Three Women on the Journey to the Sovereign Feminine

America is facing itself in the mirror, seeing more clearly than ever the sexism and oppression in our society and leadership. I am moved by the tears and provocations of Michelle Obama, Rose McGowan, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams and Ashley Judd, and believe we need not just more voices, but new tactics. I believe this is a battle not just for power and representation, for consent, equality and fairness, but for wholeness, for the more creative, emotional and sensual aspects of what it means to be a whole sovereign human. 

For too long the feminine has been beaten out of us, physically, psychically, politically, and economically. Growing up as I did in the hyper-masculine midwest, I had my feminine aspects - my sensitivity, sensuality, creativity, emotions, dreams, and wildness beat out of me - literally and metaphorically - by our patho-adolescent patriarchal culture and economy. For the last 15 years, I have been reclaiming my feminine, engaging in transformation and creative work. Over the last 6 years, I have had the pleasure to work with women leaders to do the same, to awaken their purpose, find self-love, wholeness and gain the clarity and confidence to step into their sovereign feminine leadership. 

The Path Forward

Thankfully, there are many useful guidebooks for this journey, such as the mythologically-driven work of Jungian analysts, like Clarissa Pinkola Estés (Women Who Run With the Wolves, 1991) and Marion Woodman (Leaving My Father’s House, 1992), but not many role models save the ones I mentioned in the first paragraph. I believe we need to shine more light on the women who are on this journey. I’d like to share the journeys of three women who have awakened their purpose, overcome the obstacles to living it and shine brightly as the embodiment of sovereign femininity.

In these journeys and in dozens of others I’ve guided, I’ve seen authentic feminine power emerge: emotional honesty, full embrace of sexuality, authentic and compassionate leadership, openness to mystery and transformation, creativity, bone-deep clarity, fulfilling, dynamic and emergent relationships, awe-inspiring power and the courage to ask for and get what they want.

Let’s explore where they started, what they discovered and what their life looks like today. (Their names have been been changed to protect their identities.)

Where they started:

Mary (Age 54)

I met Mary after she spent three decades immersed in personal and spiritual development work, all while working as a corporate HR executive. She had reached the end of her line - she could no longer suffer the confines of corporate and needed to be fully expressed through her work, through her own business transforming leaders and teams.

Carolyn (age 38)

Similarly, Carolyn had spent 15 years in the hyper-masculine worlds of academia and science, working tirelessly in a large corporation, while secretly engaged in her pagan spiritual community. Like so many who live this double life, giving many of their best years to demanding patriarchal organizations, she knew she didn’t fit, but did not see a way out. She needed the clarity and self-confidence to strike out on her own, to become herself as a leader, wife and mother.

Nancy (Age 31)

In her 20s, Nancy had jumped from the soul-satisfying work of journalism to the world of corporate marketing. In doing so, she made an all-too-common deal - to move to a career that made more money, while attempting to set aside time for her soul to flourish in her marriage, in nature and in her various community projects. However, the terms of the deal had expired, and she needed to reconcile her profession with her deepest longing, to bring forth her soul’s truth and lead with it.

What they transformed and where they are today:

Mary

Mary achieved freedom from her internal resistance, distinguishing the inner voices that we all have (Critic, Skeptic, Image Consultant and Risk Manager - ref. Tim Kelley’s “True Purpose”, 2009), awakened her full feminine expression and launched a bold new venture. The fruits of her soul’s journey were the clarity, confidence and courage to make big changes. After leaving her corporate job, she started a consulting firm with another soulful colleague, completed a training program to awaken the souls of leaders, moved to a new city, embraced her sensuality and crafted an entirely new style that boldly reflects her power, vulnerability and deepest desires.

Carolyn

Similarly, Carolyn emancipated herself from the tyranny of her internal voices, discovered a vision for her highest contribution as a community leader, and unleashed the courage to negotiate an extended maternity leave. She awakened the desire to be wedded to her lover and the father of her child and started planning her wedding. She also recrafted and deepened her family relationships, started a new venture with her husband, and stepped into leadership of a community project.

Nancy

Nancy’s journey was equally fruitful. She gained mastery over the internal voices of resistance and awakened the desire to create a nature-immersed home, have children, and bring her purpose into her day job. Although she continues her soul-aligned community work, she created a more soul-aligned career. She boldly negotiated a raise, promotion and new role within the company to spearhead their social enterprise efforts. She now gets paid handsomely to empower emerging women and minority leaders to grow their endeavors. Because of her new salary, she and her husband are hunting for the perfect nature-immersed home, and are starting their family.

I get excited when I think about a world with these women in it - fully unleashed, boldly leading, celebrating their wholeness and crafting the world in their soul’s image. I get excited when I think about their impact as leaders and change agents. I get excited thinking about their shared commitment to the sovereign feminine, to empower other women to rise with them. Through healing themselves and awakening purpose, every woman (and every man for that matter) can step into their greatest contribution, resurrect and embrace their sovereign feminine, know and love themselves fully and lead.

Begin Your Journey

I'm delighted to announce a new program for women who are executives or are on a leader-track, called Women on Purpose. It's a live 3-hour training in which you will gain the clarity, confidence and courage to live and lead with your purpose. You'll leave with your purpose statement, a vision for your whole life electrified by your purpose, and the tools to transform resistance to taking purpose-aligned action. You'll do all of this in community with other women leaders. Click here to learn more, apply and reserve your spot.

About the Author

Brandon Peele empowers women leaders to awaken their purpose-driven leadership. He is a Certified Purpose Guide (TM), author of Planet on Purpose (2018), co-author of Purpose Rising (2017) and The PURPOSE Activation Blueprint (2015). Brandon works with professionals and executive teams from organizations such as Apple, The Smithsonian Institute, Tesla, Johnson & Johnson, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Illumina, Zeiss, Sapient, Morgan Stanley, Google and the United States Marine Corps. As a leader of online purpose courses, Brandon has guided thousands of people from over 50 countries to awaken, embody and lead with their higher purpose. You can learn more about Brandon’s work at BrandonPeele.com.