#41 Yuanfen and Gathering Energy below the Surface
Meet the Coaching Journey "Connect to (Self-) Kindness"
Throughout 2025 - Zurich and across the world
Have you ever wondered how waves come to life?
While researching for my last Yuanfen story, I learned that waves aren’t created by water molecules moving toward the shore — it’s energy traveling across the ocean.
Initiated by the wind on the surface, water molecules begin moving in circular motions. As the energy travels, it eventually reaches a friction point with the shore, causing the circular motion to shift into an elliptical one. Finally, the top of the wave breaks.
Waves of Life
In that last story, I used waves as a metaphor for major life transformations: a new job, a new family member, a significant transition — visible moments of change. And yet, it’s often in the silence afterward that these shifts truly settle in.
Just like waves in the sea, these life-changing events are rarely isolated. They are the sum of countless moments — conversations, reflections, actions — coming together over time.
Different Sources of Energy
Energy itself is neutral — it’s the sum of emotions and actions that shape a transformation.
Sometimes, energy comes from intentional moments:
A nurturing conversation with an inspiring person. (My personal favourite!)
A quiet walk in nature.
A cup of coffee in a rare sunny window on an otherwise grey February day.
Other times, energy gathers suddenly and deep below the surface—from silent tears, moments of insecurity, and self-doubt. These private moments are humbling. No LinkedIn post is written about them. No photos are taken.
But allowing emotions to flow — rather than resisting them — creates space for something new.
Remember that emotions often pass within 90 seconds? Even if those seconds feel much longer.
When the Wave of Organizational Transformation Hits
In organisations, we often only see the big waves — the perfectly orchestrated announcements, the shareholder presentations, the intranet updates.
But just like in nature, waves of transformation don’t appear out of nowhere — they form over months of energy gathering below the surface.
Two Ways Organizational Change Unfolds:
A small group works behind the scenes — designing content, shaping strategy — while the majority learns about it once the wave breaks.
A co-creative process — early conversations, key stakeholders involved, deep listening applied, and concerns acknowledged. This approach distributes the energy more evenly, softening the impact of change.
I deeply believe in the second approach. When people feel part of the transformation, the force of the wave is no longer something that “happens to them” but something they helped shape.
Kindness as a Conscious Energy Source
If we can choose and design moments meant to be, let’s choose kindness as an energy source.
In organisations: Involve stakeholders early to create smoother transitions and meaningful buy-in.
In relationships: Surround yourself with people who inspire, uplift, and cheer for you.
With yourself: Take mini-breaks to acknowledge your emotions, let them flow, and make space for new ideas.
Most of the time, we don’t realize which small moments spark major transformations. But by designing with kindness where we can, we prepare ourselves for the moments we can’t plan for.
Through kindness, even difficult moments — the angry email, the frustrating conversation — can be seen as part of the bigger picture. Instead of holding onto negative emotions for hours or days, we can acknowledge them, accept them, and intentionally shift our energy once more toward what truly matters.
Connect to (Self-) Kindness
If you’re curious about designing small and big conscious moments throughout 2025 to gather energy for the waves of life, join me on the “Connect to (Self-) Kindness” Coaching Journey.
Or join me on a Free Webinar – March 5, 2025 at 11:00–11:45 CET to get into action right away!
Spoiler:
Gathering energy below the surface is often a silent act — a quiet moment of pause, deep listening, and reflection with yourself and others.
So how about we collectively close our eyes for 10 seconds, take a deep breath in and out… and listen to what wants to emerge?
For me, a bio break is calling.
Yours,
Lea
Watching the waves, now realising it’s not the water molecules but energy moving toward the shore—pretty cool indeed.