My heart is heavy, yet full, as I write to you today.
One of our Ellivate sisters, Donna Crawley, lost her battle with cancer on August 2. The past month, I have reflected on her life and what she meant to our precious community.
Even though Donna had been ill for some time, she was committed to staying in Ellivate. She looked forward to returning to our meetings once she beat cancer. It saddens me deeply that she wasn’t able to come back to us.
Photos generously shared by photographer, Darina Neyret.
Donna was fiercely independent and had a strong, free spirit and big heart! She exemplified many of our Ellivate ways of being and doing. Donna was always boldly herself, and her business was an embodiment of her. She consciously expanded her impact in the world by giving through her business, supporting causes to eliminate world hunger, reduce carbon emission and plant trees.
I attended a Celebration of Life service for Donna and enjoyed hearing from others how she impacted their lives and businesses. She believed in abundance, never knew a stranger, and was quick to share what she had learned on her journey to lift others up.
Two nights before she passed on, as she was moving into hospice care, Donna reached out to me to express how much she enjoyed being part of Ellivate. She loved us and all we stand for.
Photos generously shared by photographer, Darina Neyret.
Let’s honor Donna and ourselves by slowing down and reflecting on just how precious Life truly is:
- What matters most to you in Life? What do you stand for?
- What could you shift in your business, so it aligns more closely with what matters most to you?
- How could you more authentically express yourself through your business?
- How could you channel the spirit of abundance to expand your positive impact in the world?
Just imagine what’s possible for us, individually and collectively, when we each gain just a little more clarity on each of the questions above. We will embody the Ellivate way that much more. We will activate and amplify feminine power, so we can co-create a collective future.
Life is truly precious. Let’s honor it within ourselves and through our businesses.
With deep love and gratitude,
Beginning July 2022, Ellivate is partnering with Fatima Mann and Brandis Rawls of Love and Healing Work to provide our members with a 6-month series, How to Leverage White Privilege in Business. Each month, we’ll share some insights from the important work that Fatima guides us through.
Be aware of this:
We all carry bias within us. It’s an inevitable consequence of living in this world. Our brains are constantly absorbing implicit and explicit messages from the plethora of information that constantly bombards us.
Bias is essentially mind control. It happens when someone else’s thoughts or ideologies take over your brain. Biases are based on artificial constructs (such as race, gender, religion, etc.) and perpetuated through fear and shame.
Try this:
When you notice a negative thought or idea about someone, particularly if it’s related to an aspect of their social identity, explore whether this could be a bias by asking yourself these questions:
- Why do you feel this way?
- Where did this thought or idea originate?
- Is it truly yours, or was it planted there by someone else?
- Do you want to keep it or let it go?
