104: (A Course in) Miracles at Work—On Spiritual Intelligence with Emily Bennington

Emily Bennington and I have been on parallel pivot paths since we first connected online in 2011. So imagine my surprise when I was searching on Google images for a visual depiction of the word "Grace." I downloaded my favorite and lo and behold, it was pointing to Emily's site! She had set-upa landing page informing readers about her new direction: teaching others to live and lead with grace, based upon her interpretations of the Course in Miracles as it applies to work and careers.  

In this episode we talk about what the Course is, how we can apply spiritual intelligence to our day-to-day interactions, how to create miracles through powerful mental shifts, and Emily's pivot from entrepreneur giving mainstream career advice to an exciting new full-time role as Executive Director for the Circle of Atonement.

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at PivotMethod.com/podcast/miracles-at-work. Enjoying the show? Make my week by donating just $1 and episode at Patreon.com/pivot.

More About Emily Bennington

EmilyBennington.jpg

Emily Bennington is a partner at the Circle of Atonement, publisher of the Complete Edition (CE) of the spiritual classic A Course in Miracles. Founded by Robert Perry in 1993, the Circle of Atonement helps students understand the Course's thought system as a means for spiritual awakening. At the Circle, Emily leads initiatives – including the Course Companions global online learning community – that bridge the Course’s profound and unparalleled wisdom with practical application. 

Emily has led training programs on spiritual intelligence and mindful leadership for numerous Fortune 500 companies and has been featured in press ranging from CNN, ABC, and Fox, to the Wall Street Journal, Glamour, Marie Claire, and Cosmopolitan. She is also the author of three books including Miracles at Work: Turning Inner Guidance into Outer Influence which features a foreword by her friend and mentor Marianne Williamson. Emily is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and lives with her family in Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information on the Circle of Atonement, visit www.circleofa.org.

Topics We Cover

  • Pivot to Grace, doing work centered on the Course, how has the response been

  • What is A Course in Miracles? What tends to attract people to the course as opposed to other traditions

  • Forgiveness, going through live with vision—complete and absolute equality, your inestimable worth

  • What is spiritual intelligence, holy Love applied to work

  • “There is no such thing as ‘finding’ or ‘achieving’ success that is sustainable over time. You attract success based on who you are and the values and character you bring to every interaction you have.”

  • “Perfection is not a matter of degree.” (You don’t have to earn it)

  • We tend to think of spirituality or religion as part of life off to the side, view career and money from a place of fear: enough money, competition vs career in which joy is the measure of your success

  • Definition of a miracle according to the Course—it’s more available than you think

  • "Penny for your thoughts" exercise, and how it serves as a metaphor for projection of our grievances

  • Specialness and self-sabotage - other spiritual intelligence blocks

  • How she ended up getting a surprise opportunity to serve as Executive Director of the Circle of Atonement

  • Grew up with Presbyterian faith, how it ties in with her interest in the Course

  • The difference between pity and compassion, empathy

  • Jenny’s recent experience at the Bowery Mission and seeing “friends” in New York City differently

  • Insight is available in a “holy instant”

  • Non-attachment to outcomes, being open to the highest good for all involved

Resources Mentioned

Previous Pivot Podcasts: 

Check out other episodes of the Pivot Podcast here. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen, and if you enjoy the show I would be very grateful for a rating and/or review! Sign-up for my weekly(ish) #PivotList newsletter to receive curated round-ups of what I’m reading, watching, listening to, and new tools I’m geeking out on.

Want to support the show and become a founding member of the Pivot Podcast community? Join us on Patreon here.