Happy Monday professional women and womxn! I’ve got a question for you:

What is the *biggest* vulnerability you have right now, or feeling of inadequacy, that’s keeping you from taking a step forward in the work you do?

I know, it’s a big question right away… Do we need more coffee or tea before answering?

Also, why am I asking?

Because my own vulnerability and fears of inadequacy nearly stopped me from evolving last Tuesday. More importantly, it nearly stopped me from helping you evolve, which is basically one of the reasons why I’m here on this planet.

For those of you who are new here, I did a masterclass last week. While I didn’t have 1,000 people show up (which is totally fine for now), those that came live and that are seeing the replay until this Wednesday are “my people.” We’ve chatted in varying circles—via research calls, LinkedIn, or general collaboration—and to me that’s invaluable. If you’d like to see the replay until the 22nd at Noon, sign up here and you’ll get the link and passcode; after that, it’ll go into the FSW archives.

What’s funny is, that despite these folks being my people I was deeply and extensively freaked out before the masterclass. I truly had to remind myself, consciously, to keep breathing because it felt like my voice was stuck and my lungs were concrete. Does that really make me a boss b*tch or a badass? Guess it depends on who you ask…but either way, I own it and I don’t really care about the labels anymore. And the experience inspired this week’s blog post about vulnerability, ability, and evolution.

Let’s get started and if you’d like to join the FSW Circle, to get authentic work done, it’s where the magic happens—click here!

Owning Our Vulnerability & Our Ability

Since I already confessed to nearly passing out before and during my masterclass, let’s continue to be honest together…

There are multiple reasons why I could’ve not done the masterclass, why I could’ve stayed “small” and not shared some light in the world. But those reasons are bullshit.

Yep, bullshit…

Where’d they come from? Life, others, conditioning…and probably things I don’t even know about yet.

It feels very vulnerable, raw even, to put ourselves out there; but for those of us who are changemakers, we can’t not put ourselves out there. It’s in us. Now, I’m not saying those who “are comfortable” aren’t good enough; they’re just on their own path and things can change at any point.

So, what do we do, as changemakers or those with a desire to “do more,” who are freaked about going forward? We need to remember something absolutely critical: that we also have ability or abilities.

Our abilities are the antidote to vulnerability, my friends.

Seeing the Balance Within Ourselves: The “Problem” and the “Antidote”

It may not be as simple as math or algebra, where A + B = C, but hear me out. In some very tangible examples:

• When I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I went back to my years’ worth of mindfulness practice.
• As I was looking for the “perfect” words to say, I remember what an old counseling colleague told me: I get relationships and then I remembered to use all of me to present the material.
• At the beginning and the end, when, admittedly, sharing my program info and wondering if it resonated with anyone, I remembered that what you see in the entire masterclass, I’ve lived (and worked, and got through).

That’s not chump change, y’all…and neither is what you’ve lived through and worked through.

So, enough about yours truly: what is the problem you and I are trying to work on (like vulnerability, perhaps), and what is the solution that you already have in you that I can help bring to the surface?

Marinate on that for a moment; sit with it.

Honestly, when I say “your wisdom is within,” it is not a marketing ploy. I don’t even understand marketing…Ask my fellow business owner friends.

You have the antidote to fear(s) inside of you and we just have to chat about and remember them.

Walking Together on the Collective Journey

Now, let’s talk about our collective journey. Yes, I may be an expert at FSW-ing, but I’m still trying to live out every day how my wisdom is within. To be honest, the opportunities to learn this come as I peel layers of my Old Self back that don’t serve me anymore.

And that’s when I remembered an old post about seasons—to read that you can click here. Another reminder about seasons is that within the next seven days two times are worth noting: both the Midsummer Solstice and my birthday. I’m still trying to think of myself as a vintage wine vs. an “aging woman”…talk about de-conditioning, am I right?

The point is, when you and I keep walking on our journeys (individually and collectively) we are moving through seasons together. The Wheel keeps turning, as do we. Every choice we make and every action we take moves with our own seasonality, vulnerabilities, and abilities. Ideally, the second keeps fading as we increase the latter, but that’s where we have our ebb and flow.

Some days we feel on top of the world and during others we feel like we’re in a hole. But this is our evolution. This is our process; nobody can do it for us and nobody can be like us. We are unique in our ways and add so much to this world already.

So, let’s think of this throughout our work and life week. When you’re feeling vulnerable, feel it, be with it, but never forget that within (and with help) you have the abilities already inside you to balance out. And from this balance, you can keep walking forward, ever-evolving, and I’ll walk with you.

That’s it for this week! If you’re looking for more direct updates and want a more direct connection, join (for free) the FSW Circle. And if you have any questions or comments, leave them below or contact me 1:1 this way. Chat with you soon!