The journey to embodied visibility & claiming our space in the world
Anyone seeing my journey right now might make the assumption that showing up and speaking my truth comes easily to me.
They might assume that it’s just something I have always been able to do.
They might make up a story about who they think I am based on the way I consistently show up and unapologetically take up space in my business.
I get it. We all constantly make assumptions about people (often to fit some unconscious agenda we have).
But today I want to bring you into my world and to share with you my own visibility journey that has been one hell of a wild and awakening one!
Anyone who has started their own business will know the deep fear and insecurity that can come up when we begin to get visible.
You might think that visibility simply means being seen by more people, but there's much more to it than that. I’m talking about embodied visibility. It is about being seen and heard for who you truly are, not just what you do.
It's about showing up in your business with authenticity, confidence, and leadership presence. It's not just about getting your name out there; it's about making a lasting impression on the people who matter most to your business and, crucially, it is about reclaiming your sovereignty in your life!
So yeah, for me visibility is deep my friends. It is the initiation. And, it is a crucial element of taking your business to the next level of impact and income.
I currently run a very successful business and I earn more in a month than I used to in a whole year. But for the vast majority of my business life I felt stuck, stagnant, triggered and totally frozen.
I knew I had so much to offer the world. I have always had a very strong connection to my soul and purpose. This is such a gift and yet also, this knowing coupled with the stagnation and fear I felt became a source of much frustration and inner turmoil.
I knew…yet I was stuck.
I felt the call…yet I didn’t know how to follow it.
I longed to speak up and take up space…yet I was paralyzed with fear at the thought of it.
I was actively running away from the very thing I wanted.
This was my reality for longer than I’d like to admit.
This wasn’t just something I wanted, though.
It was something my soul yearned for on a deep level.
It was an initiation that I knew I had to go through in order to get to what was on the other side; my liberation.
My business is a deeply spiritual thing for me. It has been the vessel and the vehicle for so much growth, homecoming and reclamation. In all my years of devotion to my evolution, the last 4 years of being all in in my business and my capacity for embodied visibility have taught me more than the 10 years that came before it.
The reason for this isn’t a monetary one. Sure, I earn well these days and goodness me that feels good! It is part of me breaking generational trauma cycles (but that's for another blog). But the real hell yes comes from the woman I have chosen to become in order to get to this place.
That is the real medicine.
That is the liberation.
That is the expansion.
Because here is what I want you to know about embodied visibility:
It is not just about your business.
It is about you claiming your space, standing in your sovereignty and rooting yourself deeply and wisely into the earth Herself.
It is to claim with every cell of your body: I am here. I am now. I exist.
It is to own your inner authority and to move through the world with a sense of strength, agency and empowerment.
My own journey to embodied visibility really began in earnest when I started to understand the impact of trauma and learned how to work with my nervous system in new ways.
I realised that I was living within embedded patterns of constriction, smallness and invisibility in my life.
I was inhaling my true YES’s and my NO’s. I was living in a body that had learned to be invisible and not take up space as a way of staying safe.
But this wasn’t the kind of emotional and inner platform of safety I support women to create. No, it was the pseudo kind of safety that is based on a disconnection from our core intelligence and our authentic expression. It is the ‘safety’ that arises in the absence of true, embodied safety. The safety of survival.
On the outside, I had all the necessary ingredients to be confident in claiming my space in the world.
I was a gifted academic and sports women and grew up being praised and awarded for this.
I was top of my class, straight ‘A’ student, captain of the sport teams.
I graduated top of my year at university with a First Class BSc and an award for outstanding academic achievement.
I completed a highly specialized training in Clinical Psycho-Neuro-Immunology.
I graduated top of my year in my Psychology Masters degree and was invited to join the staff.
I worked as a Research Assistant in the field of Interpersonal Neurobiology for two well-known psychologists
I got a highly coveted job as an Assistant Clinical Psychologist
I completed various other training in mind-body medicine…
I could go on.
You get the picture.
Whilst all of these things were great and they did provide me with some sense of security and esteem, it was mostly the cognitive kind…Not the kind that made it into my body and tissues.
Our bodies are the key to visibility and claiming our space in the world:
My journey to embodied visibility and being able to run the successful and impactful business I run today wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t learned how to work with my body and nervous system in the unique way I have.
Our bodies are a vessel of intelligence and wisdom. Yet most of society lives in the land of logic, the brain in the head, cut-off from the land of their bodies and the powerful transformations that can only happen when we include our bodies, our hearts, our souls.
We might find that we are able to ‘function’ okay - meeting goals and deadlines and KPIs - but inside our nervous system is frazzled, we feel untethered, exhausted and disconnected from our life force.
We function but we do not feel our full power, potential and aliveness.
We function but we are still hiding in patterns of invisibility.
We function but we are still afraid.
We function but we are still inhaling our truth in the name of acceptance.
Having worked with hundreds of women all around the world, I have witnessed time and time again that there are core struggles that stop us from claiming our space in the world:
Fear of being exposed as a fraud or impostor:
We can experience imposter syndrome, where we feel like a fraud and believe that our successes are due to luck or other external factors rather than our own skills and abilities.
Fear of rejection:
The fear of rejection may also cause us to feel hesitant or uncertain about sharing our thoughts and experiences, for fear of being judged or criticized. This causes us to withhold our ideas and opinions, and limits our ability to express ourselves fully. The fear of rejection can be reinforced by societal and cultural norms that discourage women from being assertive and speaking up, perpetuating a cycle of self-doubt and silence.
Fear of Confrontation:
Fearing any potential of conflict or tension can create anxiety and reluctance to share our truth and assert ourselves, which leads to feelings of being silenced or unheard. The fear of confrontation may be rooted in past experiences of being dismissed or invalidated, making it difficult for women to trust that their voices and opinions will be heard and respected. This can be exacerbated by gender stereotypes that portray women as passive or submissive, leading them to avoid conflict and prioritise harmony over expressing themselves authentically.
Fear of Losing Relationships or Opportunities:
We may worry that expressing ourselves authentically and asserting ourselves will strain our relationships with family, friends, colleagues, or our audience, leading us to self-censor and withhold our true thoughts and feelings.
This fear of losing relationships can be reinforced by societal expectations that prioritize the needs and desires of others over women's own needs and desires, leading them to feel guilty or selfish for going for what they want and unapologetically claiming their space.
Fear of taking undeserved credit or being perceived as self-promoting:
We may worry about being perceived as arrogant or not living up to societal expectations of how women should behave, leading us to downplay our achievements and contributions.
We can feel like we are walking on eggshells, worried about how we’lll be perceived by others and whether we’ll be breaking some unspoken rule about how women are supposed to behave or going against societal expectations of ‘femininity’. This can lead to us to downplay our accomplishments, not assert ourselves when we should and not stepping forward to claim our rightful place in the world.
Fear of occupying too much space and time, and potentially being perceived as selfish or overbearing:
We may worry about violating gender norms that prioritize women as caregivers and nurturers, leading us to downplay our own needs, desires and goals in favor of being who we think we are supposed to be. This fear can also be due to past experiences of being dismissed or ignored, making it hard for women to trust that their voices and opinions will be valued and respected. Plus, let’s not forget the societal expectations of how women should behave can create a double standard, where women who assert themselves or take up space are perceived as pushy or aggressive, while men who exhibit the same behavior are seen as assertive and confident.
Lack of Support:
We may not have the necessary support from family, friends, or colleagues to claim our space in the world and speak our truth. Without this support, we can feel isolated and hesitant to express ourselves authentically.
If you’re struggling to stand in your sovereignty and be visible in your business you’re not broken.
Or alone.
You make so much sense and your struggles are shared.
We exist in a world where so many women are afraid to stand up and speak up even when they are highly qualified and accomplished in their fields. We have been conditioned to be small, be invisible, shrink and dim ourselves. For most of modern history this was how women were expected to be and how they learned to stay safe in a world of misogyny and patriarchy.
But this doesn’t have to be YOUR story anymore.
And when you change YOUR story, you are changing the story for ALL WOMEN.
Yes, it’s true that there are still very real structural and cultural barriers that exist and there are many spheres in which women's voices are still underrepresented, undervalued and under-respected.
And it is my belief that reclaiming our sovereignty and claiming space in the world is also an inside job that starts within our own hearts and minds and bodies.
How do we do this? In my experience there are 6 key aspects to standing in our sovereignty and embodied visibility:
Reconnect with your body: The first step is to get back in touch with your body and how it feels. Many women have learned to disconnect from their bodies as a result of trauma and oppression and in order to fit in or avoid feeling uncomfortable. We start by bringing awareness to sensations in the body and practicing how to come into a deeper relationship with the wisdom and intelligence of our bodies.
Release stored trauma + tension: Through gentle movement, somatic practices and body awareness exercises, you release any stored tension and trauma patterns in our body. This helps to create more space, flow and openness, and allows you to tap into your innate power, life energy and creativity.
Re-own your story: Our past experiences can shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us. In this step, we work to reframe our story and create a new narrative that empowers us to take up space and be visible. We explore our values, strengths, and unique qualities to help us step into our full potential.
Reprogram your nervous system: Our nervous system responds to stress and trauma in ways that can keep us stuck in old patterns. In this step, we use somatic techniques, energy practices and visualisations to reprogram the nervous system and create new pathways for responding to stress and triggers. This helps us feel more confident and resilient as we step into our visibility.
Reclaim your voice: We explore ways to help you feel confident and comfortable expressing yourself authentically. This may involve somatic exercises to help you release tension in your throat and jaw, and techniques to help you tap into your own unique voice and message.
Radiate your message: The final step is to step into our visibility and share our message with the world. We use somatic practices to help us feel grounded and confident as we speak our truth and share our unique medicine. This step is all about taking action and sharing our unique medicine and gifts with the world.
The world needs You in your sovereignty:
It's time to step up and take your place in the world. The world needs your unique voice, your special brand of medicine, your perspective and your leadership.
Now more than ever before, we need women who know how to stand in their sovereignty, own their power and express their truth with confidence and clarity.
It can be scary to claim your space, to speak your truth, to assert yourself as a leader. But trust me when I say that the world is ready and waiting for you to do just that. We need you. We need your passion, your wisdom, your creativity, your love. We need you to show up and stand up in all your glory.
I know it's not always easy. We live in a world that hasn't always been kind to women who dare to be different, who dare to be powerful, who dare to be leaders.
But that's exactly why we need you. We need your courage, your determination, your resilience.
So, take a deep breath. Stand tall.
Claim your space. Speak your truth.
The world is waiting for you.
About me:
I am a somatic coach + business mentor and I support multi-dimensional, pioneering women to step into their sovereignty, express their unique medicine + message with confidence and clarity and take their businesses to the next level of impact and income while honouring their body and nervous system.
My work is an alchemical fusion of somatics x strategy x energetics and a whole lotta soul. I believe that every woman deserves to be seen, heard, and valued for who she is, and to create a life and business that is fulfilling, prosperous and purposeful. My ultimate goal is to contribute to a world where women feel empowered to show up fully and make a positive impact in their communities and beyond.
I currently have 2x 1:1 spaces left before I close my books for 2023. They won’t hang around for long so if you’re interested you can book a connection call here and we can chat to see if I am the mentor for you.
P.S Are you a coach or therapist looking to deepen your understanding of trauma and improve your ability to support clients? Do you want to learn how to support the whole human and integrate trauma-informed practices into your approach so that you can increase your expertise and offer your clients an exceptional experience of being in your care? Then check out my upcoming training Anchored and sign up to the waitlist.