The Movement | Who We Work With | Services | Leading with Joy | Contact Us
Change Leadership is far less about the courage to
do something different from others and, far more about the courage to be different from who you're used to being.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
What inspires me to do this work?
The Present
I want to celebrate the everyday unsung heroes I am blessed to be surrounded by in community: Men and women with the uncommon courage to create a different world from the one they grew up in.
Whenever people worry that they’ve “plateaued” — hoping for something better, looking back and wondering, “Is this all there is...?” my definitive answer to them is: “Not at all!! There’s SOoooo MUCH more!!”
My own journey of transformation is a daily reminder of how we’ve barely scratched the surface as a society, for what’s possible in making a daily difference to everyone’s well-being, sense of belonging and fulfillment, and expression of creative genius.
I am inspired by the diverse men and women who transformed my life by showing me a level of creative power in community connection and intimacy that I didn’t even know I was missing. These growing numbers of men and women around the globe recognize the visible and invisible violence against one another in our cultural and family histories, which contribute to deeply ingrained patterns of fear and distrust — at home and in the workplace, both. Yet, these are the everyday heroes who dare to show up to be part of creating new, connective pathways to reconciliation, safety, love, mutual healing, and mutual empowerment.
I am blessed each day to be living and working with conscious creators of a new culture — modeling with and for others what we ourselves had no models for while growing up. It makes my heart sing to serve under-supported leaders carrying silent struggles on their pioneering journeys. My own journey of aligning my personal, professional, and spiritual development paths is dedicated to helping other creative visionaries expand their influence in making deeper change, by transmuting the hidden and non-obvious blocks to their untapped, infinite power.
The Present
I want to celebrate the everyday unsung heroes I am blessed to be surrounded by in community: Men and women with the uncommon courage to create a different world from the one they grew up in.
Whenever people worry that they’ve “plateaued” — hoping for something better, looking back and wondering, “Is this all there is...?” my definitive answer to them is: “Not at all!! There’s SOoooo MUCH more!!”
My own journey of transformation is a daily reminder of how we’ve barely scratched the surface as a society, for what’s possible in making a daily difference to everyone’s well-being, sense of belonging and fulfillment, and expression of creative genius.
I am inspired by the diverse men and women who transformed my life by showing me a level of creative power in community connection and intimacy that I didn’t even know I was missing. These growing numbers of men and women around the globe recognize the visible and invisible violence against one another in our cultural and family histories, which contribute to deeply ingrained patterns of fear and distrust — at home and in the workplace, both. Yet, these are the everyday heroes who dare to show up to be part of creating new, connective pathways to reconciliation, safety, love, mutual healing, and mutual empowerment.
I am blessed each day to be living and working with conscious creators of a new culture — modeling with and for others what we ourselves had no models for while growing up. It makes my heart sing to serve under-supported leaders carrying silent struggles on their pioneering journeys. My own journey of aligning my personal, professional, and spiritual development paths is dedicated to helping other creative visionaries expand their influence in making deeper change, by transmuting the hidden and non-obvious blocks to their untapped, infinite power.
January 17, 2013
I want to celebrate the everyday unsung heroes I am blessed to be surrounded by in community.
This photo with my late beloved partner, Brian, was taken at an ice cream parlor the night before I witnessed his accidental death along with the tragic death of another much loved friend we were traveling with.
Brian was a devoted community builder and leader. Years after his death, he remains an inspiring example to many, of strength in vulnerability and, the loving courage it takes to:
● embrace our uniquely given gifts;
● deepen our connections; and,
● develop our highest potential in community.
My work continues our shared vision.
Brian was a devoted community builder and leader. Years after his death, he remains an inspiring example to many, of strength in vulnerability and, the loving courage it takes to:
● embrace our uniquely given gifts;
● deepen our connections; and,
● develop our highest potential in community.
My work continues our shared vision.
The Past
Although I was born a girl, I’d always thought the phrase, “Boys don’t cry,” was talking to me. One of my earliest childhood memories comes from when I was 3-years old. I was under the kitchen table one evening crying. Through the table and chair legs, I could see my mother standing next to the wall. Her arms and shoulders were clenched tightly. Exasperated, she picked up the phone, clutching it to her ear, looking at me as she said, “If you don’t stop crying, I’m going to call the police to have them take you away.”
On the last day of 3rd grade, my very first autograph book was filled with my classmate and teacher inscriptions:
“Oh Joy — You’re such a joy…."
“What a joy to have in class…"
“Joy to the World!"
“Dear Joy, you’re so perfectly named…"
But, I wasn't happy. Couldn’t anyone tell? My name was my prison before it became my life path. I learned I was supposed to be happy, even if I wasn't. I learned I had to make other people happy, regardless of my pain, regardless of the truth of my experience.
None of us need remain prisoner of other people’s expectations. Nor ought we be living a half-life, fearing people can’t handle our whole truth.
This is why my life path has led to the conscious return to wholeness, to my true joy, and authentic self. My journey of deep transformation affirms our innate capacity — and pragmatic imperative — to restore integrity, and well-being when we honor both the light and the darkness. Embedding this courage to love in mutually empowering connections in community opens into our infinite creative power to remake the world.
Although I was born a girl, I’d always thought the phrase, “Boys don’t cry,” was talking to me. One of my earliest childhood memories comes from when I was 3-years old. I was under the kitchen table one evening crying. Through the table and chair legs, I could see my mother standing next to the wall. Her arms and shoulders were clenched tightly. Exasperated, she picked up the phone, clutching it to her ear, looking at me as she said, “If you don’t stop crying, I’m going to call the police to have them take you away.”
On the last day of 3rd grade, my very first autograph book was filled with my classmate and teacher inscriptions:
“Oh Joy — You’re such a joy…."
“What a joy to have in class…"
“Joy to the World!"
“Dear Joy, you’re so perfectly named…"
But, I wasn't happy. Couldn’t anyone tell? My name was my prison before it became my life path. I learned I was supposed to be happy, even if I wasn't. I learned I had to make other people happy, regardless of my pain, regardless of the truth of my experience.
None of us need remain prisoner of other people’s expectations. Nor ought we be living a half-life, fearing people can’t handle our whole truth.
This is why my life path has led to the conscious return to wholeness, to my true joy, and authentic self. My journey of deep transformation affirms our innate capacity — and pragmatic imperative — to restore integrity, and well-being when we honor both the light and the darkness. Embedding this courage to love in mutually empowering connections in community opens into our infinite creative power to remake the world.
I'd always thought the phrase, "Boys don't cry," was talking to me.
I learned at an early age not to express my emotions. It wasn't safe to, not even when repeatedly bullied.
I was steeped in various forms of disconnection, alienation, hostility, and anger being:
● a child of immigrant political activists from an oppressive government regime and sexist culture;
● a survivor of a near-death-experience after being pushed out a 3rd-story window as an infant;
● a survivor of being violently pushed backwards down a flight of stairs while cradling my brand new puppy;
● “different” from the rest of my family members; and,
● treated as a “second-class citizen” in the U.S. as a minority, among other early influences.
I was steeped in various forms of disconnection, alienation, hostility, and anger being:
● a child of immigrant political activists from an oppressive government regime and sexist culture;
● a survivor of a near-death-experience after being pushed out a 3rd-story window as an infant;
● a survivor of being violently pushed backwards down a flight of stairs while cradling my brand new puppy;
● “different” from the rest of my family members; and,
● treated as a “second-class citizen” in the U.S. as a minority, among other early influences.
The Future
As a friend of mine once put it: "Leap, and your life will appear."
I’m inspired by opportunities to turn people's “Fear of the Unknown” into experiences of “Magic in the Mystery.”
As automatic as our desires may be, for control, security, and familiarity, our unconscious survival impulses often run counter to achieving our higher aspirations. When we limit the expression of our own unique gifts, we limit who we can, in turn, touch, inspire, and support in reaching their fullest potential.
Why rob ourselves of a future built on the best of who we are and what we have to give?
Opening to the arena of new possibility is an act of creation itself. It doesn’t simply invite unexpected gifts to emerge from the Unknown. It is a gift of self-permission to claim our full power in any moment.
To stand securely in our awareness of infinite choice in each moment, we reshape the future by living into a new possibility. Unplannable “magic,” spontaneous breakthroughs, life-changing encounters and insights thus have a space to expand us, lift us, connect us, and renew us.
A paradigm shift is always waiting to happen, effortlessly, when we allow ourselves to look beyond what we think we know and move beyond illusions of rationality and control.
I’ve spent a lifetime of making choices that others would not — not as acts of rebellion. I remain curious to meet and get to know the fears, judgments, and hidden shame stories which stop many people from moving toward what they dream and yearn for.
What is hidden, unseen, non-obvious, and not-yet-known is already here, part of the infinite ‘whole’ — inherently available for us to access.
I am inspired by the transformations waiting to be born through people — in part, based on what they already “know” but, primarily facilitating what they didn’t know was possible. I love helping others adventure into a future far better than they imagined possible.
As a friend of mine once put it: "Leap, and your life will appear."
I’m inspired by opportunities to turn people's “Fear of the Unknown” into experiences of “Magic in the Mystery.”
As automatic as our desires may be, for control, security, and familiarity, our unconscious survival impulses often run counter to achieving our higher aspirations. When we limit the expression of our own unique gifts, we limit who we can, in turn, touch, inspire, and support in reaching their fullest potential.
Why rob ourselves of a future built on the best of who we are and what we have to give?
Opening to the arena of new possibility is an act of creation itself. It doesn’t simply invite unexpected gifts to emerge from the Unknown. It is a gift of self-permission to claim our full power in any moment.
To stand securely in our awareness of infinite choice in each moment, we reshape the future by living into a new possibility. Unplannable “magic,” spontaneous breakthroughs, life-changing encounters and insights thus have a space to expand us, lift us, connect us, and renew us.
A paradigm shift is always waiting to happen, effortlessly, when we allow ourselves to look beyond what we think we know and move beyond illusions of rationality and control.
I’ve spent a lifetime of making choices that others would not — not as acts of rebellion. I remain curious to meet and get to know the fears, judgments, and hidden shame stories which stop many people from moving toward what they dream and yearn for.
What is hidden, unseen, non-obvious, and not-yet-known is already here, part of the infinite ‘whole’ — inherently available for us to access.
I am inspired by the transformations waiting to be born through people — in part, based on what they already “know” but, primarily facilitating what they didn’t know was possible. I love helping others adventure into a future far better than they imagined possible.
As a friend of mine once put it, "Leap, and your life will appear."
On a motorcycle, behind my guide, winding along Australia’s Great Ocean Road, I can’t wipe the grin off my face. Soaking up the sun, wind, sights, and breathtaking smells, I thank myself for saying, “Yes!” to this last-minute, one-in-a-lifetime, impromptu trip, halfway around the world.
Without plans, a routine, a traveling companion, or road map when I arrived, the truth about the infinite possibilities we all have in every moment — to love what we do and to love who we’re with — became self-evident. And, life-guiding.
This was my "dress rehearsal" for transplanting myself across the country. Amidst systems failures still unraveling from the 2008 financial crisis, I chose to leave the comfort and security of the life I’d known, without an employer or relationship to land in. Heeding "the call" — to “be the change I seek in the world.”
10 days Down Under was my turning point — to commit to what it means to be alive every day, to make each moment matter and, to wholeheartedly embrace our choices as a conscious creators of our own experiences.
Without plans, a routine, a traveling companion, or road map when I arrived, the truth about the infinite possibilities we all have in every moment — to love what we do and to love who we’re with — became self-evident. And, life-guiding.
This was my "dress rehearsal" for transplanting myself across the country. Amidst systems failures still unraveling from the 2008 financial crisis, I chose to leave the comfort and security of the life I’d known, without an employer or relationship to land in. Heeding "the call" — to “be the change I seek in the world.”
10 days Down Under was my turning point — to commit to what it means to be alive every day, to make each moment matter and, to wholeheartedly embrace our choices as a conscious creators of our own experiences.
VITAL SHIFTS: FROM FINITE TO INFINITE POWER
Our mission is to help leaders transmute fear of change to accelerate new culture change.
Are you ready to lead big change with more joy?
Are you ready to lead big change with more joy?
Joy Chiu
M.P.A., Leadership Studies Specialization
Thinking global, acting local - where "local" begins within ourselves.
Thinking global, acting local - where "local" begins within ourselves.
My professional history spans private, public and non-profit sectors, from small business environments to multinational corporations, in the arts and sciences, both. I've inhabited the worlds of production, research, customer service, change management, policy development, and strategic planning.
I see leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs alike wrestling with change efforts fraught with external systems complexity. I help you shift your underlying internal struggles so you can move beyond old cultural programming and hidden fears which hinder the deeper, broader, bigger change you yearn for.
When we give ourselves permission to honor the full truth of our inner experience, we access hidden power to serve everyone’s optimal performance.
I see leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs alike wrestling with change efforts fraught with external systems complexity. I help you shift your underlying internal struggles so you can move beyond old cultural programming and hidden fears which hinder the deeper, broader, bigger change you yearn for.
When we give ourselves permission to honor the full truth of our inner experience, we access hidden power to serve everyone’s optimal performance.
"Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
~ Howard Thurman
VITAL SHIFTS supports fundamental change at the systems level through embodied practices of mutual empowerment at the personal level. We guide the integration work required to move from finite to infinite sources of power. Helping you transmute fear of change, bringing love and safety to risk-taking as the new mark of leadership, we accelerate the movement of your desires into reality in community.
© 2016 VITAL SHIFTS, LLC