JOURNAL

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Thanks to you, we did it!

Community, thank you for coming through! It is because of you we surpassed our fundraising goal for five deserving women warriors!

Your donations are in the works. We are assembling each women warrior’s care packages, and they will be delivered to them by no later than early January 2021. These care packages will contain monetary gift cards to help with essential needs and individualized items for their well-being and the well-being of their families. Additionally, your gift for your donation is also in the works and should arrive by early January 2021 too.

We are only as strong as our community and this campaign couldn’t be more indicative. Your encouraging words pierce deeply, especially in 2020.

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“You each are so deserving of this and so much more.” -Diana

“Thank you for sharing your stories and allowing us to give back a little. May our Lord watch over your families with love and protection!” -Jennie

“Sending love and blessings to all of you.” – Chayla

“Thank you for all that you do to make the world a kinder place.” -Laurie

“I love the work you are doing, keep shining.” -Erica

“Wonderful way to honor women!” -Anonymous

“By Queens, For Queens! Love what you’re continuing to do to uplift and inspire womxn.” -Stephanie

“Supporting our most inspiring, fearless, brilliant, and beautiful Queens! -Allyson

“Who run the world?!” – Abigail

“Women of the Resistance” mural by Lucia Gonzalez Ippolito at Balmy Alley in the Mission district of San Francisco. Photo by me.

#UpliftingWomenWarriors

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#UpliftingWomenWarriors needs your support

Photo by Unity in Color.

Mahalo Community,

In the nonprofit world, it is the time of year to appeal for your kind donation. The end of the year is historically the most successful time to fundraise and close the calendar year in black (net revenue positive or debt free). Lamentably, for many nonprofits it is the breaking point whether they will stay open or close indefinitely. Compounded with this reality, Covid-19 has disrupted the fiscal promise for too many.

2020 remains a devastating year of loss. Livelihoods are in disarray, inequities widening, and the former capacity and joy to contribute to an annual giving tradition stifled. After brainstorming what our nonprofit’s end-of-the-year campaign will focus on, it was without a question, to uplift and to pay it forward to those affected. For them, for humanity, we had to. Hence, these individuals and families are the catalyst for our fundraising campaign that just launched, Sol Sisters Solful Giving – Uplifting Women Warriors.

As part of the global movement to give known as Giving Tuesday, I set my heart into authoring and developing this campaign, which honors five deserving women warriors. I am deeply invested in each of them, and their incredible stories of loss and strength will impel you to act too. 

Therefore, join us in #UpliftingWomenWarriors during this unprecedented challenging time and please share this campaign far and wide using the hashtag #UpliftingWomenWarriors.

The women warriors (from left to right, top to bottom); Jennifer, Nikki, Martha, Gloria, Angelica.

Thank you for caring,️
Jenny & your Sol Sisters Community

Photo by Abe Espiritu.

P.S. Did you know that your donation to us (to nonprofits in general) is a tax benefit to you? It is a deduction on your taxes and with the CARES Act it is easier to get a tax deduction for donations made in 2020. Learn more about this benefit via this recent New York Times article. It’s a win, win, win!

bit.ly/upliftingwomenwarriors
solsisters.org
@solsisters  

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A Manifesto That Will Move You

New York Times Best Selling author and research professor, Brene Brown, is a wealth of inspiration on personal growth. When I read her manifesto for her family, I thought to myself: this is so beautiful, why didn’t I come up with this? This is how I know something is extraordinary.

Although its title is, The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto, it is a manifesto for anyone. It’s timeless. And, lucky us, you can download an illustrated copy on her website to frame it for your home, office, or to give as a gift.

Above all else, I want you to know that you are loved and lovable. You will learn this from my words and actions–the lessons on love are in how I treat you and how I treat myself.

I want you to engage with the world from a place of worthiness. You will learn that you are worthy of love, belonging, and joy every time you see me practice self-compassion and embrace my own imperfections.

We will practice courage in our family by showing up, letting ourselves be seen, and honoring vulnerability. We will share our stories of struggle and strength. There will always be room in our home for both.

We will teach you compassion by practicing compassion with ourselves first; then with each other. We will set and respect boundaries; we will honor hard work, hope, and perseverance. Rest and play will be family values, as well as family practices.

You will learn accountability and respect by watching me make mistakes and make amends, and by watching how I ask for what I need and talk about how I feel.

I want you to know joy, so together we will practice gratitude.

I want you to feel joy, so together we will learn how to be vulnerable.

When uncertainty and scarcity visit, you will be able to draw from the spirit that is a part of our everyday life.

Together we will cry and face fear and grief. I will want to take away your pain, but instead I will sit with you and teach you how to feel it.

We will laugh and sing and dance and create. We will always have permission to be ourselves with each other. No matter what, you will always belong here.

As you begin your Wholehearted journey, the greatest gift that I can give to you is to live and love with my whole heart and to dare greatly.

I will not teach or love or show you anything perfectly, but I will let you see me, and I will always hold sacred the gift of seeing you. Truly, deeply, seeing you.

—Brene Brown

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2020 Inspiration with Oprah and Friends

“When you know, teach. When you get, give.” —Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou, civil rights activist, poet and award-winning author.

Happy 2020! I wish you a new decade beyond what you have imagined. I hope what you have imagined for yourself is big, real big.

In reflecting on 2019, I have compassionately closed its chapter in order to open myself fully to a limitless new one in 2020. With this gained insight, I would like to share some inspiring reflection pieces that have expanded my inner and outer self. Both poignant pieces by the master of inner spiritual growth and wisdom, the one and only Oprah. Below is a thoughtfully edited compilation video of Oprah’s profound speeches as well as some of my favorite quotes from one of my top 2019 books, Oprah’s The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose.

Thank you Inspiring Habits.

Just like Oprah, I relish an aha moment. In her book she shares quotes and stories from her conversations with an array of seasoned individuals. It bestowed many ahas for me and I wish for you the same.

“Most of us have two lives. The life we live and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands resistance.” —Steven Pressfield

“The more important an activity is to your soul’s evolution, the more resistance you will feel to it.” —Steven Pressfield

“[Stephen Pressfield] explained that no matter the dream, the shadow of resistance is inevitable. If’s like the yin and yang—you can’t have the dream without the shadow. So, the more importance I placed on the Harvard speech, the stronger the resistance. It meant that there was no point in blaming myself for my anxiety, because what I was experiencing was actually a spiritual law. The worries running around in my head were nothing more than the natural force of negativity at work, the shadow that lives in all of us trying to convince us of our unworthiness: You’re not good enough. What do you think you’ve got to say to the kids at Harvard? Understanding this changed everything. Steven’s theory was a totally new way of looking at fear: For every dream, there is automatically going to be resistance. But your sheer will and desire can be stronger than the shadow. You get to decide. You get to declare, I want this, and confront the fear head-on.” —Oprah, excerpt from The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose.

Steven Pressfield, American author and screenplay writer.

“The ultimate care of the soul is being identified with the life that wants to live through you. So at any point, your life may give a hint that you should be moving on—maybe to a different job or even a different marriage. And if you hold back on that and say, “No, that would disrupt me,” you would be deciding to say no to life. I think that’s where the soul gets wounded most. Your individuality comes from your soul. Not from your head. It comes from allowing life to live through you.” —Thomas Moore

Thomas Moore, American psychotherapist, former monk, and award-winning author.

“If you are in a place where you’re more powerful than the people around you, listen as much as you talk. And if you’re less powerful, talk as much as you listen.” —Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinem, writer, lecturer, political activist, and feminist organizer.

“Deep listening is the kind of listening that can help relieve the suffering of the other person. You can call it compassionate listening. You listen with only one purpose: Help him or her to empty their heart. Remember that you are helping him or her to suffer less, and even if they say things full of wrong perceptions, full of bitterness, you are still capable of continuing to listen with compassion. If you want to help them correct their perception, you wait for another time; at this time, you just listen with compassion and help him or her to suffer less. One hour like that can bring transformation and healing.” —Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk, poet, peace activist, and author.

“It’s a sort of prayer of intention, Please let me bring forth something that will help heal.” —Carole Bayer Sager

Carole Bayer Sager, American lyricist, artist, and singer.

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First Filipina & Black Ballerina Lead in NYC Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’

Charlotte, you go girl! This is a momentous holiday season for 11 year-old Charlotte Nebres and for Asian Americans and African Americans. Charlotte is the first Filipina American and African American ballerina lead (playing heroine Marie) in New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Finally.

Representation is consequential. It has conscious and subconscious, explicit and implicit effects, especially, for those that can identify with the lack of it.

“I saw her perform and she was just so inspiring and so beautiful,” Charlotte, 11, said. “When I saw someone who looked like me onstage, I thought, that’s amazing. She [Misty Copeland] was representing me and all the people like me.”

When Charlotte was 6, Misty Copeland became the first female African-American principal at American Ballet Theater. That, she remembers.

Misty Copeland

I too remember. I remember my vivid awestruck when I saw Asian American actor Dante Basco as Rufio in the movie Hook. He was the first person I saw on TV and in film that resembled me. For people of color to see individuals like them in positions of visibility, power, and success, it is incredibly validating for our identities, confidence, aspirations and affirming that we matter. We do matter. Charlotte you matter.

Dante Basco as Rufio in Hook
Not only was Rufio a main character but a fearless leader.

The firsts. Asian American Pacific Islanders are still underrepresented in many sectors. For example, actress Kelly Marie Tran who plays Rose Tico in Star Wars went from being the first Asian American and woman of color lead character in The Last Jedi (and in all of Star Wars) to controversially only having one minute of screen time in the follow-up film The Rise of Skywalker. Also, in stark contrast to his counterparts, data analyzed by Axios Media demonstrate the disproportionate lack of media coverage in comparison to polling numbers for Asian American presidential candidate, Andrew Yang. And for the first time in U.S. history, there are three Asian American Pacific Islanders running for 2020 presidency: Andrew Yang (Taiwanese), Kamala Harris (Indian and black), and Tulsi Gabbard (Samoan and white).

Actress Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, the first Asian American and woman of color lead role in Star Wars. Photo courtesy of Screen Rant.
Rose Tico later removed from the original Star Wars merchandise designs.
2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang. Photo: Jeff Neira, Walt Disney Television.

Additionally, in every article I have read about Charlotte Nebres, the titles and body text consistently say “first black” ballet lead and neglect to say she is also the first Asian American ballet lead. Too often Asian American Pacific Islanders are left out, forgotten, a footnote or an afterthought; yet Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in the U.S. Asian Americans are more than the harmful stereotypes: other, outsider, quiet, invisible, passive, meek, subservient, the model minority, good at math, terrible drivers. The list is endless.

Despite it all, Charlotte, you are positively challenging the misconceptions and false narratives of Asian Americans and African Americans. Thank you for overcoming the odds. Thank you for being the first. Your success is everyone’s success.

Charlotte Nebres. Photo courtesy of Heather Sten, The New York Times.

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Bonuses Totaling 10 Million Given to All Employees!

I have to give a huge shout out to St. John Properties in Maryland. This real estate company is modeling how a for-profit company should operate—showing deep gratitude for their greatest asset—by giving every employee a bonus, totaling 10 million dollars. From maintenance workers to receptionists, the average bonus was $50K and the highest was $270K, which were based on how long they had been working for the company.

At their holiday party, employees were given an envelope. Next, at the same time, everyone opened their envelopes revealing the big surprise. Shock and then tears of incredible joy fill the room. Long, heartfelt hugs followed, concluding the joyous night with employees individually giving thanks to their CEO.

When I first heard about this company’s magnanimous generosity, I was stunned. The fact that myself and so many were flabbergasted by this action speaks to its rarity in our profit driven culture. I hope one day this will be the norm and not a surprise. Bravo to St. John Properties for defying our current norm—to equally valuing its workforce to its profitability. It does not have to be mutually exclusive.

Congratulations to all the staff. What an unforgettable ending to their successful 2019.

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Mr. Rogers

I recently watched A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the recent movie based on America’s beloved treasure, Mr. Rogers. It is a brilliant social commentary on the human condition. I am beautifully reminded of his unique mastery of emotional intelligence. Many decades later, this uniting gift seems to be more elusive than ever. This rings true with my work with youth, students, and families.

Mr. Rogers teaches not only children but everyone that honest introspection is the thread that sows the emotional holes we all face. If we each aspire to Mr. Roger’s unwavering active, empathetic listening (especially during this unprecedented time in U.S. history), we will more clearly see each other and ourselves realizing our fears are not reality after all.

This deeply moving film is inspired by journalist Tom Junod’s unexpected emotional journey profiling Mr. Rogers for Esquire magazine. Immediately after the film, I had to find the Esquire cover feature originally published in their November 1998 issue. Mr. Junod, thank you for capturing the depth of Mr. Rogers and for inspiring the film.

If it’s not too much to ask, please let me know your thoughts of the movie and the Esquire article. Enjoy!