Women Thrive Magazine
FollowMedia platform spotlighting and celebrating entrepreneurial women and their achievements. Creating a platform where every woman can be seen and heard. We are disrupting the media industry by democratising media channels for women. If you have a business or an idea and you would like to rise and thrive, you are in the right place.
Time to Rewild Ourselves
Yesterday, I found an old work photo of me with that oh-so-appropriate, but the not-too-smiley expression of a corporate headshot. Glancing at this old version of myself, the woman trapped in an executive nightmare of her own making, had me suddenly welling up.
A faint memory of that knot in my stomach stirred the familiar flutter of anxiety I used to feel every morning as the alarm startled me awake. Yes – I once dreaded every damn day I had to go to THAT place. The epicenter of high-adrenaline media deadlines, a dog-eat-dog world of landing big contracts, client functions, and sky-high ad budgets.
Who was that woman? When I landed the role of General Manager, I was on fire. A six-figure salary, corporate travel overseas, a corner office, and an amazing team. I was on top of the world – until I wasn’t. The GFC eroded the once glorious publishing firm I worked for, and things turned really ugly, really quickly and I went down with it – mentally.
I lost myself wholly. ALL OF ME.
Back then I didn’t understand that I had been unconsciously perpetuating old stories of believing I wasn’t good enough. That I didn’t deserve and that I had to prove myself to feel worthy. And before you ask, “what’s that got to do with anything…”, let me tell you.
It has EVERYTHING to do with it.
You see, my not-good-enoughness had me living in constant fear of rejection, of losing it all, and to avoid these feelings of utter inadequacy, I was willing to do and take almost anything. Pair that with my deeply rooted body shame stemming from childhood conditioning and you have a very toxic self-talk trap. I felt like I had no voice, had no courage to say NO or stand up for myself – happy to take a backseat in all aspects of my life and accept ‘my lot’.
So here I am now – I’m calling it – for ALL the women who resonate with this or are going through the corporate hot wash cycle. We’ve got to ignite the CHANGE. Where we’re at is not good for us. It’s not healthy. We’re trapped, in a patriarchal system that hasn’t got our best interest in mind – and hasn’t for centuries!
What happens to us in life – the woman first, is what we live out in our corporate lives. We’re doing it all, competing in a man’s world while still playing all the other roles. And worse, trying to comply with everything society and ‘the system’ is putting on us.
It’s the teenage girl falling prey to unrealistic social media images of what is normal. It’s the VP of Marketing somewhere in a high riser suffering in silence from Endometriosis, too scared to take a personal day. It’s the new mum, beating herself up for not fitting into her skinny jeans two weeks out of hospital somewhere between breastfeeding and broken sleep. It’s the middle-aged woman looking into the mirror defeated and contemplating Botox or fillers because she struggles to find the beauty in her once-youthful face. And it’s women in their fifties, once revered as respected elders coming to grips with menopause and being considered used goods in this modern day. And it’s YOU [insert the role you play here].
The evidence is stacking up. We’re getting fooled – still, and lapping it up – still!
STOP. Right now. It’s time to STAND, to remember WHO WE ARE.
We’ve lost perspective of our power, and not the I-rule-over-you kind, no. The power of knowing our value, our gifts, our strength, our softness, and our intuition. WE are the givers of life – period. If that’s not a magical power – I don’t know what is!
So, let’s break out, rewild ourselves from the toxic structures we have been adhering to for far too long, and do business and life on our terms – in true sisterhood. Where we can be all of us and have a natural flow that supports us as women and not burns us out.
Time to spark a reframe of the narratives, lock arms and look at the women around us who are doing it already – living a life of abundance and joy while designing their businesses and careers in full alignment with their values and loving it – fully!
Are you with me?
About the Author
Name: Tina K Kailea
Professional Title: The Femmepreneur Pathfinder – Possibility Agent, Mindset Alchemist & Unapologetic Wild Woman
Bio: Tina K Kailea is a feminine embodiment coach, speaker, writer, possibility agent, and unapologetic wild woman. She’s fiercely devoted to helping female leaders break up with limiting beliefs, ditches their not-good-enough-ness, and reclaim their voice so that they can thrive from boardroom to bedroom and everywhere in between.
Website: www.femmepreneurpathfinder.com
Social Media Handle:
