You can still join us. The link was above ⬆️

As people, we are hardwired for connection. In the absence of authentic connection, we suffer. We are not meant to grow into an autonomous I-can'do-it-myself unit. We are meant to go through many experiences collectively, helping one another.
When people say "I don't like other people" or "I prefer my alone time", there is a lot of pain and trauma at the level of interpersonal connection. They don't know how to connect even though they secretly dream of connecting with someone who will truly understand them.
How do you recognize authentic connection?
It doesn't require hustling for acceptance and changing who you are in order to fit in.

When we shield ourselves from ALL feedback, we stop growing. If we engage with ALL feedback, regardless of the quality and intention, it hurts too much, and we will ultimately armor up by pretending it doesn't hurt. .. or we disconnect from vulnerability and emotion so much that we stop feeling hurt.
Brenè Brown
Dare to Lead

https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/ask-anything/more-reading-sessions-are-coming-this-was-wonderful-thank-you-video-pictures

Follow the link to see more pictures, a video, my summary of the meeting, and a quote that we all need to read today.

A Student's work during the SPRINT! on Clarity

We're in the middle of our SPRINT! Clarity. Level #2. Strong Verbs and Adjectives. We refine our writing skills during this SPRINT! Above is a text created by one of the students. Pay attention to the VERBS! Sometimes people need very little encouragement and one clear example to undertand the WHAT and the HOW. Everybody can learn to build better sentences and communicate with more clarity. Sometimes, all it takes is using better verbs. Join and get lifetime access. We still have 4 LIVE sessions ahead of us. The next one is tomorrow (14:00-14:30 Moscow time. UTC+3) https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/clarity-sprint2

Exercise #45 in the Community of Practice. They say “my hardest 35 seconds ever”😂

Come and practice your listening skills with us.

The focus is this exercise are the following cognitive skills:
- intensive listening
- attentiveness
- short-term memory in a foreign language

https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/exercises/exercise-45-focus-intensive-listening-why-approval-is-not-love

Here is the link to the exercise https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/ask-anything/the-disappearing-h-an-exercise-for-everyone-let-s-practice

What exactly does it mean to build a DELIVERATE, SUSTAINABLE, WELL-STRUCTURED, & CREATIVE practive routine? I explain each word in this video, and I give you a bunch of examples. I hope you can relate.

“Sometimes I wake up & have to remind myself: ‘There is nothing wrong with me. I have patterns to unlearn, new behaviors to embody and wounds to heal. But there is nothing wrong with the core of me and who I am. I am unlearning generations of harm and remembering love. It takes time.’” -Yolo Akili


Probably the most unexpected outcome of practicing a skill consistently (which is not really about the skill but about your ability to commit to changing your path and your norm) is this phrase "turns out there's nothing wrong with me". I heard so many students finally say that with relief.

No, there's nothing wrong with you. You just needed time to understand your true self and separate your own opinions about yourself and the ways you learn from who you really are.

Here is a new article I published on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/difference-between-advance-level-students-advanced-daring-tokar/