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Travel that Touches Your Soul
Too often the holidays bring with it a sense of urgency, losing yourself in tasks and to-dos. Called a “moral imperative” especially for women, self-care gets de-prioritized as you try to keep up with others’ needs. During this season it’s more important than ever to slow down, savoring and moving at a human pace, connecting with the natural world and with caring communities. Research shows that exposure to nature improves your focus and ability to concentrate and boosts your immune system, and that social connection, meaningful relationships, is a “biological imperative”. Walk in Beauty Pilgrimages are designed to touch your heart and…
Leading with Wholeheartedness: Lessons of El Camino
In October 2002, I first walked the Pilgrimage of El Camino de Santiago, Spain with three Cuban friends. I arrived at this ancient, thousand year old route with a ‘get it done’ attitude, clueless about the spiritual nature of pilgrimage or even my own deeper motivations for being there. Instead, I was hyper-focused on externals: selecting the right backpack, the best wicking clothing, the right hiking shoes, thinking that’s what I needed.I was wrong (and right).One of the many things I learned from that experience now twenty years ago is that El Camino is not about externals: the right clothing or even the right logistics,…
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Radical, Radiant Rest
Earlier this year, I did something I had never done before: I decided to buy a one-way ticket to a Zen center for a three-month silent retreat. Not only did I need retreat, I needed to rest in a radically deep way. The not-so-subtle two-part message I’ve received most of my life was first: ‘Hard work is a badge of honor. It proves you’re strong, you’ve got this.’ Second, ‘Rest is for wimps; for folks who can’t work a full-time gig and a couple of side hustles without complaint.’ Obviously, this is a blueprint for burnout and more though I didn’t…
Insight is Waiting for You
Recently, I had a soul-enriching conversation at Transformative Educational Leadership (TEL) whose mission is to support leaders in aligning their inward values and purpose with their outward service and action. In her last interview question, Meena Srinivasan, TEL’s ED, asked ‘what do you know for sure now’? Without hesitation, I replied, ‘these are not normal times. Life is so not normal, and this requires that we hold a beautiful aspiration, grounded in compassionate action.’ Why I Wrote Hope Leans Forward Cultivating hope isn’t about flimsy, wishful thinking; it’s about purposeful, truth-telling, and bravery that takes space and time, which is…
Hope Leans Forward’s E-Journal: Supporting Your Life & Work with Brave- Making Practices
My latest book, Hope Leans Forward, Braving Your Way toward Simplicity, Awakening, and Peace, was written through a period of profound personal loss, life-altering transitions, and the urgency of Black Lives Matter. Tending grief required time to sit with my scattered thoughts and emotions, to dive into questions without ready answers, and to let the truth of the moment reveal itself to me. I didn’t avoid or evade the grief. I didn’t try to explain it away or rationalize the transitions. Instead, I gave it space and quiet attention which, over time led to clarity and to a sense of action and…
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A Day in the Dharma with Valerie Brown, dharma teacher, leadership coach, and former lawyer
Ask the Teachers: How can I frame my practice in more positive terms?
