Hello beloveds!
In honor of Self Care Awareness Month, consider this: exploring your purpose is an act of professional and personal self-care.
When we give ourselves permission to reexamine purpose in community, new insights emerge — fueling clarity, resilience, and renewed leadership.
In the post below I share three key insights on purpose I invite you to consider as fuel for self care.
I’m also delighted to share the availability of my best friend’s new book, Dancing with the Divine Now. Over more than 30 years I have witnessed Nancy live her life out of the guidance of her Near-Death Experience. She is wise and a wonderful source of inspiration for living in alignment with your passion and purpose. See more information below.
As we move into harvest season, be good to yourself, and know…
I am with you on the path,
Glenna
In August I had the joy of gathering with a thoughtful group of women in the LEAF (Local Ecology Agriculture Fremont) Community Garden for a Purpose Portfolio Workshop. Imagine a large picnic bench tucked among raised beds, sunflowers nodding in the breeze, the faint scent of basil and tomatoes ripening in the sun, even luscious cucumbers! It set the stage beautifully for exploring one of my favorite topics — purpose.
I opened the workshop by sharing that purpose isn’t a fixed statement you frame and hang on the wall. It is not outside yourself waiting to be found. Purpose is a living, breathing part of us that can grow, shed, and renew over time emanating from our deepest truth — much like the plants around us. Together, we used the Tree of Life framework to explore the environment in which our purposeful lives thrive or not, the seeds we’ve planted (unexamined beliefs, values, meaning, even reframed regrets), the strong trunks of our purpose priorities, the branches of purposeful action, and the fruits we hope to see flourish.
These workshops are always held in a psychologically safe zone where participants can share openly, without fear of judgment. We don’t share images of attendees — only of the setting — so the focus remains on the experience and the insights that bloom within it.
“Glenna Wiseman is a thoughtful, engaging coach and workshop facilitator. Her ‘Cultivating Legacy: A Purpose Portfolio Workshop for Women’ at LEAF was a resounding success, bringing together women from diverse backgrounds to reflect on purpose, contribution, and legacy in a safe and welcoming space. Glenna’s expert guidance helped participants explore purpose through a fresh lens, easing ‘purpose anxiety’ and offering tangible tools for shaping a more intentional path forward. In just a short time, the workshop sparked deep insights and meaningful conversations while fostering a strong sense of connection and community.”
— Bettina Grab, Director of Development, Partnerships & Marketing, LEAF
The reflections and conversations that morning revealed three key reminders — insights we can all carry forward, whether we’re charting a new chapter, leading a team, or simply pausing to reconnect with ourselves:
1. Purpose is a verb.
Purpose is not only what you have, it’s how you live. It’s expressed through conscious choices and deliberate actions. One participant shared that she felt purposeful “when contributing to the community in which she lives.” That’s not a mission statement on paper — that’s a way of being.
2. Purpose evolves.
Like a tree adapting to the seasons, our purpose shifts as life changes. I shared a regret I don’t want to have twenty years from now: not taking care of myself physically or letting fear of others’ opinions keep me from doing what I know is important. Thinking about what I don’t want to regret when I “reach the proverbial pearly gates” motivates me to take consistent action — even when I’m scared. These purposeful branches allow for new growth alongside many others.
3. Purpose flourishes in community.
We can do a lot of inner work on our own, but when we reflect alongside others, something special happens. Perspectives widen, encouragement flows, and we remember we’re not alone in wanting our lives to have meaning. The women that day left with personal insights of their own, celebrated “lightbulb” moments in others, and agreed to continue the journey together.
The LEAF garden offered more than a pretty setting — it mirrored the experience itself. Healthy ecosystems, whether in nature or in teams, thrive through diversity, interconnection, and care. Purpose is no different.
AFFIRMATION
I intentionally plant my feet firmly on the support of Mother Earth, acknowledging my life lives in the web of life Gaia has created. I take three breaths. On the inbreath I take the opportunity to be grateful for the ways in which I am supported in life. On the outbreath, I release whatever has transpired up to this moment. I am fully present to myself, my world, my purpose. I listen deeply to my inner guidance for insights into my path for purposeful living and know that guidance is my wisdom today.
