Transformation, Forgiveness & Becoming with Vera Thomas

What I love about that story is neither of us started talking about business.

We started talking about something deeply personal.

And I think that's where transformation always begins.

It doesn't begin with strategy.

It begins with meaning.

I spend most of my work helping leaders solve incredibly complex problems.

Yet I've noticed underneath almost every business problem is a human story, usually one they haven't told in a long time.

Well, you know, I grew up, being bullied and ridiculed and made fun of and called all kinds of names.

And one of the things that resonated with me so much was Eleanor Roosevelt's statement that no one can make you feel inferior without your permission.

I really

appreciate you sharing that because I think many people listening assume confidence is something we're born with, but confidence is usually built.

One conversation, one difficult decision, one act of courage at a time.

Looking back, was there a moment where you realized, I'm becoming

someone different? As a result of that, I just began to evolve and transform by working on myself.

We don't have any control over how other people relate, react or respond.

We have control over ourselves.

And so working through some things, also having a forgiving spirit and being able to just put things behind me and move forward like a butterfly.

Listening to you, I'm realizing something.

Transformation doesn't always look dramatic.

Sometimes it looks like showing up again and again and again, even when no one notices.

That's actually been one of the biggest lessons in my whole life.

People often see results.

They don't see consistency.

Consistency looks like nothing is happening until everything changes.

Well, my mother, like I said, she died at the age of 43 of cancer.