How Social Good is Good for Business (feat. Spring Washam)

Foreign. Hi, I'm Susan Drumm and welcome to the Enlightened Executive, where your personal evolution sparks your leadership evolution. Each episode we feature groundbreaking techniques and strategies to help you get the edge in personal and leadership effectiveness. This episode is brought to you by Meritage Leadership. At Meritage, we help strengthen leaders and empower teams to achieve high performance. Go to maritageleadership.com to learn more. Today we're talking about strength and courage in a more diverse and complex world. And I'm excited to introduce my guest, Spring Washam. Spring is a meditation teacher and author of two books, A Fierce Heart Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment, and her newest publication, the Spirit of Harriet Tubman Awakening from the Underground. Spring is a pioneer in bringing mindfulness based healing practices to diverse communities. She's one of the founding teachers at the East Bay Meditation center and is a member of the Teachers Council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She's also a shamanic practitioner, founder of Lotus Vine Journeys, an organization that blends indigenous healing practices with Buddhist wisdom in South America. So welcome, Spring.

Thank you. I'm so happy to be here with you.

I'm happy to have you here. You know, we met at a meditation retreat and I was so taken by your messages, the clarity of your energy, and how impactful you were to the group. And I thought, wow, I really want to have you on the podcast. But even more, when I heard about your book about Harriet Tubman and the messages that you wanted to bring from her life that have relevance today. So maybe we start there. What does Harriet have to teach us today?

Yeah, well, you know, the book was a big surprise that it kind of evolved over this crisis in 2020. I'm sure people remember summer of 2020, sort of the bottom fell out of everything in our lives. And, you know, Harriet reached out. I guess this conversation started with our great ancestor. So I first want to say that Harriet Tubman is everyone's ancestor. Okay. Because sometimes people might think, oh, she's just like African American ancestor. She doesn't relate. I don't relate to her as an ancestor. So I wanted to say from the spirit world, from this perspective, I think that Harriet Tubman is everyone's ancestor. I think she feels like that. So anyone can reach out, background, demographic, age, gender, whatever expression of your being there is, you can connect. So just to say that, and you know, the book is really these 12 chapters about Harriet Tubman's life, but also reflections on those experiences, you know, looking back from where, where we've been and where we're trying to go. And I feel overall the book was extraordinarily hopeful. You know, it's a lot about coming together, a lot about joining, aligning with those with same, the same hearts and values and, and then also standing up for what we believe in. You know, we're entering into, I think, a very difficult time in society. We're reaching a place where we've never known that Earth is in a crisis, their society is in a crisis. It often feels so polarized and so violent, so incredibly violent. And it feels like, you know, revolutions are happening. And so Harriet has been here before and has dealt with. Exactly. Civil wars, destruction, you know, systems collapsing, fighting for the rights of the women. So there's something about being able to give a kind of comfort that, you know, through it all, we stay strong, we stay steady, we stay, you know, with our eyes, you know, using that term, eye on the prize. But there's, you know, we want to move to a better, more just more loving, equitable world. I feel like most human beings want that. They want to say, like, yes, every child born, should they not all be, you know, should we not all consider us equal? Equal in. And. And this is a big thing, you know, and so I feel Harriet's message is really for this future generation to hold their hand through this, you know, this tunnel, this portal that, you know, we are going through. And there's a comfort, and that's the transmission of, I've been here, I know where it's going. My work is not done. Harriet Tubman has always continuously said that my work's not over, my work is not over. And. And I'm back in the spirit world as sort of almost like a prophetic deity that you can utilize, you know, that you can, you know, pray to and get support from.

Yeah. As we're dealing with, I guess I recently heard someone called the age of Rage, you know, and the violence that you talk about that's occurring, and not just violence in terms of physical, murderous, but even in the workplace there's some rage happening, right?

Yeah, yeah.

And so how do leaders lead in the face of feeling that type of energy? What do you, or what does in your mind, Harriet, have to teach us about leading in those environments?

Yeah. I think that for all of us, in some way, we're conductors of something, you know, we're conducting our families or we have, you know, an organization that we found or. And we're, you know, we have power over others. And I think this kind of leadership that we need now is really heart centered Caring, loving leadership. We have to care about the people around us in a different way and offer tools, you know, in some way we have to be teaching emotional intelligence. So as leaders, if you don't have those things really rooted in you, if you're sort of leading from this old school, top down, sort of archaic type of leadership, there's going to be rebellions in the ranks. It's the energy around us. Right. And people hurting neighbors and people pulling up into the wrong address and getting shot and all these, this gun violence and yeah, we need to be teaching people how to deal with their emotions, you know, so, so I think it's, it's more about leading with purpose, from the heart and being in touch with people, being connected to people and fostering that within your environment or however it is. And I think that leaders can do a lot for organizations. You know, they can influence in a really positive way. And there's other organizations and how these apps are doing. People are meditating at work, people are having sacred space at work. They're encouraged to stop and walk. They're encouraged to do self care. You know, it's just a new way of being where, you know, a lot of people say we're entering into the apocalypse now. You know, I mean, wow, this is not, these are choppy waters, you know. Yeah.

Yes, yes. I mean, and it feels like, you know, we're in the middle of an extreme heat wave through most of the US right now as we're taping this. And the earth is angry, you know, massive flooding in Vermont and yeah, there's.

Like earthquakes in Georgia all night. It felt like, you know, it's like, oh my God. Yeah. Because, you know, this is an intense moment. You know, there's a lot happening and it's, we need to find that inner strength now more than ever to walk our path and to be a leader to others away Shower. On some level, maybe you can share.

With us some examples of leaders that you've worked with who have done some of that of their own inner work and how their leadership gets transformed as a result of that.

Yeah, you know, I was really blessed to have spent so much time at a meditation center called Spirit Rock in West Marin. And it's this residential retreat center and it has like a day long retreat center. There's a couple of different parts to the center. And you know, seeing people come for years, you know, I was, I've been involved with Spirit rock for over 20 years and kind of grew up there and trained there for 10 and meeting people who are coming there from all walks of life, all different types of jobs and positions, coming on these beautiful retreats, doing simple mindfulness practice. And you know, that center is about 500 acres. So there was a lot of walking practice done in silence. Five days, seven days there'll be a yoga class and you know, it's so beautiful as people show up there and you know, they get assigned a room, but nobody knows who anybody is. You get assigned a yogi job like everybody else, you know, and I, I remember, you know, having this beautiful opportunity to work with like Tim Ferriss and work with other people who. Dan Harris, we were talking about, who wrote all about his first retreat. Dan Harris, the former ABC News executive or was a co host of Nightline and ABC Good Morning America. Coming there and all these different types of people coming there and working with their minds and settling into their bodies and opening their hearts. I mean, it was really impactful. It was internally something that shifted in them around being another way, you know, slowing down, paying attention. You know, I would see such huge changes in people over the course of a week. I mean, just I see what's important and what's not, you know, and so seeing ourselves and this is a chance to become quiet, to feel our emotions and to ground in our bodies in a way that is incredibly important. When we go back to work, they would be feeling loving feelings and they would feel peaceful for the first time in a long time. Like, oh my God, I feel peace. And just walking. And that's what I'm doing. I'm walking. I feel myself walking. I'm not in a meeting, I'm not in Tokyo world. Yeah. I'm not in my head doing analysis and worrying about, you know, everything that I'm responsible for. You know, we're just like letting go. And that just was part of a greater opening into their spiritual path. Right. For them. Thinking of, I'm not just a CEO, but I'm someone who cares. And I have spiritual principles and I want to lead with ethics and I want to lead with wisdom and I want to lead with fairness. And that happens somewhere in present moment living. You do you naturally become that. You naturally become attuned to what you're doing in a. In a different way and where you're acting from, where decisions are being made from in any, any one moment. And don't we want that? We need to grow, we need to understand one another. And so, so I. There's just beautiful stories, but mostly we get stories later or people return or we run into them Again and again.

They'Re like, yeah, I'm curious to know. So for some of those CEOs that came in, how did they lead differently and how was it better or what did they come back to say the transformation was for them?

Yeah, well, a lot of it can be demonstrated in their actual lives. A lot of these really powerful CEOs or thought leaders, a lot thought leaders would come there, they would start organizations that were more humane. Often they might stay in that position for a period, but then they think, you know, I'm going to do a startup and it's going to be focused on wellness. So it moves from profit driven mind, ego, single desire. I think they just over time, you know, period of time which is, have awakenings of like, I'm, I'm doing this for the whole now, you know, it's a sense of losing that selfish identification of just meanness all the time and seeing the power that's there, the influence that's there and then deciding to use it. So several of these would go into I, I know open centers across the world and wellness or you know, develop apps or got behind other investing in different types of things. So they often don't stay in those positions when you have a radical shift because then you're, you want to go and lead something new. I remember Tom Ford, Gerald, you know, the Ford sort of dynasty was a big yogi that used to come to Spirit Rock and he created all kinds of programs out of that. Programs on serving underneath communities, programs on how to give back recycling. I mean it just like opened the lid on a huge amount that his company that he inherited could do to make things better. Not just extract. Right, not just extract model. And so, so I would hear a lot of these stories and meet so many of these incredible people and see transformation and you know, it's like part of your own soul's evolution of growth, you know, is that we, we start to become servants. Like how can we help? We're making money great. But that's not all there is here, you know, so now it's always been inspiring in that, in that regard.

And I've heard some say there's a little bit of a fear, like, well, if I, I also, it's this tension between security and purpose.

Right.

And so I need to pay the mortgage and I want to do something meaningful in the world and give back. And sometimes I think people think they have to first satisfy I need to pay the mortgage. But that, that need seems to never go away and just keeps increasing. So how can People sort of quiet that which is a little bit more. That's the ego driven side, right? That's the, that's the side. It's like, I've got to make my mark in the world. I've got to, I'm trying to create security for myself versus purpose. Like I'm whole, I'm actually secure already. I can go and create purpose now in some people's belief, it's like, well, I have to wait till I'm very wealthy to do that. But the reality is. No. So what do you have to say about that sort of tension or polarity?

I think it's a real one. You know, it's a, it's a real, it's the mind. And you know, when we're, we're living in these urban environments or we live in these cities, it just takes a lot to run businesses. It does the, it's, it's the capitalist way though. You know, it's like the grind, it's the rat race. Nobody wins it. And you get on that cycle of can't leave, gotta pay, can't go, gotta pay. And this is bills, you know, we're living to pay our mortgages and our, for our assets. And I think it's to tell people that there are other ways to live that are. Meet our needs and are nourishing other parts of our being that can create less stress, we can feel more creative. But this is one's own inner awakening. One starts to. When they start to practice mindfulness and become more present, they're listening to other parts of their being other than the mind, right? They're listening like, wait, what does my back say? Like it feels broken now. What's going on here? Right? Like, yeah, well, let's look at that, you know, or what's going on in these different areas. And what does my heart want now? You know, and, and, and that's another way to look at this, is that it's a slow shift into understanding that all our needs will be met. All our, you know, there's trust that starts to develop that, you know, the more you give away it feels, the more you're getting. And so that's the inner work of making peace with fear and sort of our root chakra, which is like my, my survival, my, you know, I need to survive. Most people have so much and they're still in that mode. So actually money doesn't seem to quelch that thirst feeling because I've met multi millionaires that had terror around losing their wealth and being somehow destitute yeah. And that's just the terror that is needs transformation. You know, we can't move because that energy will affect all decisions in every aspect of our life. And that's a hard one for anyone to bear, not alone your team.

And how have you seen some of these leaders be able to shift that fundamental, or let's say root fear that keeps them from being more present and more enlightened? How do they go about that journey?

Yeah, well, most of these folks I was meeting were doing mindfulness based practice in retreats and practicing every day at home for 20, 30 minutes a day. Others were in therapy and were learning. You know, but most people, what would be the sort of call would just be their lives would become deeply unhappy. Unhappiness becomes the doorway into trying to really look at one's life. You know, it's, it's the bell, like, you know, that we're deeply not satisfied, we're unhappy. Maybe we're just playing a role because that's all we know, or that's what the family needs, or that's what people need for us to do, and that's what we're good at. But I think that the, the longing in the heart, you know, people often in the midst of great success don't find that deeper satisfaction in it. You know, you think, oh my God, I'm gonna get this amount it's got here. Yes. And then that quickly fades that energy. Then the next day it's like, yeah, okay, your account might look different, but your mind's not different. So therefore it doesn't matter externally what's happening. And when you start to look in your inner life, you start to slow down, you start to feel, you start to listen. You. You know, spending time in nature, naturally we become still. You know, it has its effect on us. Nature'. Noise. You know, it's just like still earth energy. So, you know, check and see for yourself. Is this how you want to live your life? Is there a deep feeling of sorrow and discontentment, dissatisfaction that's hurting you and, and the longing to just be fearless, to take a step in a new direction? You know, that's, you know, we're all, we're all buying into the program that happiness comes in this form and, and, and overwork is good. And that's hustle, right? And then people are in the hospital, and then it's not hustle anymore. It's like, well, what happened to you? Well, I died hustling. That's what happened. It's just to find this balance and, and to be able to incorporate your awareness practices into your work life, to think of yourself as a present person, to pause to this is a skill that can be developed. They were talking about mindful living, awareness based practice of stillness and training the mind greatly valuable. And I, I find people who practice, they transform. And you see that even at the retreats we were on, even in a few days people can have even an environment where it's not an ashram. You know, there was like a kind of a party there going, yeah, yeah. And still there's these moments of profundity, you know, just by people being still for those periods of time.

Yes, there is. I don't think people realize how much the go go go is running from anxiety or trying to create at its core some type of safety. And I've often had executives say, oh I can't, I can't sit still for more than five minutes. I've, I've got, I've got to address XYZ and what transforms when they can just learn to sit for 15 minutes to start their day in silence in contemplative mindfulness based practices that will transform the rest of your day because of the window that you get. And, and I think that's where, when you can finally stop, you start to notice what's been running you.

Absolutely. I mean we're running on high octane, you know, anxiety and restlessness and, and, and it's just to know what's driving what because that is not going to be sustainable long, long term. And at some point there's a wake up call, right? We slip on the banana peel in the kitchen and then, you know, everything changes. So it's just to, just to be thinking about, you know, that how sad that we can't sit still for five minutes and just be and feel. That's not a mark of wisdom. So people try to negotiate about this but it's really, you'll see at one point, it's a non negotiable at one point, you know, and I do think a lot of this anxiety fuels the mental health crisis in our country. Not everybody want can do that pace and keep up and, and there's not enough wisdom for young people to be hearing and seeing. And so they get the output of all that is the violence and the chaos and the images and the social media, you know, it's just like a byproduct of it all.

So yeah, the more that you see the chaos happening in the external world, the more you're gonna have to be very Intentional about creating some stillness for yourself because you will get swept up in it. And like we talked about, with this escalating pace of change, it's going to get harder and harder. So really imploring people to. If you haven't started a mindful based practice yet, like, now's the time to get your supplies together. Going back to 2020, remember the mad grab for like, oh, I know.

No, you can find a meditation cushion anywhere. It's a make your own. I know. Well, and that is so good because it's like, that's one level. And people, massive amount of people realize I can't sit in my house and deal with this mind. Right. They didn't have an outlet. So it was like, I could. I better train the dragon.

Right.

It's like that cartoon, how to train your dragon. And it's. And, and now it's like stage two, because the rat race turns back on and we dance again and we're running again. And then at some point, you know, it's about just balance and, and, and know that these practices have real, real power and people find joy in unexpected ways through meditation, you know, and, and just the stillness becomes such a, like a. You're really, really longing for a certain type of thing. And then it's like you can give it to yourself by just trying to, you know, and practicing. So, yeah, so we're really promoting meditation. I love it.

Yes.

Yes.

Well, what's one thing that you would suggest our listeners do today or tomorrow that would help fuel their own growth, courage and strength to lead in these uncertain times?

Yeah, just always be looking at yourself and what it is that you. How it is that you're affecting those around you. You know, I was thinking a lot about this quality about love and I was thinking about the podcaster Jay Shetty, who wrote this book called I think it's like the Eight Laws of Love. And on the outset it could really look like a cheesy book. Right. It's like, what. But then when you start getting into it, it really starts to become a whole world and how to be a loving person and to think of your leadership style, I think, and to think about how to just be also nurturing your heart a lot as someone who and is a. Working with people and leading and being a visionary and to see your work as your soul practice. Why are you doing it? I think for me, that's what keeps me going is I'm like, oh, this is my practice now. I'm coming to Georgia. I'm going to Start a new community as a practice, you know?

Yes.

And it's like, can I practice loving people this moment myself? And don't underestimate the power of that. That book reminded me that it's way bigger than what we think. You know, we have a small L definition, but this is like the grand. You know, So I don't know that just for some reason, comes to me in this moment to express and. Yeah.

Yeah.

Great.

Well, last question. Since we started with Harriet Tubman, what is the underground? You know, she led the underground movement.

Right.

Underground railroad to free the slaves. What is the underground movement that's happening today?

Right, right. Okay. So we could look at Harriet Tubman's life. Yes. She was a conductor on the Underground Railroad. And the Underground Railroad actually was around for 65 years. It had a heyday for about 10 years, right before the Civil War. And Harriet was conducting groups of people. And, you know, when you think about that. So that's on the physical level. Right. But we know so much about this book with Harriet Tubman is also what she calls the inner underground. Right. That. And that's where she's in spirit world. I'm still conducting people to liberation, but now I work through the mind, you know, the consciousness, you know, and. And underground could mean just, you know, right now, it seems like you look at society like the bul are winning. Look, they have the loudest voices, and they're. They're winning. They're winning. Right. But underneath, under the earth and the mycelium we know is a network, right, of awakening energy and practice and presence and. And fueled with mindfulness and. And compassion. And, you know, the underground also can represent, like, the whole world, the shamanism and plant medicine and people healing and people doing really deep, profound work right now themselves from all walks of life, from all levels of society. And that kind of represents this, like, underground liberation movement. Right. Because on the external, it can feel like a lot of injustice is happening. And on the underground, there's movement of. Of eyes opening, you know, and it can't be calibrated yet. Not yet. Right. But so I think of that when I think of this movement and also the. The underground railroad, through consciousness, through liberation. And that's very alive. We're walking. And that's the spiritual road. That's the high road. That's the light road. That's the road of generosity and care. And that's the road that Harris trying to conduct people on. Now go this direction. Not that direction anymore.

Well, thank you, Spring. This has been really enlightening and I would love to share with people where they can learn more about you.

Sure. They can visit my website, which is just springwashem.com and I have lots of YouTube videos and can find my teachings there and everywhere else that you can find everywhere and everyone else everywhere. We are all. All channels are on. So great. Great.

Well, if you like this episode, you're not going to want to miss my interview with Warren Rustand, who helps resilience and embrace the growth mindset to enable them to navigate the challenges and changes facing our society today. Let's all lead the way. Hope you enjoyed today's episode and I'd like to point you to the next important step. Hit the subscribe button and the bell to get notified when we release new content. I'll see you on the next episode of the Enlightened Executive Sam.