Season1 Epidose1: The Voice/La Voz
Greetings community!
This is Cynthia, founder and principal consultant at EnlightenSense.
I’ve been writing since middle school, with a box full of journey entries of illuminating ideas, cringey moments, and much needed venting. Writing has been an important practice for me, accelerating my self-awareness and sense of confidence.
But has taken me a while to build the courage to start this blog.
It is not because I don’t think I have good ideas. Nor do I think what I have to say doesn’t matter. In being stressed around starting, what I’ve come to realize is that I haven’t started because I’ve been circling on answering what is my voice and what does this voice want to say to the world.
Examples of this comical inquiry:
Do I want to speak primarily to first generation Latinas who have navigated their careers making sense of their family values, pursuing opportunities, and hiding the impact of self sacrifice has had in the name of success?
Do I want to target mothers who had children in their late teens/early twenties, who have made very hard decisions on how to be the best parents they can be choosing honorable motherhood over self-health?
Am I reaching out to high-achieving professionals who have been beasts in their careers, speeding through title and roles only to find boredom at the hustle and patterns of success?
This and more. I can overthink. It’s a natural habit.
Anywho, the reason why I now find it comical because the only person I need to reach first is me. First mirror moment: focus on you. Focusing on what others want is a great way to negate your needs. What do you need to say?
“Blogging will be a space to say what you need to say on personal and professional fronts. So, consider these two important frameworks:
What is the reality you need to say, the truth so to speak?
What is my role in making it better, the mirror so to speak?”
Look. I’m in my mid-thirties and after witnessing a lot of leadership awe and shenanigans across the country, both as an employee and as a consultant, to get clear on my leadership voice, I have to admit what I’m repelling away from and what I’m being pulled to.
Repel: I’ve become questionable on our modern practice of vulnerability without self accountability. I think it to be off-putting to do ahistorical “truth-telling”. I am not attracted to teachers who don’t have the age or experiences to back up alleged wisdom. I’m also finding myself increasingly walking left of consumerism, materialism, and social manipulation.
Pull: But, I am pulled to leaders who have identified their healing by embracing their race, ethnicity, and cultures. I am attracted to people who are not confused about the shortcomings of our social institutions and realize the best support network we have is each other - and owning our money. I’m also led to people who have fought tough personal and spiritual battles to learn who they are and who they must be until they die.
Ooof. The above has many emotions and judgements with it. Full spectrum — from the good to the ugly, the pleasant to the comfortable. But, by taking stock, I am not shying away of becoming onto my most liberated self.
Tan tan tan!!!
This opening blog is to set the tone of Season #1 of the Voice/La Voz.
In the next 8 entries, since each season will have 9 episodes, my goals include:
Explain the history and evolution of my voice
Outline the future and vision of my voice
Celebrate examples of people who inspire me because of their voice
Push myself to write some wild, jester entry as a wild card expression for this season’s theme
Having a colleague write an entry unpacking the experience of developing their voice - aspirational!
My hope is that by the end of Season #1, your voice is stronger…or more clear…or more bold…or more funny.
-CC