Friday reflection
A release valve
Hello,
This is a Very Special edition of Friday Reflections, where I ask you to imagine with me.
Imagine there was a safe place to admit the extent of the burnout you’re experiencing, to share the cynicism you feel about the ability to thrive in the "old" style of workplace, to vent your anger about BS organizational politics….and to see just how many other women were going through extremely similar things.
The more I do this story coaching work with women leaders, the more I realize just how much there is that we do not feel safe talking about publicly. But we need a release valve. Let me say that again: WOMEN NEED A RELEASE VALVE. And I'm wondering if that's something Mighty Forces could provide.
Obviously, I want to inspire more women to tell their stories out loud and in public, but (and) maybe having a private release valve where we could express and vent everything impolitic and non-high-road would serve our mental health and ultimately our ability to share more publicly, as well.
Help me dream and imagine, will you? What could it look like, to have a place to anonymously vent and share in a community of people who get it? What could it feel like, if you could read other people’s “shares” of this nature, and realize that you were far less alone than you ever thought?
Maybe I’m talking about an anonymous Slack channel where everyone uses a pseudonym. Maybe it’s a website with an anonymous submission form. Or maybe it’s a [fill in the blank].
I would love to hear back from you on one or more of the following Qs:
What excites you about this idea? What worries you?
What do you imagine it looks like/ what form do you see it taking?
Do you know of things that already exist that are a lot like what I’m describing?
Thanks for dreaming with me. And in the meantime, if you need a release valve, may I recommend setting a 20 minute timer and free-writing whatever pours out of you, knowing that when you’re done you have permission to delete the file or rip up the journal pages? This isn’t for posterity, it doesn’t need to be polished or polite, impressive or inspiring — it’s just a release, right now, because you need it, and because you deserve it.
You, my friend, are a mighty force.
- Amanda