September Member Workshop Recap: Vulnerability with Dr. Lorri Sulpizio

Thanks so much to those who attended our Virtual Cafe workshop on the topic of vulnerability with guest facilitator, Dr. Lorri Sulpizio, Director of the Conscious Leadership Academy and the founder of the Center for Women’s Leadership at the University of San Diego. Lorri guided attendees in a discussion about where we are, what we need, what we are learning, and what we might shift to adapt to this moment and meet ourselves. 

We started with a check-in and shared answers to Lorri's prompt: What is one of the biggest shifts, creatively or otherwise, you've had to make in the last several months, and what opportunity or insight have you noticed from this time?

We also talked about some of the ways anxiety can push us into a disequilibrium or detachment that prohibits us from accessing our vulnerability or makes us feel as though being vulnerable might threaten our safety. We learned some myths surrounding vulnerability, for example:

• vulnerability is weakness
• I don't do vulnerability
• I can go it alone
• I can get the uncertainty and discomfort out of vulnerability
• Trust comes before vulnerability
• Vulnerability is disclosure
• Systemic vulnerability is the same thing as relational vulnerability

Lorri challenged us to identify how these myths show up in our lives, where they are coming from in our experiences, and think about what we can do to challenge them and rewrite our narratives moving forward. She also talked about developing strong networks of support to combat those times when our traditional support systems (family, etc.) might not be able to show up for us as we hoped. See clip below:

TRANSCRIPTION: It's really hard if people have failed you in the past, people who you hoped and expected to show up for you, and didn't, that's really hard. And again, it's similar. I would say, find those folks that do you know, groups like this, you know, that maybe it's not the same as a spouse, parents, siblings, unfortunately, but you know what? These people are people who are going to show up for you. And that's amazing, you know, finding the folks that will show up for you and be there for you is huge. And it's an amazing gift. And so then maybe once you find that space, it's like, okay, I do have people in my corner, and people do show up for me so I can tell myself a new story that it's not true that nobody shows up for me. People who live like me kind of authentically creatively, they show up for me, those are my people, you know? Those other people like, oh, they're in my life. What can I do about it? I'm related to them. So I'm going to find a way to get through, but I've got these people, right? Who do see me and that's such a powerful feeling. And so it's worth finding it. And then slowly that power can overwhelm the lack over here, if that makes sense.​

Stay tuned for our September community gathering, where we will channel some of what we've learned and share pieces of art centered around the idea of vulnerability! If you're interested in learning more about joining Lady Brain Collective, start by visiting our FAQ, then head over to our JOIN page to submit a membership application!