Client Happenings: Ignite Forums
“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” - Brene Brown
I’ve shared a bit on here about Ignite’s community that I’m a part of and this week, I wanted to delve a little deeper into some of the themes and topics we’ve been getting into…One of the great things about Ignite is that they offer shorter experiences at the beginning or end of the workday so they don’t have to take you out of the office (my workaholic personality thanks you for this).
The first one I attended was a Coaching Corner: an intimate and interactive group coaching session that allows you to focus on personal and professional leadership challenges over a glass of wine. This one in particular was on the topic of “making the most of your personal values.” Jill Fahlgren, an experienced executive coach, provided insights and guidance on not only how to identify your personal values but also how to ensure your day-to-day actions support these values. We completed exercises to both analyze and understand our personal values through real life experiences but also helped others get in better alignment with theirs.
I think about values a lot and I know that the value I consider of the utmost importance to me is kindness. I’ve built this business around that core value and, while I firmly believe in the “treat others as you would like to be treated” mantra, what this coaching session helped me realize is that I’m not always kind to myself.
I’m definitely my harshest critic (especially when it comes to this business baby of mine) and get oftentimes don’t stop to celebrate the small wins. So, looking ahead, what I took from this is that I’m going extend more grace to myself. Heck, maybe I’ll even take some time off when I need it…but don’t quote me on that 😊
Next up was something Ignite calls Failing Forward, a fresh approach to storytelling and exploring the power of resilience. We were joined by Ujjwal Gupta, Co-Founder & COO of Benchprep and Sonya Jackson, Founder and Principal of Mantra For Good, to explore “finding strength through vulnerability.” In a moderated panel, Sonya and Ujjwal shared personal and professional examples of struggle and how they came out stronger on the other side.
Vulnerability is something I think everyone struggles with but as my girl Brene Brown has said, “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” At the event, there were so many stories shared from others sharing the same feelings and I’m so thankful that this community exists within our Chicago community. If you’re interested in learning more, check them out online or reach out to me and you can be my +1 😊
xoxo, Morgan