Navigating choices, self-care and sparks of creativity with Dr. Priya Bala-Miller
Are we facing an illusion of choice in our advancement and leadership?
Join us in this conversation with Dr. Priya Bala-Miller, Founder & CEO of Palmyra Partners Consulting Inc.
Together, we unravel the illusion of choice within institutional structures and explore the challenges of balancing career, advancement, family, and self-care.
Priya highlights how embodiment practices, intuition, and finding the right people to support you can redefine your leadership journey and allow women of colour to stay true to their values. She shares her first spoken word piece as a literary vehicle to how creativity can be the spark that ignites your voice and body towards healing.
Listen to the episode here.
03:32 – Priya shares different signposts that have shaped her leadership journey: merit, service, social justice, and transformation. She draws parallels from Hinduism's four life stages and shares how important inner work and mobilization influenced the depth of her leadership over time.
11:58 – She highlights how, after moving to Canada, the struggle of perceptions of South Asian women as oppressed starkly contrasts the strong female archetypes she understood as part of being raised in urban India. Having powerful role models, including her mother, shaped her leadership journey and taught her that waiting for deep rest upon retirement isn't how she wants to approach her leadership.
17:00 – Priya acknowledges the illusion of choice constrained by hierarchical, colonial, and extractive institutions. She emphasizes eliminating choices by drawing on Barry Schwartz's "Paradox of Choice." She calls on women of colour to create self-care beyond conventional practices and explore inner peace by sharing her first spoken word piece.
31:02 – We end the episode with Priya's advice for women of color to explore the mind-body connection, embrace feminine intuition, and trust their instincts. She cautions against assumed allyship and embodies regenerative ways even when you might be the only one leading in this way.
African Proverb: “Before you destroy a bridge, make sure you can swim.”
What steps do you need to reflect on as you make some choices that honour you and your purpose?
