[Review] Yin: Completing the Leadership Journey by Lisa J. Marshall

Title: Yin: Completing the Leadership Journey
Author: Lisa J. Marshall
Publisher: Dennison Press
Pages: 148
Publication Date: October 1st, 2020

In ancient China, Yin was the feminine principal, standing for receptivity and the ability to move with what is, not what we wish were.  Broadly speaking, Yang is active and external, Yin is receptive and internal. Yin is quiet, incremental, and irresistible, much like the natural forces of wind and water.  To me, it is not so much masculine or feminine as it is the missing element, the unobvious, fertile interior worlds, forms of darkness that we ignore at our peril.  Here are some examples of processes I consider to be deeply Yin:

• Healing
• Sleep
• Learning
• Grieving
• Forgiveness
• Jazz
• Anger
• Love

Without Yin, there is no balance in the world.  We must learn to honor Yin to find our voices and restore the planet.  Yin, Completing the Leadership Journey, is a book, a guided reflective journey, and a workbook designed to help you reach that end.

A big thank you to the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I'm always so thankful to have these opportunities! 

Today we have a book that has a 4 triquetra rating of "I really liked it." 

Yin is a part book, part journal/workbook and I really appreciate how in depth we can get with each of the short chapters. Furthermore, although the chapters are short - often just a few pages - they encompass a vast amount of material and topics. We first go over Yin and Yang, and what the author means when she discusses these concepts. 

I will admit I was nervous upon first reading, I was scared that this was going to be superficial, appropriative even. I am thrilled to report that this isn't the case within these pages. Marshall seems to have a good grasp on what is appropriative, and what isn't. We dive deep, but there are no overstepping issues that I can see within the small spiral-bound paperback. 

I think readers who are looking to tap into a collective energy to heal and help the world will especially find chapter 12 helpful where Marshall dives into everything from utilizing new language and new actions within the collective, all the way to economy, the arts, facing racism, and leadership. 

I appreciate that there isn't a focus on "masculinity vs femininity" within this book either. Yang and Yin have domains that they move within, and the chart in the Appendix really drives this point home. That Yang isn't' the absence of emotion - in fact Marshall lists it with the "not afraid of emotions" attribute. I really appreciate the ebb and flow of energy with what each "side" has relationship with. 

Overall, this is really helpful, and will allow readers to dive deeper into the self in order to connect with the whole and the collective. I feel that this book will be helpful for those who are trying to find themselves and what matters most to them while we're still in an ongoing pandemic, and trying to find a "normal" in these abnormal times. 

About the Author

Lisa J. Marshall is a fierce elder and grandmother, who aspires to be a good ancestor. She lives on the Yin side of First Mountain, in the ancient mountains that run along the eastern side of the U.S. She has had a long, rewarding career as an executive coach, straddling the corporate world and spiritual life, working to help clients find their voices and their paths, and in doing so, become their most powerful and realized selves. She understands the power of story, and that stories live in our bodies. And she is deeply committed to the idea that our purpose in life is always, whatever path we take, to grow up, to mature, to become an elder.

Lisa writes books and poetry, and is fascinated by the idea of learning to listen to the natural world as well as she listens to her clients. She finds moss voices especially compelling.