{"id":6188,"date":"2017-05-11T07:28:24","date_gmt":"2017-05-11T14:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/?p=6188"},"modified":"2023-03-22T10:11:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T10:11:00","slug":"insights-women-international-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/staging\/insights-women-international-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Insights from Women International Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spent 4 days gathering insights from women inspirational leaders at the Women’s International Summit<\/a>\u00a0– it’s a different kind of conference you may be used to..it included complimentary\u00a0toe readings.<\/p>\n

I know what you\u00a0may be\u00a0thinking\u2026but keep an open mind!<\/p>\n

The spirit of humanity was\u00a0infused everywhere, and a desire to give, grow, and effect change\u00a0hovered in the air.<\/p>\n

These particular women ignited that\u00a0spark in each of us\u00a0for however you desire to show up in this world\u00a0with your\u00a0definition of love, success, and happiness.<\/p>\n

It\u00a0often gets buried under laundry, family,\u00a0job,\u00a0and our never-ending “to-do list’. Sherri Salata (past OWN<\/a>\u00a0co-president) recommended a\u00a0“to-be list” in a process\u00a0she calls “The Reckoning”.<\/p>\n

How do you want\u00a0to BE now in the landscape of family\/friends, adventure\/discovery, meaning\/success, creativity\/innovation, spirituality\/happiness, health\/fitness, romance\/sex?<\/p>\n

She spoke about ‘re-visioning’ your life at any age to continue to DREAM BIG. Can you\u00a0look back and\u00a0see pivotal times in your life where you took a turn in a new direction? That’s a revision, and you can create it even if you’ve had the most wild success already – you’re not done!<\/p>\n

Every speaker shared personal\u00a0wisdom that moves your soul \u00a0– words\u00a0that cut through when you are present in the room with their soul.<\/p>\n

Here’s my attempt to summarize their collective wisdom:<\/p>\n

1. Melissa Harris-Perry<\/span><\/h4>\n

‘Self-care’ is over-rated. \u00a0We need\u00a0‘squad care’. There are those so broken\u00a0in survival mode that\u00a0the\u00a0spa or a relaxing bubble bath -even exercise aren’t options.\u00a0Imaginary characters in books\u00a0& leaders are part of your squad!<\/p>\n

*Take away:\u00a0Surround yourself by a tribe of people who champion, support, energize, and believe in you. Reach out to those who\u00a0need you, and if you’re in need – find organizations in your community.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Elizabeth Gilbert<\/span><\/a><\/h4>\n

When Elizabeth, one of the many women international leaders was a struggling writer, her idol (who she admitted to stalking at parties) finally turned to ask her:<\/p>\n

“What are you willing to give up to have the life you want to keep pretending you care about?”<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

Whew! You could feel a silent gasp fill the room as we heard our own excuses rise to the surface.<\/p>\n

*Take Away: I have to\u00a0say NO – even\u00a0to the things I\u00a0care about to make room for my\u00a0highest of priorities. I may\u00a0disappoint or\u00a0piss people off. Get rid of distractions – all of them – you know which ones.\u00a0Decide who & what matters. Edit the rest.<\/p>\n

Sometimes a diagnosis will tell you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Say “I respectively do not care.”<\/p>\n

Liz was looking for something revolutionary in women\u00a0beyond\u00a0the\u00a0‘powerful, strong, badass, confident’ ones we all know. She found it in learning to be RELAXED no matter WHAT insanity is taking place in our lives.<\/p>\n

Too many are walking with our minds\u00a0WORRIED moving at a\u00a0BUSY pace to a point of deteriorating health, little\u00a0sleep, and addictions into food, shopping, medication etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

She practices\u00a0the phrase “It’s all going to be all right”. It’s not “relaxed’ in the form of\u00a0a hot stone massage, but more like ‘befriending’ the inevitable mess.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There’s\u00a0a clarity, and simplicity when you find this place of ‘relaxed’ within you. \u00a0Even when facing your own death, which is the one thing we know for sure, and have no control over. There’s no regrets when you find\u00a0this ‘relaxed’ alignment, which requires a mystical faith in something bigger than yourself.<\/p>\n

3. Marianne Williamson<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n

I’ve been learning from Marianne’s work for many years. Her classic book “A Return to Love” I finished\u00a0at a Disney resort in the early morning sunlight before our vacationing families\u00a0were awake. It was 2009<\/strong>, and I felt a higher consciousness rise up\u00a0in me\u00a0after turning the final page.<\/p>\n

It was also\u00a0the same year I certified as a life coach\u00a0–\u00a0a career change leap of faith (revision!) for me from accounting.<\/p>\n

Many of you know I\u00a0used to\u00a0see “11’s” as a\u00a0child (typically as 11:11), but also\u00a02009 is really “11” (2 + 9). \u00a0Once that inner consciousness began to rise, I started seeing 11:11 ALL the time. It’s a sign with profound meaning for\u00a0me.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0only noticed\u00a0now the significance of\u00a0a\u00a0drawing by my daughter that’s\u00a0been\u00a0hanging in my garage for years – no idea how it got there!\u00a0I kept meaning to take it down\u2026signs show up in the most unusual ways –\u00a0be curious, and pay\u00a0close attention.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Marianne has the ability to silence a room into stillness, to have whole audiences forgive, weep, and leave enlightened. In a room filled with a 1,000 women open to changing the world, the fierce side of her was alive and present!<\/p>\n

I’ve never heard her SO passionate about our role, and responsibility as women leaders now more than ever.<\/p>\n

She shared that\u00a0a “summit” implies reaching upwards, and at some point between us as a child, and us as an adult we must be clear on\u00a0the ground on which we stand.<\/p>\n

That EVERY child is our child – that we are part of a human family, and right now it’s a scary world.<\/p>\n

What I love about Marianne<\/h4>\n

It’s what I love about Marianne –\u00a0any complacency you might have had gets wiped out with the reality of what we’ve created. She calls you forth like no other.<\/p>\n

For some – it was too much, and a few women walked out. She reminded us that when you stand up for what you believe in – it’s not loud enough if you don’t have people uncomfortable or resisting\u00a0you.<\/p>\n

That’s how you know you’ve risked\u00a0standing bravely\u00a0in your truth.<\/p>\n

4. Lisa Ling\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/h4>\n

List Ling was also among the many women international leaders. Lisa, a journalist on C.N.N visiting countries most of us would not venture into – provoked deeper awareness from her reporting on sex trafficking, war, terrorism, North Korea, and the 30M more males than females in China due to their 1 child policy.<\/p>\n

She opened our eyes to\u00a0how little thought is given when you put $1B worth of weaponry into a country like Afghanistan to fight a war, and leave it there when there’s no infrastructure.<\/p>\n

How the choice to abandon girls in China could be understood (not condoned!) as\u00a0an economic decision from their perspective as opposed to a\u00a0humanitarian one when you look beyond\u00a0our own judgments.<\/p>\n

I won’t forget the image\u00a0of her visiting North Korea with a team of eye\u00a0surgeons to fix cataracts, and the throngs of patients all taking off their surgical eye masks together in a conference room similar to the one we sat in, and discovering they could miraculously see for the first time.<\/p>\n

They\u00a0did not thank the surgeons, but rose up to cheer\u00a0the name of their oppressive dictator in unison. How an entire\u00a0country can\u00a0function like a religious cult gives me the shivers. No easy answers when people are brainwashed, and restricted to 2 propaganda channels.<\/p>\n

She left us with what her friend\u00a0once said to her:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In response to how she stays hopeful: “Yes I’ve seen the worst in\u00a0humanity, but at the same time I’ve also experienced the best in\u00a0humanity right alongside.”<\/p>\n

5. Glennon Doyle Merton<\/span><\/h4>\n

This fun-loving author of Love Warrior<\/a> made us all smile. Her unwavering\u00a0honesty admitting that\u00a0she\u00a0does NOT practice yoga, and is ‘medicated’ in response to how she\u00a0stays so positive\u00a0made us love her more. She’s been\u00a0through the painful abyss, and found true happiness on the other side.<\/p>\n

Like Liz Gilbert, she recently found love\u00a0with\u00a0another woman, and left her husband prompting all kinds of interesting conversations at this event!<\/p>\n

She\u00a0described\u00a0how women vote their\u00a0bodies off the island,\u00a0while men vote emotions off the island. Women aren’t comfortable in their bodies, while men aren’t comfortable expressing emotion. Then we “frickin’ marry each other”!<\/p>\n

Her message: don’t be afraid of pain. Go towards it. Allow, and give space for it. It’s not our job to stop or fear pain. Figure out what breaks your heart, and you will find freedom.<\/p>\n

6. Zainab Salbi<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n

I was mesmerized by the fearlessness of this incredible woman.<\/p>\n

Her father was Saddam Hussein’s personal pilot.<\/p>\n

She was a survivor of the Iran-Iraq war, and co-founded Women for Women International to help women suffering from the effects of war. It’s raised\u00a0hundreds of $millions.<\/p>\n

But she hadn’t\u00a0broken her own silence.<\/p>\n

It was after a woman in Congo\u00a0shared having\u00a0her own sons forced to hold her legs open, and instructed to rape their own mother. When\u00a0they refused, they were shot.<\/p>\n

Zainab was so humbled hearing this\u00a0woman’s telling her truth to help other women when she herself\u00a0hadn’t shared her own painful story.<\/p>\n

She was\u00a0moved to\u00a0write\u00a0her memoir: “Between Two Worlds” despite her fear of judgment due to\u00a0her connection to Saddam,\u00a0and suffering\u00a0abuse in an arranged marriage.<\/p>\n

She\u00a0confessed to having lost the “I in me” while advocating for women to be happy, and healthy\u00a0by speaking their truth. She left her charity\u00a0to do her hardest journey of self-healing.<\/p>\n

It was about not betraying herself. Telling her truth. The war between the U.S. & Iraq\u00a0broke out within a\u00a0month of getting married to an abusive husband\u00a0arranged by her mother in the U.S. For the next\u00a09 years she lost contact with her family in Iraq.<\/p>\n

She later learned her mother\u00a0sent her away to protect her from Saddam,\u00a0but\u00a0for years she felt her mother had betrayed her.<\/p>\n

What Zainab Taught Us<\/h4>\n

Zainab taught how we must not see people as ‘us and them’ – that the only way to understand one another is to stop our judgments, and give respect\u00a0to the ‘ugly’, and what we fear with curiosity so we do not become arrogant in our own self-righteousness – the shadow or dark side of ourselves.<\/p>\n

It was all\u00a0so familiar with my own vision of creating a judgment-free world! She quoted one of my favourite Rumi sayings:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

She concluded that “the taste of Freedom is so delicious.” It’s worth taking the leap of faith into the abyss where the good, bad, and ugly will flow, and you will find a place to land.<\/p>\n

You can learn many things from these women inspirational leaders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spent 4 days gathering insights from women inspirational leaders at the Women’s International Summit\u00a0– it’s a different kind of conference you may be used to..it included complimentary\u00a0toe readings. I know what you\u00a0may be\u00a0thinking\u2026but keep an open mind! The spirit of humanity was\u00a0infused everywhere, and a desire to give, grow, and effect change\u00a0hovered in the air. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6190,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,69,54,53,58,59,51,117,52,56,104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-authenticity-truth","category-change-transition","category-conflict-communication","category-criticism-judgment","category-faith-letting-go","category-freedom-forgiveness","category-health-well-being","category-joy-pain","category-love-connection","category-spirituality-serenity","category-trust-betrayal"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6188"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9362,"href":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6188\/revisions\/9362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolynhidalgo.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}