Sacred Spaces: Protecting Your Peace and Presence

Well, hello, my valued listeners, and welcome back to another episode of Living in Your Power. I'm your host, Dr. Marleen Greenleaf, and we are continuing our June series on The Power of Presence: Leading, Living, and Loving in the Now. Now, last week we talked about choosing presence over perfection. And this week, we're diving into something just as sacred: protecting your peace. So today's episode is titled Sacred Spaces: Protecting Your Peace and Presence. Let's take a breath. I want you inhale. Exhale. Let's do that one more time. Inhale. Exhale. Let's begin. Now, sacred space doesn't have to be a physical, physical room. It can be a boundary, a mindset, or a moment of stillness that you intentionally In this fast-moving world, peace can feel like a luxury, but I want to remind you, peace is not a privilege. It's your right. Protecting your presence means protecting your energy, and that requires creating boundaries around what nourishes you. And what depletes you. When you don't guard your peace, you begin to say yes when your soul is screaming no, and you show up for everyone else but leave yourself behind. You also operate from exhaustion. Instead of overflow. Peace is not passive. It's a powerful act of self-leadership. And if you've been feeling scattered, overextended, or burnt out lately, I want you to know that you're not alone. And more importantly, you don't have to stay there. Let me share something personal with you. I mean, lately I've been more intentional about observing the Sabbath. Friday sundown to Saturday sundown without compromise. There are no emails, no work, no pressure, just presence. I mean, I used to jump back into tasks the moment Sabbath ended. But I've stopped that too. Instead, I now spend time with family and I take care of me. And in so doing, I found a deeper rhythm of rest, joy, and clarity. Now that space, those 24 hours, that has become my sacred boundary. And it also reminds me that when I rest, I rise stronger. So I want to give you 3 ways to protect your peace this week. First, designate a sacred pause. Whether it's 10 minutes or 24 hours, I want you to block off space just for you. No explanations required. Just block off space just for you. Second, audit your energy leaks. Ask yourself this question: What or who is draining me? I want you to then take aligned action, even if that means a gentle but firm no. And third, honor your limits without guilt. Your worth is not tied to how much you can give. Sometimes the most powerful gift you can offer is your presence. So I want you to— I want to leave you with this week's empowerment prompt. It says, what would it look like to create a sacred space for yourself this week? What boundary or rhythm would allow you to protect your peace and nurture your soul? I want you to write this down, commit to it, and then honor it as the sacred act of power that it is. So I'm going to repeat this for our empowerment prompt to this week. What would it look like to create a sacred space for yourself this week? And what boundary or rhythm would allow you to protect your peace and nurture your soul? Write it down, commit to it. And honor it as a sacred act of power that it is. I want to thank you for joining me today, and I know this podcast is being late, but I was protecting my peace. So I want you to remember, your peace is your superpower, and every time you choose to protect it, you reclaim a piece of yourself. Next week, we'll explore mindfulness in leadership in an episode titled Still Waters: Practicing Mindfulness as a Leadership Tool. So until then, I want you to walk in your purpose, and if the road gets rough, remember, your peace is your superpower. So take good care of yourself, and I'll see you soon. And remember, if it gets tough, just breathe. You still have the strength to rise. Continue to live in your power.