La Dolce Vita

Feminine Leadership and living has always been core to my work.

Early in my career I did some work with Italian and Spanish motorbike teams in the International Moto GP in Australia.

At first I wondered why in preparation for one of the biggest races of their career they disappeared for long lunches and then worked into the evening (if they felt like it).

But as I fell into a new pace and rhythm of work during this project, I could see clearly why this way of working is important to them.

We discussed their philosophy about life and the difference in values between countries like Greece, Spain and Italy and Australia and the US in relation to their work life.

It truly brought the concept La Dolce Vita into full living colour.

There were long lunches, laughs and conversations about life in general.

The essence of a well lived life

What we didn’t talk about was work, titles or big wins. Instead we spoke about wine, family and good food. The essence of a well lived life that is often missing or put last in a world that glorifies hustle.

They wanted to know all about me.

Not what I “did”, but who I was as a person. About my family, my hobbies, my interests etc.

During the work I did with these teams, I understood how rest, family and community was paramount to their wellbeing. And it still is to this day. This is ingrained in the culture.

Both mentally and physically. Emotionally and spiritually. Their life came first, work was second.

When I spoke with a client recently she mentioned about her experience working with an Italian company in Turin, and compared the lifestyle of Europeans to the high productivity, high performance mode of the Australian and American work life. We also spoke about my months travelling around Europe and living in Greece for a month as a local, and how that changed how I live and lead my life.

This way of working and living are vastly different.

Feminine Leadership La Dolce Vita Style

Having a Greek background, living a beautiful life surrounded by family and good food is ingrained in my DNA. Yet, at times I need to catch myself to make sure I am living my philosophy that I teach.

Which brings me to your leadership.

While you know it isn’t sustainable to lead yourself from a place of depletion, work often gets prioritised over rest. It happens in the moments where you want to pull back but think “just one more email.”

The never ending to do list. The back to back meetings. The Zoom calls. The constant overflowing inbox. The Slack notifications pinging all day.

What if you prioritised rest and saw how rest restores your sense of self and helps you show up with more presence?

What if you made reflection a weekly practice to help you remember why you do what you do, and how it makes you even better at what you do?

Remember, your work is what you do, not who you are. Your to do list won’t keep you warm at night.

There is a difference between devotion and dedication. You can be deeply devoted to you mission and know when your body is telling you to rest.

You can be dedicated to your work and be consistent without the guilt of taking time off.

This is the root of feminine leadership.

I will leave you with this.

Do you know what the two biggest regrets my clients have when they admit to me that they are no longer chasing “more”, but are looking for more meaning?

1. I wish I spent more time with my kids/family

2. I wish I didn’t work as hard.

This is your reminder to let your work enrich your life, not replace it.

And how grounded you are in your feminine leadership in your work (and life), is the core foundation to this.

Kelly x