Feminine energy has become a bit of a buzzword in the self-development world but how does it relate to business?
Hypermasculinity has been the norm traditionally and within that, there has been no room for women in the workplace to truly flourish and lean into their natural, softer traits.
Embracing feminine energy can be a game changer if adopted as part of creating a positive company culture. In a leadership context if we are under pressure we can be tempted to lean into our masculine energy. In a challenging situation that might look like being more harsh or critical in our behaviour and communication. When we consciously lean into our feminine qualities the result is very different. We approach a potential issue or conflict from a different energetic place – more compassion empathy and calmness. This can only be a positive thing.
We all have masculine and feminine energy within us, so balancing these energies is the sweet spot to aim for! When we run our business with too much masculine energy we can quickly become burnt out as we neglect our self-care, overwork, and forget to enjoy the work experience.
Feminine energy adds more intuition, creativity, flow, sharing, empathy and inclusion to our business or workplace. And these are the features that are often missing in the current corporate world.
We are traditionally programmed to associate our work and career with typical masculine energetic traits. This is why the term hustle was so popular in the world of female entrepreneurship but now we are seeing a backlash against this and a move towards promoting softer goal setting. It is possible to launch and scale a business in a more sustainable way and in fact if we are in our masculine constantly it can do more harm than good not just to ourselves but to our business.
So why are we now taking masculine and feminine energy more seriously in the business world?
Feminine qualities have historically been viewed as weak or misunderstood with an emphasis on a hustle-based fast paced culture being the route to success. This has created imbalance and for many women led to experiencing burnout.
“I love my masculine side but when you operate 95% of your time in masculine energy as a woman you become burnt out. Evolutionary men are built to thrive on masculine energy, be warlords and embrace danger. Women are created differently; women thrive fully in creativity and flow. Feminine energy is often viewed as weak by society, but this can be further from the truth. Feminine creates humans and nature is feminine energy, these are the most powerful forces in the world, and we are all missing out on them collectively”
Many companies still haven’t understood that women and men function differently and need an individual approach. Often only masculine characteristics are praised in the workspace.
Like nature has its seasons, women are cyclical beings, and we are not created to be alert 24/7 like men. There are times when our masculine energy dominates and there are other times when we need to rest, take it easy and lean into our feminine energy. From this perspective alone it explains why the 40-hour work week is an outdated concept.
Taking all of this into account, it is no wonder that most of my clients are burnt out and they can’t figure out what’s wrong. Everything seems so perfect from the outside and their life should be amazing by today’s societal standards. But they find something is still missing…
Intuition is everything
When we feel unfulfilled at work it is a call to lean into our intuition and this is a key guiding principle when we apply it to leaving employment and embarking on the entrepreneur journey.
What happens is we realise our masculine and feminine energies are out of alignment maybe because we have been in fight or flight mode for too long and we are simply not enjoying what we are doing anymore.
For me personally, the vision of being an entrepreneur came to me because I wanted to create a better work/life balance. Time is the most valuable asset we have, especially for women.
I listened to my intuition and began to explore things that really interested me. I started my business out of a passion for my own self-development. This is how I created Level Up by Iti. I am now operating from a place of purpose and alignment which is something I did not have in my previous corporate career. I have leaned into my vision for what I want from my life, work and the impact I want to make on the world.
The starting point is learning how to trust and lean into your intuition. Intuition plays a huge role in everything I do, it is literally the key to creating a business that is mostly led with feminine energy. A lot of businesses are just run on masculine energy, fast pace, excel spreadsheets and logic, so the results they produce are quite similar. This is the reason why we have so many similar services/products and lots of unhealthy competition in the business world.
Over the years I have noticed that the decisions that I have made leading with my ‘gut feeling’ end up giving much better results in the long run. Whereas the fast-paced decisions that I have made using logic and critical mind often end up producing weak results. The explanation to this is very simple actually: when you tap into your intuition, you open yourself up to new ideas and opportunities that your rational mind may have closed off. Your intuition knows the bigger picture!
Staying connected to a feminine framework on the entrepreneur journey
When we begin the entrepreneur journey there can be a lot to juggle from day-to-day decisions to creating longer-term strategies
I often see clients getting so caught up in trying to do everything at once and replicating what they have learnt in their previous corporate career. They begin in 24/7 hustle mode because perhaps they haven’t learnt there is another way. They feel like if they stop moving and stop learning that they will fail at their business.
Of course, this isn’t the case, and this is why understanding how to balance your feminine and masculine energy will support you.
As an entrepreneur setbacks and struggles are part of the journey. This is where having your masculine container intact is very important. You can’t be in your feminine energy when you are in struggle mode. So, learn how to invest your finances, how to structure your company in a way that it is profitable and how to automate and outsource as much as possible.
One important thing to remember is that you should not be ashamed of asking for help. There sure will be setbacks in your business but out there is a person who already has been through the same issue. Ask for help from your loved ones or reach out to a mentor. A lot of my clients reach out to me because they have issues in their personal life but end up staying with my coaching for longer periods of time because after personal upgrade, they want to uplevel their business or work life with feminine principles.
The first principle of self-development is that the only person I can change is me.
When you are managing your energy, you also must take into consideration the people you are surrounding yourself with. As a business owner you are managing people who might be directly or indirectly connected to your company.
Focusing on managing your mindset with daily habits to support you will ensure that you are more mentally agile and able to deal with different people and manage your business relationships. I have noticed that the more I’m in my feminine flow and certain that everything is working out in my favour, the more it does! This also applies to business partners and companies that I work with. If they resonate and the workflow is good, I’m willing to pay extra for their services. Or if the collaboration with a brand is good then I’m more than happy to add in some extras. I call it positive enhancement, creating win-win for all the parties. I’m a big believer in the energy you mirror out comes back multiplied!
About the author
Iti Malken is a self-development expert for women and the founder of Level Up by Iti.
Through her signature 4-Step Level Up Method, Iti helps high-achieving women reach their full feminine potential, taking quantum leaps rather than linear steps towards their career, business, or relationship goals.
As well as being featured in Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Fabulous, Iti has hosted her Level Up workshops for brands like L’Oréal, The Happiness Planner, Avéne, BioBalance and NutriDream.
