How to Hold Power

A Somatic Approach to Becoming a Leader People Love and Respect--30+ embodiment practices to empower your team and lead with intention

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$19.95 US
On sale Oct 10, 2023 | 272 Pages | 9781623179243

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Essential skills for today's leaders: learn how to embody your ethics, earn your team's trust, and dismantle toxic work culture

Leaders and managers everywhere are learning the importance of creating safe, satisfying workplaces rooted in principles of social justice. But many of us who try to lead with ethics and integrity struggle with embracing a position of power and authority. You might worry about “being bossy,” unintentionally disrespecting others, or making the wrong call—and in the process, put your mind and body under so much stress that you burn out.

Somatic educator and coach Pavini Moray argues that the secret to being an ethical, inspirational boss is rooted in our own bodies. In more than 30 simple exercises, reflections, and daily practices, you’ll learn how to:

  • Nurture trust with clients and coworkers
  • Ground and re-center when you’re thrown off by a mistake or problem
  • Soothe the “Ouch!” of negative feedback
  • Break away from grind and hustle culture
  • Turn workplace conflict into a source of positive change and growth
  • Help your employees voice their own needs and feel heard
  • Understand the nuances of consent beyond contract negotiations
  • Gracefully acknowledge mistakes
  • Repair relationships with employees, colleagues, and clients

Drawing from client case studies and their own experience as a manager, Moray teaches foundational embodiment practices—breath, grounding, observing, centering, and moving—through concrete examples that show how to use these skills in a variety of common workplace settings. By learning to practice embodied leadership presence, you can become a boss who truly listens to your employees; leads with inspiration; and brings your whole self to work every day.
PAVINI MORAY has started, succeeded, and failed at many businesses. These experiences of success and failure have shaped them into a leader who aims to work in service, meeting students and co-workers where they are. As a serial entrepreneur, they have built private practices, a worker collective, and a for-profit company. Their leadership ability, along with thirty years of experience as a Montessori educator, have honed their skills in creating accessible pathways to learning. Moray is also a somatic coach, specializing in sex and relationships and helping partners find their way to harmony. They have developed pedagogy and methodology for embodied relationships, teaching hundreds of students how to lead and learn through embodiment and engagement. Their identity as a queer, trans, non-binary founder gives them insight into the practices of Outsider Culture and accessibility. Moray holds an M.Ed in Curriculum and Design, as well as a PhD in Somatic Psychology.

About

Essential skills for today's leaders: learn how to embody your ethics, earn your team's trust, and dismantle toxic work culture

Leaders and managers everywhere are learning the importance of creating safe, satisfying workplaces rooted in principles of social justice. But many of us who try to lead with ethics and integrity struggle with embracing a position of power and authority. You might worry about “being bossy,” unintentionally disrespecting others, or making the wrong call—and in the process, put your mind and body under so much stress that you burn out.

Somatic educator and coach Pavini Moray argues that the secret to being an ethical, inspirational boss is rooted in our own bodies. In more than 30 simple exercises, reflections, and daily practices, you’ll learn how to:

  • Nurture trust with clients and coworkers
  • Ground and re-center when you’re thrown off by a mistake or problem
  • Soothe the “Ouch!” of negative feedback
  • Break away from grind and hustle culture
  • Turn workplace conflict into a source of positive change and growth
  • Help your employees voice their own needs and feel heard
  • Understand the nuances of consent beyond contract negotiations
  • Gracefully acknowledge mistakes
  • Repair relationships with employees, colleagues, and clients

Drawing from client case studies and their own experience as a manager, Moray teaches foundational embodiment practices—breath, grounding, observing, centering, and moving—through concrete examples that show how to use these skills in a variety of common workplace settings. By learning to practice embodied leadership presence, you can become a boss who truly listens to your employees; leads with inspiration; and brings your whole self to work every day.

Author

PAVINI MORAY has started, succeeded, and failed at many businesses. These experiences of success and failure have shaped them into a leader who aims to work in service, meeting students and co-workers where they are. As a serial entrepreneur, they have built private practices, a worker collective, and a for-profit company. Their leadership ability, along with thirty years of experience as a Montessori educator, have honed their skills in creating accessible pathways to learning. Moray is also a somatic coach, specializing in sex and relationships and helping partners find their way to harmony. They have developed pedagogy and methodology for embodied relationships, teaching hundreds of students how to lead and learn through embodiment and engagement. Their identity as a queer, trans, non-binary founder gives them insight into the practices of Outsider Culture and accessibility. Moray holds an M.Ed in Curriculum and Design, as well as a PhD in Somatic Psychology.

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