Dr. Leslie Davis greets the audience from her car, explains background noises, mentions she's with her son, and invites viewers to say where they're joining from before introducing today's topic.
Dr. Leslie Davis greets the audience from her car, explains background noises, mentions she's with her son, and invites viewers to say where they're joining from before introducing today's topic.
She introduces the question 'Where do you belong?' and begins telling a personal story about getting sick, taking a long break from jiu jitsu, and preparing to return to training.
Dr. D recounts walking back into the gym after her break, feeling like she was 'at home,' and reflects that the sense of belonging often comes from people in that space.
She challenges viewers to consider what spaces and people make them feel at home, explains signs of belonging like authenticity and warmth, and advises using those relationships for grounding.
Dr. Leslie talks about navigating spaces where you don't belong, suggests reflection, conversation, or letting go when needed, ties it to the month's theme of letting go, gives practical reminders about hydration and heat, and closes the video.
Hello Cadre, it's me Doctor D and I'm on the go again. So if you hear traffic, I'm actually parked so I'm safe. I am actually waiting on some pizza. Don't judge me. It's lunchtime. I also just picked up my son who is sitting right next to me in the car. This is our kind of like our little sanctuary. We spend a lot of time together in the car and I think. I think that's pretty interesting too, because that's something I used to do with my mom. So I think that's just the single mom life. We're always on the go, always have things to do.
And so our kids have to come with us, although he's an adult now, but we still do a lot of things together. So he is here listening in. So as you are joining or if you're watching the replay, if you're watching the replay, drop a little coffee emoji, let me know that you were here because I do watch them. and let me know where are you joining from. So I am in the Midwest in Illinois, close to St. Louis, but on the Illinois side is what I like to say. And today our topic is about where do you belong?
So let me tell you a little story. And of course, it's jujitsu related, but it's about connection and relationships. So about a little less than two weeks ago, I got pretty sick. I caught some kind of virus. You probably heard it while I was talking last week. Kind of lost my voice. And I was out of the gym for about 12 days, which is a really long time for me. Typically, I train five to six days a week. Jiu jitsu is like my life, right? And so for me to be gone for almost 2 weeks was out of the norm.
I don't think I've ever been away from the gym that long in nine years of training. So it felt weird. And yesterday I was able to go back. And when I walked back into the gym, I remember that feeling like it was something I never experienced before when I had been going consistently. But because I had such a long break and when I stepped back into the room, I was like, I feel like I'm at home. Like, have you ever had that feeling where you walk into a space and you're like, this is home? And that can be a variety of places.
It could be church, it could be your job. Like some people feel like work is family. It could be any group that you belong to, but the building itself, it just feels like home. And I think what really makes it feel like home is the people. So I remember when I walked in last night, the first person I saw was my coach. He's one of my, I call him my little brother. And I was just so happy to see him. And he was happy to see me too. So if you ever watch my training videos, you'll see us training together.
But I remember that feeling and it's something that I don't always experience, but when I do, it is memorable. And so I just want to challenge you to think, where do you experience the sense of belonging? and what does that feel like? For me, feeling like I belong was feeling like I could be myself. I could show up authentically. I could show up without any I don't need permission to be myself, I'll say. I also showed up in a space where it felt warm inside, like a warm hug inside and being able to give that love right back.
You know, that's where I know I belong. And so I want to challenge you to think about what are those spaces for you? Who are those people that are home for you as well? You know, are there a couple of people that come to mind, even if it's just one person? And I want you to lean on that, you know, you're feeling If you're feeling like I don't know what's happening in my life, I need to be grounded. I need a foundation. Sometimes you got to pull away because that's when you realize where you're supposed to go.
So being disconnected for a little bit is not a bad thing because it gives you space to recognize what that feels like to be alone, not lonely, but just alone, having space to yourself, recognizing who you are and how you want to show up. But when you return to the spaces that you're used to being in, just kind of give yourself like a heart check. Do I feel like I belong here or not? And if you're in a space where you don't feel like you belong, I will challenge you too to navigate that with some more reflection and take your time.
It doesn't mean that you have to step away right away. Maybe there's some things that need to change. Maybe you need to have some conversations with people that you haven't talked to about how you've been feeling. Or maybe it is the time that that group of people or that space served its purpose and it's time to move on to the next thing. And that's all a part of letting go, right? That's our theme for this month is letting go. So Don't let go of the people that still have your heart where you feel like your heart is also connected.
But if it's time to let that go, it's okay because there's something else coming and there might already be someone there waiting for you. All right. I hope you guys have a wonderful day. I do not have coffee, although I did have some earlier, but I do have my water because it's still hot in the Midwest. We have another heat wave this week, so y'all stay hydrated, okay? And I will catch you next time. All right, have a good day. Bye.
