Lost & Found
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
~ John Newton
As long a month as January felt, February, technically the shortest, has indeed whipped by — although some days felt like five days long, and each week like a month!?
Time seems to be a strange concept at the moment, and these are strange times, to say the least.
If you didn’t catch last month’s essay Getting a Grip, Grist for the Mill and the Mighty Meek, you might want to check it out or revisit it, as many of the themes continue. There’s so much going on in our country and the world that it’s hard to keep up; at the same time, so many people are struggling with their day-to-day existence, wondering when the “next shoe is going to drop” and how it may affect them.
In my Connecting with Kristina Zoom on February 20, the theme was Finding Faith in the Future. I talked about how we are in an evolutionary process, and how the extreme changes taking place serve to accelerate that process, as uncomfortable and disruptive as it may be, stirring people to action and forcing them to refine their values and what kind of world they want to live in.
We are in a transformational birthing, which is never easy, pretty or without pain. But no matter how we get there or how long it takes, the caterpillar is destined to become a butterfly.
It’s easy to feel powerless in big times such as these, so what is little ole you to do? Besides any activism you may feel called to, we also need to tend to our very immediate worlds and do the painstaking brick-by-brick work of micro-actions and interactions, which will create a foundation that is deeply human and puts people over profit and politics. This process starts at home, in our families, communities and workplaces. We are the ones we are waiting for, which means everyone needs to do their part to both weave and fortify the fabric of society.
Because we are the ones who make up society — not the government — and society is only as good as the people in it.
This is something I have tried to be more conscious of over the past few years, intentionally tending to my own backyard. Being a city dweller, that translates to the streets and public spaces and people in my neighborhood. For instance, in the past, if I saw trash on the sidewalk, I would just walk by thinking the city or someone else would pick it up. Now I take it as my responsibility.
Saying hello and even taking time to chat with the dog walkers, shop owners and recurring faces has been heartwarming and beautifying; these gestures are not outsourcing my power, capabilities or happiness to some external authority to take care of what is in my control. In one of the largest cities in the world, I now feel like I live in a village, not a random person in a faceless metropolis run amok with bureaucracy.
Last week, after picking up some trash on my walk along the East River, I noticed an abandoned journal on a bench. Horrified, because I know how upset I would be if I had left my journal somewhere, as it is such an irreplaceable personal, private and valued item (and those of you who have worked with me know how important I think it is!), I decided to see if I could find the person. I worried that if someone else saw it, they wouldn’t understand the urgency, or that it might be left to the elements or simply tossed in the garbage.
Luckily, there was a name and a business card for a nearby acting school and some references to theatrical methods (without fully reading because I know how personal it is!). Long story short, I was able to return it to its owner. Whew. It didn’t take a lot of time or effort, just care, and a recognition of the value of a fellow human’s precious thoughts and memories.
With so many things currently being dismantled, we need to think about how we want to rebuild, and start with the scaffolding of our own small actions and choices, the ones we make with our words and wallets. Don’t wait for someone else to do it or think, That’s not my problem.
It’s also about finding stability and security in yourself, when everything around you is anything but. That’s when we really have to employ the concept of Faith — in yourself, your loved ones both here and on the other side, and in the Universe/Source/God/Higher Power/Gaia/Nature — that force greater than yourself that makes your heart beat, trusting that all is unfolding as it should, in time and on time. (If you’re not sure how, stay tuned for some offerings this Spring;)
And during such challenging and uncertain times, may any of those especially with “official” power be inspired by the slave trader who in the face of great danger and near death, prayed for his life and survived to eventually change his ways, ultimately becoming a minister and abolitionist, writing in his famous hymn that “grace will lead me home.” May we all see the error of our ways and experience that grace, in whatever label or form it comes, in order to chart a new, more enlightened course.
(Originally published as a PGG newsletter on February 28, 2025.)
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If you need guidance and support in starting your year off with clarity, balance and direction, you can find all the current options to work with me as a coach on my website or contact me for custom packages.
Looking of a more extensive engagement with a compassionate companion and guide in your transformation? Consider taking advantage of my new Essential Evolution Package, a longer, more in-depth engagement to support your personal growth process. For all the current options to work with me, visit my website.
It’s always been easier for my clients to describe what I do, and this review, along with others you can find on my LinkedIn profile, seems to capture it well:
Kristina is more than a career coach. She changed my life. She made me realize how disconnected I was with my inner-self and how that was a root cause of many issues I faced, including my career. I have spoken to a number of professionals and career coaches, but Kristina is the one who truly helped me get unstuck and re-evaluate my values. Her recommendations were vital and enabled me to reorient my life. I am so grateful that I had a chance to work with Kristina — book a session with her to rediscover your life and career! ~ Esther J.
The bottom line is if you are feeling stuck, out of balance and/or looking for a new direction in your career and life and need to discern the next steps, my work as a holistic career coach and personal growth expert can help in many different forms.
I also offer inspiration and positive vibes throughout the week, so be sure to follow me on social media. You can watch many video clips and talks on my YouTube channel and Instagram. (Follow my IG stories for what I’m sharing and experiencing on a regular basis and be sure to subscribe, like and follow ‘cuz #algorithms) Oh — and I’m on Threads now too!
Need a tool to create a positive mindset through any challenges at work or in life? It was so thrilling to find out how a client uses my book Say It To Make It: Affirmations to Empower Your Heart, Mind, Spirit and Soul. He let me video him talking about it, which you can watch here, and you can purchase your copy here :)
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Kristina Leonardi is a nationally recognized career and life coach, speaker and author who for over 17 years has empowered individuals to make lasting professional and personal changes aligned with their true passions and talents while fulfilling their role in the world at large.
With a holistic and personal growth-oriented approach, she has helped hundreds of men and women improve their job performance, enter or re-enter the job force, change careers, better manage their time and stress, and live happier, more meaningful, balanced lives.
Her specialty is working with people who feel stuck or are in transition and can help you clarify exactly what you want to do, identify blocks, issues, and patterns in your way, and offer proven ideas, resources, and action steps to get you there.
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