I'm so excited to be sitting down with Cyndie Spiegel, a Brooklyn-based small business consultant, coach, and TEDx speaker. Cyndie is the brains behind The Collective (of Us), a small business accelerator for women, and The Community (of Us), an online hub for conversation and change-making community.

Regardless of the work she's doing, Cyndie has a gift for bringing people together AND for telling it like it is. Her perspective on community and belonging is beautiful and important, her talks are filled with truth bombs (and f-bombs), and her knack for facilitating difficult conversations is second to none. 

If you're looking for ways to create change in your life or to expand your community of strong and supportive women, this episode is for you. We touch on the damaging effects of echo chambers, the power of empathy, truly listening to those around you, the importance of sisterhood, standing in your truth, and why belonging to yourself first is a necessary part of being in community.  

So grab your favorite cup of something and settle in for an insightful and enjoyable conversation.

I'd love to hear from you!

What stood out most from Cyndie's interview? What role does community play in your life? 

Topics Discussed:

• An introduction to Cyndie Spiegel and what she does
• Why Cyndie says the work you're trained to do isn't always the work you're meant to do
• The value of being around people who don't think like you 
• The Community of Us and how that came about in reaction to the events of 2017
• Echo chambers and why they can be detrimental to our wellbeing
• Why Cyndie believes that change happens through conversations with people who are different than us
• The importance of flexibility while learning to stand alone in your truth
• Why practice is the difference between falling apart and integrating new perspectives
• Why we all need to learn how to listen and allow people to be who they are
• Letting it be so that it can grow
• Belonging to yourself first and why that's a necessary first step
• Allowing yourself to be uncomfortable more often
• Surround yourself with powerful women who stand for you and not agree with you all the time
• Standing in your truth means letting go of what doesn't feel right
• Learning that standing in your truth doesn't always mean you'll be liked
• Trying on new things and ideas without clinging to the end result 
• The concept of "upspiraling" and what that means for creating change
• Cyndie's definition of everyday magic and how it shows up in her life

Connect with Cyndie Spiegel online:

• CyndieSpiegel.com
• The Community of Us
• The Collective of Us
• Instagram

Resource Links:

• Daring Greatly* by 
• The Gifts of Imperfection* by Brené Brown
• Braving the Wilderness* by Brené Brown
• Anatomy of the Spirit* by Caroline Myss
• Morning Pages
• The Artists Way* by Julia Cameron

 

Hit me up:

• Twitter: @emilylevenson and #somekindofmagic
• Instagram: @emilylevenson and #somekindofmagic
• FB Page: Emily Levenson

 

* This is an affiliate link.