Launching the People Renaissance
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"I feel like a cog in a machine."
"I'm successful on paper, but do I feel happy?"
"Am I just living according to others' expectations?"
"My heart wants to take a risk, but my mind finds a million reasons not to."
"I want to do more to solve pressing issues that are bigger than myself."
Familiar? You are not alone.
We've said these things ourselves. And we've heard these sentiments resonate time and time again with the high-achieving professionals we turned to for advice on our own career dilemmas.
On paper, we've ticked all the right boxes, from fancy degrees to prestigious jobs. Yet, we've felt some combination of stuck, drained, frustrated, unfulfilled, and apathetic in our lives—not to mention, guilty for not fully appreciating what we do have. These feelings stirred bigger questions, such as "What does success really mean for me? What's the best use of my talents in the world? What brings me true joy?"
There is neither a definitive playbook nor unique answers to these questions. Even with a direction in mind, taking action feels scary. It's no wonder many of us turn to quick fixes—holidays, applying for random jobs, ordering a book, taking another course—to take the edge off our anxieties. And in the end, we fail to create the change that brings us real fulfillment.
Seizing the opportunity in disguise
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” — Joseph Campbell
On our ongoing quest towards more meaningful lives and careers, we've been doing a lot of study and soul-searching. We plan to write about various early- and mid-career questions we've been reflecting on, such as:
How do we spark and navigate through the journey of personal transformation?
How can a team of individuals—with eclectic skills, identities, and dreams—collaborate so that 1+1>2?
How can organizations operate purposefully to unlock the potential of individuals and teams?
How can society thrive by making it easy for talented people to be true to themselves, share their gifts with their communities, and live a satisfying life?
We'll integrate diverse sources of inspiration. Books, coaches, somatic practices, spiritual guides, and good old-fashioned trial and error: these are some of the teachers we will feature. Recognizing we are all unique, we'll propose many different ways to find and align with your "Why." Discover what resonates, and choose your own adventure!
Our hope? To offer inspiration to inquire within, explore possibilities, and take courageous leaps. That way, we can all do more of the work that gets us in flow, makes our hearts sing, and creates a better world (while paying the bills).
We also want to explore how to activate community. We hope to spark dialogues among fellow travelers—so that we can all feel safer, wiser, and braver. You are not alone on this journey.
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Let's explore and grow together.
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We also welcome your thoughts via a comment to this post or via an email to team@peoplerenaissance.com.
Who we are
We are three former colleagues who found each other by chance amidst our continuing journeys of self-discovery. This is our attempt to walk our talk: a vulnerable, adrenaline-inducing step towards finding greater meaning and joy—our personal Renaissance.
Grace is a reformed just-tick-the-right-boxes-in-your-career professional who has spent 10+ years stumbling the winding path towards greater career and life fulfillment. Earlier this year, Grace took a leap of faith from a safe "dream job" to become a coach helping leaders unleash their inner genius and share their unique gifts with the world.
Romain earned three engineering degrees, and learned the art of consulting, before discovering a passion for people development. He is at his best when leading organizations to a place where people can bring their full selves to life and work. Romain just finished a yearlong sabbatical rich in spiritual and emotional growth. He believes in joining strategic thinking alongside emotional mindfulness to improve individual and collective performance.
Vince is a generalist at heart who has zigzagged in search of his own alignment. Reflecting back on his experiences in consulting, nonprofits, startups, and research across the globe, one consistent thread he notices is his passion for unlocking talent—he loves team building, ponders a lot about people-related startup ideas, and has done some of his best work around helping organizations unleash the potential of people at scale.
Bravo to you three for proving the depth and heart of your generation. For GenX'ers and Boomers too many of us have waited until our 50's or 60's to reflect on our purpose and connectedness. All of us, will no doubt learn much from your Renaissance project as you continue to explore and share your self-discovery. I look forward to reading and engaging as you move forward with this fascinating project. Bring on the next Renassance, we need you more than ever.