For many women, silencing themselves has become second nature. Conditioned to prioritize others, they often put their own needs and desires last, feeling guilty when they dare to voice their wants, needs, or even their inner thoughts.
But what if women could break free from these self-imposed limitations and step into their power?
Alexandra Ganzon, a Certified Communication Coach, offers a path to do just that through her Rise and Radiate workshop and her “Lead with Clarity” program.
Alexandra’s Story: From Fashion to Communication Empowerment
Alexandra Ganzon’s journey to becoming a Communication Coach began with a simple question. While teaching English to a Florentine artist, she asked about his real motivation.
His answer revealed a deeper struggle: “He told me that he struggled with communicating with his foreign clients,” Alexandra recalls. “He also felt very restricted during their painting selling exhibits because he was not confident speaking with the potential clients.”
This sparked a realization that his challenge wasn’t about language, but about effective communication.
Putting aside the textbook, Alexandra focused on helping him listen actively, ask clarifying questions with confidence, and sell his art authentically. “When I saw his reaction and the results, that’s when I knew I wanted to pursue becoming a Communication Coach.”
Her personal experiences also played a crucial role. “I’ve also struggled with expressing myself, especially when I moved to Italy in 2005,” Alexandra shares. Working in the fast-paced world of fashion and textiles, she often felt unheard: “It was my own style of communication that made me shrink myself.”
This led her on a personal mission to become a better communicator, a journey she now shares with other women. “I’ve seen how much it’s helped me and I want to support other women in harnessing the power of communication as well,” she tells this writer.
Despite the challenges of building an online business and navigating the “fairly new discipline” of coaching, Alexandra remains driven by her “why.”
“I’m 45 years old. I’m a mom to a feisty 10-year old daughter. I’m a Filipina living in Italy. If there was one thing I’d like to dedicate my life to, it would be this.”
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The Rise and Radiate Workshop: Reconnecting, Realigning, and Rising Together
The Rise and Radiate workshop provides a supportive and transformative space for women to reconnect with their voices and realign with their goals.
Last August 2, Alexandra held the workshop for the first time in the Philippines at Kilyawan Farm Resort (managed by Alexandra’s sisters Tina Ganzon-Ozaeta and Fiddy Ganzon-Ofrecio) in Ibaan, Batangas.
The workshop gathered women from diverse fields to pause, reflect, and reconnect. As Alexandra explains, the idea came about during her year-end reflection: “I realized the following year would mark my 20th year in Italy. I had mixed feelings.”
“I knew I wasn’t the only one needing a space to explore these hard questions,” she says thoughtfully. Through her reflections, she realized that she wanted to create “a group of other highly-driven women who would understand the power of a pause to reflect, reconnect, and realign.”
Participants engaged in focused exercises, shared their experiences, and gained insights from each other. Alexandra emphasizes the importance of vulnerability: “My biggest takeaway from this is that magic happens when ambitious women allow themselves to drop their guard and become vulnerable.”
She adds, “We don’t have enough space to admit that we need a break, we feel lost, and that we might not even know what our next move is.”
“When we create those (safe) spaces, we allow women to shift from ‘what others expect me to be’ to ‘who do I truly want to be.'”
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Key Communication Insights from Alexandra Ganzon
Drawing from her coaching experience, Alexandra highlights three essential aspects of communication:
- Active listening: “The first skill we must all learn is that of active listening. I believe that the ability to listen is much more powerful. When we truly listen, we make others feel seen and heard.”
- Clarity: “Clarity is key to effective communication. ‘The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.'”
- Continuous development: “Communication is a skill that we should all constantly work on because it directly impacts our relationship with ourselves and with everyone else.”
Alexandra defines healthy communication as being “rooted in clarity, authenticity and empathy,” emphasizing “the desire to understand and to be understood.”
Practical Steps to Rise and Radiate
Alexandra believes that a woman rises when she is reminded of her self-worth. “She rises when she rediscovers that she is valuable and is deserving of respect and consideration,” she says. “She rises when she feels free to express herself and she knows she’ll be celebrated for who she is.”
She suggests several practical steps women can take to cultivate this sense of self-worth and empowerment:
- Gratitude and self-compassion journaling: “I find the practice of starting each day expressing gratitude very helpful. I also find it helpful to journal about challenging moments and emotions that are not easy to sit with.”
- Embracing affirmations: “Especially for visual people like myself, it’s good to surround yourself with affirmations. Part of my morning routine also includes reciting a series of affirmations to myself. We are our best cheerleaders.”
- Practicing meditation: “It’s a great way to reduce anxiety and bring us back to what’s important.”
- Compassionate self-care: “What’s important is that we build it into our days because we deserve it, and not because it’s tied to some achievement.”
- Recognizing and celebrating wins: “It’s a great way to help us remember and celebrate the different things we’re happy about and proud of… It’s a wonderful reminder that there are so many things to feel good about and that we get to define the standards of what a win truly means to us.”
- Surrounding yourself with people who elevate you: “A great way to protect our radiance is to surround ourselves with people who allow us to shine and fuel our dreams.”
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Looking Ahead: Community and Global Reach
Rise and Radiate is more than just a workshop; it’s a movement to empower women to lead with clarity and live authentically.
Alexandra’s vision is to bring Rise and Radiate to different parts of the world and continue offering workshops that support women’s growth. She’s also building a community: “I have started forming a community. Eventually, my plan is to create a platform that allows more engagement and interaction.”
For those seeking more in-depth support, Alexandra offers “Lead with Clarity,” a 10-week signature communication coaching program designed to help emerging and established leaders speak with clarity, lead with confidence, and gain recognition in global workplaces, without changing who they are or how they sound.
To connect with Alexandra, visit her website or her Facebook page. You may also send an email to [email protected].
Joyful Wellness is a proud media partner of Rise and Radiate.
Photos courtesy of Alexandra Ganzon and The Rolling Media
