Sharon LeShane is an Intuitive Healer, Transformative Coach, Spiritual Mentor, Reiki Master, Sound Alchemist, Women's Circle Facilitator, Yoga Instructor and Meditation Teacher. She loves, guides and empowers others to shine, embody and share their inner light.
Healers, leaders, and guides dedicate themselves to empowering others, creating safe spaces for transformation, and fostering growth. They hold space for the light and shadow in others, offering wisdom and compassion without judgment. But in their unwavering commitment to serve, do they extend the same care and support to themselves?
What is a healer?
Healers are teachers, leaders, guides, and coaches. Authentic leaders do not wish to be placed on a pedestal or consider themselves better than others. They recognize that we all have the same light and spark within us, allowing us to become anything we want to be. Healers do not heal others; they guide and empower by embodying wisdom, compassion, and integrity.
Healers create a safe space for growth, assisting others in unlocking their potential and breaking through the barriers holding them back. They guide others to accept all parts of themselves, dedicating themselves to uplifting and nurturing others while witnessing both their light and shadow without judgment. However, are they doing that for themselves? Or do they often neglect the most essential act of self-love: receiving?
Just as muscles require rest days to rebuild after intense training, our minds, bodies, and spirits need space to restore. Without intentional rest, we risk burnout, stagnation, and losing the clarity that allows us to serve others passionately. Furthermore, if we do not pause for our healing and growth, are we truly aligned with the principles we teach? Are we embodying the wisdom we share?
Guiding and growing
Leaders have not arrived at a final destination or stopped growing. It's important to recognize that, as leaders, we continue to benefit from seeking guidance from mentors, healers, teachers, and guides. It is equally important for clients to see coaches as the imperfect humans we are, not as some unrealistic, unattainable state of being. This empowers others to love and accept all parts of themselves.
The moment we believe we know it all, we stop growing. Our ego may tell us we are confident and have reached our destination; however, that is usually fear disguised as certainty. Fear of failure, being seen as inadequate, losing credibility, or admitting we don’t have all the answers comes from ego. The need to control and hold on to the illusion that we must be perfect to help others also stems from ego. True strength and growth emerge from having the courage to remain open to receiving wisdom and guidance as we continue to guide others.
Being a healer is not about perfection. Just as we nonjudgmentally meet and accept clients where they are, we can embrace ourselves and our cycles of giving and receiving. In doing so, we expand and become living proof that growth is a journey, not a destination. In healing ourselves, we create a beautiful ripple effect that benefits both us and those we support.
Ego: Friend or foe?
The ego is that part of us that defines our identity. It is an internal protector shaped by past experiences, conditioned beliefs, and fear. However, our ego is not our enemy. It is a well-intentioned force designed to keep us safe. It whispers caution when we step into the unknown and resists uncertain change. It sometimes builds walls instead of boundaries, and although its role is to shield us from danger, it can also hold us back. If we allow our ego to control us, it will have us mistaking growth for danger and comfort for security.
Recognizing and accepting ego requires deep self-awareness. It often manifests as resistance, self-doubt, avoidance, self-grandeur, overthinking, and the illusion of control. It convinces us that staying the same is safer than evolving.
When we move awareness from our minds to our hearts, we know that vulnerability is not a weakness; it is a bridge to a deeper connection with ourselves and others. In the stillness of our hearts, we can distinguish between real danger and the fear of expansion. In the words of Marianne Williamson, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”
Growth asks us to acknowledge our egos and fears with compassion. We are not meant to fight our ego but to understand, transcend, and allow it to transform us. While the ego's protection is valued, our growth and transformation bring joy and expansion beyond our imagination.
It's important to remember that the goal is not to destroy or eliminate the ego as if it were our enemy. Our goal is to consciously lead it with courage rather than unconsciously allowing it to control and lead us.
Embracing discomfort: The path to breakthroughs
Transformation requires the shedding of our old selves. Most of us want the benefits of transformation without doing the necessary work to achieve it. To be reborn, parts of us must, in essence, die. This can be uncomfortable, as it involves relinquishing familiar patterns, surrendering control, and stepping into the unknown. We are often deeply attached to who we are; this is evident in statements like, “I have always been this way.” To make room for the new, we must let go of the old and familiar.
Consider the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. This process is a literal death of the old self, as it sheds its chrysalis to emerge as a beautiful, colorful butterfly that can take flight. What an amazing transformation! Does the caterpillar fear what it is leaving behind to become what it is meant to be? Does it know how magnificent it will become? Could it even imagine that it would grow wings and fly?
When leaders and healers allow their outdated identities to fade, they unlock wisdom and strength that were previously untapped. This opens doors to creativity, compassion, and a renewed sense of purpose. By surrendering, we can let go of our need for control, and just as the butterfly spreads its wings and takes flight, we realize our next level of abundance. This requires us to trust in the divine unfolding.
The death of the old and familiar may be uncomfortable; however, it is a powerful opportunity for rebirth. We can tap into limitless potential by rewiring and recoding subconscious beliefs, eventually reaching a state of completeness. We end the old chapter that was not working and rewrite a new chapter, or quantum jump to a completely new book.
When we are open and trusting, we receive downloads of divine wisdom and reach deeper levels of consciousness, resulting in creative breakthroughs.
Lead by example: Align actions with our teachings
When we face life's challenges and experience stress and anxiety, there are tools we can use to lessen their effects. When our nervous system is triggered, we can use breathing techniques, yoga, meditation, mindfulness, walking in nature, grounding, cold water plunges, and many other methods for healthy emotional processing. However, sometimes reaching out to another leader, healer, or coach for support is necessary. Receiving assistance accelerates our healing and enhances our growth.
Supporting one another requires acknowledging that our well-being is the cornerstone of our service. It empowers us to offer more heart-centered and transformative guidance and inspires powerful waves of change. Our well-being is our foundation as leaders; a strong one will generate strength and elevate those around us.
Asking another for guidance is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of courage and recognition that we are all interconnected. The person who becomes your guide today may turn to you for their healing tomorrow. This reciprocal healing is not possible if we are led by ego.
We all have unique gifts to offer and are like pieces of a divine universal puzzle. No one piece is more or less important. Whether it is in alignment to give or receive will depend on where we are on our healing journey and the timing of life's inevitable highs and lows. By setting aside our egos and fears, we remain open and learn from one another. This honors our unique individuality and our sacred interconnectedness.
As leaders and healers, we need to be challenged if we want to continue growing. Seeking guidance from a healer you trust, someone who will give it to you straight, is valuable. To heal that next layer, we need someone to offer honest direction without sugarcoating for fear of hurting our feelings. This helps us reach our next level of growth, enrich our lives, and expand the service we offer others.
During periods of rest and reflection, our energy is like the chrysalis stage of the butterfly, a time of metamorphosis. When the butterfly leaves the chrysalis, it unfolds its wings and flies. This is what accepting guidance does for us as leaders. We let go of the old and familiar and emerge with newfound freedom, creativity, and limitless potential. When we are rested and emerge confident, we rise transformed, spread our wings, and soar.
I am so grateful for the beautiful leaders, healers, and mentors who have, and continue to, offer love, guidance, and motivation. I witness the strength and wisdom in their humility as they continue their journey of self-improvement, and I am inspired to strive to be my best self.
By nurturing one another, we deepen our healing and amplify the impact on those we support. Let our actions reflect our teachings as we lead by embodiment.
Read more from Sharon Doyle LeShane
Sharon Doyle LeShane, Intuitive Reiki Healer and Transformative Coach
Sharon LeShane is a Spiritual Mentor and Intuitive Healer. LeShane Seaside Vitality ensued from her strong passion for empowering others toward a more fulfilling personal and professional life. She offers Intuitive Reiki Healing, Illuminating Sound Alchemy, Transformative Coaching, Sacred Women’s Circles, Divine Meditation Journeys and Yoga. “Awaken Your Authentic Self “and “Awaken Circle for Women” are programs she created to empower and inspire. Sharon creates sacred space for healing and offers love, guidance, and motivation to assist in connecting with one's higher self and personal power.
