Reclaiming the Truth of Who You Are with Willow McIntosh

In this episode, I speak with Willow McIntosh, who is the founder of Inluminance and creator of the High Sensory Coaching Program. We explore what Willow refers to as high sensory intelligence and the reasons why highly sensitive people have the potential to thrive as leaders, entrepreneurs, coaches, mentors and much more. Willow states, 'there is no greater endeavour than to reclaim the truth of who we are' and shares the importance of highly sensitive people aligning with their authentic selves, finding their area of fascination and stepping into their unique potential; our reason for being.

Become a patron of the Highly Sensitive Human Podcast  and get early, exclusive access to the podcast, the written transcripts, behind the scenes content and a bonus Q + A with experts: BECOME A PATRON HERE >>

About Willow McIntosh

Willow believes that all people with the trait have the ability to tap into a unique skill that draws on a deeper sensory perception. Founded in their own life experience and self-development they have the capacity to facilitate great transformation and development in others. Willow is on a mission to awaken us to the responsibility we have to utilise the abilities it affords in business, governments and leadership. 

Having successfully facilitated the development of seven-figure businesses Willow’s practice has taken him all over the world. Speaking internationally, training in a broad range of fields and facilitating others for more than twenty years. Willow now specialises in facilitating people with the trait to activate them into service in alignment with their gifts and purpose as highly skilled coaches, facilitators, consultants and healers.

Stay in Touch: Inluminance Website

More about Jules De Vitto...

Jules De Vitto is a Transpersonal Coach who is experienced at helping Highly Sensitive People overcome anxiety, stress and burnout. Jules is Highly Sensitive herself and guides Highly Sensitive People into their authentic power and alignment with their true purpose in life.

She lived in Asia for eleven years before moving to London and integrates Eastern practices and modern-day mindfulness into her work. She has a degree in Psychology, an MA in Education and an MSc in Transpersonal Psychology, Consciousness and Spirituality.

She’s a Meditation teacher on Insight Timer and a  published author through Changemaker Books and John Hunt Publishers. She wrote Resilience: Navigating Loss in a Time of Crisis to help people through the Covid-19 Pandemic available here.

Become a patron of the Highly Sensitive Human Podcast  and get early, exclusive access to the podcast, the written transcripts, behind the scenes content and a bonus Q + A with experts: BECOME A PATRON HERE >>

You can stay connected with Jules through...
Instagram
Facebook Group
Highly Sensitive Humans Website
1-1 coaching (book a 30-min free consultation)

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:01

Welcome, I'm your host, Jules DeVito, and you're listening to the Highly Sensitive Human Podcast, the show that offers an insight into the world of the highly sensitive person and helps those who identify with the traits of high sensitivity to feel more empowered and resilient without denying their authentic gifts. As we continue to expand the podcast, I'm excited to share some new additions to the show. We're now offering dedicated listeners early exclusive access to episodes, bonus behind the scenes, question and answers with guest experts, where you can submit your questions and get them answered by myself and the guest experts, exclusive access to the transcripts of the podcast interviews, and additional exclusive written content. So you can now access this additional material by becoming a patron. Simply click on the link in the show notes to choose which content you'd like to access. With your support, we are certain to keep the podcast alive, running, and growing, meaning more episodes and exclusive interviews with top experts in the field. So, welcome to today's episode where today I'm talking with Willow Eckintosh, who is the founder of Inluminance and the creator of the High Sensory Coaching Program. So unique circumstances during Willow's childhood led to the burying of his authentic self and complete misalignment to the work he was destined for. He began to carve his own path into understanding how people with sensory processing sensitivity can learn to use their genetic traits to their advantage. As an adult, this led to a lifelong inquiry and practice into learning powerful energetic alignment techniques to re-engage with the authentic self. Willow believes that all people with the traits have the ability to tap into a unique skill that draws on a deeper sensory perception. Founded in their own life experience and self-development, they have the capacity to facilitate great transformation and development in others. Having successfully facilitated the development of seven-figure businesses, Willow's practice has taken him all over the world, speaking internationally, training in a broad range of fields, and facilitating others for more than 20 years. Willow now specializes in facilitating people with the trait to activate them into service in alignment with their gifts and purpose as highly skilled coaches, facilitators, consultants, and healers. So welcome, Willow, and thank you so much for being on the podcast today.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

So obviously, this podcast is all about the highly sensitive person. And I just want to ask you if you can give us a definition of that or what that means to you.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

Yes, absolutely. For me, the definition of a highly sensitive person is someone who is innately born with an ability to process sensory information more deeply. And also that we are receiving and processing a greater level of sensory information. And that gives us a very specific set of skills and abilities that I believe are much more important for us to use to identify ourselves and what this gives us in our lives rather than focusing on the word sensitive. I think it's important for us to reframe that. But essentially it's the ability to do that, and that then gives us a whole range of very exciting abilities.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

Yeah, fantastic. And you mentioned it being an innate trait. I'm just wondering could you say a bit more about that in terms of it being innate versus something which is developed through our environment? I mean, what what's your opinion on that? What the balance is there?

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Yeah, absolutely. And I think this is where it's it gets really interesting, is the fact that it's a part of the natural makeup of humanity. So as many of us are aware of, it's it's occurring in between 15 to 20 percent of the population. But it's it's an ability that is not as a result of our conditioning or the environment. It's actually it's actually an innate part of our central nervous system and how we are born that gives us this ability. So, in other words, it's intended by nature, and also it's uh found to be in other in in 100 other species of animals. So this is for me, this is where it's very interesting because it's as I say, it's it's something that nature has decided that it needs in humanity and in society and in the animal kingdom because obviously it serves a very important function.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

Absolutely. And in your work, you talk about sensory intelligence as well. So you're referring to it as an ability, which I really like, and also, yeah, this idea of it being a sensory intelligence. So, can you share a bit more about what that is? What does that mean to you?

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Yes, absolutely. And I think this this is this is this is essentially what nature has intended. This is why we have this trait. So, what I refer to as sensory intelligence, and I and I refer to as high sensory intelligence. And by that I mean that we, as a result of being able to process more sensory information and the fact that we're processing it more deeply, is a type of intelligence. So, what that means is that we are able to pick up on more information in the world around us and especially within other people, that actually gives us a greater degree of information about the world around us and especially about other people. And when we learn to utilize that in the right way, that is typically unique to us and actually connected with an area of fascination for us, it enables us to become specialists in key areas, whether that is working with other people or um whatever the application of it may be. But it it's the sense of it being extra information, and that can be a likened to or can be referred to as intelligence.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

Absolutely. And you mentioned it being intended by nature, and so there being a need for this intelligence or a purpose behind it. And I'm just wondering if you could expand upon that. So, you know, in terms of from my perspective, this intelligence helps us to yeah, serve other people to be leaders for other people. So, what what would the purpose or the intention be behind this um high sensory intelligence?

SPEAKER_00 7:50

Yes, absolutely. It's it's such a great question. And uh, for me, and through the experience of facilitating high sensory people over the years, it we have a tremendous advantage in working with other people, and it's and it's usually uh um an area of interest for us. We often feel called to want to sort support and subvert uh support and serve other people. So this the high the the ability to be able to receive this higher level of sensory intelligence is often received by us in terms of being able to tune into how other people are feeling. So we have greater levels of empathy, we have greater levels of intuition, we have abilities to be able to sense what people are not saying, we can pick up on micro expressions, and we are also very, very good at tuning into what may be holding people back from aspiring to their greatest potential. Leaders are a really good example. It helps us to support people that are in leaders, are in positions of authority and leadership to truly tune into what they most value and how they can be of best service to the people that they are leading. And so if you were to, I sometimes I like to um picture it as almost like a sphere that is around us or around the people that we are with, that just allows us to sense in, sense and tune into a greater degree of information, and and that allows us therefore to then facilitate people and situations to a greater degree.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Yeah, absolutely. And I really love the way you've described that because I do feel for myself being highly sensitive, it is that intuition and being able to pick up on micro expressions in people that I do feel is a gift, although at times it can be uh a bit of a struggle as well. And we'll we'll come to that in a moment, talking a bit more about the gifts versus the the struggles of this these traits. But would you be able to share a bit more about the the work that you do with um, well, I know that you do a lot of work with high sensory business owners and um you know coaches and entrepreneurs as well. So could you share a bit more about the actual work that you do?

SPEAKER_00 10:15

Yes, absolutely. Yeah. So so over the years, through my practice of facilitating highly sensitive people, there was uh a very clear theme that came through. And that was that there was this the continuous calling that I was picking up in other people to want to serve other people, to want to either coach, facilitate, heal, or consult. So the work that I do today is within uh the high sensory coaching program, which I run, which which specifically helps highly sensitive people to claim ownership of the natural ability that they have to create transformation in others. Now, for some of us, the word coach doesn't really work. For some of us, it is more about consulting within organizations, for some of us, it's very much about healing, but it is always a calling to want to serve and create change in others for the better, to want to help them to become more clear on who they are, how they can align with their purpose and potential, and how they can become of service in the world as a result. So the training that I do has works on a series of processes that I have designed over the years, which is around that we all tend to have an area of fascination. There is an area of life and human development that is a continuous conversation in our hearts, and it will have been something that would have been with us since we were a child. Interestingly, it's often an area of life that we have been challenged in. And as a result of that, we've learned our natural techniques and abilities, which gives us an area of expertise. What the training does is it helps us to realize that this ability that we have to process sensory information more deeply is directly correlated to this area of fascination. And when we bring those pieces together, it then reveals this natural ability that we have to create healing and transformation in people that are of most interest to us, our ideal clients. And so that, and so then I help to support them to create a self-employed business around that area of expertise.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Fantastic. And I'm imagining that a lot of people come to you knowing that they have this area of fascination or interest or passion, but perhaps not knowing how to tap into their gifts or how to offer and share that with the world, because I know that's a big struggle for a lot of highly sensitive people in the sense of them or us not always knowing um that we have this potential. So you're helping people to connect with their potential so that they can make this change and transformation in other people. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_00 13:14

Yes, absolutely. Yes. I it's uh what I found, and I feel it so so um comes up time and time again, is that many of us as high sensory people or highly sensitive people, we didn't get the training and the awarenesses that we needed as children to really understand what this trait is and what it's for. And that's through no you know fault of the people that um brought us up or or guided us when we were younger. I think it's that they didn't have the awareness and you know the training that they needed. So um, but but as a result of that, it means that many of us are experiencing the world in a particular way as a result of this sensory experience. And we have these natural gifts and abilities in these areas of interest, but but I think there's so many of us we feel as though we can't really talk about it or share it, or we don't really know how to talk about it and share it because it's quite different, it's not the same way that other people or other coaches or other people work, and therefore we have this tendency to want to hide that part of ourselves, and and that's a great part of the work that I do is help people to understand that it is a gift and that it's you know it's more than okay to talk about the experience that we're having in this area of fascination, especially for the people that need it from us most. And then it helps us to reframe these abilities and who we are essentially, to recognize that yes, it has a difference in the world, but that's the point. It's that's the intended part of the trait in my mind. It's supposed to be different because we're bringing new areas of perception and new insights into areas and especially this ability that we have to facilitate and process others to the level and to the depth that we do.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Yeah, absolutely. And I'm assuming that this is also your story, and I'm wondering if you could share a bit more about that. So I'm imagining that you've been on your own journey of tapping into your own gifts and potential and are now using that to obviously support and guide others. So, yeah, how did you get into this work and how did this all come about for you?

SPEAKER_00 15:30

Yes, absolutely. I mean, it began really when I was a child. I I remember having um a visceral sensory experience as a young child. I remember standing on the lawn of my home. Uh I think I must have been maybe about seven or eight years old, and and all of the my sensory were merging as one. So I was I was feeling what the blue blue in the sky looked like. I was feeling what the smell of the grass was like. And I had this this sense of this flow, this flow of energy around me, that the sort of benevolent flow through nature that was that was around me. And I and I had this just this sort of this all-encompassing sense of of well-being and power in the world around me. And I felt this calling to serve it in some way. But it was, I mean, it would, you know, it's easy it's easier for me to describe that now. It was much harder as a child to really understand what was going on. But it was, but it was like almost like this adventurous playground as a child. And I just felt like I was a part of something amazing. Now, what happened to me during my childhood is um due to the circumstances of my upbringing, it wasn't safe for me to be in my empowerment or in my alignment as a child. So I had to repress who I was, and I created a false version of myself. And by the time I was a young adult, I pretty much totally lost track of who I was and what I was supposed to be doing. And so I embarked on this journey, this pilgrimage abroad for about seven years with this intention of trying to reclaim this part of myself that I'd lost as a child. There was a real grieving in my chest, like a pain in my chest that I had for really the beginning of my adult life. And that sent me on this journey of self-inquiry. I wanted to try to recover the part of myself that I knew had become lost. And it gradually led me to understand to finding out about the trait of high sensitivity, and that began to make a great deal of sense to me. But what I found was the majority of the information that was out there in the world about high sensitivity was really just about managing the struggles and the overwhelm of sensitivity. It wasn't really inviting us to explore what this trait's for and the advantages that it gives us. So I then met a um a highly skilled mentor who knew about the realities of high sensitivity and what um and how to reclaim the you know the um the abilities of it. And I did a great deal of work with him over many years. And what that did is it helped me to reclaim this sensory awareness that I had as a child, and it helped me to realize that it had a very specific reason and ability, or gave me a very specific um ability. And that was that I found that I was able to attune into the energy and the feelings, the motivations, the blocks, the wishes and the aspirations of other high sensory people. And through various different techniques that I've learned over the years, I found that I am able to divine the truth in other high-sensory people to a great degree as a result of me having to do that for myself. So I had to make this shift from victimhood into empowerment, and that was the story of my life. So I was continuously challenged in this area, but it was also my area of fascination. And the better and better that I got at it, and the more support and training and mentoring that I got around this, I then came into full ownership of my ability to be able to help others to do that. And that's that's now the work that I do today.

SPEAKER_01 19:12

Fantastic. Yeah, it's such an incredible and empowering story as well. And I find it really interesting what you said about, you know, as children, we I feel very much we're not taught to tap into our gifts of intuition or other ways of knowing. So it's very much based on the mind and logical or rational thinking. And so it sounds like what you're describing is yeah, as a child, you you kind of disowned those more intuitive gifts and ways of knowing, and then you've had to um step back into those through the mentorship that you had. Um, and also it sounds like you had a very uh spiritual, like peak experience as a child, and yeah, back then probably didn't have the language to uh describe it or explain to people what that was. But it seems like now obviously you have found a way to make sense of that and and use that in in the work that you do.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

Yes, yes, absolutely. And and I think it it's an area that is that is always interesting for us as highly sensitive people. I think that we have we are having quite a spiritual experience on an ongoing basis. And I and I and I believe that many of us as children were having um quite spiritual experiences. But the trouble is it's not an it's not an easy area of life to really talk about. And we each have different language, different words for it. You know, for some of us, the word spiritual isn't the right word, or or soul or whatever it may be. But I think I from experience, I think what's happening is because we have this ability to process more information in the world around us at a deeper level, we are actually tuning into different types of different um different experiences of the world around us. Now, it's a big conversation to get into around that, and one that I absolutely love to have. But I I think we are the reason that we are having the experience that we're having is because there is perhaps a greater degree of information in the world that at the moment we're not used to talking about and we don't generally have the language for it because we're still a bit young in our conscious awareness in this area. But I believe that we are able to tune into more of an energetic experience as high sensory people. And as a result of being more intuitive and having you know high levels of empathy, to be honest, you know, we really are able to tune into a Much broader range of an experience in others and in the world around us. And I think that is connected with you know the unified consciousness that we are all experiencing, that essentially it's there. And I think we can sense it.

SPEAKER_01 22:22

Yeah, definitely. And I relate to that 100%. Um, that's definitely been my story and my experience, but I haven't always been able to label it or fully understand what I'm tapping into. And so you mentioned we have more of an energetic experience. And again, I would say that's true for myself. And also I see it in a lot of the people I work with. And so with this, I recognize that there comes a lot of um, as I said earlier, there's a lot of strengths that come with this ability, but also there are struggles involved. Um, and I'm just wondering if you could share a bit more about what you've experienced working with, you know, coaches or mentors or people running their own business. What can some of the struggles be when we're working in this field?

SPEAKER_00 23:19

Yes, yes. So, you know, there's there's no doubt that as a result of being able to process sensory information more deeply, it comes with its challenges. So we're all very aware of the overwhelm that that can come, that we need, you know, we need a greater um self-cl self-care regimen in our lives. We need to take more rest, we need to look after ourselves. And that's understandable, you know, it it's it's it's going to happen because there's only so much information that we can process. But one of the greatest, one of the greatest shifts in awareness that I believe that we can make in this area is to recognize that it is here for a reason, it's here to serve us. It's it gives us a tremendous advantage in business and in our line of work because of the degree to which we can use it to serve and create transformation in others, in whatever context it may be in the world. So I think that's got to be a fundamental, the go-to reference point within us. It's like, yes, I do need to rest more, but goodness me, without this gift I have, I'd never be able to do the work that I do. And even if, you know, for some of the listeners listening to this right now thinking, well, I don't know what that is, I'm not using my gift. I promise you it's there. It's just a process of getting the support that you need to come into ownership of it, and then it will bring all the abilities and resources that you need along with it to actually utilize that. So I think that's one of the key areas is the ownership of this gift and ability and recognizing that it has a very important intended reason in your life and the people that you're that you're here to serve. The other key area that I often um try to help high-sensory business owners to recognize is that we have a we have a zone of genius in our business. We're very good at the work that we do, in what, again, in whatever context that may be. But I find it's difficult for us if we try to take on or assume that we should know all areas of business. You know, so we need to have an accounting in place. We we need to get support in how to grow the business in terms of finding the right strategies to build the business to get new clients. We need to recognize that you know it's not about us being able to do everything. And I think that contributes to the overwhelm and the fear that we often have of thinking, you know, if I'm going to go into business, it means that I've got to know how to do all of these things. For some of us, we may have had experience of how to do this, but I think it's really important to get the support and the advice that we need for the areas that are not our zone of genius in order to be able to support the business that we're definitely meant to create.

SPEAKER_01 26:08

Yeah, absolutely. And I have recognized in a lot of highly sensitive people that I work with that there can be a challenge there in asking for help, or yeah, there's a tendency to want to or try to do too many things alone. Uh, so I do relate to that being really important. And I loved what you said about um, you know, remembering that our traits are here for a reason. There is a purpose behind it. And I agree that I don't think this purpose or reason gets spoken about enough. And what would you say to people who are struggling to tap into or access their purpose or reason for being right now? What are some tools or techniques that you could offer to help them to connect, reconnect with that?

SPEAKER_00 27:03

Yeah, absolutely. I think it begins with an inquiry into the area of life that interests and fascinates us the most. And for some of us, you know, when I say that, and I say it a lot to high social people, they think, well, like, you know, I just don't know what that is. And and I I challenge you to recognize that you do know what it is, but sometimes it's just really difficult for us to find the language for it. So there is going to be an area of life that just intrigues you, whether it's in the area of health, whether it's in relationships, whether it's in equality in the world, whether it's in the environment, whatever it may be, there's going to be a line of inquiry or interest that you would have had since you were a child. And the way to tune into that is that it's going to be an area of life that challenges you, which it which gives you an advantage because it makes you a specialist in this area. And I know I know I'm repeating what I what I said earlier, but it's but it's a really important starting point. It's just to start to brainstorm and write down, you know, what is it that I that I find so fascinating? It it's the conversation that we always want to have with people. And as high sensory people, we want to have deep conversations. If we're at a party or a networking event, it's such a relief for us to find a particular person who's like-minded that we can just stick with and talk to, you know. But but there's but that you know, there's gonna be a conversation that you want to have. You know, is it about the the well-being that comes through a healthy lifestyle? Is it about the importance of recognizing communication and relationships? There's gonna be this part of life that we just want to explore and dive into. And that is the way in to revealing the gift that we have because your sensory intelligence is going to be directly aligned with that ability. In other words, if it is health or if it is relationships, you'll find that when you're talking or coaching someone in that area, all of your sensory focus will tune in to that person around that particular um particular area of their life. And that's what makes you so effective as a coach in that area.

SPEAKER_01 29:20

Yes, definitely. And it reminds me of something I always talk about. I think I've mentioned it in nearly every episode on this podcast. But I talk about the concept of the wounded healer, and that is that often it's because you mentioned it's not only something we're fascinated in, but something which we might have experienced challenges in. And so this idea that often we face a lot of struggles in a certain area of life, but those struggles have a lesson or a meaning behind them, and they're actually helping us to grow and develop and heal so that we can then heal others in that area. So I think that that is a really, really important area to remember.

SPEAKER_00 30:07

Yes, absolutely. And I love that you have had a similar experience in the people that you serve and work with. I think, I think you're absolutely right, and it's definitely been my experience too. I again, I think it's no mistake. I think that we accuse a particular, you know, particular life at some level, and we are typically challenged in that area, and and wounding and trauma, whilst those words are not particularly comfortable, it's often the case for us as high sensory people, we tend to have come from a very particularly challenging start to life. And and I think that's that's no mistake again. I think it's because we have the capacity to endure that kind of beginning in life, and not to say, you know, um, some of us have been through some very traumatic experiences. But I think if we learn to recognize that we can reframe those experiences, that it's not about us, you know, being done wrong in in the earlier parts of our life or whatever the stage of life, it's actually that that life is teaching us to be able to support others through that particular um issue or that particular challenge in life. And I think it's it makes us so much more effective as healers and as coaches, the fact that we have been through our own challenges ourselves. I think I think the two are directly linked. And I think from that we can take a great deal of, you know, a great deal of strength from the knowledge that it's there for a reason and it enhances who we are and what we do.

SPEAKER_01 31:39

Yeah, absolutely. And I can say from personal experience that I wouldn't be able to do the work I do today if it wasn't for my own wounding and trauma and challenges. And it's an ongoing journey, you know. The idea of being healed for me is a bit of a myth. We never fully get there. You know, we're always on this continuous journey of healing. But it's in the act of us working on ourselves that we also help others. So the two go hand in hand for me. And in relation to that, I'm just wondering again, what what what is it that inspires or drives you to do the work that you do in this area?

SPEAKER_00 32:23

Yeah, that's a really good question too. And it and it's again, it's quite hard to put into words, but I will certainly do my best. And I I think I'm interested to hear um, you know, um your version of this, this, this too, Jules. But I for me, there is what drives me in the work that I do is there is this calling at the deepest level within me to honor who I am and to serve in the way that I know that I'm born to. So through my life, I've there's been great parts of my life where I haven't been um through to that, and I've been in other lines of work, or you know, I haven't been in alignment with that part of myself. And I just feel this tremendous sense of letting myself down. But also I feel this sense of letting down this this higher contract that it feels that I've had that I have. And this is another part of my experience as a child, is when I was having that energetic experience, it felt like I'd made an agreement with the the small world around me as a child to help it. I I felt this calling to want to help others to find who they really were, because I felt like people were much happier when they were like that. And I and I just have this, I had this sense as a child that the world around us is doing its best to try to move towards a better place, even though we suffer great atrocities and there's there's so much work to be done. I feel this underlying benevolence in the world around, and it's it's it's like on an urgent mess mission to want to improve the lifestyle and the lifestyle for the future generations to come. And there's something in me that wants to serve that. In fact, it's more than a want, it's it's this drive within me to want to help to serve that. And and in my heart, I know the way that I can do that is by being truthful about the part that I play in it. I feel like the gift that I've been given is not by mistake, it's been intended by nature. And I feel like all of our gifts as high sensory people are intended. We are a part of the greater whole. And I think that when each of us really tune in and be deeply honest with ourselves, we all have a version of this, and I think we all get the feedback of feeling depressed when we are not honouring that. And and I and for me, that's what drives me.

SPEAKER_01 34:56

Yeah, thank you for sharing that. That's really inspiring, and I do agree, it's difficult to put into words, and because it is a felt sense. For me, it's a felt sense, an inner calling, and you know, I would call it a soul calling. And of course, we can understand the word soul in so many different ways. Um, but for me, there is this urgency, this sense, and I've always felt it as well since I was a small child, that there was something more, something more that I needed to step into. And it's always been related to healing or transformation of myself and of other people. Um, and so I can definitely relate to what you're saying. And interestingly, just to go back to what we were talking about before, again, the wounded healer, you know, I find it's I've had to overcome some of some of my biggest struggles in terms of being able to do the work I do. Um, and it's not an easy path. It hasn't been an easy path, but um, there's something underlying that which keeps pulling me forward. So yeah, definitely uh something that can't be fully articulated. But as we said, you know, it's an intuitive knowing, I would call it.

SPEAKER_00 36:20

Yes, absolutely. And I so I'm so pleased that you, you know, you used you um mentioned the word soul there because that that's what it feels like for me. It's there's a there's a deeper part of me that is is here on a mission, um, and and that it wants to serve. And and there is this tremendous sense of joy in that place, you know, whilst my the the human self recognizes the urgency, and and as you have so um so well articulated there, you know, about the importance of the um the healing process and and the fact that we are on this relentless healing process. And yes, we evolve and we reach pinnacles and peaks sometimes, and then you know, there's the next part of the journey ahead of us. But there is for me, that it's the same for me. It it's a it's a it's a feeling sense that is just residing at a deeper and more powerful part of me that has this knowing, it knows what it's doing and it knows where to go next, really. And the more that I get out of the way of that and tune into it, the better I seem to I the better I the better I am in life, you know, the more fun I have, but also the better I get at the work that I do. So, and I think that's there for all of us, and I think it's it's surrendering to that and knowing that we will be held by that part of ourselves if we truly allow it to do what it wants to do.

SPEAKER_01 37:45

Yeah, that's really important. That's surrendering and trusting. Um, yeah, I can relate to that as well. And do you have a favorite book or a quote or something that you can share with our listeners today in relation to everything we've been talking about?

SPEAKER_00 38:04

Yeah, absolutely. Um, the quote that I that I really love is there is no greater endeavor than to reclaim the truth of who we are. And I have to be honest with you that actually I said that during a group a group facilitation session once, but I wasn't fully aware of what I said. And one of my my clients wrote back to me and said, Did you realize what you just said there? Because it really, you know, I thought, thank you so much, if you know, for sharing that. So I don't mean to sound you know sort of conceited in any way, but but in that quote, what I the reason I I that resonates so much for me, and I think perhaps you know, the reason that it sort of I I said it um, you know, in the in this sort of moment of flow was that there is there is no greater endeavor than to reclaim the truth of who we are. As high, as highly sensitive people, I think this is imperative for us. We have to find the courage to reclaim who we are, to be in alignment with who we are. And not only for our own happiness, but definitely because of the uh because of the role that we are here to play in the world. But interestingly, I also think that the the pursuit of truth is actually one of our fundamental abilities. I think we're very good at seeing the truth in others, helping others to see the truth in themselves, and helping people to align to be the best that they can be. And for me, that's all about the energetic resonance of truth within us. So I think you know, that no greater endeavor to reclaim the truth of who we are is for our own benefit, but also very much for the work that we're here to do in the world.

SPEAKER_01 39:55

Yeah, absolutely. And you mentioned the word courage, and it's interesting because I was thinking actually, yeah, it takes a it does take a lot of courage to you know step into the truth of who we are, to reclaim that. And um it occurred to me that in order to do that, we we do need the support of mentors or coaches or community as well. So I think you know, part of the work that we're both doing and part of the work of this podcast as well is helping highly sensitive people to realize they're not alone and to seek out support and to be part of community. And I think in that place we are more able to tap into our truth and have the courage to do it because I know that it's not always easy when you feel alone.

SPEAKER_00 40:52

I I couldn't agree with you more. I think this is so important. I really, really do. I think it's it's so it's so difficult for us to really find the courage to not only to find the courage, but actually to make sense of these abilities that we have and to recognize that we are not alone. And actually, when we have aligned community where we can start to have the conversations that we really want to have, and we can start to talk about how we really do experience the world and what really means the most to us, I think that's fundamental to us activating in terms of our gift and our service. I think trying to do it by ourselves, it you know, we just we need that reflection, we need that encouragement and the love of like-minded people. And I think it has a tremendous effect that's quite difficult to really quantify in words. I there's something that happens for us that's just you know tremendously important.

SPEAKER_01 41:50

Yeah, and it's that courage to be different as well, you know, going back to what we were talking about earlier, this um idea that we each have an area of fascination or interest and knowing that for each of us is going to be different. We're not going to look like the work that we do is not going to be the same as the person next to us. And again, you know, it's um yeah, stepping into our unique identity, our unique purpose, and really owning that as well.

SPEAKER_00 42:21

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And it does take courage to do that, but I find the more that we practice that and the more that we get support in doing that, the more feedback we start to get from the world around us of just how needed it is. We start, you know what I mean? We we start to get we start to see the effect in the people that we're working with, or you know, we we see the value of it. And I think once we get that experience, it starts to challenge those false beliefs that we have in ourselves that I'm not good enough, or you know, there's no worth to this sensitivity. We it couldn't be further from the truth, but it it's it's it is about courage, but it's it's trusting that once we start to experience it for ourselves, then it may it just makes it easier and easier and easier.

SPEAKER_01 43:06

Right, definitely. When we start to get that feedback from the world and the universe around us about what we're doing is making a difference. Yeah. So we're coming close to the end of the interview. I'm just wondering if there's anything else you'd like to share about this topic, anything you feel we've missed, which feels really important and valuable.

SPEAKER_00 43:29

Um, I I think we've we've covered everything really well. I I think one of the you know, the key messages that I find is so important for us is that you know, we have such enormous value in the world as high sensory people. And it's ironic that many of us do struggle with low self esteem and depression as a result of you know not being perhaps in alignment with who we are. But I think it's just recognizing that we we are intended, this gift, this this trait is intended, and we are here to. play a very very important role in the world and and and it's you know there's no reason for us to be struggling and suffering as long as we do we get the right support and you know we really begin to find the courage to to to do the work in the world that we're here to do. It can be life changing for all of us and I and I think you know there's it's just of going to be of such benefit the more that we can support each other and the more that we can train new high sensory children that are coming into the world that they have a very important role to play. And I think we are at a point now where we can really shift the awareness of what this trade is for all generations to come.

SPEAKER_01 44:39

Absolutely and I think that's such an important message to finish on and especially in terms of working with children I feel really passionate about helping the next generation and and children to yeah really tap into their gifts and instead of being conditioned into a certain way of being which I know is sort of what I experienced when I was younger and at school so I think that's really really important work as well. Yes absolutely so thank you so much for joining today. It's been a pleasure talking to you and is there anywhere in particular the listeners can go to find out more about your work and some of the resources that you've mentioned here today.

SPEAKER_00 45:26

Yes absolutely and I just have to say how much of a pleasure it has been uh talking with you today George I thank you so much for the invitation. Yes absolutely um if uh to find out more about what I do you can go to high sensoryintelligence.com and that will take you to our website and there is a masterclass free masterclass where I talk about much of the tools and techniques and and and processes that I've that I've mentioned today. There's a quiz there and various other resources in terms of videos and and um and blog posts. So uh so once again that's high sensoryintelligence.com and I'd love to uh support you in any way that I can fantastic and I will put the link in the show notes for listeners so they can access that really easily so thank you again for being on the episode today.

SPEAKER_01 46:24

My pleasure my pleasure thank you so much for having me thanks for joining me this week on Highly Sensitive Humans make sure to visit my website highly sensitivehumans.com where you can subscribe to the show and find out more about my upcoming workshops, my online eight week course and where I also offer one-to-one coaching for highly sensitive people. And if you found value in the show today I'd really appreciate a rating or if you'd simply share this episode with your friends or other highly sensitive people that would help support this podcast