Before we lead with the courage to speak our truth, we need to establish a foundation of support, and the ability to resource. We also need to be able to navigate the challenges of a structural system that was designed to keep a diversity of perspectives out of positions of power, and to maintain and reinforce a dominant culture meant to keep producing in a way that is unsustainable for humans, other living things, and the Earth’s natural resources. We have an inkling of what needs to be done. But without listening to our own truth and having the resources needed to speak it, the systems continue to cause harm while we stand by, feeling helpless.  

The good news is that you can be part of the change. It starts with remembering who you really are and by designing a leadership map that is sustainable to your well-being and circumstance.

This 9-session book club offers a focused exploration of matriarchal leadership, inspired by Matriarch Makeover: A 30-Day Invitation by Maija Danilova West. It is designed for those seeking to reclaim leadership through self-awareness, cultural reclamation, and values-based action.

Participants will:

✅ Explore their personal leadership identity beyond patriarchal models.

✅ Reflect on ancestry, inherited beliefs, and generational cycles of harm and healing.

✅ Develop life-affirming leadership strategies rooted in collaboration, resilience, and justice.

✅ Gain practical tools for community leadership, boundary-setting, and empowerment.

Each session includes guided discussions, personal reflection exercises, and practical applications for leadership transformation.

The foundation: Foundations of Matriarchal Leadership

1. Understanding Matriarchal Leadership

• What is matriarchal leadership? How does it differ from traditional models?

• Exploring leadership beyond motherhood.

• Setting personal intentions for the journey.

2. Identifying Your Leadership Identity

• What does leadership mean to you?

• Recognizing personal values and leadership strengths.

• Overcoming patriarchal conditioning and limiting beliefs.

3. Building Rituals & Resilience for Leadership

• The power of ceremony, breathwork, and nervous system regulation.

• Daily practices for grounding, resilience, and emotional clarity.

• Creating personal leadership rituals for sustainability.

Individual leadership: Healing Lineage & Reclaiming Cultural Wisdom

4. Ancestral Reflection & Healing Family Legacies

• Understanding how ancestry shapes leadership and personal identity.

• Naming and honoring the strengths and struggles in your lineage.

• Recognizing generational trauma and shifting harmful cycles.

5. Transforming Pain into Power

• Naming what you no longer want to make space for what you do want.

• Shifting internalized beliefs about worthiness and leadership.

• Cultivating an empowered, intentional leadership mindset.

Family leadership: Leading in a Changing World

6. Reimagining Leadership Structures

• Challenging dominant cultural leadership traits (perfectionism, urgency, either/or thinking).

• Midwifing & hospicing: Leading through transformation and transition.

• Exploring collaborative, non-hierarchical leadership models.

7. Matriarchs as Community Leaders

• The role of matriarchs in social change and collective healing.

• Building networks of support and mentorship across generations.

• Practicing boundaries, ethical leadership, and accountability.

Community and Ecological Leadership: Legacy, Vision & Future Leadership

8. Embodying Leadership & Cultural Resilience

• Envisioning your leadership impact over the next decade.

• Examining cultural resilience through a lineage perspective.

• Understanding how assimilation and identity shape leadership.

9. Closing Circle: Leadership Commitments & Next Steps

• Reflecting on personal transformation and key insights.

• Sharing commitments and intentions for continued growth.

• Building an ongoing leadership practice for sustainable change.

By the end of this course, participants will have:

✅ A clear understanding of their inherited leadership traits and dominant culture conditioning.

✅ Tools for healing, grief work, and accountability in their leadership practice.

✅ A personalized leadership map that centers relational and collective power.

✅ A network of accountability partners (including other sisters who are Matriarchs in the Making!) committed to doing this work together.