Leadership Spotlight: brilliantTurtle89

I met @brilliantTurtle89 when I was but a wee Cupser and I was immediately taken by her calm and gentle approach. I thought, if she’s any indication of how 7 Cups will be then I’d feel right at home. Her influence helped shape my early impressions of 7 Cups in a hugely positive way. Turtle just had her Cupsversary (April 1st!) which marks five years of service to our community, and in this same month she also stepped into the role of Group Support Ambassador!

Our nominators said…

“She is the best mentor ever. She has helped me in so many ways with chats and using the site. The way she speaks to people in the rooms is an example to us all. She makes you feel valued and empowered all at once. I’ve seen her working as a mod in a room and the way she dealt with it was like nothing I’ve ever seen. She stopped the issue and was firm yet both people walked away feeling they had been treated fairly and were happy and respected.”

“I appreciate Turtle for all her nurturing and caring leadership in the group support and teen side. She goes above and beyond in her efforts to bring and scale up support for the team and everyone. And we all like her 7Cups Community famous Turtle Cookies.
”

What motivates you to be a volunteer?
I am motivated to be a volunteer to make people as happy as possible. I believe everyone has the right to feel valued but sometimes their circumstances prevent that from happening. I want to try to play my small part in helping to change that as much as I can.

Your proudest 7 Cups achievement.
My proudest 7 Cups achievement was being awarded the musicalMagic badge for helping in listener rooms. Magic was a very special person and I am proud that I can somehow carryon the amazing work she did here.

Which fellow 7 Cups leader(s) do you admire and why?
I have always admired @Jenna. My first ever chat as a new listener was a crisis chat and I was not 100% sure what I should do. I went into LSR and Jenna was there to guide me. She has always been such a strong presence on the site and has amazing knowledge and kind and humble personality. She will be embarrassed when I tell you she is my role model.

Which active listening skills help you when communicating with your teammates and fellow leaders?
I think all active listening skills help when communicating with team mates. I think remembering we are all human is the biggest thing we need to remember. Empathy is huge. If you can’t understand where someone’s feelings are coming from it is very hard to help them through a situation and make team work smoother. As a Mom, I find reflection and validation vital skills in my everyday life with my five year old and twin four year olds.

What’s next for you on your 7 Cups journey?
On Cups, I want to make group support much more of a team with people working together and feeling supported. I want to update the training and communication to enhance the quality and also build a strong community to best serve the team and the members we support.

How do you be so amazing yet come across so humble in a way which makes other people feel so good about themself?
I think we all need to remember that we are just one tiny cog in a huge machine. It is important that we do our parts well to keep things running smoothly. We should always remember, though, that everyone else is equally as special and needed. If one part is feeling weak, it is the job of the whole machine to support them back to strength. We all need one another and are all equal.

🐢

Congratulations, Turtle! Thanks for all your hard work in all of your roles over the years. We're so grateful to have you and look forward to seeing GS evolve with you on board!