EP #76: Leadership, Allyship, & More with Ash Beckham!

Sunni and Lisa are joined by Ash Beckham.  Known for her
viral Tedx Talk Coming Out of Your Closet, the “accidental
advocate” for equality does not shy away from hard conversations.
Her book Step Up: How to Live with Courage and Become an Everyday
Leader (Sounds True, March 2020) is an empowering call-to-action
to help mobilize all to embrace a different vision of leadership
to create change in our workplaces, schools, places of worship,
communities, and homes cultivated from both Beckham's personal
and professional experiences.   

Book Description:
 
 A New Vision of Inclusive Leadership

What makes someone a leader? Someone you vote for, work for, or
listen to for their expertise? With Step Up, equality advocate
Ash Beckham challenges us to embrace a different vision of
leadership―to stop focusing on external authorities and start
reclaiming our own ability to create change. “What we need most
are everyday leaders,” she writes. “We need people to step up and
be the change they wish to see in the world. Anyone can do it.
You can do it.”

Whether your path involves activism, political engagement, or
simply being a positive voice in your workplace, home, and
community, Beckham’s Step Up provides essential guidance on
cultivating the eight pillars of everyday leadership:

- Empathy―the art of relating to others with compassion for our
shared humanity, regardless of whether we agree
- Responsibility―how we can raise our awareness and consciously
choose to behave in ways that heal instead of harm
- Courage―understanding the nature of fear so we can move beyond
our comfort zone one step at a time
- Grace―how keeping our higher purpose always in sight helps us
stop reacting with fear or anger
- Individuality―learning to value and celebrate our uniqueness,
including the parts of ourselves we often reject
- Humility―ways to keep the ego in check and open the door to
honest, collaborative relationships
- Patience―guidance for disarming our tendency to rush ahead so
we can act with greater deliberation and forethought
- Authenticity―how we can embody our deepest truths and lead by
example in any situation

For each pillar, Beckham shares engaging stories of her own
journey from isolation and anger to a place of greater openness
and connection―supported by scientific research and everyday
practices to mindfully change the way you relate to yourself and
the people in your life. Step Up is a powerful call to action―to
speak when it feels easier to be silent, to do good without being
self-righteous, and to create a world of inclusion where everyone
has a voice and everyone belongs.