Leading With My Heart ~

This past week, I moved, again, about ninety minutes farther north into the Sierra foothills. The landscape is more open; not feeling overwhelmed and forested in the tall pines of the Sierras. The views stretch for miles. The rolling hills of the Sierras, still green and turning golden, are peppered with the old Oaks that cover this landscape. I’m not permanently settled, rather just grounded enough to exhale.

I like this place. I like the location. I feel eager again, eager to return to my projects, to practice my harp, to walk, to reground myself in the things that feel most true.

Today, I recorded a podcast with Garon Green from The Green Room Podcast in the Cotswolds of England. I spoke honestly, from the heart; not from notes or performance. And afterward, he commented on my accomplishments and how deeply my words touched him. His words stayed with me.

Later, I called a dear friend and asked her a question that has quietly followed me for years: Do I really have something profound to share with others? Her answer came immediately: “Yes.” I asked her why. She told me it was because I share from the heart and people can tell.

I have said recently both on podcasts and in conversations that I have always led with my heart and not my bank book. And maybe that is finally becoming clear to me in a different way.

I have also realized that The Redeemed Collective was never truly about subscriptions or financial success. It was about creating a space where people could gather honestly, where we could be a support system, a support community, a shared space rooted in humanity instead of performance.

An article from Psychology Today explains that authenticity creates deeper human connection because people respond to honesty and emotional truth more than polished perfection.

Nature works this way, too. Rivers do not force themselves to be oceans. Wildflowers bloom without needing applause. Forests become sacred because they simply are what they are. Maybe that is what I am building now. Not a brand driven by numbers, but a space shaped by heart. And for the first time in a long time that feels enough. Why? Because that is who I am. I live and lead from my heart.

~ julie

If you feel so inclined, please reply with your thoughts.

Note: JM Lane is NOT a mental health professional, nor does she carry a license to practice medicine. Posts, blogs, and content are based on JM Lane’s personal experiences, perceptions, and reflections. By no means does any material convey what others should or should not do.

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