Loving and knowing oneself is the core of peace leadership: Leadership of the Heart Seminar in New Jersey

On a cool, crisp autumn day with scatterings of colorful leaves, around 40 inspired and purposed women gathered for a peaceful, intimate Leadership of the Heart: Principles for Peace Leadership seminar hosted by WFWP New Jersey. Held on October 26, 2019, in North Haledon, New Jersey as the second of a three-part leadership series, the seminar focused on empowering women to utilize their innate attributes to create a new paradigm of leadership through practicing true love. 

“In the face of all this chaos, it’s so easy to feel hopeless. I watch the news too often, and I think to myself, everything is terrible. When are we ever going to have a good and peaceful world?” said Katarina Connery, vice president of WFWP USA. “When we think about building a world of genuine sustainable peace, what is it really going to take?”

The event, imbued with an aura of positivity and encouragement, featured presentations, group discussions, journal and affirmation exercises, and guided meditations, all led by Connery, with soothing musical performances by Laurel Nakai. Throughout the afternoon, Connery spoke predominantly on the importance of self-worth and using feminine attributes to empower others. 

“We think that we need to have something else in order to be valued, but we are valued and worthy just the way we are,” said Connery. “We have to breathe out and breathe in. Life is about balance; a balance between striving to improve ourselves and knowing that, right now, who I am is enough and is loved.” 

For some who attended, it was not only their first Leadership of the Heart seminar, but also an introduction to WFWP. “I came here not knowing what to expect, but I am leaving with a lot,” said a first-time participant. “We learned different ways to really love ourselves through self-worth. I am looking forward to sharing everything I learned with my friends and family.”

Participants left feeling revitalized, ready to return to their communities and families and share the logic of love. “We have to take each other to the next level,” said one participant. “You have my back and I have yours, you help me and I help you, and we can rise together. Empowering each other and lifting each other up is awesome.”