Episode 8 — Lessons From My Stroke: Embodied Leadership, Surrender & Self-Advocacy

Eight weeks ago, my life changed in an instant.

While flying from London to New York, I suffered a stroke that left me temporarily unable to communicate. As someone whose life's work depends on language, teaching, poetry, and leadership, I was forced into the deepest experience of surrender I've ever known.

In this episode, I share the story of my stroke, my emergency brain surgery, and the surprising lessons that emerged during recovery: authority, trust, integrity, and what it truly means to lead.

We explore:

• What it feels like to be fully aware while your body cannot communicate.

• The difference between surrender and giving your power away.

• Why self-advocacy is essential, even when you're surrounded by experts.

• An unlikely, mundane experience of enlightenment in the operating room

• What my experience in hospital taught me about leadership, followership, and embodied integrity.

• Why this experience has deepened my commitment to teaching somatic leadership through DOMINUS.

If you've ever struggled with people-pleasing, trusting yourself, leading others, or surrendering to uncertainty, I hope this conversation offers both perspective and encouragement.

Join DOMINUS
A 12-week journey into embodied leadership, power, integrity, and self-trust.
https://drelizabethlove.com/dominuscourse

Support my recovery & creative work
If this episode resonated with you and you'd like to support the podcast while I continue recovering from my stroke, you can leave a contribution here:
https://ko-fi.com/lizlove

Thank you for listening, for sharing this episode, and for walking alongside me as I continue this journey.

With love,

Dr. Elizabeth Love