“What makes your voice dangerous?” This question seemed so far out of left field and hit straight to the target in my gut. Nothing I’d said with my words insinuated that my voice is dangerous. In fact, I am always so intentional with my words, deliberate with my tone, careful with what I say. I consider how it may be received before I let it cross my lips. And there it is. Why the need to be so cautious? It shows. To the room filled with coaches, it was clear that I was being measured. What I realize now is that to ANYONE it’s been clear that I had been conservative about what and how much I share. But I thought I was being considerate. I thought I was just being a thoughtful person. So when the senior mentor coach and trainer asked me this question off the top, it threw me completely off and I felt tears threaten to fall. Who am I tryna front, the tears most certainly fell. What is going ON with all of this?! I don’t think my voice is dangerous, do I? I’d never looked t
Raise your hand if you worry about or have been taught to avoid being self-centered or selfish or if you expend so much energy being self-effacing in trying to be humble. In my practice, I find that many of the women I coach have been trained to put everyone and everything else before themselves. Our children, our spouses, our clients, our families, our friends, and then we’ll serve ourselves from what we have left over. We are taught that it is virtuous to give others our last dime, the clothes off our back, every moment of our time and attention. I’m curious, though. If this is our way of life, where exactly are we giving from? We know the example of putting on your own oxygen mask before helping others in case of an emergency on a plane. It makes sense, right? If you ain’t breathin’, how are you gonna help anyone else breathe? But there are some of us moms out here who even feel a twinge of dis ease with that idea as well. So I ask again, where are we giving from?