As we continue our celebration of inspirational women in the month of March we are delighted to be joined by Roberta Whitney Hughes.  Roberta is the Founder of PeaceFull Living and the lead instructor of PeaceFull Living TV.  Roberta helps people to redefine their relationship with stress.  Today we explore the key topic of authenticity and showing up as your authentic self.

Roberta openly shares her story about discovering her own identity.  Growing up in a mixed race family she was confronted with government forms asking her to pick 1 race and never finding that this matched her true identity.  We strive for a world where we can celebrate who someone is and their cultural heritage without it being a source of discrimination or bias.

We all look for authenticity in our leaders. For Roberta, Authenticity means leading more from your heart than your head.

She breaks this into 3As.  Awareness; Acceptance; and Acknowledgement.  

Many people struggle with self-love and self-care.  Filling your head with your perceptions of what other people say or think about us.  Acceptance is about moving past your limiting beliefs and loving yourself for the person that you are.

Acknowledgement is celebrating your strengths; owning them and being courageous to share those strengths.

The positive impact of showing up as your authentic self is that you can create a flow of energy and connectedness with the people around you.  When you do the opposite, when you are simply “playing a role” it is exhausting for you and comes off as inauthentic to others.  

As a leader, if you show your authentic self it also encourages others that they are in a safe place to also show up as their authentic self.

Managing your stress starts with self-awareness. Start with acknowledging that everyone has stress, being aware of your symptoms and triggers of stress.  Then be ready with techniques to convert that stress into something that works for you instead of against you. When managed well stress can be a positive.  It help you get just beyond the edge of your comfort zone where great things can happen.

Support the show

✅ Follow The Leadership Project on your favorite podcast platform and listen to a new episode every week!

📝 Don’t forget to share your thoughts on the episode in the comments below.

🔔 Join us in our mission at The Leadership Project and learn more about our organization here: https://linktr.ee/mickspiers

📕 You can purchase a copy of the Mick Spiers bestselling book "You're a Leader, Now What?" as an eBook or paperback at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZBKK8XV

If you would like a signed copy, please reach to [email protected] and we can arrange it for you too.