Why every story needs to be told

Count Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll a huge fan of Audrey Cavenecia.

“Audrey saw my passion for wanting to amplify other people and knew how to turn it into a company,” Carroll told Forbes magazine. It’s her expertise and vision that have made this
possible. When I get around people with that kind of ability, I want them on my team.”

Cavenecia, a Seattle resident, is the chief content officer, podcast producer and host for Amplify Voices, an online media company Carroll founded to spotlight inspiring leaders and champion diverse voices. Cavenecia and Carroll’s daughter, Jaime Davern, helped him launch the company last year.

Prior to Amplify Voices, Cavenecia worked alongside motivational speaker and author Tony Robbins and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, among others, to develop and build major brands through storytelling. She believes stories are powerful tools to create change and highlight compassion. She has said that she is obsessed with her “big, bold, all-natural hair.”

Leadership

Humility, resilience and decisiveness, specifically in the current climate. The leaders who are straddling the fence of today planning for the “return to normal” have already demonstrated their irrelevant perspective for what we need going forward. A good leader has accepted the challenge we are in and is intently planning for tomorrow.

Overrated Traits

Overrated leadership qualities are the ones that have been most rewarded. Being cutthroat, aggressive and taking risks at all costs for the bottom line.

Barriers

Being a fighter without betraying one’s own integrity. Better stated, “To thine own self be true.” The current awakening has revealed to women that we have been mimicking male behavior to compete. Going forward, it is crucial to building our endeavors to be as organic, authentic and inclusive as possible.

Prominence

The most efficient way is to declare and demand a more prominent role. Women are pretty oriented around proving their worth, and then wait to be noticed. We simply no longer have the luxury of time to wait until that happens. We have got to get comfortable with demanding our due.

Lessons Learned

Shame is irrelevant when you are building a vision. The female identity has been forged on guilt, and it is our oppressor. We need to prove we are “worthy,” but only from the floor, or under the ceiling of shame, do we need to prove we are “worthy.” Liberate yourself from guilt and watch yourself soar. 

Also, “find your people.” You must walk away from untenable cultures, and you will not fix unhealthy people. Don’t waste your passion, and don’t allow people to steer you from your intuition. 

Finally, it is possible to be both humble and a force of nature. Humility, by my definition, is the ability to remain open to receiving regardless of the turmoil. And being a force of nature is not the same as being forceful.

Advice

Trust yourself, take care of yourself and believe in your community. Rinse and repeat.

The female identity has been forged on guilt, and it is our oppressor. Liberate yourself.

Networking

Networking, not so much. Building a community is everything. Any leader in any company will tell you that it is complicated to market your message in these times. The internet is vital for success, yet the internet is dominated by noise and distractions. We need to return to the basics of who we are and what we know as humans. That is community. Building authentic communities that support aliveness and togetherness.

I don’t consider networking to have the same quality for humanity as building and caring for a community. I expand my contacts by finding out what purposes are people fulfilling and finding ways to co-create.

Do Differently

It’s simple. Prioritized healing in my leadership and have applied compassionate patience toward myself. You simply are not being a responsible human if you are in a leadership position and not doing healing work, and I know that now. And, even though the business world has pummeled women, I still believe the most burdensome has been the force I applied to myself. Pushing myself constantly but not listening to me. I also know that now.

Unwind

Swaying on my incredible swing chair, holding one of my Xoloitzcuintlis [a dog breed] overlooking Puget Sound and feeling immense joy.

Autobiography Title

“The Other Audrey, Not Hepburn”