Leesa McGregor's passion is to create awareness about teaching our children from an early age, how to connect with their hearts and with those of others. This inspired her to create a book with a new alphabet to nudge us to become aware of all of humanity. She also has the desire to re-instill that love for nature so a better world can be created of all of humanity.
Book: A New Alphabet For Humanity
written by Leesa McGregor
illustrated by Daniela Sosa
Visit her website: www.AlphabetforHumanity.com
Watch the Episode 10 video on our YouTube channel Moving To Oneness: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzEWKXR957EmpmXvG9Ygbhw
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Moving to Oneness, Nourishing Curiosity, Embracing Differences, Becoming One
Denise Hansard 0:17
Hello everyone, welcome to Moving To Oneness podcast via Zoom today so you get to see us. I am Denise Hansard the co-host here in the Chicago area. And in Germany we have?
Meilin Ehlke 1:00
Meilin Ehlke and introducing you today to a wonderful lady. That's why we're on Zoom today everyone it's Leesa McGregor from Vancouver thank you for joining us on the Moving To Oneness show. Thank you. And everyone I got introduced to her through a celebration of a friend, so it's so important that we go out into the world and take the time to celebrate each other. Because suddenly there is something that we can't fathom, so I couldn't fathom that I would get connected with us, beautiful Leesa, and to find out so many beautiful aspects, she does in her life. She is multifaceted, like many of you, and like Denise and me. And today I'll pull out just a little small inkling of her vastness to share with you, to inspire you, and much more. So welcome Leesa and I love to ask you for a moment. What enlightens you in your day? When you wake up.
Leesa McGregor 2:23
Oh, I think what enlightens me, is possibility. And really just this idea that we can create a better world. And we have the capacity within us to really envision that right now. And that's what's really getting me out of bed and that's my excitement. Is just the possibilities for the world we can create as we move forward. So.
Meilin Ehlke 2:50
This is so beautiful and we spoke a lot when we got together last time in a beautiful conversation about landscapes. New visions how to live together in community. How to design businesses with a purpose. So everyone stay tuned for another show. When I'll bring her on again. But today there's something very special to my heart. Leesa just launched a few weeks ago if I'm correct the children's book, an alphabet for humanity. And can you share a little bit more of how you got started. Yeah.
Leesa McGregor 3:33
It's, I have to say it's been one of the most fulfilling and heartwarming things I've ever done. Apart from, you know, raising my family and my sons. It was an incredible experience, I, I've been writing in my journal for more than 10 years now that I wanted to make a difference in systems change, and in particular in education. And I got this idea while I was at the beach last year with my son, he was three. And he looked at me in this, in this moment while we were playing at the beach and it was like his soul was speaking to me. And he was asking me the question, you know, mom. What else have you got for me? And I realized at that point you know I done everything that I thought I was supposed to do. I taught him the alphabet and letters colors numbers, you know, trying to keep up with whatever those milestones are, and it dawned on me in that very moment, you know. Why is it that I haven't taught him words like compassion, or empathy, or diversity? And so in that very moment I got inspired to write a list of alphabet words and they just came streaming through and I wrote this list down and I came home and I shared it with my, my husband. And he was like Leesa this is profound, you've literally rewritten the alphabet. And I started teaching it to my son and it was incredible to me because within a short space of time, like a few days, he literally memorized this new alphabet. And I thought, wow, and I started talking about the concepts. What does compassion mean? What is it? He was all excited about it. And I realized wow there's something here I need to bring this to the world. There's something that was calling me to create something. And so we decided to launch a campaign. We did a Kickstarter project to launch a book. And long story short, you know, fast forward now like six months since that original idea. The book has taken hold. It's been used by educators and parents all around the world and people are just so loving this idea that we're coming back to our shared humanity. And really connecting with our hearts. And that's really sort of what my intention was behind the book. How do we create a heart based education? Because so much of our education system has been focused on the concepts of the mind. And it's been focused on the academic side of life, and it's all sort of in the head. And I you know I was thinking to myself as a woman in my 40s, who's still learning how to connect with my heart. You know how important that is for us to teach our children from an early age, how they can connect with their hearts and how they can connect with the hearts of others. And then the other big piece that I'm really passionate about is how do we re instill that love for nature and that connection with nature. And I feel like you know that's a big piece for the future of our education for children. And so it's a it's been a wonderful project and yeah I'm just very passionate about this idea that we can transform education and create a better world through what we're actually teaching around the concepts of really a heart based education.
Denise Hansard 6:43
I love that. And I have a lot of friends who are teachers here in the United States. And they have that connection to their students coming from the heart and yet there's a curriculum that they have to follow. It's that box that they have to stay into because of our organization in the system. Of where we have to check it off we did this, this is just to get funding etc and everything like that. And so the whole aspect of bringing the heart back into it. Not from a teacher's love and the children's love for them or anything like that. But as a program to teach you know as a part of that holistic viewpoint of where our system, which I love the educational system and how we can make it even better, and expand it out.
Leesa McGregor 7:39
Absolutely. And that's the exciting part is, that we're moving into this new paradigm and we're all recognizing the social and emotional learning aspects. And I always say, you know, I'm the same as you, I have all these friends that are teachers, and they are the change makers they are the stewards of this new generation. And I agree I mean I think that this is really where the paradigm shift can happen. You know, moving away so much on the focus of the standardized tests and all of the you know the core components. And how do we shift into, you know more of the aspects of the heart and creativity and character development and like virtues and values? And, and I think, you know, that's what's interesting. How do we make the education system better just by providing these tools and these resources. Actually one of the reasons I decided to write the book, because I thought as a busy parent, I would get to the end of the day sometimes and I feel so sad, because I realized, I didn't teach my son anything meaningful today. I wanted something that would allow me to get to the end of the day and have a tool that I could use to really create and spark those meaningful conversations. And I really close the loop on what the education system is starting to bring about as far as social emotional learning. So yeah it's very exciting times, it's very exciting times.
Denise Hansard 9:01
I love that. person lovely. I'm sorry Meilin.
Meilin Ehlke 9:05
I am so excited we all want to talk and once everyone. If you could see all our faces. Whoever is listening, I would love you, at Leesa to open the book, and maybe read a few pages and show them.
Denise Hansard 9:21
I want to know, as we always know A is for Apple. So what is A for?
Leesa McGregor 9:25
That is a great question. This is one of my favorite scenes, actually. A is for abundance. Abundance is knowing there is enough for you, and enough for me. The more that I give to others, the more I receive.
Leesa McGregor 9:29
I just got chills on that one. Thank you, oh my god that is beautiful.
Meilin Ehlke 9:48
I want M for for Meilin and Moving To Oneness. And Love...
Denise Hansard 9:55
Oh, yeah.
Leesa McGregor 10:00
M is for mindful. Mindful is noticing what is happening inside of me and around me. I am mindful when I take a moment to pause and breathe.
Denise Hansard 10:12
It is wonderful. That is wonderful. I mean, what I was gonna say before is, our education system has worked for us for these many many many hundreds and thousands of years. And so now it's not that we're going to throw as I say, kind of it's a southern version, you know, we don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. You know? What enhances take. What has worked before and enhance it into this new paradigm, this new shift, this new world that we're all going into. And I have two grand nieces and a grand nephew, and my oldest grand niece is almost five. She is, I mean they're all extremely brilliant, I'll just say it now. But what I'm seeing with children that are younger, is the aptitude that they have for curiosity for learning and expression and creativity. There is no worm, bug, snake anything dead on the ground or alive, that she won't pick up and go. What about this? Yeah, so it's creating from there.
Leesa McGregor 11:30
It's incredible and I sent that too, you know the profound depth of these little beings, these little humans that are coming into the world right now. It is all just incredible. You know, and I just feel. I see the same thing I'm just I'm excited about it. I'm excited about just how we can continue nurturing that. You know I've been really inspired by Sir Ken Robinson the fellow that really unleashed one of the biggest TED Talks, you know, of all times really talking about creativity in the school system. And really how we how we can harness that within our children. Really just to continue inspiring the creativity, and you know it's exciting and I think also the big piece too, is moving away, like I've been thinking about this myself and my husband. This whole paradigm of the competition that takes place in education and the competing for the right grades. And then I listened to another TED talk that was talking about how, you know, children can also shape their, their identity through a mark right if they get a bad grade. And I know for myself I mean what I actually realized as I started to inquire even deeper as to why this project meant so much to me. I thought about when I graduated from school and I don't remember having, you know, thinking much of myself. You know my marks were average, I didn't think I was smart, I just certainly didn't think I was creative. And I remember in my 20s I went through a lot of anxiety because I was doing very well in my career we're I built a technology company. I was working with engineers, but I had this massive anxiety because I didn't actually believe that I was smart enough to work with those people. And little did I know that these, you know as I started to think more about it I'm like wait a minute these people actually wouldn't have a job if I didn't build the company. So it was, and I actually got this idea from a Harvard professor that was talking about how we all have multiple forms of intelligence, and we certainly cannot label ourselves by saying we're only you know we're not smart, when in actual fact the intelligence takes on so many forms. And so I realized that, that's why I'm so passionate about this, it's like how do we change the paradigm. So we're not labeling our children as smart or not smart and we can encourage those multifaceted aspects of children.
Leesa McGregor 13:48
Yeah, and the other one is self love I'll share with you. Meilin you're asking me about love. I'm in a particular book that I this particular scene I wrote. Love is loving is treating people with respect and gentle care. And when I love myself, my love for others grows and grows. This whole concept of self love right and self appreciation and self compassion. I can, I can talk about that for hours.
Meilin Ehlke 14:16
You know, I believe, children they already full of love every being. That's my big thing. We are love. When we are light, and we shine bright and we're in touch and in tune with anything that exists. That's why children are not afraid to pick up anything, you know, they get if afraid because they observe us. And what I love about your book, and the vocabulary, is that you picked up words that are really in the principles of the purpose I should say, of the cosmos. People always ask what is my purpose? So your words, for each letter, that's the purpose to live, and everyone has a little different aspect of it or different words they pick. Life is so simple, and you're touching on that. Right? And also, the idea of the parent reading this book. Right, they're reading it to their children so you as a parent, please observe how do you treat your child, or how do you listen to your child. So when my son is now 13 but I remember when he was little. He is very wise and he was then very wise. He said words with two and three or he would do certain things were first I had to reflect or remember other people could not understand because he would push someone out of a situation that was not good for that person yeah for that child. So they already come with extreme knowledge because once they are still connected, they have not pulled together, children. Especially until the age of seven, they only see love, they don't have boundaries about things. In kindergarden they have to draw into little things into the boundaries. There we teach them really to become more narrow minded. And so everyone out there, take time and what is even a 2 year old say? Is he channeling? And I think we can see that a lot now with music shows. You know there are all these talent shows, where through talents like this finally, they can say: "Oh a 10 year old can sing like an opera singer". They have so much more than just singing, they give us wisdom and they can feel us. The parent can take time to feel your child, and not let it work in your style or the style you have lived. Take some time here and there just to observe. Become aware of how your child acts. And I think your book, in that moment, a parent gets a new visual or new hint, or inspiration to take a different look. So what is love for my child and what is love for me. Yeah, I think you can become as the reader also a child.
Denise Hansard 17:30
That's what I was gonna say is, as we as parents, or caretakers or whatever, read the book to children, we reflect it back to ourselves. Because how many of us don't need the self love. To have the abundance factor it's like motivational talks, we give ourselves. We get to absorb those also with it. So you, it really isn't just a book for children, it's a book for everyone.
Leesa McGregor 17:57
It's so funny that you say that because when I wrote it, I said: "I secretly encoded this book for the parent". And I even have a fellow in India, believe it or not, who actually was working, has been working with the Dalai Lama, and he says Lisa I'm going to use this book for executive leadership training. He says we need to get people back connected with your hearts and we need to remind them what it means to live a happy meaningful fulfilling life. And it's absolutely true, that was my secret agenda behind the book was to tap these little reminders around how to live that meaningful life and heartfelt life. And you know it's it's exciting to me because I think, you know, a lot of us as parents, we're craving this. And grandparents right, grandparents want to teach? They want to instill values. And we also underestimate how incredibly intelligent these little beings are, you know. It's just like you said Meilin it's just they have so much within them.
Leesa McGregor 18:57
I'll tell you this really quick story. I was working out with my son and we had this little workout bench one day we were exercising together and it's one of the things we love doing together. And the poor little guy he fell off the bench and he hit his head. And thankfully he was okay. And we were driving in the car and I said: " You know Max, I said mommy had so much empathy for you when you fell and hit your head I said I just, I felt so sad I you know I really had so much empathy". And he goes: "Mom". He goes: " You had a little bit of empathy for me but you had a lot of compassion". You know like nearly veered the car off the road I'm thinking oh my goodness I mean this absolutely is a testament that these young beings, they get that they get these words they get the concepts. Yeah, it's just profound to me. It's profound, just to, to see that they, they have so much capacity within them. We are planting those seeds in those formative years as you say Meilin this is the time when their subconscious is being imprinted, and why not just imprint them with all of the goodness, you know as much as we can.
Meilin Ehlke 20:09
Yeah, I love that idea. While you were speaking it came right, what kind of vocabulary do we use as a parent, or in a relationship with a partner so that our children can observe. And this provides new vocabulary. I'm a big believer, to improve to observe what words we speak to each other. And that our children are inclusive. Like in a big ring. Too often I see that are the two parents and children are separate. And through your book you support people in moving into this circle. This embracement, where they can uplift each other and start communicating different and also the respect of the communication and the respect of each other because we're so aware of the beauty and spirituality or light in each other.
Denise Hansard 21:21
I mean, what we want to do now and, as we've seen, and we're talking about is this moving to oneness. Which is what we're talking about in this podcast today. Everything that we do is a way in which we see the connection. That is so key, and it's not that far apart. We are one. And it's just the few steps that we take as you're doing within this book for children for ourselves, and even for executives. You know? To be able to say, this is, it's like going back to the basics, as we're creating this new paradigm this new world, a new life. Personally, professionally it's about going back to the basics. We never want to throw anything away that worked before. We want to enhance it and shift it to encompass, what is going on now, and what our future will be. So, this is beautiful.
Meilin Ehlke 22:21
As you said before also Denise, what is so nice is that they are our future, the children. Right, and they're moving us. How do we want to move all of us together? Even if we move to oneness. Yeah, Leesa you mentioned yeah they're our future. So how can we support them now to be the future for us?
Leesa McGregor 22:49
It it's profound even what you just shared Denise I am I so resonate I mean just this idea that we're all learning how to come back to oneness. And I had a really profound insight after the book. Once we did the big campaign and did the Kickstarter and the book was finished. I needed a little time to rest because it was a pretty big project. Last year we went to Australia and I decided you know I'm just going to spend all my day in nature with my son. I got another profound insight during that time, when I realized that I feel like all of the world's problems could be solved by reconnection. I got this idea that it's it's the reconnection to our hearts. It's reconnecting to the hearts of each other, and reconnection to nature. And what's been profound, even from having that realization I've been part of a leadership program called 'Other Regenerators Leadership Training'. And it's all about you know how do we create this regenerative sustainable future. And we just went through a training talking about how we're in this time where we're actually healing the story of separation. You know the story that was, you know, thousands of years ago we had access to the intelligence of the heart and our connection to nature. And then through the ages of the scientific age and the industrial age, that is were separation was created. And really this new paradigm I feel is about us healing that connection. And I realized that's even more profound, you know, just that very idea of that we're healing. We're connecting to our hearts again. We're reconnecting to our hearts, we're connecting to the hearts of others, and reestablishing that whole connection.
Denise Hansard 24:31
Yeah and I you know I've been reading a lot about this and thinking about it and having my own kind of downloads with it. And again, it goes back to what I said about education or any of our systems. It's not that we're going to throw the good away. There's good in everything. It's not that we're going to go back to an age where it was a Little House on the Prairie and we don't have lights, or some technology or anything like that. Our technology is a means for us to have a simpler life. But it's about creating the oneness, even with technology and nature and self and others together. Because as we do that, the expansion of what is and what can be together is going to be a mind blowing. Yeah, I can't even, it's hard to express into words, the vision that I get with this but it's one of those. Technology is important, but let's don't always rely on technology. Let's be one with technology, be curious with technology. Not to allow technology to give us all the answers, because we do have our own answers within us. But understand how that connection is. And definitely going out in nature, Meilin knows I'm a nature girl. So that feeds my soul with everything. So yes, I could go on and on this.
Leesa McGregor 26:01
I love it, I love it and it is it's about the balance right? That's really what we're called too, even as parents. It's striking that balance between harnessing the power of the technology and what that can offer to our children and then how do we make sure that they're staying connected and to their hearts to nature to everything. And just recreating these whole human beings.
Denise Hansard 26:24
That curiosity and imagination. Because that's the part that we don't want to lose. That's where our greatest discoveries come from.
Meilin Ehlke 26:36
Yes, where we to where we are true to ourselves. I remember when we spoke about your book Leesa, children feel the truth. Very much so and so do we. And everyone take your time to see when you do you get drawn to because it starts really at the nucleus, this harmony, the balance that we so desire and I think more than ever before. So, find it within yourself. Yeah, question yourself. Read this beautiful book to your children or read it for yourself or to others in your community. And see how you then have this harmony and this balance and this awareness to any other person or animal or plant. And how it, what it moves within you. How it makes you feel. You will know what is true and even when you were speaking about this, Denise. In technology things that we are already now experiencing. What is important? You will feel it, how much of it, and what can you let go, and what can we let go of society, and our culture. So then we can redesign with our beautiful creativity and our magnitude that we all bring to this earth to create a magical Earth, a beautiful planet.
Denise Hansard 28:12
So Leesa, tell us when your book is going to be out and how people can find you.
Leesa McGregor 28:18
Yeah, so we've launched the book now so it's available, we just actually put it on Amazon, and I've also got a website alphabetforhumanity.com. And we've got some other beautiful things in fact, this is the other thing that I'm excited about right now is, I realized that, you know, the book is is one piece. I had some teachers reach out to me and they said Leesa we love this so much and I put the idea out there to create a heart based curriculum. And they said, Leesa, we want it. Tell us, you know, create this for us. So I've been working with two educators, and we're putting together an entire heart based curriculum that I'm giving away for free because I just believe in just the open source, you know like, let's let's just put this out there. And so I have this children's empowerment kit available online. It's for free. And it really kind of goes into more detail about the words and gifts parents and teachers ideas on how they can teach the concepts. How they can help their children to embody the words that are contained in a new alphabet for humanity. If anyone is interested they're welcome to download that. We've also got some beautiful posters and T-shirts really just talking about all of the beautiful words contained in the book.
Denise Hansard 29:37
Alphabetforhumanity.com?
Leesa McGregor 29:42
I know it's always gonna be the word. The book is 'A New Alphabet For Humanity', but I wanted to keep it simple, for the website so alphabetforhumanity.com
Meilin Ehlke 29:50
We will write those down for everyone to find. So before we close I would love for you to tell us what the O is really quick.
Leesa McGregor 30:01
Yes, I think you'll love this one. Every page just brought tears to my eyes when I was creating it. O is for optimistic. Optimistic is always looking on the bright side of life. I am optimistic when I expect good things to happen.
Denise Hansard 30:23
Leesa, thank you so much for sharing today with us. Your guys, Leesa McGregor, and definitely go to the alphabet for humanity. We'll put that down in the comments of everything. And as we love to say it's about our connection about receiving and knowing that we are connected together as one. So for everyone, if you have not joined us on our Facebook group, please go there. It is Moving To Oneness, it is an open platform. As we share these podcasts, zoom calls and other inspirational information to show that we are all one together, and we would love to have you there with us. Leesa again thank you so much.
Leesa McGregor 31:11
Thank you both.
Denise Hansard 31:12
Meilin thank you and thank you everyone for listening. Have a beautiful day.
Meilin Ehlke 31:33
Thank you. Thank you, Leesa. Thank you, Denise.
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