empowering women Archives - Newave Leaders

How do female leaders make a difference in your life — what do their achievements as leaders mean for you in terms of what you want to do in this world?

Newave Leaders Make a Difference — Are You Ready to Make Your Mark on the World?

“The individual woman is required…a thousand times a day to choose either to accept her appointed role and thereby rescue her good disposition out of the wreckage of her self-respect, or else follow an independent line of behavior and rescue her self-respect out of the wreckage of her good disposition.” ~ Jeannette Rankin, first female in the House of Representatives, appointed in 1917.

Aren’t you glad we no longer live in a world such as Jeannette Rankin did, where a woman’s self-respect is sacrificed in order to keep her “place”? We’re reaping the benefits of the hard work of women who blazed new trails in leadership. The new wave of female leaders is bringing their life-changing brand of power to all areas of government and the business arena.

In our lifetime, we’ve seen milestones for women in leadership roles. 1981 brought us the first Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Currently there are three women Justices – Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and newly appointed Amy Coney Barrett.

2020 closes out with 26 women serving in the U.S. Senate and 101 women in the House of Representatives. The first female Senator, Rebecca Felton was appointed in 1922. During her short term she said, “When the women of the country come in and sit with you,…you will get ability, you will get integrity of purpose, you will get exalted patriotism, and you will get unstinted usefulness.” We wholeheartedly agree with this!

We could go on talking about our new woman Vice President-elect here in the US and all the women leading countries and major industries today. This brief glimpse into the history of women in leadership roles inspires us to play our part in leading you to claim your place in the world today.

No, we don’t expect all Newave Leaders to make their mark in politics. If that’s your passion, we support you! We believe in women finding their unique place in the world — running your own business, writing a book, coaching your community — and doing it with style, grace and ease. Perhaps future generations will be reading about you and the contribution you’ve made!

What does it mean for our world that so many women are attaining leadership roles?

We believe it means something better. Women don’t tend to take their leadership positions, or the people they lead, for granted because their leadership is their passion and they’ve worked hard to prove themselves worthy. They use their unique perspective and capacity for compassion and empathy as they strive for community advancement. They work out compromises and stand up for what they believe in. They serve as excellent role models in civil and respectful interaction.

Do you want to do power different? Are you ready to break out and do something more meaningful with your life? Newave Leaders make a difference when they…

Focus on solutions, not on differences. It’s not so important who gets the credit as is it that the problem is solved. Without the masculine ego, women more easily cross party lines or social/economic divides to find common ground.

See the person behind the problem. Compassion for the person prompts female lawmakers to advocate for policies that support the well-being of individuals, whether it’s education, health, or domestic abuse of either men or women.

Promote reconciliation, but not at the cost of stability. Women who are Newave Leaders are tough enough to make the hard decisions to preserve human rights, while anticipating the long-term consequences of such actions.

How is your life impacted, as more women claim leadership roles? What does it mean for you in terms of what you want to do in this world — does it give you more hope, skepticism, excitement, fear?

There are still many challenges for women leaders to overcome. What’s your current challenge? Please share it with us. We’d also love to hear how women leaders of today inspire you. Please join our private Great Circle Community on Facebook to continue this discussion. If you’re a woman who wants to be one of the leaders who make a difference, we’re here to support you all the way.

Learn how you can do power different — to be fully empowered to achieve your big dream of writing a book, starting a business or finding a new career.

Feeling Drained? How Can YOU Do Power Different?

Posted in Leadership Coaching.

“In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions.” ~ Margaret Wheatley

Do you feel powerful? If your answer is, “Some days, YES! Some days, NOT AT ALL!” We understand how one day you can feel full of energy and clarity; and then the next day you feel drained, deflated and uncertain.

We’re living in interesting times. We find that many women we talk to have been inspired this crazy year of 2020 to do something more meaningful with their lives. For these women, it’s been a wake up call! They have a spark, an inspiration, a message they need to share with others. Do you feel it too? Perhaps, in the moment, this idea fills you up and makes you feel powerful. But the reality is we live in a world that can easily drain your power away, if you let it.

That’s why it’s important to us to help YOU achieve your big dream, by supporting you from start to finish. Perhaps you want to write a book or find a new career path, or incubate a new project, but you keep losing your way and running out of steam.

We want you to be able to greet every day with renewed Power. After all, it is our mission to help YOU do Power Different.

At Newave Leaders, doing Power Different is…

going against the grain, trusting it’s the right thing to do,
not following the masses, creating something new even if it’s not popular yet,
listening to your audience and creating content that is relatable, changing your rhythm to include the rhythm of the people that you embrace,
trying new things, not knowing that they’re going to work and being able to shift.

Power grows through experience. But how do you gain experience in doing something you haven’t got a clue about? The key is to make self-leadership a daily priority and take productive baby steps toward your dream. With repeated practice, you’ll develop self-confidence and grow your reputation for being someone who reliably makes beneficial decisions, has good communication skills, and works well with and can effectively influence others. You become a Newave Leader!

The most powerful leaders model the behavior, attitudes and speech they expect from others. They also possess these seven basic psychological traits, which of them are your strengths and which could use some work?

The 7 Psychological Strengths of EmPOWERed Leaders

1. Know how to maximize opportunities. Prepare now so you can take advantage of any opportunity that comes your way.

2. Listen to your intuition. A practice of mindfulness will help you cultivate and “listen to” your intuitive powers.

3. Expect good things. Look for the good, since that’s what you want to attract into your life.

4. See the bright side of any situation. Resilience transforms every negative into a positive.

5. Make intentional commitments. Recognize how your emotions are forming your decisions then mindfully pause, step back, then, if it’s aligned with your purpose, fully commit to it rationally.

6. Build a diverse community. Seek out those with whom you don’t feel a personal affinity and learn from them.

7. Communicate by listening more than speaking. You’ll form meaningful connections when you make eye contact and give your full attention until you feel what they are feeling.

You’ll make the fastest advancement when you actively look for ways to daily practice self-leadership skills at home and in your community. We encourage you to pick something from this list and make it your focus for the rest of the month.

Would you like to build your Power on a strengths-based model that values creativity, positivity and looks beyond the present to create a best possible future… but you don’t know how? Then begin your journey at The Great Circle Community and let us give you a supportive foundation from which you can grow your greatness. There’s no charge to join, we’ve made this opportunity available to women because we believe with every fiber of our being that together we are stronger.

And if you want to follow that up with attending our upcoming retreat, Bring Forth the Leader Within, we’d be thrilled. (The window of opportunity for locking in the Super Early Bird Pricing is drawing to a close. Now is the time to invest in your future!)

Create Your Own Happiness by Intentionally Refreshing Your Joy

Posted in Personal Development.

“There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Have recent upheavals changed the way you live? As you reflect on what’s most meaningful for you, have you created new personal or family traditions and rituals that bring you peace and joy? Or do you find yourself longing for what’s missing in your life? It’s not surprising if you feel disconnected and disoriented when you consider the year we’ve just experienced. When you tack on the darker winter days, many are struggling to find happiness.

To be honest, we have to stop asking how to find happiness, because happiness is not something we “find”. You experience happiness when YOU give life to it and nurture it from within. It’s a spark within you (no matter how faint, it is there) that you must fan until it becomes a flame. You create your own happiness, but it hasn’t always been that way, and that may be the source of the problem.

When we’re young, our parents, teachers and others keep us entertained, engaged, motivated and validated. As we grow, their control should lessen, until we stand on our own two feet as self-sufficient individuals. Yet this natural process can be hampered because those in control don’t relinquish power properly, or we develop an unhealthy dependency on it. As a result, you unknowingly continue in the pattern of relying on others (your spouse, your business partner, your client, your child) to provide you with a good day.

To reclaim your power, get back on track, combat the winter blues and the holiday letdown, we’d like to invite you to dedicate January to REFRESHING YOUR JOY intentionally, each day.

Why is it important to intentionally create your own happiness?

Without developing mindfulness and choosing to live intentionally, you will stay stuck in the routine that has created discontent and unhappiness within you. If you’re not clearly seeing your way ahead yet, there’s something still to be discovered and dealt with within your thoughts, beliefs, motivations, mindset and actions.

Please use the following questions to diagnose where you are right now in the Create Your Own Happiness process. Look for what’s blocking you and, more importantly, what energizes you, so you can do more of that!

What is a source of joy for you?

Most people will say family, good health and energy, time to pursue things they love, feeling secure. Yet if those things are so important, why are you chasing money or every bright shy object that’s taking you away from your source of joy? When you heal the disconnect between what you’re doing presently and what you’re meant to be doing, you’ll experience peace and joy.

What gets in the way of feeling joyful?

Some things may be glaringly obvious; other things not so much. This self-assessment requires that you create a quiet space and adequate time for honest introspection. We suggest this be an ongoing process, because, in our experience, it’s like peeling back the layers of an onion. You have to get past the outer layers to find out what’s at the core.

Can you recall a truly joyful moment in your life?

Memory is a powerful tool, if you make the effort to engage it. This is where a practice of gratitude is essential. It slows you down, heightens your powers of observation and deepens your appreciation for the little things in life that we take for granted.

For EACH happy thing that happens (what others do for you or what you accomplish yourself) follow this formula:

Notice — keenly observe.

Feel the feeling deeply.
Hold onto the experience.
Talk about it (say thank you or praise that individual to others).
Record in your journal and view at the end of the month, so it’s embedded in your memory.

To be joyful, we can’t live on the surface and quickly move onto the next thing. We must deepen each experience, be in the moment, and make it part of us.

How do you know you’re feeling joy?

Become attuned to your body sensations. When you’re stressed, don’t you feel tight, bowed down, pulled in, and heavy? How do you feel when you experience happiness and joy? You feel lighter, expansive, open, upward looking. Learn to listen to your body.

You can create your own happiness by tapping into positive emotions on purpose, no matter where you are or what is happening around you. This is the conversation we’re having within the Great Circle Community on Thursday, January 7th at 8am PT or 11 am ET. The topic is Refresh Your Joy! If you’re a professional woman who has a big idea, passion, something to say or share with the world, but so far you haven’t found a way to express it, please join us! We’re here to help you take the next purpose-filled step.

No one should have to go it alone. Here are a few ways to help create more community and connection to empower women and girls in your part of the world.

5 Ways to Build Your Own Community of Empowering Women

Posted in Community Building.

As women, we have an advantage over most men. Do you know what it is? Are you taking full advantage of it?

A woman’s advantage

Many women grow up with a built-in community. Ages of wisdom have been shared from grandmother to mother to daughter, from aunt to niece, from sister to sister. We know that this community of sisters and elders anchors us to truths that others don’t yet know. We can turn to one another, wherever we find our sister or soul sister, mother or elder.

This message of community is powerfully expressed in Margaret Wheatley’s poem, “Turning to One Another*.” She tells us “There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” She reminds us that we MUST turn to one another. That is where we find the strength to discover “what’s possible” and know that others “share our dreams”.

How can you help build community and connection to empower women? Even if you haven’t grown up with an empowering support system, you can build your own, by being open to making new connections, reaching out, conversing, and sharing your hopes, dreams, and ambitions. For example, we, Maria Connolly and Louise Santiago, met and connected at a coach development program. The more we talked the more we discovered our values and vision were aligned. Since then we have been working to build this business to empower women to be fierce leaders.

No one should have to go it alone. Here are five ways to help create more community and connection in your world. Notice that within each area, you give to yourself before you can give to others.

Shine a spotlight on other women. Don’t be afraid to verbalize or write your gratitude for the things the women in your life do and the way they are in the world. Think about how positive acknowledgment has impacted you. Make time every day for this and never be “too busy”.

Recapture your essential nature. Generations of people have learned to suppress and disown their true selves. They give away their power by hiding behind a persona and showing the world a censored version of self. It’s time to bring back your authentic self! When you reconnect with your purpose and values, you’ll embrace what and who you are now AND actively unlocking the full potential of what and who you can dynamically become through mindful, personal growth.

Model healthful living. A healthy body is the powerhouse from which we attain meaningful aspirations and dreams. Without clean water, nutritious food, and energizing exercise, the human body can’t function properly. When you practice and model wellness, you empower women to be the best version of themselves. Also, it’s essential to nurture a powerful spirit that lets dreams soar and won’t give up. A practice of mindfulness and self-awareness is the basis for creating harmony in this mind/body/spirit connection.

Promote lifelong learning. It gives you a competitive edge in today’s job market. Women who know they can learn new skills when needed won’t feel stuck in a profession. It makes you a highly sought after as an expert in any field. It slows cognitive decline and makes you a happier and more interesting person. You’ll always have something to talk about, so conversations can be more deeply meaningful.

Invest in yourself. Before you can give to others, it’s vital to have a continual commitment to developing oneself in order to be a stronger part of the community. This can be challenging because as women, we’re often juggling multiple responsibilities and end up lacking the time, energy, or focus to do deep personal work. Make a commitment to yourself to get away and seriously explore and clarify what you want. Visit lovely surroundings where you can de-stress and think deeply without distraction.

We, as women, have the privilege, and responsibility, to use our community to empower each new generation to come. At Newave Leaders, we offer an Annual Retreat where you have the opportunity for turning to one another. We’ve developed a community of empowering women who share a passion for developing their internal leader, incubating their dreams, and turning their vision into a new reality.

We’re getting ready to announce our 2020 retreat in Costa Rica. We invite you to sign-up at the bottom of the Bring Forth the Leader Within page to stay up-to-date on the details.

*For your convenience, here’s a link to Margaret J. Wheatley’s “Turning to One Another.”

Tag: empowering women

Newave Leaders Make a Difference — Are You Ready to Make Your Mark on the World?

Feeling Drained? How Can YOU Do Power Different?

Create Your Own Happiness by Intentionally Refreshing Your Joy

Why is it important to intentionally create your own happiness?

5 Ways to Build Your Own Community of Empowering Women