KRISTINA'S WEEKLY EMAIL OF THOUGHT-PROVOKING ESSAYS & VIDEOS TO KEEP YOU CONNECTED TO YOURSELF ON THIS JOURNEY CALLED LIFE
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Greetings!
Last year I went to Charleston, South Carolina. It was the first time I had visited the South in any meaningful way, and the first thing I said when people asked me about the trip was,
"I have a whole new level of understanding about slavery"
along with the Civil War and the current state of our country. (And yes, the food was great too!)
That may sound naive, but it was pretty profound coming from someone who had extensively studied, had personal experiences and done work in this area ever since I watched the TV series
Roots
as a kid
.
(You can read about some of my journey in the PGG
All Roads: Same Place
and how I come to understand white privilege in my PGG
Carte Blanche
).
There was something about being in the epicenter of the slave trade in our country, and visiting a plantation, that made me "get it" in a more visceral and broader sense.
We still have a long way to go in reconciling this part of our past, but I'm happy to see that Juneteenth is being celebrated today in a more visible and official way than ever before.
One way that my passion for race relations and intercultural understanding manifested was creating
The Women's Mosaic
back in 2001 which offered ~100 programs over a ten year period to connect women to themselves, each other and the world around them. One of those events in February 2006 was
My Life as a Black Woman
,
where we invited diverse African-American women to share their stories and have an honest dialogue about what it means to be them. You can
read more about that event in our Inspirer Newsletter here.
Today's PGG was written in 2013, but the accompanying photo I added today is of Angel Oak, the 400-500 year old tree I visited when I was in Charleston, and thought was perfect to share with this essay. You can see a little video and description of this special tree in my
Instagram post
for some additional inspiration.
As always, please feel free to
contact me
with any comments about anything I'm doing.
Big hug <3 Kristina
Also, since I have my first group Zoom talk under my belt and we haven't been able to meet IRL, I'll be offering
virtual
group coaching
soon, so stay tuned for details!
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"
I love your PGG newsletters - one of the only ones I actually read in its entirety. They are excellently written, and spot on. Thanks for being so inspirational and reflective!" ~ Tom D
.
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Roots
Originally published February 13, 2013
With the release of films like
Lincoln
and
Django Unchained
, and BET’s bringing the acclaimed ‘70’s TV series
Roots
out of the vault, [and more recently
12 Years a Slave
and
Birth of a Nation
]
, there’s been a spotlight on and discussion about this essential part of our nation’s history both on screen and off.
Whether or not you are a direct descendant of someone who lived or worked on a plantation in the 19th century, all of us in the 21st century, no matter who or where we came from, can check in to see which areas of our lives need to be emancipated from the tyranny of whatever is keeping us down, holding us back and making us feel “less-than” in both subtle and overt ways.
Oprah expressed it perfectly when she called slavery “A machine to create inferiority.” You can only imagine what
amazing strength, utter self-belief and profound self-worth was required to break out of that mentality, to really know who you are and be able to simply exist, let alone thrive
, despite others perceiving you and often treating you in, well, let’s just say a most unfavorable way. What it would take to preserve and protect your self, your spirit and your soul under such circumstances is beyond comprehension.
We certainly continue to struggle in a variety of ways with the legacy and repercussions of slavery in terms of race, while at the same time have come very far. But regardless of the color of our skin, there are more inconspicuous ways that we are judged — much of which has to do with what we think of ourselves when we look in the mirror, are alone with our thoughts, and by the choices we make in every area of our lives.
The foundation of who we are reaches far and wide throughout our work, relationships, health and everyday life
, so the stronger and deeper your tree grows, the more you can weather even a storm like Sandy. Yes, you might lose a few branches along the way, but you won’t be knocked out for good! So take some time this month to connect to the root of who you are, using this last part of of the [summer] to develop, heal and love yourself so you can blossom more fully come [Fall].
You might have some family roots to dig up or some grass roots to build up in the process, but the bottom line is that
if you look at any problem, challenge or change you want to make and trace it back to its ultimate root
— if you’re honest with yourself — will find that the buck stops with you. Remember, this is always good news — because that means you can do something about it.
Looking for some quality content while social distancing?
* * * * * * * * *
If you like what I write, you'll love what I have to say in person!
Remember, you can always see PGGs from any month or year going back to 2010 on my website at
www.kristinaleonardi.com
and visit my social media pages for more inspiration throughout the week! Want to share my PGG? Use my
Medium
page for friendliest posting version.
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If you're looking for some compassionate candor and a dose of tough love, Kristina is the coach for you.... I came into this really lacking clarity and walked away with a sense of relief. Can't recommend her enough. ~ Kevin R.
The world is going a little cuckoo,
but you don't have to! I can help you
find the clarity, balance and direction you need right now.
Now is a great time to use this pause to take stock of your career and life so
contact me
to schedule your session today!
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!
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PGG VIDEO PICK OF THE WEEK
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Click on the link for this week's video about
Looking for more PGG inspiration and tips?
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kristina leonardi - Medium
Looking for more good reads? Check out and follow me on Medium, where you can easily like and share the PGG's that really click. Share the love <3
Read more
medium.com
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