Three and a half (3.5) years ago I had a deep desire to help people create change for themselves and for the organisations they work in. Well actually for many years it has been what I have been doing. But this desire was for it to be done differently, done joyfully, done in a way that every single person grows as a result of it and has their own unique toolbox and a support system that is loving.
I have a deep belief that change happens as a result of connection. When we are connected to ourselves, to each other and to a vision, mission or purpose we can co create change so powerful and so exciting that many others want to be part of it and we create beautiful ripple effects.
I know it is true because I have done it before, on many occasions in fact. I know it is true because on every level (mental, emotional, physical and spiritual) I have felt it myself. I also know it cannot be done alone and in isolation. Change is co created. Transformation is co created. In fact transformation is simply incremental, sustainable changes that are co created.
But I digress….
The Backstory:
Four (4) years ago, it was the middle of the pandemic. I was supporting a client in delivering a Salesforce Transformation programme to the teams in Germany, a programme of work that had been running for 2 years and we had delivered 9 countries already. Luckily for us we had already began creating our connections with the teams in Germany before the pandemic hit. We had already formed some robust relationships. We also know there is cultural nuances for every country we work in and we need to factor in some of these things. As the pandemic hit and took away our primary way of creating connection - face to face workshops, dinners and experiences, we had to get creative.
My toolbox had been filling up for many years with traditional stuff, but during 2019 - 2020 I had started doing yoga much more regularly, I had joined a Women's Course devoted to connecting back to myself. I had meditation and breathing practices for myself each day to support me during the travels we were doing in 2018 - 2020. Let's just say my Woo exploration was kicking in and everything I experienced, I bought to the virtual office for us to experiment with and see what worked. My toolbox now looks incredibly different, diverse and super fun!
Feeling back into it at the time, I had no fear testing any of this with the teams I was working with as our bond and connection ran deep. We had supported each other through deeply personal situations, we openly shared our fears together in our rituals we designed to support us, we travelled the world together, we loved and respected what each person bought to the table, we lived by the motto that "feedback is a gift, coming from a place of love." The picture used in this post is our last in person Christmas Party in 2019, this was the core delivery team. You can see the connection and feel the energy of that picture.
Evolution of Fear to Courage:
4 years ago I had a deep knowing something needed to be created because there is a need to change how we work, to do things differently, to look at problems in a different way and solve them with different kinds of thinking and a really unique toolbox that is special and magical and involves everyone. Change is co created, transformation is co created.
It was like Fear struck me down, how could I possibly launch this thing even though there was a deep knowing it was needed AND it worked. “Luckily” I could be distracted by finishing the work with Germany and getting them live with Salesforce, helping the teams change how they work, helping them create deeper connections up and down the customer experience chain so not only did the teams flourish, the customers were more delighted.
3.5 years ago the name The Change Tribe was born and in addition to changing how we work and perceive work, I wanted to talk about the thing I am deeply passionate about - Change and Transformation. I wanted to launch a podcast about it. I found a friend who was as passionate as I was but both of us had the resistance dance. I now know that resistance is simply the mask Fear puts on. We avoided the podcast and making ourselves visible. We came up with excuses, we procrastinated, we distracted ourselves through other clients and contracts.
But the insistence that I wanted to make a difference, that I wanted to change how we work, how we perceive work, how we connect to ourselves and each other was like a drumbeat. It wasn't going to stop.
The voice of Fear persisted, the "not good enough", you "won't be loved", what do you think you are doing, rhetoric playing through my ego mind constantly. But my real true voice was shouting louder with this need to help the people like me, who had lived toxic environments, who had, had their confidence crushed, who felt unsure some days, who questioned themselves constantly, who weren't always sure what their contribution was or where their impact was. My fear transmuted to courage was co created. My transformation was co created with incremental changes.
My incremental changes related to The Change Tribe began in Feb 2021, when I joined a community I love dearly, The Happy Start Up School. It is a place for business hippies. That's me!!! I did the Vision 2020 course where I deep dived into learning more about me, creating an even deeper connection to me. Unfortunately in that deep dive, my fear paralysed me, so I took a small detour and took on another CRM Transformation Programme - Resistance by Avoidance, Table for 1.
This detour showed me that toxicity was alive, well and thriving though. It culminated in a very big emotional trigger for me, which is where the fear really came out. It is also where I met it head on. The time had come to dance with this fear. If I ever had any hope of fulfilling my vision, my dreams and my Game Changer energy it was time to do the dance. It's not easy to do this but it is better when you feel loved and supported. Change is co created. Fear and courage dance together when you feel supported. I started my coaching course at Applied Depths, and I dived into somatic work, a deep joyful tool in my toolbox. David (my business partner and co founder) also became my coach. 6 months of working together began to unlock all that pent up fear, doomsday voices and imposter syndrome. Through my work with David, my inner work on my course at Applied Depths, my fear transmuted to courage. My transformation was co created with incremental changes supported by loving practitioners and communities who value change and made me feel seen and valued.
Last year, The Change Tribe was truly born into the world, available and able to co create sustainable, incremental changes for individuals, teams and organisations. This year we launched that podcast but even better than that, our show is recorded live with an audience. This shows you that the dance of fear and courage is on going, it is all about the tools in your toolbox and the love of the people you have supporting you and cheering you on.
I still have moments of fear, I still have moments of doubt. No one is perfect and I certainly do not have a myth of perfection here. What I do know now is this, change is co created. We were never meant to do it alone. We were always meant to do it as a connected group. Through that group your toolbox to navigate change expands exponentially, you also have the joy of different perspectives and wisdom. It is also way more fun to do it together.
My Wish for You:
My deep wishes for you are that you truly know how valued you are and how much value you bring to the world. You feel loved, seen and supported through whatever is rising for you right now, the good, the bad and the challenging and that you find the gift in it. You dream big and have grand visions because you deserve them and you are the right person to bring them to reality. You do work that you love and that brings a sense of joy and connection and you experience it each and every day. You know your truth and you walk it together with other like hearted people cheering you on. When you feel the fear rising, you have the support of those around you to bring courage to take fear’s hand and keep moving forward.
If this connects to something in you, even if you do not know what or where it is. Please reach out. We would love to chat to you and if it feels good, we would love to help you envision all your possibilities and help you co create your greatness. Schedule a call.
May you co create a life filled with your dreams, love and joy, leaving your gifts of light as you sparkle brightly.
Nikki
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