today in this moment to reflect on the past decade. To work to find peace for today and everyday forward. To grow into the future. To heal my body and my soul.

Yoga has now been a core part of my life for the past 10 years. I will never forget my first yoga retreat where I had limited knowledge or experience with yoga. Today, I appreciate the principles of yoga that I’ve learned along the way and how I’ve been able to apply them on and off the yoga mat.

Spending time learning about other cultures, history and being able to experience this is a blessing in itself. Yoga adds a whole other element to the equation. Especially when we are practicing on the deck of the river boat on the Nile River with the Sahara Desert in the background or standing tall facing the Red Sea. Just breathe my friends. Just breathe.

My yoga journey has also helped fill another vital need: the variety of experiences and travel that my wanderlust soul craves. As I travel the world exploring and learning, I’m also stretching my own body and mind.

Three days into my trip, during a short plane trip to Aswan, I experienced a horrible tooth pain. Thankfully our guide contacted a doctor who arrived at our ship that evening to examine my mouth. I had a mild tooth infection of all things. Surrender.

Dealing with this pain over the past week caused me to become more still when I had a chance to take downtime. I certainly didn’t miss out on anything however when we arrived at the Red Sea Resort in Huyghanda, I knew I had to take that space to rest and heal. Especially after traveling over 5 hours by bus through the middle of the Sahara desert. Who does that?

Fish pedicures, yoga, massages and more yoga. Resting on the beach. Strolling on the edges of the Red Sea. I started finding myself to have an even higher appreciation for my new life in North Carolina. I was healing and my heart was opening even more.

As we prepared for our final plane trip back to the US, I found myself running back to the Red Sea to capture this picture.

I knew I couldn’t leave this healing space without it. My tooth was feeling better. I swear it was the combo fish pedicure and massage however it was really about how the people with me made me feel.

That’s what heals our soul, fuels our growth and ignites our future. For me, it’s about the compassion we offer others. The patience we give and receive. It’s about the people who come into our lives, at work and at play. The people we impact everyday with our words and our actions.

Thank you for taking your time to be part of my Egyptian Immersion.

#namastesurrendered

I’ve spent the last few days of my 10 day Egypt Travel Experience and Yoga Retreat reading, writing and reflecting as I sit at the healing Red Sea.

We traveled by car, by plane, by bus, by boat throughout the week to get to our destinations. Although our host, Christine Lewis Spoken Word Yoga provided us literature about Egypt throughout the year as we prepared for our trip, I didn’t realize the magnitude of what I would see, experience and learn during this travel adventure!

After a 10 hour plane trip from JFK, we arrived in time to have dinner at a fabulous local restaurant. There were a total of 25 of us making our way to Egypt. Flights were delayed and missed. Bags were lost and eventually found. No one was going to let that stop us from experiencing the wonder of this historical place.

Cairo is seven hours ahead of US time. It felt odd to go forward In time! When it was 3 pm in Egypt, most people I know at home in the US were just starting their work day.

I managed to quickly acclimate to Egyptian time. We had pyramids, temples, sphinxes and camel rides to enjoy. Surrender.

The words reflect to grow became part of my mantra during our meditation and yoga time. I soon added the word heal to the mantra. More about that later.

When have you taken the time to completely dig into your purpose?

I’ve come to realize over the past 10 years that my purpose is grounded in the foundation of affecting change to make a difference in people’s lives and careers. It’s rooted in the inspiration, motivation, education and encouragement that I give to others in so many different facets of my life. It was born to grow as some sort of legacy to our future leaders.

Why do you truly think you are here on this earth or for me here today halfway across the world? I’m here today in this moment to reflect on the past decade. To work to find peace for today and everyday forward. To grow into the future. To heal my body and my soul.

Yoga has now been a core part of my life for the past 10 years. I will never forget my first yoga retreat where I had limited knowledge or experience with yoga. Today, I appreciate the principles of yoga that I’ve learned along the way and how I’ve been able to apply them on and off the yoga mat.

Spending time learning about other cultures, history and being able to experience this is a blessing in itself. Yoga adds a whole other element to the equation. Especially when we are practicing on the deck of the river boat on the Nile River with the Sahara Desert in the background or standing tall facing the Red Sea. Just breathe my friends. Just breathe.

My yoga journey has also helped fill another vital need: the variety of experiences and travel that my wanderlust soul craves. As I travel the world exploring and learning, I’m also stretching my own body and mind.

Three days into my trip, during a short plane trip to Aswan, I experienced a horrible tooth pain. Thankfully our guide contacted a doctor who arrived at our ship that evening to examine my mouth. I had a mild tooth infection of all things. Surrender.

Dealing with this pain over the past week caused me to become more still when I had a chance to take downtime. I certainly didn’t miss out on anything however when we arrived at the Red Sea Resort in Huyghanda, I knew I had to take that space to rest and heal. Especially after traveling over 5 hours by bus through the middle of the Sahara desert. Who does that?

Fish pedicures, yoga, massages and more yoga. Resting on the beach. Strolling on the edges of the Red Sea. I started finding myself to have an even higher appreciation for my new life in North Carolina. I was healing and my heart was opening even more.

As we prepared for our final plane trip back to the US, I found myself running back to the Red Sea to capture this picture.

I knew I couldn’t leave this healing space without it. My tooth was feeling better. I swear it was the combo fish pedicure and massage however it was really about how the people with me made me feel.

That’s what heals our soul, fuels our growth and ignites our future. For me, it’s about the compassion we offer others. The patience we give and receive. It’s about the people who come into our lives, at work and at play. The people we impact everyday with our words and our actions.

Thank you for taking your time to be part of my Egyptian Immersion.

#namastesurrendered

During my yoga retreat to the Sacred Valley in Peru, I wanted to make time to study the chakra energies that run through our body.

Little did I know that what I was studying would resurface at the most impromptu time at Pura Vida Resort and Spa in Costa Rica July 2022.

It all started at the wellness resort we stayed at before heading to Machu Picchu in July 2021.

There are 7 flower gardens dedicated to the Chakras at Willka Tika in Peru.

I committed to spending time in silence in each of these gardens with no particular order in mind. I grabbed my journal and a pen and walked around the property until a garden pulled me in.

I wanted to share my notes and lessons here for anyone wanting to learn more about the Chakras. From my perspective.

Did you know there is a color associated with each chakra?

Could this explain why we are drawn to a specific color? Why? To stabilize that chakra, balance, unblock it or enhance it?

Let’s start with the Root Chakra. Red.

The Root Chakra connects us to the earth. It is the root of our souls. It keeps us secure, strong and helps us stay in touch with our own reality by bringing awareness to our center.

The Sacral Chaka. Orange. It’s the home of our reproductive organs, desires, sensual pleasure and healing.

The Solar Plexus Chakra. Yellow. It’s associated with our individual power, purpose, passion, fire and vitality in life.

The Heart Chakra. Green or Pink. It’s the seat of our souls. Our emotional experience meeting ground, compassion, faith and love.

The Throat Chakra. Blue. Our metabolism, hearing, speech. Our voice!

The Third Eye. Violet. It’s our command station regularizing energy and intuition.

The Crown Chakra. Gold, While or Purple. It’s the letting go of ego and processing emotional experiences to go to a higher level of awareness.

The history of the chakras goes back along way.

The book titled Chakras for Beginners has been a great reference guide for me.

It can be found on ThriftBooks App for those of us who still like our paperback books!

My book is now filled with many of my personal journal thoughts from these experiences.

This book traveled with me to Peru.

At the last minute this year, I grabbed it to join me on our yoga retreat to Costa Rica.

I didn’t intend to make studying the chakras a focus on this trip because I was planning and preparing to teach my Rock and Slow Flow YinYasa to our group until one of my friends suggested that I try a wellness treatment that I’ve never done at the spa at Pura Vida.

Stay open to new experiences and possibilities!

This treatment was actually focused on the energies flowing through my body. The Chakras!

During the treatment, there was discussions about which of my chakras were open and which ones were blocked. This experience gave me additional insight into both understanding myself (I never stop learning) and having more compassion for others.

Yogis believe that chakras resemble spinning wheels because they involve a convergence of thoughts, feelings and energy together with our physical bodies.

Can we take these thoughts and feelings and separate reality from emotions? Separate confidence from fear and separate desires from aversions?

When we practice yoga, we unravel some of these blocks that may hinder us from tapping into our highest potential. To living our best life!

I purposefully grabbed my book on my way to South Florida this month for a mini retreat weekend getaway.

My intent was to share what I’ve learned about the Chakras during our closing ceremony.

We each lit a Chakra candle as I shared the rights we all have to live our best life and clear those traumas that often block us from growth and fulfillment.

Just one shift in our own mind can make a major difference!

I might need to create a Yoga Flow Chakra session for my next retreat!

#namastefocusedongrowthandhealing