What is shame? Shame is a dangerous core belief that many of us possess despite doing our best to avoid acknowledging it. Shame is taught to us; it’s a social construct. I use the term shamework to describe the process I use in my practice to identify our shame, consider where we learned that something about us is shameful, and ultimately to unlearn our shame and break the chains that bind us.

The most trustworthy quality a person can embody is authenticity. However, there’s an unfortunate and intrinsic link between authenticity and shame which is vulnerability. Becoming more comfortable with authenticity is the greatest expression of self worth and ultimate form of reclamation.

Conversation is a dance, not a battle and listening is as much an art as it is a skill set. There is no better way to show empathy than to listen and hold space for another’s experience without trying to fix their problem and without inserting ourselves into the story. Most of us would call ourselves good listeners, yet unfortunately, most of us would be wrong.