By: Maria Williams
Being 100% you in all areas of life – whether it be personal or professional, can promote a more holistically satisfying life … so says CVO (Chief Visioning Officer) & Founder of Steps & Stages, Christal Brown.
We hear throughout our lives that money does not equate to happiness – yet we likely spend the majority of our lives trying to achieve the next level of financial success. People constantly sacrifice what they truly love at the altar of sensible choices to ensure a secure future.
Then, finally, one day, 50 years down the line, you make it. You’ve attained that C-suite role you have always dreamt of, but something is missing. This hypothetical scenario is, unfortunately, incredibly common. 75% of C-suite leaders may consider quitting their jobs for an opportunity that would provide them with better well-being and support. Some experts are even identifying a new version of the “Great Resignation” as an increasing number of C-suite executives exit their jobs.
These highly successful individuals are exactly who Christal Brown, Founder of Steps & Stages, works with. I had the opportunity to sit down with her to discuss her unique approach to personal and professional development, the common mistakes she sees with those who come to her, and the power of physical movement for our brains.
“If you had asked me what I thought I was going to do with my life when I was younger, I certainly would not have guessed I would have a professional dance career or build a coaching practice. In fact, I think part of my life has been completely determined by fate. I would have never even been introduced to dance if it weren’t for the fact that I was accidentally dropped off at the wrong location in a carpool mishap. From that day on, dance became a way of communication and continues to fill in the gaps that words cannot.
Dance is a blend of vulnerability and strength. I believe these two qualities, coupled with my candor and compassion, are what led to me being sought out for guidance by people who had a hard time managing these similar gifts, i.e., successful C-suite leaders). I started to become very interested in the dilemmas of leadership and success – on the outside, these people seem like they have it all, but on the inside, they aren’t feeling fulfilled. I did the research and developed embodied strategies that help people get out of personal and professional ruts – and two essential parts are vision and movement.”
According to research, moving the body in new ways can actually unlock new neural pathways in the brain. As part of Christal’s (or as she’s known to clients, Coach Christal) VisionBuilder Cohorts, movement and meditation are two critical components of each session.
“By dancing, even just for a minute as we do in our sessions, it immediately disarms our natural fight or flight response and allows us to be in a relaxed, open minded state. In my vision cohort, once we complete this step, we move on to guided meditation and breathing exercises, really encouraging participants to be one-hundred percent present. From there, we move into exercises on how to essentially design their own success in life.
Once we can turn down the volume on our emotions and be truly present, which in and of itself is no small feat, then we can dig deeper to understand ourselves and answer those tougher questions. What makes me happy? How will my loved ones remember me? What would I love? It’s easy to put bandaids over these questions. Once we have the courage to unlock ourselves, we can catalyze imagination into reality.
The process I lean into is highly centered around vision (some may call this manifestation). I think vision is the pathway to our human evolution, and we need to have a clear mind and feel present to develop our own vision,” says Brown.
Understanding where emotional roadblocks come from is also vital in this process – and according to Christal, it is almost always rooted in fear.
“Fear is the dominant barrier for everyone’s growth and development. Whether it be fear of rejection, judgment, poverty, death – the list can go on. This stems from the ways we have been socially conditioned. In school, we have grades; in life, we promote perfectionism – and in my opinion, perfection is just a pretty word for fear. It’s not attainable.
When we let fear take over, we usually lean on plans. Plans are not necessarily wrong, but in the context in which we are speaking about personal and professional growth, plans are not visions. If you are someone who is too stuck to their plan, it will be hard to expand the parameters of or even create a vision. In the work I do with high achievers, we learn to relax our minds and lower our fight or flight response, which prepares us to be able to face fear head-on and answer the tough questions about what a life by design and not default looks like.”
To learn more about Christal and Steps & Stages Coaching, visit her website.
Published by: Holy Minoza
