by Melissa Hull Gallemore
Personal healing and business may not seem like they belong together. But in my life of work, growing as a person means growing as a business, as well. Here are three ways my own healing journey transformed my leadership abilities — and how they can transform yours, too.
Overcoming the loss of my son — and the soul-crushing depression that followed — was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It required me to find love and compassion when all I could see was loneliness and torment. It asked me to be strong when I didn’t know how to be. It forced me to heal or cease to exist.
But you know what? I chose to heal.
And with that simple decision, I started a healing journey that would take me from energy work to alternative therapies to artistic expression and, eventually, to my purpose in life.
All along the way, as I reached for whatever healing tool I could find, I was growing as a person. I learned to be a better mother, leader, businesswoman, partner, daughter, friend. I dove into self-forgiveness head first and learned what it really meant to love and accept yourself. I dug deep and poured open my heart and soul.
Through my healing process, I rediscovered my own value. And that, my friends, was magic.
By now, you’re probably asking the same question I found myself asking, on my knees, in my most painful moments:
“How?! How do I heal from this terrible thing that happened? What do I do?”
The reason there’s no manual on healing because it’s different for everyone. Everyone has to find their own tools and their own way through it. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from each other’s journeys.
My Personal Healing Journey
Once I decided to heal, I started with what made sense to me: energy. I’ve always been super empathic, and as a kid, I could see things about people that others couldn’t. I could feel what they were feeling because I was so naturally in tune with whatever energy was going on around me. It was like my first language — I just understood it. As I got older, I learned to turn those abilities into strengths, ones that helped me understand people on a deep, emotional level.
In my darkest moment, I returned to my first language. I began to study energy work, and I learned so much about who I am and what I have to offer. Over time, I was able to hone my natural abilities and control that flood of energy. I even became a Reiki Master and Certified Aura Personality Consultant.
And I felt better — but there was still pain stuck deep in my body, on a cellular level. So I dove into alternative therapies, like Emotion Code Therapy and Cellular Release Therapy, that would help my body release some of the deep sadness it had been holding onto. I made self-love, self-acceptance, and forgiveness my goal and worked toward it like it was my day job. I meditated when I needed to reach a higher state of awareness, and I rested when it was time to let it all settle.
I needed to understand myself. And I wouldn’t stop until I did.
Today, after all that beautiful healing, I get three incredible gifts as a reward for making the journey: empathy, strength, and peace. Those gifts have not only helped me find happiness again, but they have enriched every area of my life — especially my ability to lead.
And that’s why we’re here today. I want to share my thoughts about how personal healing creates better business leaders. Because, for me, that’s exactly what it did.
3 Ways Personal Healing Makes You A Better Leader
In business, we often say: “This is a workplace. Leave your emotions at the door.” We talk about people in terms of how they affect the bottom line, and we undervalue the soft skills that spur collaboration and innovation. We shun feelings from the workplace, and we have for years.
But is that really working?
In my experience, this old-school approach only breeds discontent, disloyalty and more problems. So today, I want to talk to you about how I do business. And it’s simple. I lead with the same three gifts that my healing journey brought me: empathy, strength, and peace.
1. Empathy
Empathy is one of the most valuable and undervalued traits in the workplace. It’s what connects us. It’s what allows us to work as a team. For example, as a leader, maybe I don’t notice a problem in customer service, but my team does. If they don’t think I have enough empathy to understand that problem, then they won’t bring it to my attention. Instead, it will go unanswered, slowly harming customer relationships, until it becomes big enough to halt production or show up in the numbers.
Empathy is what connects people when they can’t understand the journey someone else is walking. Since companies are made of people, empathy is vital for that company to succeed. And it all starts at the top.
2. Strength
Just as people need that sense of belonging in a workplace, they also need stability. And as their leader, it’s your job to provide that. Even when you’re stressed, scared, overwhelmed or unsure, you still need to convey a sense of strength and confidence to your team. Yes, be honest with your team, but this is no time to fall apart.
If you’re still searching for that deep sense of strength and confidence, then here’s my best advice. There’s nothing like the sense of strength you get from embarking on a healing journey and coming out the other side. By facing your pain and fear, you realize you’re capable of overcoming anything — and that knowledge is what creates unshakable strength, even in the face of adversity.
3. Peace
Once you find that deep inner strength, there’s a natural peace that comes with it. No matter what the world throws at you, you know you’ll be ok. That means when there are 17 things to get done, and three more fires to put out, you’re not running around with your hair on fire. You’re centered and approaching each challenge as it comes. You can bring that sense of peace and order to your workplace, and model it for the people you lead.
You’re making a difference in the world simply by sharing your empathy, strength, and peace.
Share with Me!
Tell me about your healing journey! What helped you heal from pain, fear or trauma? How has it made you a better leader? How do you bring empathy, strength, and peace to your team?
~ Melissa Hull
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.Melissa Hull is E360tv’s Creative Content Producer, an inspirational speaker, author, entrepreneur, business strategist consultant, and award-winning artist. She has shared the stage with Mitch Carson, Bill Walsh, James Dentley, Kevin Harrington, Joel Bauer, Forbes Riley and several other notable speakers. She is the author of “Lessons From Neverland” and is regularly sought out as a business consultant and mentor to several small businesses.
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