{"id":24985,"date":"2026-10-01T09:00:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/?p=24985"},"modified":"2026-10-28T09:03:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T09:03:00","slug":"conscious-living-34-community-courage-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/?p=24985","title":{"rendered":"Conscious Living #34: Community. Courage. Action."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

COMMUNITY, COMMUNITY, COMMUNITY.<\/h2>\n

If there is one thing September has reminded me of again and again, it is how much we need one another.<\/p>\n

This month has taken me into so many different spaces – from conversations on radio, to learning in Oxford, to gathering women through The Awakened Woman, to facilitating spaces closer to home.<\/p>\n

Different rooms. Different people. Different conversations.
\nAnd yet, I have found myself returning to the same truth:
\n\u00a0
\nWe were never meant to do all of this alone.<\/strong>
\n\u00a0
\nWe often talk about independence as strength. But I am becoming increasingly interested in another kind of strength – our capacity to reach for one another. To ask for help. To allow ourselves to be supported. To find safe relationships and communities where we can be witnessed, challenged, encouraged and reminded of who we are.<\/p>\n

We say it takes a village to raise a child.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it takes a village to hold a human life, too.<\/p>\n

One of the muscles I think many of us need to rebuild is the muscle of community – learning how to ask, how to receive, how to belong, and how to let ourselves be held.
\nBecause healing happens in relationship. Growth happens in relationship.<\/p>\n

And sometimes, staying awake to our own lives requires other people walking alongside us.
\n\u00a0
\nWe were never meant to stay awake alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n\"Image
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

ALL SYSTEMS GO.<\/h2>\n

September has felt like a month of action.<\/p>\n

Not frantic action. Not movement simply for the sake of being busy. But the kind of action that asks you to stop waiting until you feel completely ready.<\/p>\n

I think sometimes we can mistake conscious living for always slowing down – for stillness, reflection, pausing and turning inward.<\/p>\n

And yes, it is all of those things.<\/p>\n

But conscious living is also about knowing when it is time to move.<\/p>\n

It is about being deliberate, intentional and awake in the choices we make and the steps we take.
\n
\nSometimes the conscious choice is to pause.
\nAnd sometimes, it is to act.<\/strong>
\n
\nFor many years, I can see how I kept parts of myself – and even parts of my work – relatively small and contained. It felt safer there.<\/p>\n

More recently, I have been challenging myself to step beyond that.<\/p>\n

To reach out.
\nTo speak up.
\nTo work with more groups.
\nTo build community.
\nTo accept invitations.
\nTo create opportunities.
\nTo ask for help.
\nAnd to allow this work to travel further than the spaces in which it began.<\/p>\n

Perhaps if my channels have felt a little noisier lately, this is why.
\n\u00a0
\nThere is more happening because I am in action.<\/strong>
\n\u00a0
\nI am learning that courage isn’t necessarily the absence of fear before we move. Sometimes courage is deciding that fear doesn’t get to make the decision.<\/p>\n

And I am also learning that putting our work, our ideas or ourselves into the world doesn’t require everyone to understand or choose them.<\/p>\n

Our job is to give what matters to us the opportunity to reach the people it speaks to.<\/p>\n

A question for you:<\/em>
\nWhere might life be asking you to stop waiting – and take the next step?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SEPTEMBER, IN MOMENTS<\/h2>\n

There has been a lot happening behind the little squares you see on social media this month.
\nSome moments were big. Others were quieter. But together they seem to tell the story of a month spent stepping outward.<\/p>\n

Taking the conversation beyond the therapy room<\/strong>
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

I had the opportunity to join Chai FM in Johannesburg for a conversation about something that sits very close to the heart of Conscious Living:
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

What if we didn’t have to wait until we were falling apart to choose ourselves?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For much of my career, my work has happened one person at a time, behind the closed door of a therapy room.<\/p>\n

I still deeply value that work.<\/p>\n

But increasingly, I feel called to take these conversations into more rooms, more communities and more ordinary parts of life.<\/p>\n

Radio was one more little step in that direction.<\/p>\n

(If you missed it, you can listen to the conversation HERE<\/a><\/strong>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Staying a student<\/h2>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

\nOxford was another.<\/p>\n

I have already shared much of what the Transform Trauma Conference stirred in me, so I won’t revisit those lessons here.<\/p>\n

But perhaps one thing is worth repeating:<\/p>\n

After all these years of doing this work, I hope I never stop being a student.<\/p>\n

There is always more to understand about trauma, healing, relationships, the nervous system – and ultimately, what it means to be human.<\/p>\n

Keep learning. Keep moving. Stay curious.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you haven’t yet, you can read more about my experience HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n


\n\"Image
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

And a conversation we need to keep having…<\/strong><\/p>\n

September also brought conversations about men’s mental health closer to the surface for me.<\/p>\n

What happens when boys learn early that vulnerability is weakness?<\/p>\n

Where do men go when they are struggling?<\/p>\n

Who do they tell?<\/p>\n

And have we created enough spaces where they are allowed to answer honestly when somebody asks, “Are you okay?”<\/p>\n

I don’t have neat answers.<\/p>\n

But I am increasingly convinced that we need to keep asking the questions – and creating communities where the answers are allowed to be spoken.<\/p>\n

SOMETHING NEW BEGAN…<\/h2>\n

\nOn the first day of September, we opened the doors to the very first Awakened Woman Circle.<\/p>\n

Women arrived from the ordinary fullness of their lives – work, motherhood, relationships, responsibilities, and all the things we carry.<\/p>\n

And for a little while, we created a pocket of time in which we could simply arrive.<\/p>\n

It was deep<\/strong>. Reflective<\/strong>. Honest<\/strong>. Vulnerable<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

And it reminded me again why community matters.<\/p>\n

The Circle was created as a place for women to stay awake together.<\/p>\n

Not because any of us have all the answers.<\/p>\n

But because it is so much harder to lose ourselves when we have spaces that keep calling us home.<\/p>\n

The Trilogy plants the seed.
\n\ud83c\udf3f
\nThe Circle keeps us connected.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Explore The Awakened Woman Circle Here<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Try This With Me<\/h2>\n

THE WHEEL OF AWARENESS<\/h2>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

One of the people I had the privilege of hearing from again in Oxford was Dr Dan Siegel.<\/p>\n

Seeing him reminded me of a tool of his that I have loved for some time: The Wheel of Awareness.<\/p>\n

At its heart is a beautifully simple idea.<\/p>\n

There are all sorts of things we can become aware of – our bodies, thoughts, feelings, senses, relationships and the world around us.<\/p>\n

But there is also the part of us that is doing the noticing.<\/p>\n

Try this now.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take one slow breath.
\nNotice something you can hear.
\nNotice a sensation somewhere in your body.
\nNotice what you are feeling.
\nNotice the thoughts moving through your mind.
\nYou don’t need to change any of them.<\/p>\n

Just notice.<\/p>\n

And then notice something else:<\/p>\n

There is a part of you that is aware of all of it.<\/strong>
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

That capacity to notice without immediately becoming consumed by what we notice is something we can strengthen.<\/p>\n

If you’d like to explore the Wheel of Awareness more deeply, this will form part of our live teaching in the next Awakened Woman Circle.
\nTuesday, 6th October | 18:30 SAST<\/p>\n

Explore\u00a0The Wheel of Awareness<\/a><\/p>\n

Join The Awakened Woman Circle<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

WHAT'S COMING UP<\/h2>\n

There are a few beautiful opportunities to gather in October.<\/h2>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

\u00a06 OCTOBER<\/p>\n

THE AWAKENED WOMAN CIRCLE<\/strong>
\n\u00a0
\nOur monthly online space for women to pause, reconnect and stay awake together.<\/p>\n

[LEARN MORE \/ JOIN THE CIRCLE]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

10 OCTOBER<\/strong><\/p>\n

COME MEET YOURSELF<\/strong>
\n\u00a0
\nThe first doorway into The Awakened Woman Trilogy.
\nA day of stepping away from the noise and beginning the journey back towards yourself.<\/p>\n

[COME MEET YOURSELF]<\/a><\/p>\n

THE AWAKENED WOMAN TRILOGY<\/strong>
\n\u00a0
\nCome Meet Yourself \u2192 Come Know Yourself \u2192 Come Home to Yourself
\nThree experiences. One unfolding journey home.<\/p>\n

[EXPLORE THE TRILOGY]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Behind The Scenes<\/h2>\n


\n\"Image
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

And somewhere amongst all the learning, talking, travelling, facilitating and building this month…<\/p>\n

I danced.<\/p>\n

One evening in Oxford included conscious dance, a live DJ and immersive soundscapes with AJOIA.<\/p>\n

And somewhere between all the conversations about trauma, healing and the nervous system was this beautiful reminder:<\/p>\n

Healing isn’t only about understanding what has hurt us.<\/p>\n

It is also about remembering what makes us feel alive.
\n\u00a0
\nMore of that, please.<\/strong><\/p>\n

September Affirmation<\/h2>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

We were never meant to do life alone. \ud83e\udd0d<\/h2>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Consciously,<\/em><\/p>\n

Bronwyn Russo
\nClinical Psychologist
\nM.A. Clin. Psych. (Curtin University, Australia)<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

View the original newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Community, courage, and action: reflections on connection and the steps we take toward a more conscious life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24960,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conscious-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24985"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24985\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24986,"href":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24985\/revisions\/24986"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronwynrusso.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}