What I Learned From Our C/E Immersion Weekend

As I was wrapping up our Creative Executive Immersion experience, I found myself at a loss for words. I was having a really hard time articulating my thoughts to the group because I was so blown away by their courage.

In the coaching world, the word courage gets thrown around like Snickers on Halloween, so it can often sound trite or superficial. But talking about courage and actually experiencing it are two very different things. During the Immersion weekend, I was witness to the depth and meaning of the word.

As with most big endeavors and creations, I learn a lot about myself and my work through the process of being in it. Here is a sampling of what the group and I experienced in very profound ways.

BEING A FRAUD
There is a little secret that many people don’t realize – from time to time, most of us humans either feel like a fraud or we feel like we’re going to be defrauded.
Sit with that one for a minute.

We all experience doubts about our worth – It’s part of your ego’s job. And that doubt makes you strive to achieve over and over again without ever giving pause to the truth of your accomplishments.

The higher the stakes, the more we need to keep that voice in our heads at bay. First of all, that voice is usually full of shit, and secondly, it can get in the way of us seeing and using our unique talents and gifts.

PRODUCTIVITY CAN COME FROM UNEXPECTED PLACES
When I hold these retreats, I’m not worried about getting these women to achieve “more.” They already own their trajectories in that domain. I’m interested in having them see differently – what’s already there, their present reality.

My job ultimately is to help them be more productive and more effective by being more present. To feel completely at home in their gifts and strengths, their power and fears, their impact and legacy.

UNDERSTANDING OUR EQUITY
Everyone in that room has earned their stripes. We have all lived and worked through large personal and professional challenges to arrive where we are today.

There is great value in understanding that story, taking a breath, and appreciating all that equity we’ve been building over the decades of our careers. And maybe, hopefully, we can use that knowledge to cut ourselves some slack.

When I was sharing this insight as we closed on the weekend, I decided to listen to my own words and appreciate myself for what I’m bringing into the world versus that useless critiquing voice I hear chattering in my mind all too often.

HOW THE GROUP IMPACTS THE SELF AND VICE-VERSA
We come to different insights when we do 1:1 work versus when we do group work. In our group setting, these women revealed themselves very generously. While I created the space and framework, what they provided for each other in terms of support, championing, and understanding was something I could never fully do as a sole facilitator.

Team matters. In a big way.

These retreats, a new product for me, are not easy to pull together. They are not lucrative endeavors. It can be a hustle to share with friends, coordinate all the logistics, and ultimately get people to sign up.

But when I’m in that room, facilitating this experience, it all becomes worth it.

I felt a deep sense of purpose in those three days. Each time I do this, I get to see women transform, and I transform, too.