A few weeks ago, I attended the 2022 Central Iowa Women Lead Change conference. It was a wonderful event filled with inspiring presenters and opportunities to network and connect with other women. Throughout the two days, the speakers touched on various topics including how to build confidence, the power of fun, creating boundaries and joy, and the importance of finding your huddle. Many of the messages resonated with me and I left feeling uplifted and excited to take the information shared and apply it to my life.
One of the most powerful messages that resonated with me this year was Brooke Baldwin’s talk about the power of huddling. In her book, Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power, Brooke shares uplifting stories of what happens when women huddle together. She found that women of all ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds huddle for a variety of reasons.
In her book, Baldwin defines a huddle as “a moment that brings women together in any time or place—whether on the frontlines of a public protest or in a quiet church basement—to provide each other with support, empowerment, inspiration, and the strength to solve problems or enact meaningful change.” Although Brooke calls intentionally gathering a group of women together in meaningful ways a huddle, you may also know this to be called a tribe.
For years, the human race has had an intrinsic desire for tribalism. That loyalty, protection, and camaraderie we find in the people we choose to surround ourselves with is important on a very primal level and not only determines who we are as individuals, but how we view and treat the world around us.
The importance of finding your tribe shouldn’t be underestimated. A tribe can foster an environment for generating new ideas for work and life while also fostering a sense of community which is vital for a healthy productive life. These groups can provide a sense of purpose, a reason to interact with others, and even provide health and well-being benefits.
Not only is it human nature to crave intimacy and belonging with others, it’s also essential preventative medicine. Scientific data proves that loneliness is a greater risk to your health than smoking or lack of exercise, and finding your tribe is better than any vitamin, diet, or exercise regimen.
A Harvard study examining the lives of almost 3,000 people found that those who gather together to go out to dinner, play cards, go on day trips, vacation with friends, go to the movies, attend sporting events, go to church, and engage in other social activities outlive their reclusive peers by an average of two-and-a-half years. Finding your tribe is not only fun, it can also save your life.
Working as a solopreneur, I have noticed lately this deep feeling of wanting to belong to a group of like-minded women who are warm and open-hearted and who also want to share struggles and wins around work and life in a safe place where everyone feels like they belong. Although I have many incredible friendships with some amazing women, most of them are not friends with each other. It is this concept of gathering together as a women’s circle that I am now interested in forming.
Last February, I wrote a blog titled Love & Belonging. It mentions how we can cultivate meaningful connections and why humans crave true belonging. Brooke Baldwin also shares tips on how to find your huddle and why it is more than just a gathering; it is a mindset. Huddling with other women is a choice we can make every single day.
As 2022 comes to an end, maybe you are like me and have decided you want to create a tribe of like-minded individuals to come together. Or maybe you want to reconnect with some special people in your life. I believe the effort we make to strengthen our social relationships is worth it and can help us reach our highest potential as we journey through life together instead of alone.
How to Find Your Huddle
Brook Baldwin advises the following ways to find your huddle in Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power:
- Believe in your self.
- Make an intentional choice to be a huddler.
- Find a huddle that shares your passions.
- Nurture your female friendships.
- Do hard things with your huddle.
- Make room at the table and subscribe to an abundance mentality.
- Be vulnerable.
- Amplify each other.
- Huddle with people who are different from you.
- Show the eff up
Thank you for taking time to read this post and get curious about the importance of coming together in community. Whether you currently take classes with me online, have attended a special event in the past, listened to one of my podcast episodes, or simply enjoy reading my blog posts from time to time, YOU are a part of the Resilience & Grace kula.
I would love to hear from you. Please share how huddling with other women has made a difference in your life and/or what your intention is as you move into a new year.