Let’s Get Body Smart

Sometimes we need to take our own advice, and for me that means taking care of my physical self. In a year where I juggled two homes and families, cared for my mother during her cancer treatments, developed Sister Leadership’s vision, and advocated to bring women leaders together in spirit and in learning — I needed more and more to take care of me. And so, this year has also become the one where I have a personal trainer, a massage therapist, an acupuncturist and, let’s add the cherry to it all, was declared cured of cancer.

There is an undeniable bridge between our physical selves and our self-aware, productive selves. As you can see with our most recent interview with Danielle Robinson, there’s a vital component to leadership and giving forward, and that is in the body and in its ability to be grounded.

In our upcoming theme for Sister Leadership, we are diving into the physical connection to our body, and how that impacts leadership and spiritual intelligence. I’m really excited to integrate ideas that bang-on capture the mixture of physical and self-awareness in the different areas of the mind, and how they connect to the body.

While in Mexico on my retreat with my partner, I began reading books by Penney Peirce, including The Intuitive Way and Leap of Perception, and all the while, I kept saying to myself ‘YES, that’s exactly right. She is nailing it on the head!’

Penny discusses the different areas of our mind that have evolved over our existence. In particular, I found her discussion of the reptilian brain to be most intriguing. Our reptilian brain is deeply rooted in us and causes many unconscious behaviours that may not always be rational. She explained its impact as one of our three brains, suggesting that intuition is heightened when we can fully align them:

• reptilian (unconscious fight/flight responses in our body),
• limbic (emotions), and
• neo-cortex (right and left brain thinking and creativity).

The kicker is that intuition flows in our body and that our body holds all the information from all the three brains. We just need to be more receptive to the signals and information instantly surfaces. Tapping into our intuition can be easy if our bodies are detoxed and healthy. More to come on that, but I think it’s a perfect little tease for our next series on Sister Leadership: Body Smart.

My own experience with body smart and awareness:

Like I mentioned, I’ve been working out quite a bit lately. My body feels in very good shape. And with this physical strengthening, I feel as though my intuition has been growing too! Here’s a story that will blow your mind. While planning to go to Mexico, I was in my office sorting through business cards. I came upon the card of a woman I had met and liked, and thought to myself how I should reach out and say hello. We should reconnect.

But then, I was off for my holiday and the idea passed. While in Mexico guess who I should come across? The very same woman! Can you believe that? I could hard believe it myself. But there she was, and just as my intuition had suggested, we spent the whole week touching base and enjoying one another’s company. What an incredible thing, and yet — not that incredible. As I become more comfortable and grounded within my body, these moments of serendipity seem to happen more and more often.

I won’t try to explain it here. All I’ll say is, we have a very interesting series of posts coming your way that will connect our physical sense of self to our bigger purpose, intuition and leadership styles.

Get ready to see, hear, taste and smell! We’re about to get Body Smart!

Till next week,
Cam

 

 

Staying on Top of Your Game: an interview with Danielle Robinson of the Ottawa Senators Foundation

Just recently, I had the chance to meet Danielle Robinson, president of the Ottawa Senators Foundation at the Women’s Business Network event Hockey and Heels. There, Danielle spoke with us about techniques and tips she uses to stay on top of her game. It was while chatting with Danielle that I realized what a perfect fit her ideas would be here on Sister Leadership.

Danielle has worked with the Ottawa Senators Foundation for the past nine years of her career. She arrived with a passion for charity and giving forward, but with almost no knowledge of the sport of hockey! Through the support of her work community, she has been able to help connect the Ottawa community, crowds and causes to one another for massive impact. In this discussion, we learn how she counters adversity in what is an emotionally challenging field of work.

From a SQ perspective, countering adversity means growing from setbacks and moving forward with knowledge from that experience. At times, having experienced adversity can even help us understand a situation or opportunity from a new perspective.

Danielle, as president of the Ottawa Senators Foundation, you must carry a certain amount of responsibility for both the operational pressures of the foundation, and the deep emotional challenges of the foundation’s work. What are some of the resources or strategies you draw upon in order to pass through the needle of adversity and be flexible to change?

I think the first thing I need to acknowledge is that I have an incredible team here at the Ottawa Senators Foundation. We really do collaborate well together. I also feel tremendously supported by the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and my Board of Directors. Knowing that I have that kind of support and am empowered within my role really helps.

But further to that, on a more personal level – you are right, it is a fairly large role, it is a public role, and one I feel of great responsibility, but also of great privilege. That is something I try to keep in mind every day.

I spoke a little bit the other day, here at the club with the Women’s Business Network, about trying to start my morning with meditation. Before my feet really hit the ground I take the time to read a reflection of the day. I then sit and think about that and then try to set my intentions for the day. I also write in my gratitude journal about three things I’m grateful for in my life. I do those things every morning and then about three to four mornings a week I try to get out and exercise as well.

I haven’t always been like this in my career with the Senators. I’ve been here for nine seasons now and it certainly has been a journey of learning. It really only has been in the last two or three years that I feel like I’ve come into my own and am adopting a more balanced life.

Who are some of your mentors, Danielle? And how have they inspired you to overcome adversity?

My gut response is my late mother-in-law, Jean Robinson. She came into my life about fifteen years ago. She lived a very simple, humble life, and she raised 10 children to the best of her abilities through some tremendous set of circumstances. She also battled cancer for more than 20 years. When I met this woman, she was in the late stages of having cancer and I never heard her complain once. She was filled with such gratitude and kindness when she must have been in a tremendous amount of pain. I remember thinking that this woman had a great amount of compassion and passion for life.

So when I’m having a tough day, or facing some of the things at my work that I’m exposed to, my thoughts do often turn to my mother-in-law and her outlook in life.

In staying on top of your game, how do you manage the stress when facing obstacles in your role as CEO of the Ottawa Senators Foundation?

I’ve not always been very good at this. I feel like this is something I’ve really come into my own in the last three years. When things get stressful and I’m faced with obstacles, I generally have an emotional reaction, and sometimes not always a positive one. I’ve learned to slow down, take a breath, and just pause before reacting.

It’s about being intentional towards ‘how I want to feel about the situation?’ and asking myself ‘where is feeling negativity going to get me?’ I have learned that feeling that way is not going to provide me with any solutions or allow me to move forward quickly. When I start to get into a negative space because of stress, I just pause, acknowledge it, and then take some time to change my head-space. I generally dive into a quick meditation app on my phone and then come back to the situation once I’m in a better frame of mind.

[Some of Danielle’s apps include Simply Being, Take a Break, and Relax and Rest]

What beliefs or practices do you have about bringing spirituality to counter adversity and create such positive change?

I feel like everything that’s happening in my life is happening for a reason and that there is something larger than myself at work in my life. When I wasn’t dealing with the stress in my life as I am now, I tried to control the outcomes to everything in my life. I don’t really do that anymore. I let life happen and I deal with it. It might be cliché to say, but I try and live one day at a time. I also have faith that I’m going to be okay and recognize that I have a wonderful life

What is bigger than you, that you are part of, and that you contribute to?

When I think about this community, and our needs, and our fans and the opportunity that I’ve been given I recognize I’m a person who has the ability to bring people together for a greater purpose. I’m a person who can make connections and have relationships that can result in something bigger. I have people all around me who are coaching me and giving me the opportunity to do the kind of work that I do. My career is really rewarding and at the same time it’s humbling. I’m proud to do the things that I do in my career and that working with the Ottawa Senators has given me an opportunity and a platform to enable change for good in our community.

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Sister Leadership would like to thank Danielle for her candid responses and insights into her own transformation over these past few years.

And to our readers, how have you come to counter adversity in your own life through self-awareness? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Till next week,
Cam