October brings a deepening. The light tilts. The trees turn. The mornings are edged with mist and breath. This is the quiet season, a time not of retreat, but of re-rooting. Of tending what lies beneath.

The trees move with new intent, their branches catching the breeze in ways they didn’t just weeks ago. Light slants differently through the day, and the green of summer begins to give way.

In leadership, we often focus on clarity, direction, and action. Yet at the heart of courageous leadership is something far more subtle: the willingness to listen.

Courage is often mistaken for boldness - for being loud, stepping in first, or appearing fearless. But what if courage, true courage in leadership, is quieter than that? What if it begins not in certainty, but in vulnerability? Not in the mind, but in the heart?

When we’re not wholehearted, we’re not fully present. And over time, the cost of this disconnection can look like burnout, misalignment, and emotional withdrawal.

Wholehearted leadership is a way of being that invites us to bring our full selves - body, mind, heart, and spirit - into how we live and lead, guided by Curiosity, Care and Courage.

In our workplaces, our friendships, our families, and in the way we lead, community is built through small, intentional acts that create and nurture trust, belonging, and a shared sense of purpose.

This month, I am embracing conversations, creativity, and community in new and exciting ways, and I want to share some of the moments that are inspiring me, gatherings, discussions, and reflections, that I hope will resonate with you, too.

This month, I invite you to take a step back and consider self-care from a different side, not as another item on your to-do list, but as a way of being, a practice rooted in self-awareness and self-compassion. Rather than chasing an ideal, what if we focused on what truly supports us, moment by moment?