What is "Breaking Glass"?

Breaking Glass is a combination of Breaking Bread and Glass Ceilings and no, we didn't use AI to come up with it, it was our own creative goodness! Breaking Glass or Broken Glass can also have spiritual significance in certain cultures, and often indicates a time to move on from the past and look to the future!

For several years, my close friend Rhonda Allen and I have wanted to get great women in our network together to help, support and confide in each other. With Rhonda as a Coach and leader throughout her career and me as a leader and mentor, we've noticed that some of our "feminine" (as opposed to "female", easily confused, but different) qualities can hold us back from living up to our full potential, such as empathy, vulnerability, patience, compassion, inclusivity and generosity. These just happen to be some of the qualities that we all recognised were very powerful leadership traits during the pandemic. So, right now seems like just the right time to start something special, to empower those who identify as she/her and help them to realise their unique powers, and that's why we decided to launch "Breaking Glass" now.

So as our "side hustle", Rhonda and I have been getting together and dreaming big. The people we want involved in Breaking Glass are natural connectors and go-getters who share our values of connection, growth and collaboration. In order to really get the network moving, we launched a regular series called PowerHer Circles last Tuesday and welcomed guest speaker Lucille Greeff . Lucille is an Organisational Development Practitioner, Director of Euphoria Partners and Rhonda's Executive Coach.

Rhonda and Lucille were recently discussing that as female leaders, we can often get in the habit of changing ourselves in male dominated environments to "fit in”. It can mean making ourselves smaller, to make others feel comfortable - or louder, more direct and assertive, just to be heard. This reaction can stop?us from being our authentic selves. We may also bring these unbalanced energies into other parts of our lives - our friendships, family relationships, our parenting.?

What does balance look and feel like? Especially in a world becoming more and more polarised across gender, political and religious beliefs. We knew we’d hit on a very important topic - one that Rhonda and I thought could start a powerful discussion in our Breaking Glass community. That's precisely what occurred on Tuesday with Breaking Glass’ first PowerHer Circles event.? We couldn't be more thrilled to share more with all of you.

Here is a snapshot of what we explored last week with Lucille;

1. Defining masculine and feminine energiesWe found many of us associate ‘Masculine’ energy with assertiveness, dominance, and drive, and ‘Feminine’ energy with empathy, collaboration, and intuition. In reality, these energies aren’t bound by gender. By raising our level of awareness and opening up our eyes to the power of "wholeness", we realise that masculine and feminine energy isn't about gender at all, but rather a blend of qualities.?
2. Embracing Our Inherited QualitiesLucille encouraged us to reflect on the qualities we're proud of and those we wish to develop, considering behaviours which were modelled by our parents. We are, to a large extent, products of our inheritance, and this awareness can be a catalyst for change.
3. Breaking StereotypesWe discussed the example of Howard and Heidi (Hilary), a groundbreaking study on bias. It showed that the same resumé, circulated with a male or female name, resulted in a stark difference in perceptions of competence and likability. This reminds us to also challenge stereotypes and biases in leadership
4. Conscious Leadership?Our North Star should be Conscious Leadership, which involves the integration of both masculine and feminine energies. This approach recognizes that leadership is an art where strategy and culture, power and love, dance harmoniously.
5. Healing Wounded EnergiesLucille also touched on the concept of wounded energies. A wounded masculine energy can reveal itself in ego, dominance and aggression. A wounded feminine energy may show up as manipulation, neediness and inaction. Recognising and healing these wounds is essential for balanced leadership.
6. Navigating Emotional Labour?We discussed the concept of Emotional Labour (the energy put into managing healthy relationships) and how gender can impact who bears this burden. Calling out when this happens, and finding ways to share Emotional Labour more equally, can lead to healthier relationships and organisations.
7. Building Allies?To create real change, we need Allies! Educating others on micro-aggressions and actively standing up against them is essential for making our workplaces more inclusive environments.
8. And my personal favourite, embracing ‘The Pause’Lucille emphasized the importance of balance and creating the space for ‘The Pause’ in our lives. This allows us to reflect, recenter, and find our equilibrium. She asked us to reflect on the Whirling Dervish, and how ‘the pause’ between spins allows them to carry on moving with precision and grace.?

This first PowerHer Circle, was a powerful reminder that ‘Change in systems happens when enough of the system chooses to go against it’. By identifying when we're out of balance, finding allies and becoming Conscious Leaders, together we can make a meaningful difference.?

As a final gift we can all take home with us, Lucille also shared two very easy, but highly beneficial breathing practices (Warrior and Hum Breath), to help us balance both masculine and feminine energies in our every day lives.

May we all embrace the dance of life, like the Whirling Dervishes, with grace and balance.