Investigating our relationship to change itself

Have you ever noticed the immune response to big change that individuals and organizations can have? It's as if the change itself gets registered in the collective immune system as "threat." Even if the change is overall positive, we may consciously and unconsciously resist it or in some cases try and squash it.

What is this really about?

While it's not a particularly romantic way to look at a human being, we are widely the result of our hormones and neurochemistry. The state of our "inner life" impacts how we see and react to anything and everything that is "out there."

When we're depleted, stressed, or overwhelmed we're likely existing in a neurochemical soup that makes it hard to see things positively, remain hopeful, charge valiantly into the unknown or even make sound, long-term decisions. Until we regenerate and bring ourselves into a more abundant state of being in our bodies and minds, we may see the world through tired, hopeless eyes. It's difficult to see it differently when we're swimming in it.

Now imagine what a prolonged state of stress does to one's outlook, to how one sees and perceives the world. It's hard to muster the enthusiasm and resilient to navigate change, when the energetic reserves are depleted or even in a state of deficit.

This is why self-regeneration must be a part of leadership practice.

In a busy, noisy world filled with such urgency, acts of self-regeneration can feel like a radical and revolutionary choice. To choose rest, spaciousness, slowness, stillness, contemplation, time in nature, movement, or mindful anything can sometimes even feel selfish.

But consider this. What if your ability to navigate great change depended on your ability to self-regenerate?

Perhaps to become an exceptional leader, we must learn to love ourselves enough to operate from wholeness and abundance. Or at the very least engage in the daily moves that allow us to arrive at a neurochemical and hormonal state where we can feel safe and stable enough to move through change, and maybe even enjoy it rather than fear it.

Having recently entered Eclipse Season, change is on our mind at Living Leaders. Eclipses represent paradigm level change. Throughout history they have been seen as a disruption in the natural order. Humans have witnessed cycles of big disruption time and time again.

With a solar eclipse right around the corner on April 8th, we invite you to reflect on your relationship to change itself. Is change something you tend to welcome or resist? What would help you feel more safe and grounded in your body and psyche, even in the face of big change? And how might you hold space for others around you to move through change?

 - Reflections from our Founder

Want to hear more about self-leadership practices for self-regeneration and burnout prevention? Upvote this topic for future content.

Harvard’s 2024 Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership Program: Open to All Sectors and Seeking All Who Dare!

It's almost that time of year again, to embark on a leadership journey like no other.

If you're seeking to learn powerful new strategies for making sustainability a driver of organizational engagement, innovation and change, this experience can be your catalyst.

Imagine 120-150 sustainability executives from around the world coming together to learn a new approach to sustainability leadership, one rooted not only in change leadership and cutting-edge case stories, but also one that supports you to bring your ideas and change initiatives to life in your organization.

Interested to learn more?
We invite you to join us on Tue Apr 2 at 4:00pm ET for a virtual session to preview what’s in store for our Fall 2024 offering of Harvard’s Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership Program, which runs September 9 - November 25, 2024.

During the upcoming info session, we are thrilled to have three recent program alumni joining us to share their perspectives on the program experience and the impact that the content has had on their approach to sustainability work.

Our alumni panelists include:

Tim Aldinger, Executive Director, Workforce Development at Foundation for California Community Colleges

Taria Tahana, Head of Sustainability at Contact Energy Ltd

Jesce Walz, Carbon and Circularity Research Lead, Perkins&Will

In the words of participants in our most recent cohort, this program is “life-changing”, stresses “the importance of people-first, go slow to go fast, fitting form to function, proactive sensing”, fosters a “strong team spirit and deep conversations” and has “transformed the way we think about the work itself.”

If you are ready to learn more about this transformational lens for sustainability leadership and are considering applying to be in our next cohort, join us for the info session on April 2nd.

Our founder has been a part of the teaching team behind this amazing program for the last decade. Living Leaders shares the values and regenerative approach that sits at the heart of this program and all that goes into it. Hope to see you this Fall!

Self-Leadership Practices for Clarity & Coherence

The quality of our self-awareness stems from the quality of questions we ask ourselves

Checking in with ourselves by asking really powerful questions can catapult us into new levels of self-awareness. Questions are portals. These questions are designed to be reflected upon regularly as part of a self check-in practice that supports you to stay connected to yourself, your team and your purpose even as you navigate change, uncertainty and complexity in today's world. Ask yourself these questions and watch how your choices and prioritizes evolve.

The Morning Rhythm

The check-in questions above pair wonderfully with a Morning Rhythm practice. This is more than a morning routine. This is a practice for setting your "tone" for the entire day so that you can manage your energy proactively, get out in front of busy-ness, distractions and demands on your energy, as well as set your GPS to what is truly most important to you heading into any given day, including ways to stay on mission and promote health and well-being within.

Stories from the Field

Learn from leaders who are walking the talk, and embodying a more conscious, regenerative way of doing business.

In this episode, Jennifer Redden, a quantum leadership mentor, shares her holistic approach to leadership. She emphasizes the importance of understanding our unique energetic signature and developing practices that allow us to fully embody our core values.

Jennifer discusses the healing journey of leaders, the release of burnout on a cellular level, and the significance of long-term, multi-generational views and legacy building. She also highlights the role of soul values in leadership and the importance of creating a harmonious infrastructure for ourselves as embodied leaders. Jenn believes in the benefits of taking time for contemplation and healing by holding space and allowing ourselves to feel our emotions. 

In this episode: 

• Leadership is an energetic expression that requires understanding and embodying our unique energetic signature.

• Practices such as breathwork and spaciousness can help release burnout on a cellular level.

• Legacy building and long-term, multi-generational views are essential in creating a regenerative future.

• Soul values are the operating principles that guide our decisions and actions as leaders.

• Leadership is a system that requires curating practices and rituals that align with our soul values. Creating a harmonious infrastructure is essential for personal and professional growth.

• Taking time for contemplation and self-reflection can lead to clarity and alignment.

• Finding anchor points throughout the day for self-check-ins can help maintain balance and well-being.

Nicole and Jenn have continued to unravel their conversations on Expanded & Embodied via a new series called Pulling Threads. If you loved this episode, you can catch Part 1 and Part 2 to take a deep dive into the grieving process that often comes with change and how to build regenerative structures into our day-to-day to ensure that first and foremost, we are consciously leading ourselves before we ever attempt to lead another person. We'll see you over there!