Carolyn Heppner

“Don't cover your cracks; that's how the light gets in. Don't cover your wounds; that's how your light pours out. Don't unweird yourself. Take up space enough for all the parts of you to come together -- the awful, the beautiful, the awe-inspiring, the wonderful and the strange.”
― C. JoyBell C.

“Everyone says they want change. They want their lives to change, they want their nations to change, they want this whole world that we live in to change. And perhaps rightfully so. I respect that. But what everyone forgets is that change entails CHANGE. For anything to change, things must in fact CHANGE! Now, these very same people are hard pressed to make any drastic changes in their own minds and in their own ways and when you cannot make drastic changes in your own mind, you cannot make drastic changes in your community, city, state, nation, this world. Then nothing will ever change. Remember: in order for things to change, they must in fact CHANGE.”
― C. JoyBell C.

“An I-it relationship is basically what we create when we are in transactions with people whom we treat like objects - people who are simply there to serve us or complete a task. I-you relationships are characterized by human connection and empathy.
Buber wrote, "When two people relate to each other authentically and humanly, God is the electricity that surges between them."
After spending a decade studying belonging, authenticity, and shame, I can say for certain that we are hardwired for connection - emotionally, physically, and spiritually.”
― Brené Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

“The first is simple: I only accept and pay attention to feedback from people who are also in the arena. If you're occasionally getting your butt kicked as you respond, and if you're also figuring out how to stay open to feedback without getting pummeled by insults, I'm more likely to pay attention to your thoughts about my work. If, on the other hand, you're not helping, contributing, or wrestling with your own gremlins, I'm not at all interested in your commentary.
The second strategy is also simple. I carry a small sheet of paper in my wallet that has written on it the names of people whose opinions of me matter. To be on that list, you have to love me for my strengths and struggles... To be on my list, you have to be what I call a "stretch-mark friend" - our connection has been stretched and pulled so much that it's become part of who we are, a second skin, and there are a few scars to prove it.”
― Brené Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead