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Featuring Shalane Walker: Corporate Leader & DEI Advocate

June 26, 2020 by Kelly Nash Leave a Comment

I met Shalane at my first L&I event in late 2018. I connected with her right away because of our career background, as we both work full-time in the advertising industry. Shalane is an Associate Media Director at Wavemaker Chicago, where she currently manages media data for the 2020 U.S. Census account. She has extensive experience in the industry, having managed media plans and executed strategies across three Fortune 50 companies.

Something I love about Shalane is her drive to move the needle when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially in the workplace. She has been a leader on these topics at the companies and agencies she has worked, including serving as a key thought partner and leader at Wavemaker in helping advance DEI. With the recent events as it relates to police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement, Shalane and I have had numerous conversations about the racial injustice in this country. She has educated me in more ways than one and for that, I am eternally grateful. I know it’s not her responsibility, but the fact she goes the extra mile proves just how much Shalane cares.

Prior to Wavemaker, Shalane worked overseas in Dubai at Universal Mccann on the Johnson and Johnson account. (How cool is that?) While there, she helped bring to life new advertising touchpoints for brands such as Carefree and Listerine, and even helped to launch Splenda in the region. She also helped co-found and lead Cheer Dubai, the first adult cheerleading team in Dubai.

This woman is an absolute rockstar and I can’t wait to share more about who Shalane is. Read our exclusive interview below and find out why she believes using your voice is your greatest power.

Meet Shalane Walker.

KN: Shalane, thank you so much for being a part of the Shine On series! Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got to be where you are today in your career?

Shalane Walker: I really wanted to be an actress, but I had never done theatre. I went into MSU as a journalism major, planning to be a news anchor. After one semester, I realized how much I did not like writing and researching, and then switched to communications.

I graduated in 2008 (not the greatest year, my 2020 graduates probably can understand), and received only one job offer at an advertising media agency in Chicago. I had never taken an advertising class, and had no idea what media was. However, I accepted and fell in love. It was the right balance of creative and math (yes, I’m one of those nerds who loves math and Excel). I had the opportunity to work on clients such as Bank of America, Pantene, Secret, Venus and Budweiser.

After five years, I went overseas for three years developing media strategies for Carefree, Listerine and other Johnson and Johnson brands. I came back to Chicago to work at a different agency called Wavemaker. I love the company. It’s smaller (although we are still a part of a large corporation, WPP) and it feels more like a family than a corporation. I currently work on the Census account, which I really enjoy. The census impacts how trillions of federal funding is spent, and I’m doing my part to help those audiences least likely to be counted ensure they have a voice.

KN: I think that’s so cool you had the opportunity to live and work overseas! And I love your view on working on the Census account – it has to be extremely rewarding to be able to make an impact in that way. What would you say excites you about your job? What do you find the most challenging?

SW: What excites me most about my job is that I have the opportunity to work with fresh graduates just beginning their careers in advertising and help mentor and teach them. I also really enjoy that there is always something different to do every day. As someone who thrives in everchanging and fast-paced environments, this is a facet of advertising that I enjoy.  The hardest part of my job is when we bring advertising plans full of creativity, insightful data, and well thought out recommendations to our customers and they sometimes decide not to move forward.

KN: I definitely relate to that from working in the ad agency world years ago. What has been the biggest challenge in your career or in your life? How did you get through it? 

SW: The biggest challenge in my career was when I rotated into a different department at my company to work on a new business client. The hours were challenging, I often butted heads with my bosses, and the culture was really hard for me to adjust to. To get through it, I tackled the problem head-on. My boss told me I was performing below target and instead of lashing back and defending myself, I went home that night, made an action plan, and then asked my boss to sit with her and review it. I realized that to move forward, I couldn’t live in the mindset that it was me against the world. I needed to figure out how to get the world back on my side. Now, my former boss and I have a great relationship and she’s actually written me multiple letters of recommendation.

KN: That is a great lesson embedded in that story! Good for you for taking a step back to assess and take action in that moment. What has been your best career decision? 

SW: My best career decision was in 2013 when I accepted a job overseas in the Middle East in Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates. I didn’t 100% know what I was getting into, but I knew I wanted the opportunity to work and live abroad, so I made a plan, networked, interviewed, and moved 2,000 miles away with my daughter without knowing a single soul. It was the best three years of my life. I learned so much about different cultures, made lifelong friendships, and professionally had the opportunity to lead very large projects at a very young age (only 28 at the time). 

Shalane Walker and her daughter in Egypt.

KN: I am so jealous of your work abroad experience! That had to have been life-changing. Shalane, you’re an extremely successful businesswoman. What would you credit your success to? 

SW: I would credit my success to my parents who helped prepare me to face the world and taught me that you win more flies with honey than vinegar. This has been advice that has paid off very well when dealing with difficult situations. Secondly, I have had amazing managers/mentors in my career. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that they also happened to be men and women of color. Representation matters.

KN: That’s a really important point. Speaking of diversity, what actions would you recommend for women who want to create an equitable workplace, especially for African Americans and other people of color? Which actions have you personally taken?

SW: I’m going to take the easy way out and borrow a phrase from the Chicago CTA: If you see something, say something. As an ally, I recommend becoming educated and speaking up when you notice things. Stop being scared of the repercussions and just know that staying silent is much more harmful than fumbling through saying what’s right. Also, as a Black woman, as hard as it is sometimes, I’ve always used my voice. Just recently, I emailed our global CEO about a socially insensitive e-mail he sent in regards to Black Lives Matter. I’ve also emailed an industry conference president after he assembled a 50-person speaker conference with no people of color and only three women. It gets tiring, and it’s emotionally draining, but if we don’t speak up, people can’t learn and do better!

KN: I couldn’t agree more. I’ve definitely learned my voice matters and the actions of one person can truly send ripples to motivate others to speak up and take action too. Can you share how you balance your work and your well-being? 

SW: You have to set “flexible” boundaries. A few examples of how this works: I have a few time periods each week that are “blocked”: 

  • 7a-8am – meditation, devotion, exercise time
  • 9a-5p – work of course!
  • 7p-8p – dedicated time with my daughter, Leila
  • Sunday morning 10-11a – church

However, if things come up, such as an after-work happy hour that goes from 6p-9p, then I move my 7p-8p dedicated Leila time, and find a different time later in the week to make it up to her. Or perhaps if I have a week that is more heavily skewed with family time, then the next week is more heavily filled with work time. What I try to avoid is going entire weeks, or months without time for myself, or time for my daughter, because in the end, those are the two most important items that influence the rest of my life.

Shalane Walker and her daughter.

KN: I like that. It’s important to set aside time for the things that matter for you but also remain flexible and give yourself grace too when you need it! With everything going on in your life, what keeps you motivated?

SW: Knowing I’m making a positive difference in the lives of individuals keeps me going. As long as I continue to have access to teach and influence new minds, as well as make an impact in my job and community for the better, I’ll keep going as long as God lets me.

KN: That’s definitely how I feel too. I talk a lot about making an impact or as I say, making your mark.  Lipstick & Ink is all about encouraging women to make their mark on their lives, the lives of others, and on the world. What does “making your mark” mean to you?

SW: What a great question. Making my mark means having one person who can say their life has been improved or enhanced because of something you’ve done. And if you can do that with every person you meet, your impact can be unlimited.

KN: Yes! Love that. Who inspires you and why?

SW: Jesus Christ (from the Christian Bible). I know over time, He has become a divisive figure (anyone remember the Crusades?), but when you read about His life, the things He said, the change He made. I mean He was ultimately killed for disrupting the status quo with the religious and elite of the time . . .but He never gave up in doing what was right, no matter what people said.

The second person that inspires me is Michelle Obama. I relate a lot to her because she has very humble beginnings, but has been able to make her mark by staying true to who she is, and using her platform to make a difference. However, I have no interest in politics or the law profession. 

KN: Amazing answer. Okay, last question. If you had one piece of advice for fellow career women, what would it be?

SW: My favorite piece of advice is what I learned when I was just 10 years old. It’s stayed with me all of these years and it’s this: “Find out who’s in charge, find out what they want done, and do it.” 

Many times people are doing things, but it’s not what needs to be done. Or they are doing things on their own, but haven’t checked in with the person in charge, and they end up going around in circles. Lastly, if the person in charge is asking you to do something you don’t want to do or feel like you shouldn’t be doing, that’s a red flag you need to either speak up or head out. Never compromise your values for the sake of the almighty dollar. 

Thank you for sharing that and a bit about who you are, Shalane! To connect with Shalane further, you can find her contact information below! 

  • Contact: ShalaneWalker@gmail.com
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Kelly, Founder of Lipstick & Ink
Kelly Nash

Kelly Nash is a Chicago-based writer, speaker, career advisor, and founder of Lipstick & Ink®. In addition, she works full-time in technology as a Success Manager at Salesforce and has over 10 years of digital marketing experience. Kelly has been featured in Thrive Global, International Association of Women, General Assembly, Salesforce, SheFactor, and Six Degrees Society. She is also in the process of writing her first book.

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Filed Under: Shine On Series Tagged With: corporate job, goal-getters, shine on, shine on series, women who inspire

About Kelly Nash

Kelly Nash is a Chicago-based writer, speaker, career advisor, and founder of Lipstick & Ink®. In addition, she works full-time in technology as a Success Manager at Salesforce and has over 10 years of digital marketing experience. Kelly has been featured in Thrive Global, International Association of Women, General Assembly, Salesforce, SheFactor, and Six Degrees Society. She is also in the process of writing her first book.

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HI THERE!

Kelly, Founder of Lipstick & Ink

Welcome to Lipstick & Ink®, your home for everything career, wellness and #realtalk inspired. I’m Kelly, a Chicago-based advertising tech professional, career advisor, writer, speaker, events host, and goal getter.

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Kelly💋 Career Advisor & Writer
I was in a meeting when Adam texted me, telling me I was in a meeting when Adam texted me, telling me to check Twitter with a screenshot of a tweet: "The US Capitol is now on lockdown." Immediately, my heart started to race and my first thought was, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬?
⠀
Just when we think we're taking two steps forward, we take one massive step back. We all know what we saw yesterday. And the reality is that our country is still divided over what to even call yesterday’s events. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐰. My loss of control feeling then resurfaced, something I've certainly grown accustomed to these last 10 months. The utter shock spiraled me into checking my Twitter feed and watching the news for 𝟷𝟸 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. I couldn't fall asleep until 𝟹𝚊𝚖.
⠀
I woke up this morning wondering how I was going to get through the rest of this week. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘺? Here’s what I came up with:
♡ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹. Minimize the news and social media you take in. I'm distancing myself and dialing in on protecting my energy.⠀
♡ 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿. I recently started writing morning pages (thanks to @juliacameronlive), where you start the day writing 3 pages of long-form writing about anything. I wrote about how I was feeling in today’s pages.⠀
♡ 𝗚𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸. Adam and I went for a walk before work to get fresh air, & clear our heads.⠀
♡ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸. Don’t pretend it didn’t happen. Check in with others (including people you work with) and connect by sharing your thoughts and feelings too. If you need time to process, be open with your manager and ask.⠀
♡ 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹-𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴. Take breaks during the work day. End work at a reasonable hour and do something that gives you joy. I plan on doing yoga to calm my mind & lose myself in a book. {continued in comments}
My goal in 2020 was to complete my book's manuscri My goal in 2020 was to complete my book's manuscript. As you probably know, I didn’t come close to reaching it since I'm still working on it. And #itsokay. Old me would have dwelled on it, beating myself up for not accomplishing it. But I now know this: 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭.
⠀
I wrote my 2020 goal down and pinned it on the wall in front of my desk for me to see every day last year, to push me to put my vision into action. It was my 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳, a reminder to myself to keep going, even on the days I was discouraged. It led me to get serious about my goal, hiring a book coach, and 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯.
⠀
While I didn't finish in the timeframe I had originally hoped, I myself know how much thought, time, and dedication went into attempting to achieve my goal. Looking back, there was 𝑺𝑶 much progress.
⠀
January, as we know, is a time to set new goals for the year ahead. I'll be thinking about mine and writing them down this month once again to keep me motivated throughout the year. My reminder to you (and me for that matter) for the next 12 months is as you work towards your goals is to 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺.
⠀
𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 -- 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞💋
[𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗚 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧] I [𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗚 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧] I love NYE - not for the parties, the dresses, or really even the ball drop. I love it because I treat it as a day to look inward, to quiet my mind, and reflect. Every NYE since middle school, I've taken time to write in my journal and reflect on the year, to acknowledge my growth, to accept what didn’t go as planned, and to appreciate the life I am creating. The past few years, I've shared a lot of those thoughts on L&I. This year though, I went back and forth as to if I still wanted to share a recap given how intense this year has been. 2020 was taxing for so many and I wanted to be sensitive to that, especially when the end of the year recaps can cross into “𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦!” territory.
⠀
But I sincerely believe 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝. It's important that we take that time to look back on our year and celebrate, especially before we rush into the goal-setting madness that accompanies a new year. We learn a lot about ourselves when we reflect, and write down and share our wins and our shortcomings. Not only that, we learn a lot from each other when we read these type of reflections. This year especially is important to recognize our growth because of the hardships we endured.
⠀
Despite how challenging 2020 has been, I do believe 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙪𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨. I want to share those lessons and things I personally learned about myself, because this year will be one that we’ll never forget. In my newest post on L&I, I share:
⠀
☆ What Went Well⠀
☆ What Didn't Go So Well⠀
☆ What I Learned⠀
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You can read it all via the link in my bio! I hope that you too use the last day of 2020 to take a moment and reflect and truly appreciate how far you've come. Because damn, it was a 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭. 𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭. Wishing you a healthy, safe, and prosperous 2021 ahead ♥️
Living through this year has been challenging on a Living through this year has been challenging on a number of levels. There’s no doubt about it. Between the pandemic and the upheaval of our lives that’s come along with it, to the racial injustice many of us had our eyes opened to, to the ongoing political strife and divide, to the deaths of our loved ones, it has been a 𝐋𝐎𝐓.
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It’s been a common refrain ever since March to wish 2020 𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙗𝙮𝙚. I certainly don’t blame anyone for it. But even in the darkest of moments, it's important for us to not be consumed by it and instead seek the light. Find the good, find the lessons, find the realizations 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴.
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Which is why I asked the L&I community – 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
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Swipe to see some of the top responses that were shared. You can also see the rest of the responses in a new blog post on thelipstickandink.com, via the link in my bio. Perspective and perseverance will always see their way through💋
As women, we are faced with 𝙖 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨. And with those come a 𝕔𝕙𝕠𝕚𝕔𝕖:⠀
➸ Those obstacles and challenges can either define us and hold us back from being our most authentic selves⠀
ᴏʀ⠀
➸ We can break free and rise to the women we want and are meant to be.
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Each of these obstacles and challenges I've listed are ones that I've personally faced. Throughout my 20s, I allowed them to consume me, lower my confidence, and ultimately chain me down. I limited my potential for years without even realizing it. But in these last few years in particular, I've learned what it means to 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫. And with that comes making an active choice to let go of what holds me back.
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I bring this up because 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘐'𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. Revisiting the memories and emotions and writing out these experiences is helping me realize just how much I've overcome - and still am overcoming. I'm in no means past all of this as I feel I'm a constant work in progress. But it feels empowering to reflect on how far I've come and have the opportunity to share that with other women. I can't wait to reveal more about my book in the coming weeks. There will definitely be more to come.
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Now, I want to ask you - what do ʏᴏᴜ want to break free from? Are you currently releasing anything that's been holding you back? Let me know in the comments!💋
I’ve seen a quote all over IG & it’s one that I’ve seen a quote all over IG & it’s one that I slowed my scroll to pause and take in: “𝙸 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟶 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝙸 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟶 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝙸 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎.”
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While living through this year has been challenging on a number of levels, one of the things I hope we can appreciate is the 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 🎁. I’m not referencing the physical 6 foot distanced space we’ve grown accustomed to. (That part has been hard - I really miss hugging my mom 😭.) I’m talking about the 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 we’ve been given - 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚, 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣, 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡, 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚. Through the gift of space, 2020 has been a year in which we’ve learned what we need, what adds value to our lives, and what depletes us.
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For me in particular, 2020 made space for:⠀
🎲.Play and connecing with my inner child⠀
💭 Reflection and journaling⠀
🙅🏻‍♀️ Boundaries and learning to say no⠀
💬 Tough conversations on racial injustice, science and politics⠀
♥️ Connection with others, even when it meant virtually⠀
🌳 Getting outdoors and enjoying every walk and hike I took⠀
🤔 Curiosity into learning more about myself through astrology, human design, shamanism & mediums⠀
📚 My book, a dream of mine since I was a little girl⠀
🦋 Being present and learning the power of slowing down and tuning in
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It’s been a common refrain ever since March to say 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘣𝘺𝘦 𝘵𝘰 2020. And it's crazy to think it will pass in just 24 days. The new year is going to come regardless, but 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 2021 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪? What lessons can we carry with us from 2020 to shape it into the year of freedom and possibility that we are hoping for? How can we continue to 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 even as our schedules inevitably fill up, our offices open, and our lives go back to a sense of normalcy?
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I'll tell you what, the space that 2020 created is something I'll certainly be holding onto and ensuring I maintain💋
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