Seven years ago, I started my entrepreneurial journey and participated in an authentic leadership workshop.⁠

For the first time in my life, I was out of the work structure I knew before and I thought this workshop could serve as a support system.

However, when the workshop began, the facilitator started talking about emotions and said, “We need to be kind to ourselves”.⁠

I remember thinking:⁠

💭 “WHAT IS SHE TALKING ABOUT? How does this relate to leadership?” I felt so confused. ⁠
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💭 “What am I doing here?” I felt torn. I just had my second child and being away from my baby was hard.⁠
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But since a friend I admire recommended this workshop, I wanted to give it a try. ⁠
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The powerful experience I had, led me on a path to deepen my learning on self-compassion.⁠
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Self-compassion involves treating ourselves with kindness when we suffer, fail to show up as we want, feel uncertain, inadequate or unworthy. ⁠
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It’s choosing to acknowledge the pain instead of ignoring it, criticizing ourselves, or letting shame lead our way.⁠
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The journey to cultivating self-compassion helped me realize:⁠
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🧡 My ability to show compassion for others, at home, work, and beyond, is limited when I don’t know how to do it for myself. ⁠
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🌱 My ability to contribute to others’ learning and growth is limited because it is rooted in fear and conditioning. ⁠
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🧠 Raising a compassionate world is not just about doing acts of kindness but it also involves doing the hard work of rewiring the heart & mind to grow compassion within. ⁠
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So how does self-compassion relate to leadership? After years of intentional practice, I can share this: it soothes the pain, clears the mind, opens the heart, gets us ready to choose how to show up.⁠
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March at BecomingLab is dedicated to cultivating self-compassion. We will explore mindset, barriers, common misconceptions, and ways to practice it. ⁠
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