Azkua

08/03/2022

Azkua European Womens Leadership Summit 2021 is being held on Friday, 26th November 2021 from 9-5. Read our page for topics and discussions.

20/02/2022

Week 4 of our Gentle Ambition programme takes us deep into the realms of female archetypes.

And one of our favourite and beautifully haunting guides is Clarissa Pinkola Estes, the author of ''Women who run with the wolves''.

Her writing seduces and lures us into a world of wonder and potentiality. A world where women are wild, powerful and deeply connected to themselves.

She writes: “The doors to the world of the wild are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.”

Are you ready to step through the door? Or have you already done so too?

We'd love to hear the stories that helped you reconnect with your own inner Wild Woman.

06/02/2022

Every single day we are exposed to stressors - the actual thing/event/threat (perceived or real) that triggers the stress - in our workplaces, families, the news, the train, you name it.

Learning how to slow down and relax is not just a nice to have but pretty much a survival skill these days!

Stressor are a given. If we like it or not.

Yet our problem with relaxation many times does not stem from the stressor itself, unless we are working with ''Miranda Priestly'', or keep a poisonous snake on the loose in our home.

The key issue is the accumulating stress - the feeling, sensation, emotion, thought, relational break triggered inside of or between us - which, if not managed, can remain inside our bodies, minds, hearts and souls long after the event.

Each stressful moment adds to the next and before you know it your body is on super alert at all times, your emotions are frazzled and your mind keeps racing at full speed.

Goodbye sleep, goodbye relaxation.

So what's a hyper-charged stress bundle to do about releasing all this energy and pent up emotion?

You start a daily practice of stress releasing activities.

And before you start thinking ''Oh gosh, another thing to add to my to-do-list!'' download our Practical Steps to Release Stress via the link below and find out that some of these steps are actually quite easy, quick and rather nice.

https://azkua.activehosted.com/f/97

What are YOUR favourite ways to release stress? Please share in the comments below.

03/02/2022

There's an aspect of self-esteem we are not taught at school.

A dark side that more of us need to be aware of before we assume that it's a great place to gain our confidence from:

SELF-ESTEEM:
- requires positive evaluation/ judgement of ourselves.
- requires me to feel somehow special, not average.
- requires me to be (smarter, richer, prettier - fill in the blank) than you.

CONFIDENCE:
The word confidence is made up of con (with) and fidence (trust).

To show up WITH TRUST in ourselves, our talents, our voice, our purpose is what many times makes the difference to us being seen, heard and fulfilled.

Yet self-esteem has nothing to do WITH TRUST and everything to do with BEING (perceived as) BETTER THAN.

Are you ready to ditch the race for self-esteem and join the self-compassion revolution?

SELF-COMPASSION:
- accepting ourselves with an open heart.
- treating ourselves with the same kindness, caring, and compassion we would show to a good friend, or even a stranger for that matter.

Start by watching our favourite video on this topic by clicking here: https://azkua.activehosted.com/f/95

Enjoy!

-compassion

30/12/2021

Closing off the year with a few of my favourite quotes from Arianna Huffington.

''We think mistakenly that success is the result of THE AMOUNT of the time we put in at work, instead of THE QUALITY of the time we put in.''

''Have you noticed that when we die, our eulogies celebrate our lives very differently from the way society defines success?''

And the full version of the one in the image below:

'''By sleeping more we, in fact, become more competent and in control of our lives. It gives new meaning to the old canard of women sleeping our way to the top. Women have already broken glass ceilings in Congress, space travel, sports, business and the media, imagine what we can do when we're fully awake. ''

Which one do YOU like best?

25/12/2021

Grab a copy of our Year End Reflection Guide!

Ideally you’d be sitting by a fireplace, cup of Gluehwein or Yogi Tea in hand, legs stretched out under a warm and cozy blanket.

Reading our Year End Reflection Guide with the fire gently roaring and the scent and
laughter of Christmas in the air.

There’s something incredibly powerful about writing things down. Words. Intentions. Dreams. Memories.

All of us should indulge in this ritual to give ourselves the gift of being able to see
how far we have come, where our wings will carry us next and how we keep evolving along the way.

Take your time working through the questions of this reflection guide. There is no rush.

Start one day and return to it over the days to come.

The more thought you put into it, the more will be revealed.

Get your copy here: https://azkua.activehosted.com/f/83

Enjoy!!



Corrigan

24/12/2021

Have a wonderful festive season all!!
Time to unwind, unplug and get present with your loved ones!! :))
And thank you for all your support, feedback, contribution and participation over the last year!!
Needless to say that Dovile Corrigan and myself, Manuela Damant, loved working and playing with you all and we can't wait to connect with you again in 2022.

25/11/2021

Are you already busy tomorrow?

No big deal! Sign up to our summit anyway and get the recordings. Or join us for the panels and speakers you've got time for. :)

You can get your ticket here: https://lnkd.in/ekDG6mNh

All profits go to Meri Body.

Till soon,
Dovile Corrigan and Manuela Damant

23/11/2021

And this time let us introduce you to Elise Kuurstra, Deputy Executive Director at EAIE: European Association for International Education, who will be expertly moderating our panel on ''how women are using gentle ambition to lead change across industries''.

The EAIE is a professional association serving individuals actively involved in the internationalisation of their universities. Elise spends the majority of her time driving innovation, change, and growth, and mobilising staff and volunteer to translate strategy into results.

Prior to her current role, she set up and scaled the EAIE’s marketing & communications team.

Originally from Canada, Elise is passionate about leadership and building healthy, supportive communities.

See you all this Friday! :)
https://azkua.eu/azkua-european-womens-leadership-summit-2021/

22/11/2021

The countdown is running!! 4 days to go!

Meet our amazing speakers and panelists and get your ticket here: https://azkua.eu/azkua-european-womens-leadership-summit-2021/

22/11/2021

Do you ever feel that the common perspective society has on ambition does not speak to you anymore?

You are not inspired by the idea of goal attainment at any cost.

You do not want to be in work mode 24/7.

You know you can do your work well but feel demotivated by the feeling that you constantly have to prove that worth to the bottom line.

You are not alone.

According to the World Economic Forum, one in four women currently are considering leaving the corporate world or downsizing their careers.

This is happening, not due to lack of ambition, but rather the feeling that their drive and motivation can be applied better elsewhere.

We will be exploring how ambition can show up in many different ways and that there is no one right way to be ambitious, in our upcoming online European Women's Leadership Summit on the 26th of November.

Curious to know more? Check out this event on the link below:

https://azkua.eu/azkua-european-womens-leadership-summit-2021/

https://azkua.eu/the-changing-face-of-female-ambition/

Azkua European Womens Leadership Summit 2021 is being held on Friday, 26th November 2021 from 9-5. Read our page for topics and discussions.

21/11/2021

''If the angels could have sat you down for a chat when you were on the way in to this life (among some other comments about love, fear, and your glory), they might have said this:

“Now, my dear, a little context: you are entering into a transitional time.

The past: A world led, designed and defined by men.
The future: A world led, designed and defined by women and men.
The present: The transition. Yes, we’ve put you on the transition team.

What’s so tricky to understand, dear one, is that as a woman of this transitional time, what is inside of you will be very different from what is outside of you. What you have to bring into the world will be very different from what you see before you as the status quo of the world. Yet what you have to bring forth is not crazy or wrong. In fact, it’s just what the world needs.

It’s as if the world is all purple and you — and your sisters — are going to bring in the yellow. Or as if it’s blue and you are going to bring in the red.

That means that whether you signed up for it or not, you will be a revolutionary. You will be a revolutionary whether you love that idea or whether you’d prefer to just do your thing quietly – to be a teacher, a nurse, a doctor, a businesswoman, an artist, a mom, a grandmother, a volunteer, an entrepreneur.

You will be a revolutionary because any woman who is being authentic in her work will bring forth ideas and ways of working that run counter to the status quo of her company, industry, community – a status quo defined by masculine values and masculine ways of working.

The angels might have added this: “So if you ever start to doubt or hold back or silence yourself because the questions you have, the ideas in your mind, or the way you work are so different from the status quo, remember that difference is exactly what is meant to be. You are here to bring forth a different way.”

It’s the hard – and thrilling – work you get to do this time around. It’s the “women’s work” of our particular moment in history.''

Tara Mohr (read the full article here: https://www.taramohr.com/tools-and-inspiration-for-playing-bigger/expect-to-be-a-revolutionary/)

Let's bring the yellow to our ambition. Join us next Friday, the 26th of November for our summit.

For more details click on the link in the comments box below.

If the angels could have sat you down for a chat when you were on the way in to this life (among some other comments about love, fear, and your glory), they might have said this: “Now, my dear, a little context: you are entering into a transitional time. The past: A world led, designed and defined...