Charla Yearwood

In the hustle and bustle of our fast-paced society it can be challenging to slow down, engage in self-reflection, celebrate your growth, and make a plan for where you want to go in the future. Everyone screams, “SELF CARE?” but what does self-care actually look like? How do I know if I am taking care of myself well or not? In this workshop, participants will engage in reflection to evaluate if their life today matches their own expectations. We will celebrate our personal victories, identify where we have room to grow, and develop a strategy for making personal reflection and showing ourselves kindness part of our daily routines.

While imposter syndrome and the fear of being accepted in a space are real, they are sometimes rooted in the reality that we may be the first, or one of few, in our family, of our race, or of our gender to take on opportunities. The reality of this can be intimidating and uncomfortable. We can begin to doubt our own abilities. In this workshop, audience members learn what Imposter Syndrome is and also what Imposter Syndrome is not. We discuss the resistance work of being the first, only, or one of few in a room and how we can manage our own insecurities in these spaces so that we may break down barriers in a particular field or space.

In our quest for creating a more equitable society, we are often trapped into a habit of centering the dominant, oppressive group, to learn about the needs of the marginalized, oppressed group. This leads to benevolent initiatives aimed at addressing the “needs of the marginalized.” While well intentioned, this framework cannot bring about equity because it maintains existing power structures. Instead, we need to wrestle with the understanding that the only thing marginalized and oppressed people need from their oppressor is for their oppressor to stop marginalizing and oppressing them. In this presentation, we will grow in our understanding of why we must engage in personal reflection to recognize false ideologies we are carrying into the world and doing the work of healing from narratives that are used to maintain oppressive power structures.