Why Hummingbird Consulting?

The hummingbird is a symbol of my leadership journey and the qualities I want to foster in the world.

Author Elizabeth Gilbert beautifully showcases the unique “hummingbird path” on how to find passion in her talk from Oprah’s SuperSoul Sessions: “Don’t Chase Your Passion and Maybe You’ll Find It.”

She explains that there are two types of people—those who know their passion from early on (the “jackhammers”) and the rest of us (the “hummingbirds”).

We hummingbirds follow our curiosity, flitting from flower to flower, exploring many paths and cross-pollinating along the way.

Eventually we look up and realize that we are exactly where we are supposed to be and living our passion.

Hummingbirds are 100% Unique

They’re the smallest birds in the world (including one that barely tips the scales at two grams) and they can’t walk or hop at all (though they do use their legs to perch and shuffle side to side).

They make up for their lack of mobility on the ground with their agility and versatility in the air: hummingbirds are the only birds who can fly backwards, and they turn and pivot gracefully as they flit from flower to flower.

They also feature in the folklore and symbolism of some Indigenous cultures, and it’s easy to see how they have been known to represent joy, playfulness, resilience, and adaptability.

Hummingbirds also rest very deeply.

They don’t sleep and they don’t hibernate. Instead, they go into a deep sleep called torpor (pronounced TOR-per). In torpor, their heart rate and metabolism slow down, they fluff their feathers out for better insulation and they rest and recover after a big day of flitting about.

Doesn’t that sound divine?

I didn’t always know I wanted to be a Resilience and Leadership coach.

In fact, it’s taken me a LONG time to get clarity on my values, purpose, and vision.

My “hummingbird path” has included:

  • Technical skill development (think: civil engineering, business analysis, information architecture for intranets),

  • Exploration of personal interests (think: Qoya Movement, Permaculture, Dream Interpretation, Visual Arts, Music),

  • Physical activity (think: ice skating, snowboarding, hiking, canoeing, swimming), and

  • My personal healing journey (think: Byron Katie, 12-step programs, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Reiki, Spiritual Response Therapy, Coaching, Resilience Toolkit, and Shamanic Healers).

Maybe You Feel Like A Hummingbird Too?

I want to encourage others on their own hummingbird journey of exploration and productivity alongside deep rest and recovery. Learn more about who I work with over at Is This You? and How it Works.