As I enter a space, I bear down, anchoring my heart and feeling the ripples of nerves in my stomach because the desire to belong is nestled in my programming and hard to unravel. As a child, I would be tucked into bed while my mom slowly read children’s books in English, learning the words as she taught me what was not our mother language. There was an unspoken pact that we must find ways to fit ourselves into a society that did not necessarily want us or respect us, but there was no turning back. I was born in the states and my parents left everything to come as immigrants. Though my dad may say there was nothing there to leave behind, so this was more than he ever had to begin with. Every classroom I entered, I was lucky enough to find an array of kids who spoke different languages, sparked different conversations, and grappled with being of this world and not. As I grew older, this experience became less and less. As an adult, when I enter spaces, I scan the room both virtually and in person, hoping that the host has ensured everyone feels seen and heard and that all were invited to enter in a way that felt comfortable to them. If you are a seasoned space holder, a coach, a healer and you are exploring your legacy work, then you are entering into your season of sacred spiritual leadership. What a threshold to cross! Celebrating you. I invite you to come closer and consider as part of your legacy work, taking a macro look at your business, your community, your clients and noticing if there is still an area of improvement that must be addressed so that you are living what you believe in. And if that includes diversity and inclusivity, then we are in harmonious partnership. I’d love to gently share some simple ways to live and breathe the work. The first step is educating yourself. The second is looking at your business through this lens. But checking off the boxes doesn’t mean you are embodying it, and this is a felt expression. If you do not see marginalized people entering your space, they do not feel welcomed. This has nothing to do with having a DEI statement on your site. They don’t feel comfortable or trust you, and your group programs will not be a place where they have a sense of belonging. Here are the ones that you may have already considered: Your purchasing power and support: * Buy from women owned, BIPOC owned, LGBTQ+ owned businesses * Hire coaches or purchase products from diverse creators * Donate to funds that need immediate support * Use your money to support the values you claim In how you learn: * Read books and recommend books from the BIPOC community * Listen to podcasts from people who share strategies from a decolonized len * Get coached by and purchase courses from BIPOC educators and those doing the work * Listen to feedback and do better based on people’s suggestions * Stay curious all the time and witness the systemic injustice that happens all the time. Don’t look away and recognize how it shows up even in subtle ways. The above are so important. But there is something that is much more important to me. The only way I can begin to trust you is to witness how you live in your everyday moments. This comes through naturally. I can see what you love to watch, the food you eat, the recipes you cook, the products you purchase, the books you read because you share openly with your readers, followers, and clients. ⇨ Now if you don’t, and you are only polished or show behind the scenes curated based on what you want ideal clients to know, then that tells me you are hiding parts of yourself and I have no idea what you actually stand for, what you support, and what injustices actually matter to you. So, the small ways I invite you to begin embodying diversity and inclusivity is to travel to countries that are not English speaking or predominantly Western and enjoy soaking in the culture and language. Go to all the different festivals that celebrate cultural diversity. Not only eat food from different cultures but cook them too. Do you know how fun it is to learn about different spices and explore international markets? Watch shows where the main characters are diverse. Read books, especially from BIPOC authors or where the storyline isn’t only about cis folks living and exploring mainstream issues. Have real conversations with people from different backgrounds, not to focus on their differences but simply to remind yourself how similar we are and that we are not other, less than, scary, or too different. Be willing to f**k it up and admit when there is an issue within your business at this moment in time. Then figure out how to fix it. I am not a DEI expert, so I still mess up. I believe in apologizing and repairing relationships, and these conversations are not easy but necessary. * What if you didn’t sit in ambiguity or stay silent, especially if you feel the niggle that you are out of alignment? * What can you do so others know where you stand on issues? * How can you do this in a way that is in alignment with you? You don’t have to be the loudest, but there are ways that you can add to the change. And please make your space one where people don’t have to dig and investigate and question whether your space is one where they can be seen, feel sacred, and feel welcomed. xoxo, Thanks for reading Devoted Way with Sora Schilling! Subscribe for free to receive new business tips, musing’s and magic-infused articles. Get full access to Devoted Way with Sora Schilling at devotedway.substack.com/subscribe
