Making Space: A Leadership Diary Entry on Restoration, Freedom and Taking Up Space

June 1, 2026

Dr. Dominica

This blog is a bit different. I’m writing today as if I’m writing in my leadership diary.

On May 20, 2026, just last week as I write this, I had my fourth book signing for Becoming Change Makers. But this one was a little different.

I had the joy of doing a fireside chat with a dear friend and colleague, Dr. Niama Malachi, a poignant interrogator and astute moderator. She asked thoughtful questions, but one in particular has stayed with me:

With carrying so much, from family to tasks to leadership, how do you make space for yourself as a leader?

Space….

Space is something I’ve grappled with for much of my life. The concept of space. Taking up space. Creating space for others.

For much of my life, I didn’t take up much space for myself. I whispered my voice. I slouched my shoulders. I silenced my thoughts.

Even as a leader, I became very skilled at creating space for others. I could facilitate, listen, question, probe, pull, and uplift. I could help others tell their truths.

But I did not always speak fully in my own.

And if I’m honest, I also tend to fill my bag. My literal and proverbial bag. As a child, I packed my backpack so full…books, notebooks, clothes, pens….that it overflowed. Apparently, not much has changed. (To the ongoing chagrin of my husband.)

I still fill my life that way…my calendar, my mind, my heart.

Maybe some of you know this feeling. The over-carrying. The over-holding. The quiet belief that your value lives in how much you can contain.

But something has shifted.

In this last year, I’ve finally begun learning how to make space for myself, as a person, woman, mom, and leader.

For over a year now, I’ve had a daily meditation practice and weekly exercise practice. I’ve intentionally created more space inside my body and mind.

I’ve also taken up more space outside of myself. With my stories. With my voice.
With my opinions. With my presence.

I stand taller now.

I allow myself to be seen more.

How did I get here?

Healing…

Healing was a big part of this journey. I had to release pent-up emotion, to cry, shout, shake.

I had to release resentment….of my past, of my father, of my husband, of myself….

I had to forgive. I had to affirm. I had to remember who I was beneath the weight.

These simple but profound practices—crying, writing, breathing, dissolving—created more space inside me.

And when there was more space inside, I could create more space outside.

In my leadership.
In my relationships.
In my life.

That space creates freedom. Liberation from what Tricia Hersey calls “grind culture” in Rest Is Resistance. Liberation from the constant performing, the proving, the constriction.

And perhaps most importantly, liberation into love.

Because when we free ourselves from constriction and return to ourselves with tenderness, we create room for more love to flow, to ourselves and to others.

3 practices for Creating Space:

1. Create physical space

Shape your environment in a way that reflects who you are becoming.

Add flowers, plants, colors, art, light, openness. Or perhaps remove what no longer belongs. Let your space remind you of your essence, your dreams, your beauty, and your vision.

2. Create mental space

Begin with just five minutes:

·       Deep breathing

·       Meditation

·       Prayer

·       Stillness

·       Silence

Whatever helps your nervous system exhale.

Try it for a week….

Then keep going.

Space is a practice.

3. Create social space

Notice your pattern.

Do you shrink yourself to make others comfortable? Or do you take up so much space that others struggle to breathe? Neither is judgment. Only awareness.

Experiment with a different posture.

Speak more.
Pause more.
Listen differently.
Take up space with intention.
Create space with love.

Reflection

Take a quiet moment and ask yourself:

Where in my life do I feel crowded?

Is it in your schedule?
Your body?
Your relationships?
Your leadership?
Your thoughts?

And then:

Where have I learned to make myself smaller?

Who taught you that? What did that strategy protect you from?

And perhaps the most important question:

What becomes possible if I create just a little more space?

More clarity? More peace? More creativity? More joy? More truth? More breath?

Sometimes taking up space is not about becoming louder.

Sometimes it’s simply about becoming more fully yourself.

Want to go deeper?

If this resonates, I’d love to continue the journey with you.

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Because leadership is not just about what we do; it’s also about who we become while doing it.