Thriving Thursdays: A Self-Care Clinic for Digital Ambassadors

With scaring news of the COVID-19 coming to us from all directions causing a high running shared sense of anxiety about the future, the physical distancing and self-quarantine now part of our daily experience while necessary amplifies the loneliness we feel and the fear to achieve our Visions.

World Pulse being an online space on a mission “to create a world where all women thrive…” has come up with an initiative tagged ‘Thriving Thursdays’- a weekly meet-up of Digital Ambassadors to check in, share training resources/tips and celebrate one other.

As the word ‘Thriving’ implies - to prosper, to  grow  and develop vigorously, the Thriving Thursdays weekly call powered by and for the World Pulse digital ambassadors is an online space where 100 women from 25 countries continue to engage together with the tools and resources that have always helped us navigate uncertain times such as COVID-19 pandemic. For every session , Ambassadors confess to have become inspired, motivated and drive the push to grow and develop vigorously.

Exploring so far together on various topics ranging from ‘Moving Forward Together’; ‘Peace Journalism’; ‘Power of Social Media’; ‘Intersectionality approach to Work’;  and ‘Digital Security’; this week’s Thriving Thursdays' session was another great moment for the Digital ambassadors to learn about ‘Online Spaces as a Coping Mechanism Amidst a Crisis’. The session was opened with each ambassador asked to reflect on a fear that possibly lets our vision go unfulfilled and at the same time were asked to exclaim; “My Vision is greater than my Fear!”. What an exclamatory assurance of Victory over challenges and difficulties especially in uncertain times as Novel Coronavirus Pandemic!

Why do you come online? was one of the profound questions for the session.

The Ambassadors got to leant that what is so special about the online space such as World Pulse Thriving Thursdays is that, it is a beautiful clinic we visit in order to find medication and cure of our mental and emotional health. It is a space that sooths our souls as personal and firsthand experiences and learnings are shared relevant to our individual situations. On this space, Ambassadors receive encouragement and counsel. Guidelines on how to live above obstacles are also shared during the sessions. 

As you are aware right now, the top priority of many of us during this pandemic is to come online for business, collaboration or learn new skills. This week’s call session was an eye opener for the World Pulse Digital Ambassadors in terms of realizing that as we navigate through the pandemic, what is most important is putting our physical and mental health first. Yes! your motivation coming online could be to build your capacity to make impact in our society or to learn how to grow your voice, networks and influence, which is fine. We have learnt further during the call that, what is so special about Thriving Thursdays when we leave our businesses, work, meetings and other engagements to come online is that "we gather to take care of ourselves".  Because we believe in the power of our Voices and Stories, we have every reason in a crisis, in a pandemic where we need each other that we come to thrive together to find healing and solace.

We all got to realize the fact that the ‘Thriving Thursdays’ “gives us a sense of responsibility that the online community is just as the offline community” because the World Pulse space connects us both online and offline. As World Pulse Digital Ambassadors, “we are not throwing sisterhood into the wind, we are practicing sisterhood”. In sisterhood is our strength to keep moving on despite all the barriers.  “We are changemakers who are passionate about the people we want to impact”. The Thriving Thursdays gives us the inspiration and motivation that “we can move the mountains that stands before us. We can conquer our fear because “Our Vision is greater than our Fears”.

What these mean to World Pulse Digital Ambassadors is that, the Thriving Thursdays is a meet-up space to which “we need to hold jealously. We need to share openly and let go off the things that are holding us back”. The beauty of the moment is when we become accountability partners.  We need to make commitment to follow at least 3 of our beautiful sisters to connect with them. Find out where they are, how they are and what they are doing.

This call for accountability is a call that resonated with me and with all of us Ambassadors to become accountability partners of not just our sisters but of our time, resources, skills, expertise and energy.

Do you realize that self-care is important for you to carry out your duties as a woman changemaker? Are you lonely and wondering where to find sisterhood to keep going amidst the pandemic? Thriving Thursdays is the Beautiful Clinic you need to visit every Thursday in order to thrive together with sisters of purpose and vision.

Looking forward to many more inspiring and motivating moments ahead.

With HUGS!

Keturah Shammah

Executive Producer

Thriving Thursdays, 18th June 2020