Lean In
Leaning into your strengths.
Dear fellow parent,
Thank you for being here again. Whether you’ve had a week full of deep breaths or deep exhaustion—or a bit of both—I’m so grateful you're reading.
Last time, I wrote about the ache and beauty of parenting children with developmental differences in a world that often struggles to understand them. Today, I’d like to start introducing a framework that I’ve been quietly refining for some months.
Because Lead Together isn’t just a title.
It’s a perspective that can influence how we are present in our daily lives.
At its heart are four invitations/pillars to guide us. They aren’t steps or goals. They’re not another list of things to do. They are gentle directions we can consider—especially when we hit a blip, and when our love feels bigger than our capacity.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll explore each of these invitations/pillars with you. But today, we begin with the L.
L is for Lean In.
Not the kind of leaning in that demands more of you when you’re already stretched. Not the kind that pushes for faster, better, more.
I mean the kind that invites you to be present—to your strengths, your relationships, and this moment.
As we lean in, let’s take this as an invitation to recognize and embrace your signature strengths—the qualities that feel most natural, energizing, and essential to who you are. These might be your creativity, your empathy, your humour, or your ability to stay calm under pressure.
With your family it’s about noticing the strengths that make you the parent and family member your family needs. Maybe it’s your patience, your playfulness, or your knack for finding joy in the little things. These are your superpowers—the traits that help you connect, support, and stay present.
Leaning in isn’t about doing more—it’s about being more you. It’s about celebrating the attributes that make you unique and offering them to the people and spaces that matter most.
If you’re not sure what your signature strengths are, take a moment to reflect:
What feels effortless and energizing when you do it?
What do others often appreciate or notice about you?
What qualities feel most essential to who you are?
Leaning in might feel vulnerable. It might stretch us to sit with uncertainty, with our own doubts or discomforts. But this courage—this trust in yourself—is where connection begins.
So this week, if it feels possible, take one small moment to lean in. Try this:
Name one strength you possess. (e.g. I am a good observer.)
Ask how can I use this strength to create a supportive and empowering environment for my child?
(When my child is having a difficult time, how am I reacting, am I leaning into my strength to support me and my child?)
Because leaning in is never about perfection. It’s about trust: in yourself, in your superpowers, and in the power of connection.
A Glimpse Ahead
In the coming weeks, I’ll explore the other pillars of L-E-A-D:
Engage with purpose and presence.
Adapt with resilience and creativity.
Discover new insights about ourselves and others.
Each of these is an offering—a way to resist the pressure to perform, and return to what matters most: connection, trust, and honouring the flow of your child, your own and your family’s life.
And
Before you close this email, Take one breath for yourself and one for your child, not the one the world says you should be raising, but the one who is already whole.
Let that be enough for now.
This week’s newsletter is partly inspired by my learnings from Annick Janson and her team at Now and Next™️. I completed this peer led, parent co-designed programme and learnt about how important it was to be aware of my own signature strengths as I parent. It helped me to lean into the challenges and opportunities I knew I could shoulder and with that information I could also lean into supports where I knew I and my family could benefit from the knowledge and expertise of others.