The Climate of Your Soul
When I work with executives in a group setting, I often ask participants to use a weather metaphor to describe how they feel.
I love how creative people get with it — Some talk about being in the eye of the storm. Others mention the barometer dropping. Another might say calm, blue skies. More often than not, though, most people describe a more hectic scenario like storm clouds rolling in or turbulence.
As a coach, I anticipate this. Generally speaking, it’s why we are brought in; we help people weather the weather of their work environment.
By starting like this, I get a mini-story — a snapshot of people’s lives. It also allows me to take the ‘temperature’ of the entire room. Once the exercise is complete, I’m better equipped to explore and care for that particular group. I’m prepared to enter the cultural climate within which they are working daily.
I am not, however, alone in this approach. One of my colleagues, Leilani Rashida Henry — asks similar questions.
Not only have I had the pleasure of coaching with Leilani as a freelance communications coach with a firm called Ariel. I have also had opportunities to collaborate with her as a performing artist through our work at A.R.T. (Audacious Raw Theater).
You can check out her rawdacious new rap about the seeds of nonviolence here.
Born in Hawaii, raised in Minnesota, and now based outside of Denver, Leilani has experienced many literal and figurative climates in her lifetime.
Her father, George Washington Gibbs, Jr., was the first known person of African descent to step foot on the continent of Antarctica. Not long after his death, Leilani picked up his mantle and began writing about his endeavors. She had been gifted with his journals chronicling his harrowing adventures with Admiral Richard Byrd and the crew of the U.S.S. Bear as they crossed over the Ross Ice Shelf onto the frozen southernmost continent in the world.
Her father’s journey was profound (from collecting penguins to falling into a crevasse). He faced racial barriers throughout his entire tour of duty. From his experiences in the icy South Pole, he went on to serve in WWII in the South Pacific, surviving the flames of his torpedoed ship during the Battle of Midway…it seems fitting that such a hero then also went on to become an outstanding citizen and civil rights activist.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree: Leilani, too, is impacting the world with her inspiring fires (perhaps those informed by the volcanoes of her birthplace in Hawaii) tempered by the crystalline clarity of her own Antarctic explorations and experiences.
When I hear Leilani speak, she often invites people to “take the temperature of their soul.”
Her passionate pursuit of homeostasis, balance, and deep reverence for all the terrains we encounter — whether they be our inner landscape or the outer terrain of the world — she wholeheartedly believes (as do I) that everything is interrelated. Our pursuits on this planet are spiritual and physical, and the connection between those two realms needs to be nurtured and honored.
It is high time for the human race to embrace the notion — whether you believe in a soul or not — that the ecology of you affects the ecology of others. Your inner climate impacts the world outside of you. So pony up. Take responsibility for it. Cherish the gift of what it means to be alive on this planet. Then, return the gift by being a good steward and cultivating your presence in the environment with care.
Leilani’s first book, which focuses on these themes, The Call of Antarctica: Exploring and Protecting Earth’s Coldest Continent, was just released on October 5th and is now available on Amazon.
I encourage you to read it. In doing so, you will take a remarkable journey with Leilani (and her father.) Sharing in the wisdom gained from their combined adventures braving the elements and inspiring others.
May you also take Leilani’s coaching to heart and start taking the temperature of your soul — bearing in mind, great explorations often lead to great enlightenment: Climate change truly does begin with you.
