Guts & Grace – Episode 3: Authenticity Is An Act of Self-Love with Ritu Bhasin

This topic is near and dear to me. I feel like my whole life, I’ve been on an epic mission to quiet the voice that tells me who I should be and discover the one that is uniquely an expression of my own soul. That’s why I am so excited to share this conversation with you.

Ritu Bhasin is a friggin’ powerhouse. She is an award-winning speaker, author, and globally recognized expert in diversity and inclusion, women’s advancement, and authentic leadership.

Ritu is known for her expertise in cultural competence, unconscious bias, and neuroscience strategies, and has coached hundreds of professionals, leaders, and executives to be more inclusive. A passionate advocate for authenticity, inclusion, and empowerment, Ritu has won numerous awards for her work, including the City of Toronto’s William P. Hubbard Award for Race Relations in 2014.

Ritu’s Amazon-bestselling book, The Authenticity Principle: Resist Conformity, Embrace Differences, and Transform How You Live, Work, and Lead, was released in the fall of 2017. In the same year, Ritu also co-authored a ground-breaking research study, called Sponsor Effect: Canada, with the Center for Talent Innovation, which examines the experiences that people of colour, Indigenous peoples, and women have with advocacy and sponsorship in the workplace.

Before founding her consulting firm, bhasin consulting inc., Ritu spent ten years in the legal profession, first as a civil litigator and then as the director of legal talent for a preeminent Canadian law firm.

Ritu, who is also an avid yoga and mindfulness teacher and practitioner, lives in Toronto, Canada, but travels all over the world to eat, swim, hike, dance, and work.

So, you can see why I’m excited, right? She lives and breathes this topic, and she absolutely walks the talk. In our 45 minutes together, we jammed about:

• Going beyond the buzzword – what authenticity looks like
• The relationship between authenticity and privilege
• What to do about fear
• How to embrace authenticity in our own lives
• Authenticity as activism

There was a moment in our conversation where I said to Ritu that it often feels like we need to trade our authenticity for a sense of belonging. You know those moments where being yourself feels like a huge risk? Like you’ll lose friends and opportunities if you do it? So many of us, faced with that choice, end up shelving our true selves for the sake of continuing to be a part of the community. Of course we would struggle with that, because we’re wired to thrive in social groups–social connection serves our wellbeing. Ritu’s response was pure magic. Check out the episode below to hear what she has to say about it.

In the comments below, let me know what resonated with you. Let’s get the conversation going!

Connect with Ritu at www.ritubhasin.com & www.bhasinconsulting.com.