My new book - The Diversity in Humanity
As an author cohort, we know that we are talking about a topic that has been at the center of so many discussions over the last few years. But the words I have written are not the same as the ideas that are already out there. This is a unique and different perspective around both humanity and diversity. And my mission is to make room for the possibility of seeing and embracing more of who you are so that you can empower others in a way that grows the world around you.
I hope that you will join me in this mission by purchasing your copy and registering to join us at the summit live or on replay next week.
Register Today for The Diversity in Humanity Author Summit, April 26th and 27th. (Three ticket options available)
I'd also love to share an excerpt from my chapter, so that you get a feel for the power of this book:
"Most people approach diversity from the perspective of race, gender, and sexuality. But diversity is so much more than facts and numbers. It is also about beliefs, experiences, emotions, and the spaces in between that are not visible to the human eye. It is about the humanity beneath the surface and the desire we all have to be loved, seen, and appreciated for the gifts we carry and the way we are.
We are all designed by our experiences. Every interaction, loss, change, job, relationship, heartbreak, trauma, and event has shaped us into who we are. And each one of us has been designed in a completely different way."
I can’t wait for you to read it!
Being an "Only"
I am an “only” and I work with a lot of “only’s.” I spent a large part of my life feeling different from everyone around me.
It meant that I was often in classrooms where I was the “only.” And then I became the “only” in departments and boardrooms.
Over the years, being an “only” has meant different things. It could represent being:
-The only woman
-The only person of color
-The only person in my department
-The only person to speak out when something feels wrong
-The only person who wants to try something new or different
-The only person focused on emotions during a significant workplace change, loss of a manager, or a reorg.
-The only person to not shy away from the truth in a family
Being an “only” comes with a cost. It can come with a target. It can come with isolation or great responsibility. It can come with people fighting to stay the same (without your new ideas or truth telling.)
It can also come with silence in a meeting when you speak up…and a thousand phone calls AFTER the meeting with people who agreed but who were too afraid to agree with you in the moment.
I have learned that being an “only” is who I have always been and will always be. Because the “onlys” are visionaries, trailblazers, and includers. We are firsts, we are creatives, and we often lead people to ideas.
But more importantly I lead people to themselves. Because being like everyone else, never leads you to yourself.
I have learned to embrace being an “only.” It is indeed my superpower.
Are you an “only”?
Understanding Human Design
WHAT IS HUMAN DESIGN?
Human Design is a blueprint or tool to empower you to navigate, and understand who you are. It is also called “The Science of Differentiation.” It allows you to understand why you feel naturally drawn to do, act, or feel the way that you do.
When I discovered human design for myself, it opened up my entire world. I finally understood who I was. For the first time, I felt appreciated and validated.
And with every human design session, I am able to do the same for you. I incorporate human design into executive and leadership coaching, but these sessions are also available to you, as a personalized one-on-one session.
If you have never heard of Human Design before, here is a little more about it.
Human Design is a map for understanding who you are, how you perceive the world, and how you can best be heard, understood, and communicated with. It also provides you with the self-awareness you need to understand how you make decisions, how you digest information, how to best utilize your energy, and what environment supports who you are.
It empowers you to align your choices, life, and decisions around what comes naturally to you.
If you are interested in learning more about your unique design, I invite you to run your chart and find out which type you are.
Human Design Types:
Generators are built to follow their excitement. They are meant to use up all of their energy so they can end the night feeling accomplished. Their ideas and strategic minds enable them to be natural builders, taking an idea from start to finish.
Manifesting Generators are multi-faceted people who thrive on juggling various activities and passions. They are masters at finding the shortest and most direct way to do and say things.
Projectors are here to be leaders, advisors, and guides. They are natural observers of people and thrive with systems and particular ways of accomplishing something. They love facts and knowledge and are best utilized as subject matter experts. They find the most efficient way to meet a goal.
Manifestors are initiators and trailblazers. They get things started, thrive when they have autonomy, and bring an entrepreneurial spirit and wisdom to the world. They transform people and move organizations forward.
Reflectors are the rarest and the most fluid. They ingest the environment they are in and magnify it. Reflectors teach us about the wellness of a group or organization by reflecting the energy of the people around them.
As an individual, Human Design helps you feel seen and heard and to be able to empower others in a way that works best for them. In an organization, understanding how you were designed enables you to waste less emotional energy in the workplace. That excess energy goes directly to feeling more fulfilled, more self-aware, and more in tune with who you are meant to be.
What People Are Saying About Their Human Design Sessions:
“My session with Kristen was powerful and reaffirming. I felt like, hey, this is me! Let me not try to be somebody else. It is empowering to realize this is just how I’m meant to be. ”
“My human design session with Kristen was an affirmation of what I thought and felt about myself. It brought me the freedom to be who I truly am. When you know and understand yourself, you can focus on other things and not try to correct things that really should not be corrected.
Human design is like the guidebook that parents always say they want. Kristen did a session for me and my daughter. It has brought us so much closer and my daughter constantly refers back to it. I am so grateful for how it has helped me to understand her so much better.
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