Inner transformation work is outer transformation work. Personal development is professional development. Those statements are as true whether you spend your days making widgets or organizing political initiatives around climate change.

I started off my career wanting to change the world, but showing up in my work and in my life often paralyzed by perfectionism and anxiety. And I learned through personal experience that even when you leave your job and move across the ocean to escape the forces you feel are holding you back from being at your best, most creative, most innovative and productive self, you end up bringing those forces along with you!

As people who want to create a better world, we want to skip to the part where our organizations or groups are getting small business owners access to capital, we’re closing the racial wealth gap, we’re building coalitions to shift policy, we’re raising test scores in Detroit Public Community District, where we’re getting folks to the polls, etc.

But our organizations or groups are made up of people. How are we, the people? What are we carrying inside of us that we bring into the work and model in the world?

What does it look like for us to flourish? Are we showing up ready to dream big? Are we able to offer a supportive, non-shaming space for ourselves? And for others? Is the volume turned up so high on our anxiety that we can’t hear ways in which we’re uniquely equipped to support others?

As we close out season 2, I invite you to reflect on the following:

What does it look like for you to flourish?

Are you showing up ready to dream big? If not, what’s holding you back?

f you want to chime in on the discussion, the “I Want to Change the World Podcast Community” on Facebook is the perfect place to do so! You can also email me at janai@gilmorefacilitationllc.com or drop me a line @missjanaiashley on IG.

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