I AM Intention Workshop for WINN Scholars

In partnership Washington Women in Need (WINN), Carol Gavhane of Asha Blooms and I offered our I AM: The Power of Intention workshop to recipients of WINN grants. WWIN is a wonderful organization that provides grants and scholarships to women who are trying to improve their lives. They have to advocate for themselves and apply. We had the fortune of working with three women who, by coincidence, ended up all being nursing students. They were so inspiring and really leaned into the experience even though many of them had never been to such a workshop before. They were all vulnerable and open and it helped make it all the more meaningful.

Elevating yourself takes incredible courage. You have to decide that you are not defined by your current circumstances, challenge negative beliefs about yourself, and ask for help (we women are terrible at receiving). Taking the first steps is huge but what do we do when things get hard?

Our thoughts and intentions matter. We are so excited to have you meet Amy, Feliz and Stephanie, all nursing students, dealing with not just busy lives but a range of challenges. ⁣The women got to choose an intentional necklace and completed an exercise to infuse it with more meaning. For this workshop in particular, we added a brief photo session for the women who had never had professional pictures taken before. Here are their stories and what they’ve been learning on their journeys. It takes a lot of courage and belief to reach for something beyond your current circumstances and we all have something we can learn from them.

Amy

Amy is a WINN scholar working her way through nursing school. She chose the I Am Loved necklace at our workshop because looking at it calms her. Amy’s biggest challenge is coping with her anxiety and perfectionist tendencies. She reminds us that thoughts are just thoughts and you don’t have to listen to them. They don’t have to define you. She is trying to be better about loving herself and keeping her expectations in check.

Intentions are important to her because because she aims to move through life with less resistance. She want to remember to always lead with kindness, caring and thoughtfulness. These are important intentions that we can all learn to lead with more. Thank you Amy for the reminder and inspiration.

Feliz

Imagine going through struggles without a lot of support surrounding you. This is what Feliz is facing as a mom going through nursing school. But instead of letting it stop her from reaching for her dreams, Feliz chooses to focus on the positive and recognize how much her mental state is important to keep her going. The intention she chose for herself is “I am grateful.” She will use her necklace to remind her “to shine my inner light and feel glory and gratitude for the beauty that exists and the beauty yet to come.” She goes on to explain that intentions matter because “you need to love yourself and know that you are enough. Being able to see yourself, really see yourself, is so important.”

What do you see when you look at her? I see so much life in her eyes, kindness, and gentle determination but also a sense of humor. Feliz has been through and is going through a lot but her inner light is undeniable. Thank you Feliz for being an inspiration to all of us and for teaching us to always remember our inner light and to be grateful for life.

Stephanie

Stephanie is a nursing student and mom. Like most of us, she struggles with insecurities, feelings of not enoughness as well as feeling like we have to bear it all alone. She chose the I Am Complete necklace as a reminder of who she is…complete and enough. She believes intentions matter because “they help us navigate through life and with intention, we are actively evolving, learning and growing.”

Thank you Stephanie for the beautiful reminder and for being a role model for those of us who are experiencing the same struggles.