See Jane Do Everyday Women Doing Extraordinary Things
“Where women lead, everything gets better” ~Nina Simons.
Are you a leader but just didn’t know it? Co-founders of the Cultivating Women’s Leadership Training Nina Simons of Bioneers and Toby Herzlich recognize that it’s time for women to discover their full capacity and get out of their own way. Most women don’t wake up and say “I’m a leader”, “they haven’t claimed that title for themselves but so many are coming together in ways that are changing communities”, says Herzlich.
Simons and Herzlich along with co-facilitator Sarah Crowell an arts and violence prevention educator for over 20 years, are redefining leadership through their Cultivating Women’s Leadership program which brings together women of diverse cultures, ages and backgrounds to learn from and with each other.
Nina Simons is no stranger to taking the lead. She is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Bioneers, a leading edge organization that showcases innovators and pioneers of the earth and creates holistic solutions to environmental and social issues. As Nina began to challenge her own personal stories and assumptions in relation to leadership she realized that she carried self-imposed limitations. Once she started to break out of the box she soon discovered that other women shared similar beliefs.
Fellow co-designer Toby Herzlich who has facilitated programs around leadership and organizational excellence worldwide first worked with Simons during the 2002 UnReasonable Women for the Earth retreat which resulted in the formation of CODEPINK. They both recognized that the attributes which once defined leadership such as, charisma, power over and the “take charge” attitude don’t necessarily serve our greatest issues right now nor do they often resonate with women. “Women are wired to have capacities that are most needed in the world right now such as collaborating and intuition”, says Herzlich.
As a result Simons and Herzlich have designed a 5-day training program for women that is motivated by love and develops a stronger connection to your own purpose. The program is designed for women who have a high capacity to be influencers in their community and have a deep passion for making change in the world. The facilitators work with the participants to explore the nature of shared leadership and build upon a diverse network of extraordinary women. Simons says the massive reinvention of leadership is partnership based and strengthens the capacity of everyone around them.
“It’s so important to clarify your assignment and what you were born to do”, says Simons. She stresses the importance of “investing in yourself as an instrument for transformative change, strengthening how you show up in the world in all phases of development. Where women lead, everything gets better.”
The first 2012 CWL Training takes place June 10-15th in Sonoma County at Westerbeke Ranch. The deadline to apply for this training is Monday, August 23rd 2012.
The second CWL Training in 2012 takes place August 24-29th in Northern New Mexico at Ocamora Retreat Center.
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