What makes a life meaningful? What creates a legacy that ripples for generations? These questions crystallized for me upon learning about Lorraine, a Canadian giant in disability rights advocacy who recently passed away after 50+ years of transformative work.
Leadership has never been about titles or spotlight moments. It's about showing up again and again with persistence and conviction to make space for others to belong. Lorraine's journey began simply - with the birth of her son Ralph in 1968. That moment of love became her life's work, leading to decades of volunteer service, nearly 20 years with the New Brunswick Association for Community Living, and partnerships with governments and communities to advance human rights and inclusion. Yet what strikes me most isn't her recognition or achievements, but her persistence and balance. She pursued her calling with unwavering dedication while still embracing life's simple pleasures - curling, golfing, birthday lunches with friends, and her daily glass of "cheap red wine."
Her story offers five powerful lessons for anyone leading through messy times: Your calling is enough - stop waiting for permission or titles. Persistence outlasts polish - consistency matters more than charisma. Progress requires constant tending - you can't "set and forget" inclusion or trust. Balance is fuel, not distraction - joy makes advocacy sustainable. And finally, you don't need to be known to matter - never confuse visibility with impact.
Most of us don't feel like giants. We feel like we're just trying to keep our heads above water. But giants aren't born - they're built through tiny acts of persistence, one ripple at a time. What calling is tugging at you right now? How might your one precious life create ripples for generations? Join us in Be the Light here, where we reconnect with ourselves, find practical tools, and grow in ways that are sustainable, purposeful, and deeply human.
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Make it a great week!
Cynthia Jamieson 🧡🌱
Leadership coach for high-integrity leaders who want to thrive without proving or burning out | Ex-HR Exec | ICF PCC Coach | Podcast Host | Intuitive Intelligence® Method Guide
Episode Transcript
Welcome to Unchartered and Unfiltered the
journey back to you.
I am Cynthia Jameson, your host, and this is where we break
free from the noise and divedeep into what truly matters you
.
If you're tired of the shoulds,the expectations and the
pressures to fit into a moldthat doesn't serve you, you're
in the right place.
This isn't a podcast about easyanswers or sugar-coated advice.
(00:32):
This is your invitation toreclaim your path, embrace the
unknown and become the bold,unapologetic version of yourself
that's been waiting to show up.
It's time to get unfiltered.
Let's get started.
Unfiltered, let's get started.
Hello, hello, friends.
How are you?
I hope that you are having anamazing beginning to your week.
(00:53):
I am sitting outside as I recordthis today, and it is one of
those beautiful September dayswhere the air feels fresh and
the sun is just right.
So apologies ahead of time, ifyou hear any lawnmowers or
anything like that in thebackground, you'll have to
consider it part of thesoundscape of today.
(01:15):
Now I want to start today withsomething that has been sitting
heavy and hopeful on my heart,and isn't that just life's
paradox?
This past week, canada lost agiant in the disability rights
movement, lor in me like a spark, and here's why the ripples of
(01:51):
her legacy, which were groundedin love, in inclusion and in
human dignity, remind me thatleadership has never been about
titles or spotlight moments.
Leadership has never been abouttitles or spotlight moments.
It's about showing up again andagain and again and again, with
persistence and conviction tomake space for others to belong.
(02:16):
And I will be very honest withyou there is some discomfort
within me as I share thisepisode with you today Again.
I never met her and part of mewonders who am I to tell her
story?
But the pull to speak about itand the lessons that her life
(02:40):
holds for all of us is strongerthan my hesitation, and maybe
that's part of the lesson too.
Sometimes the call to act, toshare, to lead is bigger than
our own comfort.
And I'll be even moretransparent this weekend.
I didn't know what I was goingto record this podcast episode
(03:03):
on.
I stared at a blank page and Isaw a blank mind more than once.
And then I read about Lorraineand I just knew and perhaps it's
by no accident that her storyfound me in this moment.
My mom's really good friendpassed away just a few days ago,
(03:25):
and also, in reconnecting witha former HR colleague, I also
learned that their daughter hadpassed away at just 30 years old
, and so it feels like it's aweek of reminders that life is
fragile, that none of us knowshow much time we will get here
(03:45):
in this beautiful earth school,and that what really really
lasts are the ripples that weleave behind.
And that's why Lorraine's storymatters, not just for
disability rights or policy oradvocacy although that is
amazing but for every one of usthat is asking right now what
(04:06):
difference will my one life make?
So I want to share a little bitabout her story, because what I
understand of her and hercalling it began in 1968 with
the birth of her son, ralph, andI believe that was her third
child and that moment of loveand if you're a parent you know
(04:28):
what I'm talking about thatmoment of love became her life's
work, improving the lives ofpeople with intellectual and
other disabilities, and, fromwhat I understand, she raised
her family.
She gave countless hours as avolunteer, went on to serve
nearly 20 years with the NewBrunswick Association for
(04:48):
Community Living, including asexecutive director.
She partnered with boards,governments, communities to push
human rights forward, socialjustice and inclusion forward,
and in her later years sheturned her focus to affordable
(05:10):
housing because she knew thatwithout secure foundations,
progress could crumble.
Now I understand her work wasrecognized with national awards
and life memberships.
But what strikes me most isn'tthe recognition, it is the
persistence, it is the showingup, it is the refusal to give up
(05:32):
, decade after decade, and shehas done this work for over 50
years.
And I understand, even up tothe later, like up to the end,
she was advocating, she wasmentoring, she was leading.
And there's also this part ofher story that really made me
(05:52):
smile, which is she was alsoknown for balancing her
meaningful work with life'ssimple pleasures.
She loved to curl, she loved togolf, she loved her birthday
lunches with the girls, sheloved summer at the cottage,
winters in Florida with herhusband and her.
(06:13):
These are, you know, her dailyglass of cheap red wine is how
it was, how it was written, andthat balance has me thinking
about like the two ends of thespectrum there's purpose,
there's pleasure, there'sconviction, there's joy, and
(06:35):
this is what made her leadershipsustainable.
And that is so important.
And as I sat with her story,there were so many pieces of it
that have resonated with me.
But her legacy reminds me thatleadership isn't about all of
the things we tend to think thatit is.
(06:56):
It's not about titles, it's notabout applause, it's not about
the spotlight, it's not aboutrecognition.
It is this motivation to showup with this discipline,
conviction and making andcreating space for others to
belong.
And it gave me pause because sooften the leaders that I coach
(07:23):
and myself as well, and maybeyou listening to this right here
right now we get caught up inthe trap of proving and
performing and pushing harder,chasing the next achievement,
chasing the next promotion.
And you think that you need theright title, the polished words
, the flawless presence, butLorraine's life tells us the
(07:48):
opposite of that.
Leadership isn't about havingall the answers.
It's about showing up for thequestions again and again and
again.
How do we put our headstogether?
How do we figure this out?
What are the solutions we cancreate together?
What are the barriers we needto overcome?
(08:08):
What have we tried?
What haven't we tried?
What could we do differentlynext time?
I'm just thinking about all ofthe questions that are relevant,
that we could ask ourselves.
And also I mentioned this amoment ago leadership isn't
about chasing the promotionsAgain.
(08:30):
That can be amazing, but whatif it's your calling that
qualifies you, not an org chart,not a position.
And again, what I loved abouthearing in her story and
imagining her living her life,based on what I've read and been
(08:52):
told about her, is how shelived, this idea of both, and
both meaningful work and life'ssimple pleasures, both impact
and joy.
That's the kind of leadershipthat lasts decades.
That's probably why she wasable to keep going as long as
(09:13):
she was able to keep going.
This isn't something that fadesout over months, and her story
is reminding me that giantsdon't always look like giants in
the moment.
Sometimes they look likeneighbors, parents, colleagues,
sisters, brothers, people whokeep showing up and who keep
(09:35):
choosing joy along the way.
And so I want to talk a littlebit about some of the lessons
that are for us in this, becauseher story like what does her
story mean for you, especiallyif you're leading in messy times
?
Maybe there's new teams,there's reorgs, there's layoffs,
(10:06):
there's politics, there'spressures that you have each and
every day to attain the resultsthat you've been charged to
achieve.
And here are some of the thingsthat I'm hearing.
Which is your calling is enough.
Stop waiting for permission ortitles.
Again, lorraine's qualificationwas the love of her son, and
from there she built an entiremovement for over 50 years.
And maybe for you it's leadinga new team through a
(10:29):
reorganization or finallysetting the boundary that gives
you your evenings back.
That can be a calling too.
The second lesson is persistenceoutlasts polish.
I'm reminded of the story ofthe tortoise and the hare.
And leadership isn't aboutcharisma or perfection.
It's about consistency showingup again and again, each and
(10:54):
every day, every moment, everysecond, even when no one claps.
So I invite you to think aboutthat meeting where you don't
have the perfect words, but youshow up with honesty anyway.
That's leadership.
The third lesson is progress isfragile, so, whether it's
(11:14):
inclusion, culture or trust, youcan't set it and forget it.
You have to keep tending to theground.
You have to keep tending to theground.
You have to keep pulling outthe weeds and putting in the
fertilizer and coming back andwatering what it is that you're
growing.
And so if you've just comethrough layoffs, you know this
morale doesn't fix itself.
You have to nurture it, youhave to protect it, you have to
(11:37):
keep people connected, engaged,you have to be with them.
And the fourth lesson is balanceis fuel, not distraction and
Lorraine curled, she laughed,she poured the wine, or somebody
(11:58):
poured the wine for her.
She knew that for her joywasn't optional.
It was what made her advocacysustainable.
And for you, maybe it'sshutting the laptop at six
o'clock or saying yes to the run, or being fully present at your
(12:19):
kid's soccer game.
Balance is what fuels you tokeep going.
And for me, I mean, I'm just,I'm just gonna say it's.
It's making time and space forthings that I enjoy, that I love
to do in addition to the workthat I'm doing.
And I hadn't realized untilthis relocation how much of
(12:44):
those things I was missing thejoy of camaraderie, of a running
group, of making new friendsand being in new situations and
putting yourself in new areas tolearn new things.
That balance is important toand it doesn't have to be
(13:06):
perfect, but it's noticing whatare the elements for you that
create that balance for yourself.
And the last lesson is youdon't need to be known to matter
.
My guess is many Canadiansnever knew Lorraine's name, not
just me.
Yet their workplaces, theirschools, their communities carry
(13:30):
her fingerprints all across thenation.
So I invite you not to confusevisibility with impact.
Your team may not always say itout loud, but the way that you
show up each and every day isshaping their careers and their
lives.
So let me ask you what callingis tugging at you right now?
(13:56):
How might your one preciouslife create ripples for
generations to come?
And how can you lead in a waythat makes space for others to
belong, while still leaving roomfor joy?
Because, let's be real, most ofus don't feel like giants.
(14:18):
Most of us feel I didn't thinkI would get emotional Most of us
feel like we're just trying tokeep our heads above water.
But giants are not born,they're built.
(14:40):
One tiny act of persistence,one moment of conviction, one
ripple at a time, one dream at atime, one desire at a time, one
belief at a time.
And so here's my invitation Donot underestimate the power of
(15:07):
your one life.
Lorraine didn't, and neithershould you and neither will I.
Never forget your legacy isn'tjust in the work you do.
It's in the way you laugh, theway you love, the way you live
(15:27):
along the way.
And if you're listening andthinking, I want to lead this
way, grounded in values,persistent in my calling,
balanced with joy.
I would love for you to join usin.
Be the Light.
It's the space that I'vecreated for leaders like you to
reconnect with yourself, to findtools that actually work in
(15:49):
real life and grow in ways thatare sustainable, purposeful and
deeply, deeply human, becauseleadership doesn't happen in the
spotlight, it happens in theripples, and together we can
make those ripples reach evenfurther.
(16:13):
With that, I want to say thankyou.
Thank you, thank you forspending time with me, for
showing up week after week Ifyou've just found my work,
welcome, and I wish you agorgeous rest of your week.
I would love to hear whatlanded with you, and I'll see
you back here the same time, thesame place next week.
Make it a great one.
(16:33):
I hope that you're walking awayfeeling more aligned with your
true self, more confident in thechoices ahead and ready to
leave the safe path behind,knowing you've got everything
you need within.
Remember, the journey to youisn't about finding one perfect
direction.
It's about trusting yourselfenough to explore all of it.
(16:54):
If you're ready to dive deeper,join me for the next episode
and don't forget to subscribe sothat you never miss the next
step on your path.
I invite you to join my mailinglist at
wwwcynthiajamesoncoachca, wherewe'll deepen our relationship
and you can claim your copy ofyour Inner Compass, a guide to
(17:15):
charting your course toauthenticity.
Until next time, stayunfiltered, stay true and, most
importantly, stay you.
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