184. The Sacred Journey to Authentic Leadership and Gender Equity with Paula Stone Williams

Paula Stone Williams, Boomer, joins us to talk about the fearless face of authenticity as part 3 of our 4-part series about the book Fearless Female Leaders by Kathy McAfee and Rosemary Paetow (Eps, 182, 183).   Paula is a Pastoral Counselor and internationally known speaker on gender equity and religious tolerance. As Kathy and Rosemary wrote this in their book after interviewing Paula: “She who had been born into a boy’s body and was given the name Paul by her parents knew she was meant to be a girl… After leading a double life he made the fearless decision to move forward with her gender transition... for the first time in her years on earth she was feeling seen, heard, loved and valued for who she truly was. A woman.”    Topics covered in the Episode: Transition journey Male & woman leadership insights Gender equity Authenticity Mary Oliver’s The Journey Actions to take the deep inner journey What keeps us from leading Rejection Types of gifts Women apologizing   Here are three takeaways from the episode:   1.    Women can have very strong leadership tendencies and tend to have great confidence coupled with great humility. 2.    The call toward authenticity is sacred, is holy, and for the greater good and it’s terrifying and never easy. 3.   What stops us from leading is not what we fear but what gave birth to the fear. It’s something that comes from thinking we’re unworthy of deep human connection as we are. You cannot lead from a place of strength until you deal with this dragon. Mentioned in the episode:   Paula’s Ted Talks https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=paula+stone+williams+ted+talk   Mary Oliver’s The Journey https://margaretmcgoverne.com/2019/01/08/poem-of-the-month-the-journey-by-mary-oliver/   Ep. 182 From Origin Story to Empowerment: A Conversation w Fearless Leaders, Kathy McAfee and Rosemary Paetow https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/CcYH6G3ZYLb   Ep. 183 Flying High: Jane Dyer’s Journey of Fearlessness in the Face of Sexism https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/VAjC3kby5Lb   Ep. 177, Worthy: Self-Confidence, Self-Worth, and Insights from Jamie Kern Lima’s Book https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/qqParJ3ZYLb   58. Sorry? Apology help from the Book: Sorry, Sorry, Sorry https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/Lz5OiP0eFLb   More About Paula: She lives in Lyons, Colorado, where she serves as Mayor Pro Tem. Paula has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, TED, NPR, PBS, and many other media outlets. Her TED talks have had over nine million views. Paula’s memoir, As A Woman, What I Learned About Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2021.     How to reach Paula:    [email protected]   Website: www.paulastonewilliams.com   How to reach Yo Canny:    Our website: www.girltaketheleadpod.com  You can send a message or voicemail there. We’d love to hear from you!   Our store: www.girltaketheleadpod.com/shop   email: [email protected]   FB group: Girl, Take the Lead https://www.facebook.com/groups/272025931481748/?ref=share   IG: yocanny   YouTube   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yocanny/