Know Thyself

My wish for everyone is that they are able to live the words inscribed in stone 2,500 years ago above the temple of Apollo- “Know Thyself”. 

That everyone feels that they have the freedom, support and safety to know who they are as a human being and then be that person. 

That people can have the courage to know who they are and admit to all they don’t know. 

I don’t know what it is like to have a child who identifies as transgender, gay, lesbian, bisexual, nonbinary and for their rights to be threatened by the government. 

I don’t know what it is like to be fearful of my children learning about gender identity in school. 

I don’t know what it is like to be afraid of my child using a different pronoun at school without me knowing. 

I don’t know what it’s like to be dogmatic in religion or not feel comfortable in my own gender. 

I know myself. And I get to be myself. 

I hope to never know what it’s like to not have that freedom. 

I don’t know what it is like to be in the position to vote on legislature that would have devastating impacts on the mental health of children and teens. 

I don’t know what it is like to allow my fear and misguided empathy to result in a vote that keeps people from feeling safe and free to be themselves in public.

But I do know the statistics:

LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers (Johns et al., 2019; Johns et al., 2020).

The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth. 

My expertise is in mindful leadership. And to be a leader you must first know yourself. 

We want. No. We need more leaders who not only know themselves but believe in accepting everyone else.

To the representatives in Iowa- please vote not from fear but from reason. Not from fringe examples but from reality. 

And to those local to BMK and to those across the country that ask me to work with their organizations, know this- I don’t care about your gender identity or sexuality- I care about who you are as a human being.

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About Becky

Becky Schmooke (pronounced “Smoke”) is a Mindful Leadership Consultant and Speaker, focused on providing action based mindfulness and leadership training to organizations and businesses who are ready to do things differently.

Becky’s Mindful Kitchen, is located outside of Iowa City, and provides truly unique team building and leadership retreats, strategic planning workshops, private parties and classes and weekly summer camps for kids. The commercial teaching kitchen, treehouse, archery range, bush craft skills, first aid training, wood fired pizza oven, chickens, baby goats and timber adventure playground provides endless opportunities for hands on activities.

As a mom to three girls, 60 chickens, 4 goats, 2 dogs and a fire fighter’s wife- life is never boring and provides Becky with endless stories which she uses to illustrate her approach to mindfulness in daily posts on social media.

In all that she does, Becky has one goal, to build confidence in others to take action to live their best life, not just pass time.