Radical Authenticity

We all play a roll in the healing of our world and the beings that inhabit it. If who you are was exactly what was needed in the cause of healing our world, what roll would you play? Is it the one you’re in now?

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” - Mahatma Gandhi

Just came across these definitions again. I am so grateful for my recovery.

Topics we may cover:

• What is radical authenticity?
• Why does it matter to us?
• What are the obstacles to being authentic?
• What challengesges arise through its practice?
• What techniques work for us in attuning to and embodying our most authentic selves?

Join us for the discussion or comment with your reflections ✨

There will be an opportunity to foster deeper community connections after the event 🤗

A definition of codependency written by a recovering codependent: me.

When I was 2 I learned to repress my authenticity in order to stay safe

When I was 7 I learned to repress all feelings in order to be agreeable and easy-going

When I was 12 I felt depressed for the first time

When I was 17 I learned how to get what I needed and wanted and to lie so people wouldn’t judge me or be hurt

When I was 22 I experienced more pain, grief, loss, and shame than I had ever thought possible and I began to acknowledge the unmanageability of my life.

When I was 25 my heart broke, something in me died, and I gave up the scramble to start my recovery.

Today I am 29, my life is more beautiful than my imagination could have conjured, and I am still unlearning the shame-based ways I learned to relate to myself.

If you resonate with any of my story, I invite you to join me in the learning this weekend at the Embodying Authenticity Workshop.

Saturday, March 20th
2-4pm
Tapestry Folk Dance Center in Minneapolis.

Details will be posted in the comments

I wrote a poem the other day after reading this quote from my daily meditation reader. It doesn’t have a title yet, but here it is:

Dare to feel your desire. Dare to long for it, to feel the hunger in your soul, the ache in the absence of its fulfillment, and the pain that lets you know exactly how much you want it.

Dare to speak it, to name it all, the hopes, the fears, the endless contradictions. Dare to let it move you and move through you, out into the world to touch the longing in others. Do not confine it with perfectionism. If it’s messy, dare to be in the mess. If others don’t understand, dare to let them misunderstand you, and let them see you anyway. If it’s not convenient, dare to inconvenience.

Then, dare to entertain the possibility that this desire will go met. Dare to surrender whatever path you hoped would bring it about, grieve its death, and give yourself over to the uncertainty of the unknown. Release it, rest wide open, and dare to receive.

This one is for all you Twin Cities locals. Have you ever had that moment when your brain knows something is true but your body still believes it’s not? We can talk about authenticity all we want, but and intelectual understanding only gets us so far. Embodying authenticity creates the mind body connection needed for profound healing and transformation. Join me for a 2 hour live, in-person workshop on embodying your authenticity 🔥

Repost from ❤️

Perfection negates compassion. Being good keeps us from being human.

It is a radical act to just be who we are in a world that demands conformity. To love ourselves exactly as we are while being bombarded with adds telling us we are not enough. To embrace and express our humanity in a system that values productivity and results over connection and peace.

But the radical act of being ourselves isn’t grandiose. It’s not a social media blast or long vulnerable confession to a stranger. It doesn’t happen when we are trying to show who we are to others. It happens in all the little moments. The moments when we choose our truth over what we “should” do, over what’s convenient, over how another person might feel, over perceived connection and belonging.

Remember the time a friend shared something they like and you said you liked it too even though you didn’t?
Remember the time your body wanted to go outside and lay on the earth but you had work to do and a deadline to meet?
Remember the time hard feelings came up but you had a date to get to so you pushed the feeling aside, checked the mirror to make sure it was securely hidden, and went on with your plans?

The most radical authenticity happens on the inside, in the relationship we have with ourselves, when we allow ourselves to be messy and human.

Be compassionate with yourself today. Let yourself be messy and human even if only for a moment. It only takes a moment.

Whatever your money situation, all are welcome here. Bi-weekly Fridays at 12pm CT

Being real with others is vulnerability. Being real with ourselves is courage. Together, they create authenticity.

Authenticity isn’t over-sharing or trusting strangers with our wounded hearts — it’s being real.
Real about who we are, how we feel, and what we want…

Do we dare admit what’s true inside us?
Do we dare to be seen for who we are?
Do we dare to own our stories and do what we came here to do despite the fear of failure?

This is shadow work. Through the darkness we can see our light✨🌑✨

Happy new moon vibes y’all!

Next workshop is tomorrow!

When I google codependency I get a lot of definitions and explanations that use words like "enabling," "destructive behavior," and "dysfunctional relationships." It's no wonder we have a cultural stigma around codependency…
But what if dealing with codependency didn't mean you were doing something bad or wrong? What if it just meant you were a human being responding to challenging life circumstances with your natural human instincts and unique life experience? What if you could suffer less just by considering it?