Life and Work with Laurie Benson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurie Benson.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started my career years ago in the climate change world. I loved the work, was passionate about what I was doing and had few boundaries between work and home. Everything seemed to overlap. One night, when my daughter was about 8, she began to cry as I put her to bed. And then she asked me a question that immediately changed my trajectory in life. She asked if the world was going to die before she did.

I realized in that moment, the heaviness that I was bringing to myself, my family, and my community. So I shifted gears and started an organization called 1% For Women. Through this organization, small businesses committed 1% of their net profit to microcredit loans for women in agriculture around the world. Again, this work was incredibly fulfilling and I felt like we were having an immediate, positive effect in the lives of others.

Three years into 1% For Women, things shifted for me once more as this work led to my next level of awareness and understanding. I began to realize that if we aren’t whole and complete, it doesn’t matter how many resources are opened up to us. I was finally understanding that all true change begins within us. And until we do the deep inner work, nothing is going to shift.

So I began my own journey of deep inner exploration. I took courses, received certifications, read everything I could get my hands on, and landed where I am today, in the arena of life coaching and story sharing.

Has it been a smooth road?
I believe that the hardest part of my journey has been truly trusting that deep inner knowing. When I look back, I see that the path I’m currently on has been the right one for me all along. I can now see where every opportunity has been leading me here.

A lot of this is the gift of time. Being able to reflect back on decades of choices and decisions, I can now see where the most difficult times came when I ignored my intuition or didn’t trust that I was being led in the right direction.

Tuning into my heart, instead of my head, has been one of the greatest gifts for myself and those around me. I now share this tool/awareness with other women through coaching, and with the world through my story sharing project, A Hundred Voices.

When I take a moment and pause, I understand that I have access to all of the answers I need. And that is so powerful and incredible!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Inward Bound Women – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I love the power of story. Through stories we open the doors to reconnection. We see ourselves in the stories of others, and began to understand our interconnection.

I’ve recently stepped in a project that feels like a true culmination of my life’s work and dreams. It’s a story sharing project called, A Hundred Voices.

I’ve learned through my own journey, and witnessed in other women as we sit in a coaching session, or even at a cafe with a cup of coffee, that there is incredible freedom and power that comes from sharing our stories. And even more opportunity for paradigm shifting, life-changing a-ha moments when we share our stories free of blame.

Imagine right now, in this moment, one of the stories that you have carried with you for some time. How does this story shift, and your relationship to it, if you remove any and all blame? Imagine the power your personal story holds when it is shared in a way that comes from your heart and opens doors of connection and awareness in others.

I am in no way a film maker! I simply know that there are so many powerful stories that need to be shared. So I’m stepping in and doing my part to open this door to reconnection with ourselves, each other, and the planet.

It’s equal parts frightening and exciting to bring this dream to life and put it out there for the world to see.

I’ve had the honor of being featured in magazines, speaking at conferences, and having my work acknowledged in beautiful ways. To me, my most important accomplishment (aside from walking this road with an amazing family), is this work of facilitating deeper heart awareness and sharing the important stories of others. These stories of reconnection truly hold the opportunity to create the shifts our world so desperately needs.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
I am a book junkie and have a long list of ones that I love! Some of my favorites are:

The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope

The Return of the Feminine and the World Soul by Llewellyn Vaughn-Lee

Freedom from the Known by Krishnamurti

Sacred Instructions by Sherri Mitchell

Contact Info:

• Website: www.AHundredVoices.com / www.InwardBoundWomen.com
• Email: laurie@inwardboundleadership.com
• Instagram: @inwardboundwomen

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