When I heard this, everything shifted

Several years ago, the leadership team at a metropolitan hospital brought me in to announce an organization-wide suite of changes.

Staff members were bussed from their jobs at the hospital and ushered into a nearby hotel conference room. That’s where I introduced myself and then shared a PowerPoint deck going over all the changes coming their way.

I met with different groups three times a day for five days. Everyone at the hospital had to hear the same message from me, a complete stranger who had no ties to them, their job, or the hospital.

I would never agree to do something like that again. It was a terrible reflection of the leadership at that hospital. They didn’t want to do it themselves because they didn’t want to face the heat from their employees.

And honey, there was heat!

The employees displayed a range of emotions from frustrated to exhausted, numb, furious, angry, judgmental, pissed, and deep sadness.

Their leadership seemed to not care about them, and no one was listening to their frustrations.

And so, they shared them with me. I felt like an unprepared captain trying to manage a crew that was calling for mutiny. I didn’t blame them, even when they wanted to take their anger out on me personally.

As I stood at the door saying goodbye to a group, one woman asked me, “When are you due?” as she pointed at my stomach. I was clearly not pregnant.

But there was one young woman whose interaction with me burned into my memory. In the middle of her session, she stood up and shouted, “Why are they doing this to us? I’m stuck here; I have no other options.”

Oof –  that gutted me.

I stopped and took a few steps closer to her, and asked, “Is that what you believe? That you have no other choice than to work here?”

“Yes!” she said, “I’m stuck here; it’s all I can do!”

“Well,” I said, “if that’s what you believe, you might be right. But without even knowing you or what your circumstances are, I want you to know you have other choices.”

My heart went to her because, in her pain, she really couldn’t see other options.

She sat down and quietly let tears stream down her face while I finished up the talk. She bolted from the room as soon as I finished, and I never saw her again. But I can still see her and describe the desperation she was in.

I’m sharing this with you because the other day, I was listening to a podcast that had Susie Moore as a guest.

You know how you can be engaged with other things while listening to a podcast and be only half-tuned in? That’s what was happening for me; I was cleaning my kitchen when Ms. Moore said, “The more options we have, the more freedom we have.”

I quickly hit rewind to make sure I got it.

It felt like the first domino of an intricate design. So many of my clients say that what they want most is a sense of freedom in their lives.

It might be financial, time, place, or even relationship freedom, but in a word cloud of things my clients say, FREEDOM would be the biggest word.

Based on what Susie Moore just said, they have a limited perspective on what they think is possible. They’ve run out of options based on the stories and beliefs that are running their lives.

That’s why my work is so powerful. I help my clients rewrite their narratives; to shift their perspectives so they can see the infinite field of options before them, which brings them freedom of choice. The ultimate freedom.

This work can feel next to impossible to do on your own. Because we live and breathe our stories; we think they are our truth.

You need someone to help question your narratives so you can say, “Oh, I never thought of it like that!”

The Rewrite is coming on January 13th, an eight-week group coaching program where I’ll help YOU reimagine the meaning behind the events of your life and open up your perspective to a world new world of options.

And what do you get with more options? You guessed it…more freedom. 

If you’re interested but not sure if this is a right fit for you, hit reply, and let’s set up a time to talk.