Visualizing our Goals Together at #LinkageWIL | Day 2

What inspires you–to be more thoughtful, courageous, bold? What inspires you be a more effective, more purposeful leader?  

It’s Day 2 here at Linkage’s Women in Leadership Institute^™ in Phoenix, AZ, and we’re feeling inspired. We are energized by the women leaders (1,100+ of them!) who have come together for a journey of self-discovery and growth. 

Yesterday, we heard from some truly inspiring thinkers and thought leaders, including Susan MacKenty Brady, who introduced us to the seven hurdles facing women in the workplace–and helped us to begin to think about how to overcome them. And today, we dove into gaining clarity and seizing the moment with Dr. Tara Swart and soccer super star Abby Wambach.  

You can dive into the “live” experience from home or work by checking out #LinkageWIL on Twitter or Instagram, where we’re sharing in-the-moment insights from our faculty on the main stage.  

Missed our Day 1 coverage? Check out highlights.  

Here’s a glimpse of Day 2:

Keynote: Dr. Tara Swart on Being Clear 

Dr. Tara Swart, author of The Source, kicked off day two by discussing the power of and the science behind The Law of Attraction. She challenged us to unlock the power behind visualizing our goals and discussed the control we all have to shape our futures.

What we learned: 

• Clarity itself is the first step in becoming the leader you want to be. We have the power to change our destiny by reshaping the way we think.
• By using The Law of Attraction to visualize our goals, we are one step closer to manifesting them and making them our reality.
• Breakthroughs in neuroscience and behavioral psychology, including lessons in neuroplasticity, magneticism, emotional and logical thinking, and even hydration, self-care, and relaxation, have proven the power of The Law of Attraction.
• Self-care is vital to gaining clarity. It’s important to take time to focus on ourselves so we can gain an understanding of who we are and who we want to be.
• When the goals you set come from the real you, they will be goals that you actually want to make happen. 

To learn more from Tara, check out her new book, The Source and follow her on Twitter.

Keynote: Abby Wambach on Being Bold 

Two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA World Cup Champion, and the highest all-time international goal scorer for both male and female soccer players, Abby Wambach, took to the stage today to discuss the importance of being Bold. An activist for equality and inclusion, Abby reminds us that bold leaders champion each other, lead from where they are, transform their failures to power, and take what they’ve earned.

What we learned: 

• Women have never been “Little Red Riding Hood”; We are the wolves. We need to find our Wolfpack and unite with them. When we do that, we all come out victorious.
• To truly be bold, you have to show up as your authentic self–and that requires vulnerability.
• Even if you’re not in a position of leadership, find opportunities to seize the moment to make decisions or recommendations to move projects forward.
• Once you show up as your authentic voice, you need to be bold and leverage your voice and power; and support and champion other women in the process.
• Be fueled by your failures. They are an invaluable source of wisdom and power if you choose to learn from them.

For more from Abby Wambach, check out her bestselling book, Wolfpack, and follow her on Twitter.

Deep Dive Session: Mastering Your Inner Critic

Our Inner Critic is that voice inside our head that is critical of ourselves and others. We need to understand why intrinsic worthiness is essential to overcoming the Inner Critic, and furthermore, that confidence and worthiness are not the same thing.  

In this session, we used exercises to identify our Inner Critic in action, and focused on how to coach our Inner Critic by unpacking the Four Practices:

1. Become Aware
2. Push Pause
3. Be Compassionate
4. Get Curious

What we learned:

• As a leader, the people who work with you and for you will react differently than you assume. Be aware that everybody has different triggers and different reactions. It starts with you.
• The challenge with the Inner Critic is its solitude. The subtlety is where the practice comes in.
• Pushing pause is difficult, because it forces you to stop reacting.
• Getting curious is the key to getting out of “One-Up” or “One-Down” and getting back to Compassionate Center.

Deep Dive Session: Mind and Body Presence

When it comes to mastering the seven hurdles to advancement, we must first start with our own well-being. This Mind/Body Presence session taught us the power of aligning the mind and the body to expand our capacity for presence, centering, and self-awareness as a leader. Together, we walked through a guided meditation experience designed to allow us to become in-tune with our bodies and our minds.

What we learned: 

• Lie down on the floor or sit with your feet flat on the floor. Take a moment to appreciate how hard your body works for you. Listen to what your body is telling you.
• When we partnered up, we took time to simply look into each other’s faces, noticing what it feels like to be truly seen by someone.
• Through “heart meditation,” we took time to ask our hearts a question–perhaps one we have been meaning to ask–but didn’t know the answer to. What’s next? Where am I headed? Notice how your body reacts when you ask yourself these questions and make note of your reactions.

Since 1999, Linkage’s Women in Leadership Institute^™ (WIL), a four-day immersive learning experience, has equipped more than 10,000 women with actionable strategies to overcome the seven hurdles women often face in the workplace.