Once again, this week’s blog is written with inspiration from a friend. This friend, however, is acutely aware of their quantum-ness and so comes from a different perspective. The inquiry was about my approach in blog #2. “It’s a bit confrontational, won’t it be alienating?”

Anyone who knows me from the past 15 years in strategy consulting will know that I value constructive conflict. I believe in calling out the elephants in the room, in passing the mic so that everyone can be heard, in drawing out the perspective that hasn’t been shared, and in finding the person that disagrees. The goal is for everyone to understand each other, not necessarily to agree with each other. It’s essential for collaborative learning, alignment, and innovation – and it’s standard practice in strategy facilitation. To do it well, you must get comfortable with discomfort.

This week’s blog is also inspired by a message from a loved one. This one said, “How exciting that your new life is off the tarmac! Looking forward to follow it all. I sure am made of atoms but I honestly don’t have the faintest idea how that helps me.”

First, ‘off the tarmac’ – this is my first time hearing this phrase and I love it. I interpret it as leaving the established path, departure, or taking flight, which is accurate. But what I especially love is that it omits the judgement of most terms used for ventures like mine.

This weekend, I received a message from a dear friend I haven’t spoken with in a while. It was not long after I posted about the launch of With Love Gaia’s consultations. It went like this… “Hi! Is this really you, Shelley? Wow, what a change of careers!”

It’s obvious that most would see what I’m doing as a little out there – or a lot. When you break from popular belief, that’s inevitable.

Inspired by that message, I’m launching With Love Gaia’s blog today. In this blog, I will share perspectives on health, science, spirituality, consciousness, and insights from my work with clients.