August Founder's Letter
August 2023
Dear Friends,
When I attended the University of Santa Monica for three years to get my Master’s in Spiritual Psychology one of the principles that struck me the most was this: “How you relate to the issue is the issue, or, how you relate with yourself while you go through the issue is the issue and opportunity.”
This is a profound teaching. One that was further emphasized when I read Viktor Frankl’s work, “Man’s Search for Meaning”. One of the quotes in his book, which I highly, highly recommend you read, is this:
“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Abby Stern, Byron Katie, Gina Murdock and Nicole Lindstrom at Lead With Love 2019 in Aspen, CO
I have been profoundly influenced and inspired by Frankl’s work and his unfortunate personal case study. Frankl, along with millions of others, was caught in one of the most horrific scenarios I can imagine - losing his family and almost his own life in the deplorable conditions of the Nazi war camps. He came out of that experience more convinced than ever that between what he calls stimulus - perhaps a guard beating you almost to death when you’re already freezing and starving - and response, we have the freedom to choose how we respond. If he and some others could choose kindness and love when faced with these miserable conditions, can’t I choose love when I am upset by something in my life? I can.
LWL founder Gina Murdock & Kevin Courtney at Lead With Love 2018 in Aspen, CO.
When we hosted the teacher and author Byron Katie at Lead with Love in 2019 I was again mesmerized by this teaching. In her book, “Loving What Is” Katie talks about our freedom to choose. Her methodology is called “The Work” and it is simple (not easy!) and requires that we look deeply at our stories and how we are perceiving or holding things and how that makes us feel and act. Her inquiry leads us down a path to ask, “Is it true?”. Just the exercise of asking, inquiring deeper, allowing perceptions to shift and soften can bring profound freedom. The freedom to choose is everything. When we have the wisdom and creativity to look at things differently and let go of conditioned responses that say things are bad and wrong we can be free. This takes time and skill and is something that of course is so much harder when something like life and death are on the line.
For my friend Kevin, a presenter at our 2018 Lead with Love Summit, his life is on the line. He has a cancer diagnosis that is quite serious. When I started reading and listening to what he was sharing about his diagnosis, it reminded me once again of this choice that we have every day. His posts ended with the hashtag #thankyoucancer #Iloveyoucancer. He is showing me that he has the power to choose love, gratitude, kindness and learning from this diagnosis. He is not wasting his time hating cancer and blaming cancer for ruining his life. He is using cancer to expand his awareness, to evolve and to share wisdom with others. I was so inspired by what he is sharing online (@kevinjcourtney) I wrote my column in The Aspen Times about Kevin this month. You can read it HERE.
I hope this letter finds you well and full of love, gratitude and peace. If not, take a moment to think about the ways you can choose those qualities versus what may be present - judgement, blame, resentment, stress… and enjoy your day. We only get this day once!
Check out the links below and jump onto our Instagram channel as well (@ileadwithlove) as I have personally been sharing some bits of life there and would love to connect with you!
A Lead with Love Retreat in Italia Sept 23-30!
We are incredibly excited to announce we are back in business hosting retreats! I’ve (Gina) been spending more time in Europe these days and I felt a strong desire to host a gathering of friends in Italy this year. "La Dolce Vita" or sweet life in Italy with a focus on food, family, fun and friends, speaks to me. I found the perfect venue that I can not wait to share with you. It's going to be really special.
Me and my beautiful soul sister Elisa Bava plus a friend and mentor of mine Dr. Miles Reid + other special guest teachers will be co-hosting this Lead with Love Retreat Sept 23-30, 2023. Please email me directly here if you get that, “I am IN!!!” feeling once you see the place. Space is super limited so let me know soon if you feel called to join us.
Our annual Lead with Love summit in Aspen and other retreats around the world always felt so good and I want to be part of that energy again. I hope you will save the dates Sept 23-30, 2023 and join us!
With Love and Gratitude to each of you for the preciousness that is you.
Gina