HEALM Magazine Issue 1

HEALM WOMEN LEADING THE CHANGE

WHY YOU NEED TO DARE TO LEAD Meet Brene Brown

Influential Women Helping Shape Our Future Dr Veronica Roberts Redefining Leadership

BE THE DIFFERENCE

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CONTENTS 08

Brene Brown: Dare Greatly

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Dr Veronica Roberts Redefining Leadership

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Be The Difference

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Rebecca Hill: Policy And Politics Shaping Our Boardroom

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Getting Organised

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Influential Women Helping Shape Our Future

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The Power Of Love Dr Maria Church

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Rachel Brownlow-Lund: Fast-Track Your Career

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Sally Helgesen: Habits That Hold Women Back At Work

HEALM WOMEN LEADING THE CHANGE

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Oprah Winfrey is one of many influential women helping shape our future on page 28

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CONTRIBUTORS

DR VERONICA ROBERTS

SALLY HELGESEN

Veronica is a child psychologist, parent coach, wife to a man with endless energy, and mother to a very sparky 4 year old. Having worked for years with parents and teachers to support the needs of children, and years of training in child development, Veronica believed that becoming a mother would, not necessarily be easy, but definitely be manageable. But the reality proved very different from the theory and books! The transition motivated Veronica to take the leap and set up her own business in order to secure a work-life-love balance for her and her family. This enabled her to work in the holistic and creative ways that she loves. Making this move also gave her the time and headspace to develop the I know…parent collective – so that parents never need feel alone in those ‘moments’ we all have (and of which she continues to have several each week!)

Sally Helgesen, cited in Forbes as the world’s premier expert on women’s leadership, is a best selling author, speaker and leadership coach. She has been recognized by Global Gurus as one of the top 30 experts on leadership and will be honored this fall in London as Thinker’s 50’s top leadership coach for women.

Sally’s most recent book, How Women Rise, co-authored with legendary executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, examines the behaviors most likely to get in the way of successful women. It became the top-seller in its field within a week of publication and rights have been sold in 13 languages. sallyhelgesen.com

drvroberts.co.uk @iknowcollective

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DR MARIA CHURCH

RACHEL BROWNLOW -LUND

Rachel Brownlow Lund empowers ambitious millennial women to become well-connected influencers and create incredible lives of impact. A passionate communicator and leadership coach, Rachel helps young women overcome feelings of comparisonitis and self-doubt to become confident, career-savvy changemakers who work, play and lead in their zone of genius.

Through coaching, public speaking and workshops, she has helped hundreds of millennials clarify their vision and direction; strategically grow their businesses and personal brands; and effectively position themselves for lucrative career advancement opportunities that moved the needle forward.

Dr. Maria Church, CEO of Government Leadership Solutions, and author of Love -Based Leadership: Transform Your Life with Meaning and Abundance, the upcoming book A Course in Excellence: 21 Spiritual Lessons on Leadership, Love, and Miracles, and co-author of best-selling book, Answering the Call, has started a movement to revolutionize the workplace with a shift from fear to love.

Dr. Church specializes in organizational culture design, change agility, strategic off-site facilitation, and leadership development based on her vast 25-year career with Fortune 500, local government, non-profits, and academia. Maria holds a doctorate of management degree in organizational leadership and currently teaches for several universities.

In 2018, Austin Business Journal named Rachel the Profiles in Power Rising Star award winnerfor the success she has achieved in her career and outside community leadership.

drmariachurch.com

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REBECCA HILL

Rebecca has a background working for major global professional and financial services organisations including EY for the last 13 years where she was a global director specialising in business strategy focusing on people and organisational change and where she developed well-honed coaching, mentoring and facilitation skills.

Entrepreneur Foundation’s programme aimed at developing the entrepreneurs of the future.

Rebecca has a strong interest in the economic empowerment of women as well as the broader diversity and inclusion agenda.

Most recently she co-led EY’s global Women. Fast forward programme. She is also part of the UK delegation to the Women20 (W20) – an official engagement group of the G20 – as well as member of a group of senior women developing the economic blueprint for women and enterprise (entrepreneurship) for the UK and to this end participates in a cross party working group at the House of Commons to address this issue.

She is also currently developing a tech enabled accelerator for mid career women owning or starting businesses.

After 25 years in the City, Rebecca is now well embedded in the entrepreneurial space having launched several businesses with her husband (including HaslerHill consulting (“HHc”). She is currently collaborating with a number of Start Ups, Scale-Ups and SMEs providing mentoring and business strategy consulting services.

Including most recently being appointed a founding mentor for the weinsocialtech accelerator backed by Deutsche Bank focused on scaling up women in social tech businesses as well as a business mentor on the New

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JOANNA MARTIN

Let’s face it: there’s a lot of information out there in the world helping us to be more effective leaders. So why do we need HEALM? A magazine specifically for women who want to change their corner of the world?

more women in places of influence will have a profound impact on all the SDGs. It’s a complex issue, but one reason so many women don’t step up to higher levels of leadership is because of the perceived personal cost.

We think it will mean more exhaustion, more burnout, a cost to our family and our health.

On New Year’s Day 2016, the UN published 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

They are guiding all countries’ efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.

So, we published HEALM, a magazine to showcase women at the helm of their realm. Women who are managing the juggle between family life, wellbeing and change-making. We will also be sharing strategies to handle the day to day, while you step up to make the impact you feel called to make.

I was recently invited to Necker Island, by the Virgin Unite Foundation and Richard Branson. In our meetings there, the President of Virgin Unite, Jean Oelwang made the point that the time for “silver bullet” type thinking on these issues is past. We need to instead be looking for “silver levers”.

What are the simple changes we can make that will have the highest leverage on all the other issues?

In this kick-off issue we’re excited to be focussing on the work of Brene Brown. Not only is her new book Dare to Lead an awesome playbook for a new paradigm of leadership, but she herself is a great example of authentic impact. Other great articles in this issue include: getting organised, making a difference, women shaping our futures and re-defining leadership.

I truly believe that having more women in leadership positions is one of these silver levers. There is so much research showing the impact that greater numbers of women has on increasing profitability in business, lowering corruption in governments and so on. And endless research demonstrating the impact of empowering women in the developing world. It stands to reason that having

We hope that, like us, you will become one of many women who can see that we can make the impact the world requires of us, without burnout.

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Joanna

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BRENE BROWN:

DARE GREATLY Photo Credit: Maile Wilson

She spent the last two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and has authored five #1 New York Times best sellers. Brené Brown has taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong and to brave the wilderness. What Brown does, is talk about the topics we’re not really meant to; vulnerability, fear, shame and failure. And, she talks about them with tens of millions of people.

Her career began a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, where she focused on authenti leadership and wholeheartedness within families, schools, and organisations. These days, Brown is all about stepping out into the metaphorical ‘arena’ and backing yourself. She explores the toxic stories we tell ourselves, and what it really means to fail. Her work has transformed lives all over the world. healmmagazine.com

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With her TED talk, The Power of Vulnerability, being one of the top five most watched TED talks in the world, Brown is quickly becoming a major influencer and an authority on peoples gifts of imperfection, which happens to be the title of one of her best-selling books.

Brene writes, “One of the most important findings of my career is that courage can be taught, developed and measured. Courage is a collection of four skill sets supported by twenty-eight behaviours. All it requires is a commitment to doing bold work, having tough conversations and showing up with our whole hearts.

Easy? No. Choosing courage over comfort is not easy. Worth it? Always.

We want to be brave with our lives and work. It’s why we’re here.”

Adding to her collection of published books, The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, her latest bestseller, Dare to Lead, has been a culmination of a seven-year study on the future of leadership.

Brene’s new book teaches us that leadership is not about titles, status

and power over people.

Leaders are people who “Courage is hold themselves contagious, even accountable for the potential when there are recognising in people and ideas, and hard endings.” developing that potential.

Spending the past two decades researching the emotions that give meaning to our lives, Brene discovered that leaders in organisations ranging from small entrepreneurial start-ups and family-owned businesses to non-profits, civic organisations and Fortune 50 companies, are all asking the same questions:

She explains, on brenebrown.com how we protect ourselves from our vulnerabilities, and we become fearful and more disconnected, saying “I believe that you have to walk through vulnerability to get to courage, therefore ... embrace the suck.”

Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable enables us to be fully engaged and open to the world that surrounds us.

How can we cultivate braver, more daring leaders? And, how do you embed the value of courage in your culture?

This lead her to write Dare To Lead.

Using her research conducted with leaders, change makers and culture shifters, Brene shows us how to put ideas into practice so we can step up and lead.

It is truly courageous to put ourselves out there and embrace our vulnerability. Being open, despite knowing we could get hurt, we can truly experience joyful moments in our lives.

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Brene believes in living wholeheartedly - Meaning that at the end of the day, no matter what you manage to do and what you don’t, you are enough. It means that even though you know you are imperfect and sometimes afraid, you are also brave and worthy of love and belonging.

These “The Gifts of Imperfection” tell us what we must cultivate to embrace wholeheartedness and vulnerability:

“Joy is vulnerable – that’s why we’re afraid to let ourselves feel it. Don’t squander joyful moments by waiting for the other shoe to drop. Lean in and practice gratitude,” Brene says.

Authenticity and let go of what people think

“I try to be grateful every day and my motto right now is ‘Courage over comfort’,” she says. “Courage is contagious, even when there are hard endings.”

Resiliency and let go of numbing and powerlessness

Daring leadership in our culture, which is so defined by fear and uncertainty, requires building courage skills. The irony is, we’re choosing not to invest in developing the hearts and minds of our leaders. So, what can we do better? Brown says we must increase our empathy, connection and courage.

Gratitude and Joy and let go of scarcity

Trust and Faith and let go of the need for certainty

Creativity and let go of comparison

Meaningful work and let go of what you are “supposed” to do

Laughter, Song and Dance and

let go of “cool” and “always in control”

Self compassion and let go of perfectionism

Calmness and let go of anxiety

“Offering help is courageous and compassionate, but so is asking for help,” she says.

Play and Rest and let go of “busy” and “stress” as self-worth and status symbol

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

- Brene Brown healmmagazine.com

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REDEFINING LEADERSHIP DR VERONICA ROBERTS

Female leadership has undergone a major facelift in the past few decades.

No longer does being a strong leader and being a woman mean that you have to shake off all traces of femininity. No longer does softness and empathy equal weakness.

Independent Educational Psychologist and all-round leading expert in Emotional Well-Being and Mental Health for youths and parents Dr Veronica Roberts recalls growing up in the early days of females rising in the 1980’s when women leaders needed to front with masculine traits.

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“Whilst female leadership was beginning to be noticed, it was also heavily linked to the Iron Lady herself, along with mad shoulder pads and essentially being more of a man than a man,” she said.

“True leaders often don’t want to lead - they are called to lead. The vision leads them and they lead the people towards it.”

Dr Roberts refers to one of the seminal political figures of the 20th century, British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, who was known for her courage, resolve and fierce political agenda. Dubbed the Iron Lady, she was said to have paved the way for women throughout the 1980’s, forcing her way into the men’s club:

Amidst the home front chaos of feeding routines, nappy changes, preparing to go back to work and utter exhaustion, Veronica stumbled across a book titled, Things I wish I’d known – women tell the truth about motherhood, edited by Victoria Young.

A collection of anecdotal parenting mishaps and adventures, sharing, laughing and proving that we are all human, this book lessened the guilt within Veronica. She began thinking about how she could promote this fresh perspective and encourage other parents to step up and support each other through all the ‘parenting mishaps’ of the everyday.

“It involved hardening your edges, learning how to push, dominate and never show weakness. This created an intimidating image and from my perspective. I didn’t measure up to the task, so I ruled leadership out of my options.”

However, after becoming a parent, something changed for Veronica.

Like many new parents, she became plagued with doubt, guilt and ‘what if’ thoughts that were holding her back.

As a highly trained psychologist, the mummy guilt beared down hard on her.

“[The book] made me realise that I wasn’t alone in feeling this way and, it did not make me a terrible mother. I started to wonder if there was a way of spreading that experience to others.”

“Part of me believed that as a trained child psychologist, I should know what I was doing all of the time and the perfectionist in me also screamed that I should be doing it perfectly all of the time. I judged myself so harshly for every perceived error I made and felt so incredibly vulnerable when I struggled in public. I felt like everyone would think I was a terrible mother, and rubbish at my job as well.” healmmagazine.com

Her driving force behind taking on a new style of leadership came from a group of women. Veronica joined the One of many “Lead The Change” program, a 12 month deep dive into a new paradigm of leadership. As part of the program, Veronica was challenged to take on a charitable or social justice project, and the I Know… movement was born. I know… is a 12

movement about building upon the collective support between parents.

It’s about those ‘moments’ we all experience as parents; where we can feel overwhelmed, lost, unsure what to do, and alone. In those moments it can feel like the world is watching, and potentially judging us.

The idea behind i know… is that members can wear a badge that says ‘i know…’ It’s a visual symbol that they know what it’s like, they get it, they’re not judging us and they’re willing to help if they can and opens up the conversation and shows other parents they are on the same team. The aim is that those moments of vulnerability, instead of becoming feelings of fear and shame, might become moments of connection, empathy and compassion.

Veronica’s Facebook page nurtures a community of parents who have the open-mindedness to accept that things don’t always go to plan – and that is ok.

Veronica was guided by the principles of positive psychology and narrative therapy when setting up the tone and content of her Facebook page. She encourages parents to share their own experiences of when someone helped them turn a ‘moment’ of potential parenting chaos or overwhelm around.

“In a nutshell, positive psychology recognises that we can get stuck in a negative bias that easily bogs us down and reduces our energy, creativity and problem-solving skills. In contrast, when we focus on the positive aspects

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support one another, essentially creating many leaders in the one global forum. Sharing stories is a powerful way to help rewrite the narrative on a collective level, not just personally, and as a whole, this can make a massive difference to the community.

of our lives, it inspires greater freedom in thinking, personal motivation and relationships,” she said.

“Narrative therapy ties into this by emphasising the power of the stories we tell ourselves – both about our lives, our personality and other people.

These stories can paint us as the heroine, witch, bitch, victim, martyr and when tightly woven and unquestioned can trap us into a particular role. But when we see it as just a story, we gain the power to rewrite it.”

“I know… asks others to step up in a very practical way within those everyday moments and help another parent out if they see them having a tough time – even if it’s just with a reassuring smile.”

The most important part about the group is the ability for each follower to healmmagazine.com

“By focusing on positive encounters, we can drown out the negative 14

you don’t have to know all the answers to lead, nor do you have to do it all on your own.

“Someone once said to me, ‘true leaders often don’t want to lead - they are called to lead. The vision leads them and they lead the people towards it,’ and when it was put this way, I suddenly felt like it was possible for me.”

Leading today is about speaking your vision with clarity and conviction, which greatly inspires people and when it feels overwhelming, call on your network to support you.

Veronica’s husband is one of her greatest supporters and proudly wears his I Know… badge to work, sparking interest in people he meets throughout the day.

“When he explains the concept, the overwhelming response he gets from other men is recognition that it is needed, respect, gratitude and enthusiasm. It may have taken a woman to found I Know…but it’s message is for men just as much as women,” Veronica said.

experiences many of us face as parents where someone ‘tut tuts’ our tantruming child or decides to tell us where we are going wrong in their eyes.”

“The truth is, we can’t stop those people from forming their own judgement, but we can drown out their negative noise with our own positive stories.”

“Because we are women, we can see and feel what isn’t working in a patriarchal society. This places us in a powerful position to identify alternative ways of being, organising and doing things. With courage, we voice those alternatives and start making them happen for the benefit of all, not just women.”

Veronica has learned so much about leadership and how the softness inherent to women is a very positive attribute in all leadership roles and, in fact, shows great strength. Leadership comes in many shapes and forms, and

@iknowcollective

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Be The

DIFFERENCE

biggest impact. We’ve all had that spark of passion where we’ve wanted to do something in our lifetime that will outlast our physical form. As a woman, we are used to juggling so many different responsibilities. The desire to change the world can feel like one of those things we throw onto our plates. However, when we think about making a difference, many of us fall for the myth that it has to be enormous to have any effect. It doesn’t.

The world is in desperate need of change, and for those of us in the privileged position to do something about it, the time is now. A simple shift in mindset can have a serious impact on the issues you’re passionate about, and there’s no “one size fits all” when it comes to making a difference. But, if it’s time for a change, there are some important things to bear in mind when considering how you can have your healmmagazine.com

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FIND YOUR MISSION What is the difference you want to make in this world? Think about what you feel passionate about. What gets you jumping up and down and ranting? Is it bringing more humanity into your workplace?

Making your town a single use plastic free zone? Or, is it having your community feel like a place where everyone is connected and no lonely neighbours? Understanding what makes you tick on a deeper level means you’ll pick a mission you really care about and execute.

TAKE ONE STEP AT A TIME Taking small actions may feel insignificant at the time, but most of us ordinary folk don’t set out to launch rocket ships into space. We start out by making one small change toward an outcome, which has meaning for us, and go from there. The step that many of us make when trying to make a difference in this world is the action part. We get stuck in overthinking, opinions from our network and dreaming about the perfect idea.

Begin that first small step toward your goal, now.

IT’S BIGGER THAN YOU The benefit of identifying a mission that impacts many others, is that it plugs you into meaning, and the meaning fuels execution. When our goals only impact ourselves, we miss out on that powerful fuel. Making a difference in the world begins with the belief that you can do something that doesn’t just benefit yourself. When your purpose extends beyond yourself and your results, you act differently and you become magnetic. This is beyond you.

INSPIRE ONE PERSON FIRST The easiest way to think about making a difference in this world is to focus on inspiring one person first. All of us can inspire at least one person. Draw on your physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual strength to make an impact on one persons life and show yourself what’s possible one person at a time.

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BE THE EXAMPLE

who have made a real difference in the world will resonate with something inside you.

Complaining about the world’s problems achieves nothing. You can’t make a difference by just stating the obvious. Use your own actions as a demonstration of how others can create change and be the example of change you want to see in the world.

If you’re ready to step into action when it comes to your purpose in life, make sure you’re energised and well resourced, so you’re in the best position to make thoughtful decisions.

You’ll need to be able to trust your instincts – if you’re worn out and fed up, your instincts will be telling you to STOP. Being a good example starts from taking care of yourself first, being at your best and most resilient, so you can power in full force toward your goal.

At some point along your explorations you’ll be hit with an inspiration, an idea or an inkling of some way that you can make a change. This inkling won’t be coming from your head, but from your heart.

BE PATIENT Big things can take time to come to fruition. Use your time wisely, be patient and have faith that with each small step forward toward your goal, you are already making a genuine contribution.

This is another reason why happiness is such a great starting point for success with anything in life.

All impatience stems from discontent with current circumstances.

Impatience is also the reason most people give up!

KNOW YOURSELF ON A DEEPER LEVEL Everyone has unique goals, interests and desires. Everyone has their own propensities and strengths. If you truly want to make a difference in the world, your job is to learn what these are within yourself and cultivate them.

If you don’t have a sense of what your gifts are, it’s time to get to know yourself. Spend some quiet time in nature, take long walks, or sit and journal your thoughts. Do anything at all that will help you reflect deeply and explore your passions.

If you start with happiness, then patience is easy. You’ll be more likely to keep going and fully execute your goals and inspire others along the way.

“Be the light in somebody else’s darkness.”

One really great way to get in touch with your gifts is to spend time listening to motivational speakers.

Listening to the stories of other people healmmagazine.com

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REBECCA HILL:

THE POLICY AND POLITICS SHAPING OUR BOARDROOMS More women are stepping into leadership roles than ever before, running businesses and creating their own wealth. Yet, as evolved as we think we are becoming in this fast-paced world of interconnectivity and perceived push for equal rights, the gender bias continues to creep in to every facet of our lives. From who we vote for, to who runs big business, or to whom we interact with every day, or the subtle biases of stereotyped traditional working roles, archaic views of what ‘leadership’ looks like predominate.

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Leadership consultant, coach and UK delegate to the G20’s Women20 specialising in women’s economic empowerment, Rebecca Hill, believes there are several ways in which that gender bias continues to manifest in our community. Through reinforcement of perceptions in the media and publicly elected positions, as well as policy making and utilisation, the current landscape sees women often still left behind, even when the intentions are good.

feedback on their performance, but women leaders tend to get personal comments – derogatory and complimentary, which is not a good thing,” Rebecca says.

“For example, men still tend to dominate political candidate shortlists, which means women have a much slimmer chance of a shot at being elected. This reinforces the bias around what it means to be a politician or an elected official. If we, as the electorate are going to be going to be paying for these individuals to be working on behalf of the general public, then we need to know that these people, across all levels of organisations, are representative of the general public – which is certainly not the case currently,” she says.

“I am concerned that women are being put off leadership because of what they see going on in the media, particularly in the political sphere and the way women leaders are portrayed in that context and held to a different standard. Male leaders tend to get

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The same scenario plays out in big business – leaders are often an ill-representation of the community they serve. Women, when reaching leadership roles, may be expected to ‘lead like a man’, rather than embrace the more “female” qualities that, as research has shown again and again, are actually much more effective in today’s management realm. Rebecca notes that in organisations and big business, the focus of any efforts to close the gender gap continues, ironically, predominantly around ‘fixing the women’ rather than fixing the culture. This mentality needs challenging and addressing.

workplace, the pendulum has begun to swing too far the other way. While conservatism dissipated over the past 50 years in the UK, women began achieving higher levels of education, working and owning their own wealth.

Rebecca feels the effort to equalise, or provide a supportive infrastructure for women juggling home, caring and work, have done little but disadvantage. Women and men need a carefully considered and well-funded caring infrastructure which includes a paid parental leave system that incentivises both parents, coupled with effective onramps to bring women back into the workplace.

“It’s clear that, because of a number of converging factors driven largely by technology, leadership roles have become so pressured and so all-consuming, that many women are put off going for them or are not considered for them, due to the additional mental and physical load they are already bearing around caring responsibilities. I think there’s a certain type of leader that is rising to the top of large organisations and I find that deeply worrying. They are not necessarily the leaders we need right now or for the future.”

“It’s not about sending them on leadership courses and encouraging them to lean in, it’s about changing the culture of the organisation that enables them to lead and thrive in leadership roles.”

“It’s helpful for the men, as much as it is for women, to have formal levers in place. For example, I don’t think we would have seen any traction around the gender pay gap reporting if it wasn’t for policy. This type of legislation is really powerful, as it opens up conversations at the board level and at the management level around how we address the situation.

It’s not just about women fixing the system,” she said.

The inherent drivers and the levers that enable women leaders to thrive, must be better understood, valued and utilised – and that starts at a policy level. Rebecca feels that, while inroads have been made in the past when it comes to women in the

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“It’s not about sending them on leadership courses and encouraging them to lean in, it’s about changing the culture of the organisation that enables them to lead and thrive in leadership roles.”

The idea that ‘women lack confidence’ is of major concern to Rebecca when discussing why women can’t or won’t take on leadership roles.

“The notion that ‘women lack confidence’ really concerns me.

Confidence, for me, is like presenting with a headache – there are a million causes behind it and you really need to understand what the causes are. It’s not because women lack confidence that we aren’t seeing more women in leadership, or we are not seeing more women set up their own businesses, or we are not seeing more women leading in the public sector or government, it’s because the devil is in the details – you have to be really good at breaking down what the issues are,” she explained. they are also very realistic about how much extra burden they carry in terms of the mental load and physical load of running families and caring responsibilities. They are very mindful of what they feel they can and can’t manage. A lot of them also don’t have access to relatable role models,” Rebecca said.

“Many women lack confidence in an organisational setting quite rightly because there’s a double bind. If they negotiate, they get punished more by men and women than if a man negotiates. There are different expectations around women and how assertive they are, because, again, they get punished if they push too far - the evidence is there for this, it’s been well researched.”

As well as time, funding holds many women entrepreneurs back, as women just don’t have access to the

“Women entrepreneurs have the aspiration, that’s not the problem, but

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same power networks as many men do. There is much work to be done around educating investors as to the value women’s businesses bring and that they perform as well, if not better at times than those run by men.

“Ultimately, trying to fix big business and get them on board with policy is going very slowly. What we can do is get women up and running, building the types of businesses they want to build and at the same time improving society,” Rebecca said.

According to the British Business Bank research, women get around 1 per cent of all available venture capital funding in the UK. This alarming statistic points to a dire need to open up alternative sources of funding.

“There is a real urgency now for future generations – we need to crack on with it. There’s a lot we can do individually and collectively to change the system and that starts with us.”

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Myself, my team, and thousands of women in the One of many community turn to this ridiculously useful, proven-to-be-powerful tool whenever things feel like they’re too much.

Download the kit, and use it - it’s simple and it works...say goodbye to that feeling of overwhelm in double quick time!

- Joanna Martin, Founder, One of many™

Get free instant access to this super useful 3-tool pack The Overwhelm First Aid Kit: A step-by-step guide to get yourself out of overwhelm in super-quick time DOWNLOAD THE “OVERWHELM FIRST AID KIT” NOW >> healmmagazine.com

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GETTING

ORGANISED Women in leadership positions have a vast range of tasks to handle each day, and often struggle to be as productive as they’d like. If you’re in this position, you’re not alone.

However, it’s crucial to find ways to be as effective as you can, and increase your power to tick things off your to-do list and help your team achieve top results.

When you’re busy, it’s understandable that you may not want to take time to get organised, particularly if this doesn’t come naturally to you, but letting things pile up can quickly lead to overwhelm.

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WHY YOU NEED TO GET ORGANISED

If you’re more of an artistic person who lives by deadlines, has many projects on the go, and struggles to complete things, give yourself enough room to spread out in your office. Use big containers to arrange and rearrange different project items. Create some clean-up deadlines for yourself each month too.

You need a clear head to focus for hours at a time and to do the kind of deep thinking and creative work that is no doubt a part of your role. It’s hard to do this when your brain keeps getting distracted by the things around you. Besides, it’s frustrating having to spend time searching for paperwork or other supplies.

Are you someone who’s focused on the big picture, looking at end goals and losing sight of the details it takes to get there? If so, it can be hard to concentrate on tidying when you have bigger things on your mind. To work around this, put up a large whiteboard that features your long-term goals, but also place smaller steps underneath these that you need to complete to get there, such as sorting and tidying. This visual representation will prompt you to remember the importance of cleaning up.

To avoid the chaos and stress caused by a messy office, it takes more than just buying a few nice-looking pen holders and paper trays. You must address things on a deeper level and find ways to make order stick for longer. Doing this makes you feel better and helps you to portray the confident, in-control image you want your team to have of you.

WORK OUT YOUR OPTIMUM ORGANISATIONAL STYLE

TO-DO LISTS Ever feel like your to-do list is ruling your life? Whether you’re a tech-loving app devotee, wedded to Basecamp, Trello, or Asana – or a back-of-an-envelope scribbler, convinced that the very act of putting pen to paper helps your brain fire better – set a challenge today to make your to-do list work better for you.

To change things for the better, it helps to think about who you are as a person. What type of organisational style might suit you best? When we think of getting organised we generally think of the classic Type A personalities who love to have everything in its place, but you don’t have to be a neat freak to get your office in order.

At its most basic level, a to-do list is exactly what it sounds like: a list of actions that need to be completed at any one time. The trouble is, in today’s world the sheer number of tasks can quickly become overwhelming. And many of us play so

Get the assistance of a team member, colleague or friend to help you clean up once a week or fortnight. This task then becomes a fun activity done together rather than something you hate. healmmagazine.com

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many different roles – parent, mentor, sister, colleague, leader, friend – that the difference between the jobs on our list can be vast.

Think about what your to-do list looks like. Is it in one place, or is it scattered among various locations? Do you have a system in place to track what happens with different tasks? Are there certain times of the month where you function more efficiently, and other times where you are sluggish or emotional? Break it down to times of the day you are focused and energised or craving a nap - Start to get a picture of how your energy ebbs and flows, and you’ll be one step closer to reaching a place of serenity when it comes to how you work. Begin to fit your “to be” list into your energy tracking.

For those things you must keep hard copies of, use organisational tools, such as magazine holders, storage boxes and the like, to keep order.

OTHER TIPS

Delegate specific spots for each type of item so it’s easier to find belongings.

There are other practical things you can do to get on top of mess and keep your workspace organised.

Organise possessions based on how often you use them. Things you use daily should be within easy reach, and the rest put away out of sight, wherever possible.

Schedule time in your calendar regularly to go through paperwork and file, recycle or shred items.

Do a quick tidy up at the end of each day so you start the next day more organised.

Ask yourself if you need to read all the books, magazine, reports, white papers and other documents that take up space. Delegate some reading to your team members and ask them to alert you to anything significant.

Alternatively, accept that you can’t stay on top of every bit of information and commit to reading only select publications each month.

Sort through mail straight away, rather than letting it pile up. Action what you can on the same day.

Digitise information so you don’t have to store so much paper in your office.

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INFLUENTIAL

WOMEN HELPING SHAPE OUR FUTURE

While it seems like the gender gap is still vast, change is happening, and not just in the conventional corridors of power. In fact, the nature of power in itself is changing,becoming less top-down, less institutional and less predictable.

There are plenty of women out there who are challenging what it means to be a woman and changing the world around them for the better. Let’s celebrate eleven powerful women who are helping to shape our futures.

Emma Watson healmmagazine.com

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Emma Watson, UK Most people know Emma Watson as Hermoine Granger, despite her other roles. Emma knows that even though she has a career in acting, she understands that it is important to have a variety of skill sets, just like any budding entrepreneur. Emma also uses her strengths to influence others.

HeForShe is a solidarity campaign that Emma is involved with which was created to increase the advancement of women. It was initiated by UN Women and its sole goal was to engage men and boys as representatives of change; by encouraging them to fight against the negative inequalities that target women and girls. Emma was made a UN Goodwill Ambassador which allows her to use her influence to encourage men to support gender equality.

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama, USA Michelle Obama captivated audiences everywhere from the moment she stepped into the public eye. From her iconic fashion looks to her contagious positivity, the former First Lady has inspired us to prioritize self-care, use our voices for change, and be ourselves — unapologetically.

She recently sat down with new royal Meghan Markle to for some woman-to-woman words of wisdom, and she does the same for those close to her. “Like I tell my daughters, women and girls can do whatever they want,” Michelle said. “There’s no limit to what we as women can accomplish.”

Catherine McGrath, Australia Catherine McGrath is a political trailblazer who graced our screens as a political correspondent for SBS, before starting her own communications company Catherine McGrath Media. She campaigns to help increase the voice of women in the community speaking about important issues. She began a women’s workshop called Women Speaking, which has been hugely successful touring around Australian helping women’s harness their communication and speaking skills.

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Carrie Green, UK Carrie Green is Founder and CEO of the Female Entrepreneur Association (FEA), author of the international bestseller, She Means Business, and an accomplished public speaker.

Celebrating the famous cliché, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”, Carrie capitalised on her own struggles with mindset, limiting beliefs and loneliness in building her first business, going on to establish FEA. With over 600,000 fans worldwide, FEA is now one of the largest online platforms for female entrepreneurs. Within its Members’ Club, over 5,000 ambitious women get access to exclusive expert training, support and community to help build wildly successful businesses and turn their ideas and dreams into reality.

Carrie is utterly passionate about inspiring women to overcome self-doubt and thrive in business. Her TEDx Talk, Programme Your Mind for Success, has garnered over 6 million views and counting.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey, USA Oprah Winfrey embodies the ambitious, self-driven woman that many women aspire to become. Her career in the entertainment industry has spanned over two decades and her natural ability to engage with people through television, lead her to be labelled as one of the most influential women onscreen. She uses her status as a platform to highlight global issues such as poverty and child abuse. Through her charity organisation, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation she has donated millions of dollars to provide help for people in countries across the globe. With the phenomenal success of her production company Harpo Studio, she has broken down the barriers of a male dominated industry and paved the way for other women to follow in her footsteps. healmmagazine.com

Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand Hailed as one of the world’s most influential and inspirational people, especially for women who want to have both a career and family, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern meets that reputation and then some. Jacinda first captured the world’s attention with the swift and compassionate way she handled the terror attacks on a Christchurch mosque earlier this year.

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Priyanka Chopra

Issa Rae

Priyanka Chopra, India

fall for its fourth season, the sky ‘s the limit for Los Angeles born writer and actress. The more she continues to stretch what it means to be a black woman in search of herself and owning her own talents and confidence on TV? The more black girls and others who are inspired by her will take that mantle to an even higher level.

From being a superstar in Bollywood, to a rising star in American pop culture, Priyanka Chopra is truly a trailblazer, creating ripples in uncharted waters of television. One of the most recognised and applauded talents of Indian cinema, Priyanka Chopra, has always been a pioneer, pushing boundaries, navigating tough terrain and going where no woman has gone before.

Mary Portas, UK British retail consultant and broadcaster, Portas is known for her television shows, including Mary Queen of the Shops, where using her retail and fashion expertise to turn underperforming shops into thriving businesses. Portas looks at everything through the lens of People (or PX), predominantly in the retail, fashion and service sector. In her spare time, Mary is a Retail Advisor, journalist, TV presenter, author, Save the Children ambassador and Government adviser.

Issa Rae, USA Issa Rae supposedly made it when Insecure, her HBO television series became one of the more talked about shows in 2016, but if you dive deeper into her history, whether it be writing her own scripts or crafting web series then you know Issa Rae and Issa Rae Productions have been crafting platforms and doing amazing things on YouTube for a minute. She’s a best-selling author and actress now and as Insecure is set to return in the 31

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DR. MARIA CHURCH

THE POWER OF LOVE

However, underneath the glow of corporate success, Maria was suffering. The highly-educated woman had taken up smoking, gained weight and turned to a regular martini to switch off the overwhelm all too often. She was barely sleeping and ran on adrenaline each day to get by. That evening on the patio, she asked herself a simple question; “I have arrived‌but where exactly am I going?

Dr Maria Church sat on her patio early one evening, after an exhausting day at work, and contemplated her triumphant success. She had met, and exceeded, any expectations she had on herself as a career-oriented woman and broken through that ever-present glass ceiling. She had worked hard, earnt that six-figure salary and the respect that goes with it, and she had become indispensable to the delicate balance of her high-powered organisation. Her male colleagues looked up to her and she had everything she had always dreamed of. healmmagazine.com

It was in that moment something significant shifted within Maria.

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She decided her health and wellbeing was worth more than the accolades of trying to keep up with the cut-throat corporate perception of leadership.

She realised she had been operating from fear, and she was one of many others in the same situation. Maria knew that this was no way to move forward, so she set out to change her perception and instead of fear, she learned to operate from love.

Your Life with Meaning and Abundance. She later coupled this with a successful consulting and public speaking practice.

“Love-Based Leadership (LBL) is a holistic model of leadership. I developed this model to celebrate our whole selves. Many of us learned to compartmentalise our lives at work.

We had to check our soul/spirit at the door. That never really felt right to me, and never felt authentic,” she explains.

“We are inundated with fear. From the boardroom to social media, fear is everywhere. We are becoming used to it and numb to living with fear.

However, the fear is showing up in our bodies with illness, stress, and worry.

With this constant inundation of fear, we are fragmenting, losing touch with what is really important to us. We are losing touch with meaningfulness,” Maria says.

“We are at a very important time - a crossroads. Violent attacks, worldwide, are contributing to massive chaos, but the good news is, there is an awakening in this chaos and a reorganisation of matter. We need to make the decision to either continue on the path of fear, uncertainty, and violence – or choose the path of hope, opportunity, and love.”

From her epiphany came the book Love-Based Leadership: Transform 33

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“We need to make the decision to either continue on the path of fear, uncertainty, and violence – or choose the path of hope, opportunity, and love.”

Maria bases her leadership teachings on three pillars: Love of Self – looking after your health and wellbeing, listening to your intuition and recognising you have the power of choice; Love of Source – being inspired, looking to faith, persevering and allowing creativity; and Love of Others – forgiveness and trust, shared power and collaboration.

decision-making. Developing your perception-shifting muscle is one of the most powerful techniques you can use when communicating, decision-making, and thinking.

Remember that we are all connected, so the action/ decision/in-action/in-decision will have ripple effects. Get up in the helicopter to see the lay of the land and jump back into the weeds to build and nurture the relationships with your team.

3

Maria shares five tips for effective and irresistible leadership: Deeply listen – be fully present when listening to others. When/if your mind drifts during a conversation, fess up and apologise. When we are fully present in a conversation, that is the best gift we could possibly give. Bring your whole, authentic self to your leadership.

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Empower others. This only makes you more powerful.

Let others serve you as well, which helps to develop leadership in others.

4

Practice gratitude every day.

What we focus on will grow.

One of the reasons why gratitude can change your life is because it shifts your focus. Having gratitude breathes positivity into everything you’re doing.

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Recognise that other’s mental models (perspectives) are different from your own and leverage this uniqueness to give you more rounded information for

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You can purchase a copy of Love-Based Leadership from amazon.com/Love-Based-Leadership-Transform-Meaning-Abundance/dp/1452501025 More resources DrMariaChurch.com Connect with Dr Maria Church: facebook.com/dr.maria.church linkedin.com/pub/dr-maria-church/ twitter.com/DrMariaChurch pinterest.com/drmariachurch/dr-maria-tv/ healmmagazine.com

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You have the intellect. You have the skillset.

You have the drive.

Why the frustration?

It’s time to elevate your view, shift your perception, and begin making a powerful difference!

When you learn to develop your “perception-shifting muscle” you maximize your effectiveness in communicating, decision making, and creative outside-the-box thinking. Perception-Shifting – your own and those of the team you’re leading – is one of the most powerful skills you can utilize (and teach) as a leader.

To Learn Dr. Maria’s 3 favorite activities to strengthen your Perception-Shifting muscles, request her new The True Power of Perception-Shifting Action Guide!

DrMariaChurch.com

To Learn Dr. Maria’s 3 favorite activities to strengthen your Perception-Shifting muscles, request her new The True Power of Perception-Shifting Action Guide!

DrMariaChurch.com Elevate your view. Shift your perception. See and understand the real “lay of the land.”

And then jump back into the fray and make a powerful difference.

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RACHEL BROWNLOW-LUND

FAST-TRACK

YOUR CAREER

Rachel Brownlow-Lund started as a ghostwriter and worked her way to leading three publications. But she didn’t stop there. Lund is now involved in various leadership roles and now runs her own business, Me2Lead, empowering other ambitious millennial women to become well-connected, confident, and well-paid leaders.

Though there are many successful female leaders in business, ‘the glass ceiling’ is still a very real and invisible barrier, preventing women from reaching their potential. And, when they do rise up to high level roles, they are often paid less than their male counterparts. Men are still viewed as the default business leaders, despite women being often regarded as better leaders. Millennial women are working to change this dynamic.

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We were lucky enough to speak to Rachel about Me2Lead and her tips on fast-tracking your career.

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I want to test out new content or speak in front of a larger group or audience than I’m used to, I’ll schedule something that will stretch me— something I know I can’t easily to get out of. The thing is, I know that once it’s booked, I’ll do what it takes to do the best I possibly can! When you find ways to consistently push yourself and stretch your comfort zone, you’ll notice that your comfort zone expands, and so does your confidence! Like Barbara Stanny wrote in her book Secrets of Six-Figure Women: “Feel the fear. Have the doubts. Go for it anyway.”

WHAT IS ME2LEAD? I started Me2Lead as a way to help others fast-track their business leadership skills, reclaim my time, and monetize something I’d been doing for free for years: coaching and consulting. I’d already started a couple businesses on my own—one that was successful and another not so much—and had helped several friends successfully launch their businesses.

The women I work with have a strong desire to make a positive impact on the world through their business, their message and their earning potential.

I help them build their confidence, expand possibilities, create high-level strategy and overcome mindset blocks so they can show up in the world in a way that truly helps and inspires others.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT THE WORK YOU DO? Hands down it’s seeing something that was once a stumbling block for a client melt away and watching that client step into her empowered new normal. For instance, I had a client come to me who was struggling with confidence. She was the owner of several successful businesses and had somehow managed to stay behind the scenes for years. Her lack of confidence had gotten to the point where she didn’t feel comfortable attending networking events or even introducing herself to customers. We worked on her confidence issues on several different levels – emotional, energetic, and also on a very practical level, even creating custom scripts for her to use – and within a few weeks she was introducing herself to customers and attending multiple networking events a week!

YOU EXUDE CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF, YOUR WORK, AND WITH OTHER PEOPLE. HAVE YOU ALWAYS HAD THIS CONFIDENCE? IF NOT, HOW DID YOU DEVELOP IT? I feel much more comfortable in my own skin than I did when I launched my first business. Heck, I feel more confident than I did at this time last year! Building confidence is definitely a process. It’s something I help clients with, but it’s also something I’m constantly working on myself— sometimes through mindset or energy work, and other times through simply facing what scares me. For example, if

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WHAT ARE SOME OF THE COMMON STRUGGLES MILLENNIAL WOMEN FACE IN BUSINESS/CAREERS/ INCREASING EARNING POTENTIAL? Self-doubt. The women I work with are ambitious; they want to help others and make their mark on the world. And even so, they continue to struggle with things like charging what they’re worth, claiming ownership of their accomplishments, and getting their message out there. A lot of that boils down to self-doubt. If someone has self-doubt hanging over their head—in any of its iterations: comparisonitis, imposter syndrome, perfectionism—then it can prevent them from living life at their highest potential. That’s not only a loss for them, it’s also a loss for the world.

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Nothing is risk free. If you’re looking to grow your assets, I recommend investing in yourself and any skills related to business, mindset, money, and self-improvement. Not only can you use those new skills going forward, they also have the potential to yield a much higher return than if you were to spend that money on, say, real estate.

What are your top tips for WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR millennial women who want MILLENNIAL WOMEN WHO WANT to fast-track their career?

TO FAST-TRACK THEIR CAREER?

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Where you are in every area of life is directly tied to your mindset. What you think is possible, and howcomfortable you are with what you currently have is the fastest way to upgrade anything, whether that’s your career, connections, wealth, or another area of life, is by upgrading your mindset.

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Do what it takes to live in a state of gratitude. It’s an energetic principle that the more you’regrateful for, the more will flow your way. When you’re perpetually grateful, you’ll attract more high-vibe people and notice opportunities that were never available to you before, in turn giving you more to be grateful for.

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Find ways to normalize what you want for yourself. If you want to be successful, surround yourself with successful people. If you want to be wealthy, surround yourself with people who are even more wealthy than you intend to be. Find ways to absorb their higher-level ways of thinking, even if that just means reading their books or listening to them on podcasts.

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You have a personal brand whether you realize it or not.

Make sure you’re presenting yourself in the way you want to be presented. Embrace your differences, find your voice, and speak up!

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SALLY HELGESEN:

HABITS that hold WOMEN BACK at WORK

Women have a distinct set of strengths which set them apart from men in the workplace, providing them with many advantages early in their careers.

Yet, those same habits can hold them back as they seek to rise. This is the catch-22 Sally Helgesen has been helping women to navigate for decades.

Helgesen’s mission for the past 30 years, has been to help women recognise, articulate, and act on their greatest strengths and help organisations build inclusive cultures. She has been cited in Forbes as the world’s premier expert on women’s leadership and is a best-selling author, speaker, and leadership coach. Her most recent book, How Women Rise, co-authored with executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, examines the behaviors most likely to get in the way of successful women seeking to move to higher levels.

Healm spoke to Sally about leadership and some of the common habits women experience that prevent them from becoming the leaders they want to be.

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WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST COMMON HABITS WOMEN EXPERIENCE THAT HOLD THEM BACK IN THEIR CAREERS?

YOU’VE SAID THAT A LOT OF THE HABITS WHICH GET WOMEN HIRED ARE ALSO THE ONES THAT KEEP THEM FROM RISING. HOW CAN SOMEONE ADAPT THESE BEHAVIORS FROM LIMITING, TO STRENGTHENING?

Some of the habits and behaviors that serve women well early in their careers, can get in their way as they move to a higher level. This is true for men as well, but the behaviors which hold women back can be different.

Research shows that women are often promoted and rewarded for precision and correctness, while men are more likely to be promoted and rewarded based on them having a bigger picture or vision in mind for the organisation, their connection, and their visibility. This can be a trap for women, because precision and correctness aren’t generally known as leadership qualities.

The ones I see most often include: Reluctance to claim achievements Expecting others to spontaneously notice and value contributions

The best ways to avoid this trap is to work on demonstrating your vision, starting with a clear firm statement that lays out precisely what you want your greatest contribution to your organisation to be. This statement can be rooted in the job you have, but it should also be aspirational, giving a sense of where you intend to go.

Over-valuing expertise And putting your job before your career It’s easy to see how these work together. The common root of these is the fear of appearing to be self-promoting and the belief that if you just focus on doing your work as well as you can, you will inevitably be rewarded. Women who hold onto these beliefs will benefit from understanding that a thriving career is built on three legs: expertise, visibility, and connections. Hard, even superb, work will not alone identify you as a potential leader.

Along with this, of course, women can benefit from cultivating relationships from day one and engaging people they connect with, based on their vision, or on what they aspire to create and achieve.

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YOU’VE BEEN IN THIS BUSINESS FOR A LONG TIME. HOW DO MILLENNIAL WOMEN DIFFER IN THE WORKPLACE TO WOMEN FROM PREVIOUS GENERATIONS? I don’t see as many differences as some people do, though I do believe millennials often come into the workplace with a greater recognition of the need to be visible and to promote themselves and they tend to be more comfortable with these skills as a result.

In my experience, they may also be less likely to put their jobs before their careers. Where I see millennials struggling is often with the communication habits, especially minimising and offering too much.

The good news is, these are the simplest habits to tweak, as long a you get someone else engaged in what you’re working on.

HOW CAN WOMEN GET ON A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD WITH THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS? DO FEMALE EMPLOYEES NEED TO DEMAND A CHANGE OR DO THE ORGANISATIONS NEED TO MAKE THE CHANGE? It will take action on all fronts, and that is definitely what I see evolving.

I’ve been working with women leaders and aspiring women

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leaders for 30 years and I am definitely seeing movement forward.

Three things are different.

First, women are more confident than they were in the past. They have a stronger belief in the value of what they have to contribute and feel entitled—I use the word in a positive sense—to be seen and heard.

Second, I see men as much more eager to be allies for women and more comfortable in that role. This is essential—we can’t transform the workplace alone.

Thirdly, I see much more solidarity among women than in the past. The MeToo movement is one manifestation of this—many of the women who spoke up did so because they saw other women getting criticised for having done so. The solidarity is a big change.

In the 1990s, it was common for women in leadership positions to avoid having anything to do with internal women’s programs. They tended to view any kind of activity on behalf of other women as potentially undermining their own position as leaders. I rarely see this anymore—women at all levels are stepping up to support their company’s efforts to become better places for women to work.

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