Birthing a Movement: WisdomWomen Returns to Esalen

Just a year ago, former Wisdom 2.0 staffer Michelle Stransky was preparing to see her vision of a community of women leaders come to life at the first-ever gathering of WisdomWomen at Esalen.

Many of those in attendance became WisdomWomen founding members and have helped to create a community seeking to build our world from a different paradigm. To quote the group:  “We are not asking whether or not this can be done. We are claiming that it is ours to do.” eNews met with Michelle a few weeks before WisdomWomen will reconvene at Esalen.

eNews: We at Esalen are excited to welcome back WisdomWomen. What’s top of mind for you right now?

Michelle: The timing of our second gathering is interesting. Even before Donald Trump was elected, there were many of us wanting something new – a revolution. We’re all longing for a different way, a more thriving way of being on this earth.

Since the election, I found myself, and others, caught up in this sense of being divided. What I feel is possible and important about WisdomWomen is that we offer another option beyond right or left.  And even another option beyond “let’s change our system”.

Our work feels much deeper than that. It’s timely that we’ll be at Esalen a week before the inauguration. We’re looking to create the world we want to live in, instead of waiting for our leaders to do it. We all have something to offer, so many gifts of deep wisdom and incredible brilliance, that we can put behind a global vision at a time when the world needs it.

eNews: Could you please share what it was like to birth this movement of WisdomWomen?

Michelle: The concept was gestating a few years before it took form at Esalen last year. It was akin to what I’ve heard the birthing process is like in bringing children into the world: it’s magical and beautiful and messy. WisdomWomen had its own life form; I didn’t have any control over it.

I think the beauty was that myself, and others, said yes to something before cognitively understanding what it actually is. Almost as if on a soul level, we knew we were meant to be part of this birthing that would only reveal itself to us over time.

The magic last year at Esalen was the group field that was created and the ways the earth was co-conspiring to be part of the process.  There has been so much synchronicity. Many of us who are dreaming up a new world on our own are finally finding each other.

The messiness is in learning how to do something in a new way: learning how to host a co-creative gathering vs. a traditional speaker/audience gathering; learning how to take action from a deeply intentional and relational space; and learning how to lead, collaborate, and support each other as women when there is a lot of old patterning that needs to be un-learned.

While it is an honor to be pioneers of a new way, it involves a lot of deep and committed inner and relational work.      

eNews: What do you hope to achieve in this second gathering?

Michelle: It is much more clear what we’re coming into this year, and I feel excited about that. The first gathering met in circles as a way to tap into a relational space while sharing the visions we hold personally. This was an important part of the process.

This year we will meet on a more collective level, breaking into topic-based councils [which range in topics from education and social justice to money, technology and media, and communal spaces], and envision new possibilities in these areas.

Some of our founding members have been meeting to prepare for the councils, both in regional spaces and virtually. Ultimately the goal is to bring these visions we hold into reality. We hope that specific initiatives are born out of the Esalen gathering and we intend to continue collaborating beyond that weekend.

eNews: I’m sure you are often asked: why only women?

Michelle: The purpose of WisdomWomen is to support women by providing a place to practice and grow, as well as to help remind us there is a unique way of leading and visioning that hasn’t necessarily been honored in the past.

We are a community where women can feel safe in order to vision and co-create in our own way. Then we can co-create across the gender spectrum, which is absolutely necessary in order for us to build a new world.

Personally, I’ve gained confidence in my unique way of leading as a result of my WisdomWomen experience. As I collaborate more with men, I’m bringing more of my ideas to the table in a way I wasn’t before.

The other piece I’d like to add is that we, our community, are really aware of the gender-less direction our society is taking. Ultimately there may not be a need for WisdomWomen, but right now it feels important for women who have had similar experiences to tap into our community for support.

Our hope is that as the feminine principle is more present in the world, by its inclusive nature it will hold everything. First, though, it needs to grow strong.

eNews: In what ways will WisdomWomen be more present in the world?

Michelle: One project is the Collaboratory, where our profits will directly fund initiatives born in the community. For instance, if one of our members wants to start a new school and pioneer a new way in education, we build a team to support that and provide the mentoring and resources to make it happen. The Collaboratory is one way to put our soul work into the world.

eNews: How has founding WisdomWomen changed you?

Michelle: In reviewing the last year and lessons learned, it’s really been about learning to trust myself and my vision. There has been a lot of back and forth between the visionary part and the very human part, just Michelle. I’m learning to reconcile the two, and I think this is something many of us need to experience.  

We all need to be thinking big and get over the hurtle of “Who am I to bring a vision forward into the world?”  I’m trusting more and more that what I have in myself is worthwhile. It was a journey to stand in my own vision and own my knowing and, through that, how to collaborate with others. Paradoxically, the stronger I become in my individual leadership ability, the more I’m able to steward a co-creative space.

Learn more or register for the WisdomWomen Visionary Gathering at Esalen.

For more information, visit wisdomwomen.community.