At some point in our lives, we’ve probably all felt like we didn’t belong. For Nicola Lipscombe, that sense of not belonging came to a head while she was working in academia and doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in her chest. Nicola knew it was time for a change, and thus began the second half of her career where belonging and heart-centeredness have taken center stage. 

On this episode of The Sidewalk Talk podcast, Traci talks with Nicola on all things belonging, listening, and connection. Nicola now brings her knowledge into the workplace, hosting retreats and intensives where she helps those in the corporate world discover the power of holding space for others and themselves. Traci and Nicola discuss why they believe it’s fun to hold space for others, how to convince Type A personalities that they won’t be any less productive if they start connecting better, and how intentional listening can help us connect during a pandemic. Whether you’re already a connection guru or you could use a little more heartfelt connection in your life, you won’t want to miss this episode. 

Episode Milestones

[00:07] Intro 

[02:36] Meet Nicola 

[09:27] How Nicola’s relationship to belonging shifted 

[14:38] Heart-centered connection and belonging in the workplace 

[22:47] “Embody” and “space-holding” according to Nicola 

[30:16] Why it’s fun to hold space for others 

[36:37] Converting Type A, driven personalities to operate out of their heart-center 

[42:17] Nicola’s word for you

[44:32] Outro 

Resources Mentioned

NicolaLipscombe.com 

Standout Quotes from the Episode

“We crave and yearn for connection, yet we can be scared to be vulnerable enough for that to occur.”

“When you have that sense within yourself, you actually have more capacity to be with others and create that for others because you’re not so worried about yourself.”

“Embodiment is the act of settling into your body, into your skin, into the space that you inhabit. There’s an element of mindfulness, of being fully present in the moment, but it comes from being grounded within your body.”

“If we really want to fully connect with another human being, we have to embrace our own personal humanity, otherwise you’ve got a sort of half-human trying to connect with another half-human in a fully human way. It doesn’t work.”

“You grow in yourself through the act of being consciously present, openly listening to another.”

“Don’t underestimate the power of listening to be able to be a beautiful replacement for that human physical touch, because you can think of listening as a hug you can give with your ears.”

Connect:

Find | Sidewalk Talk Podcast

At sidewalk-talk.org

On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg

On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg

Find | Traci Ruble

At Traciruble.com

On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT

On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT

On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT