This episode is a special edition for Mother’s day. It draws on the letter called “The Legacy of Our Mothers”, that Esther Perel published last week. Esther shares some details about the complicated and ambivalent relationship she had with her own mother and invites us to reflect on our own relationships with motherly figures.

I want to build on that invitation, I want to broaden the scope of the conversation and introduce the following thought: The relationship with our mother becomes a blueprint for our relationships with women - a blueprint for our relationships with female leaders. 

A great mother makes a great leader. And a great leader is very much like a great mother. Leadership, like motherhood, is an act of profound nurture and service. It demands not only strength and vision but a heart willing to listen, to guide, and to protect. 

How are your relationships with women? Do you experience ambivalence with female authority figures? How do your relationships with female leaders mirror those with your mother? How does this influence manifest in your professional life? 

If you’re a female leader - how does your mother’s voice shape the way you lead your people?  

Join me on this special edition of the SHFT Happens Podcast as e explore these questions and more: