Gigi: Hello and welcome, welcome to Way of the Muse. And thank you all for being here today and listening. 

We have a really, really great topic today, and the topic is: What does peace mean to you? 

So, I’m going to talk about peace in a way that is kind of simple. It’s more just about: What’s your experience of peace? What does it mean to you?

I’ll ask a couple of questions for you to reflect on that I think you’ll find really, really interesting to think about. 

I love having these kinds of topics where we can bring it home, and we can actually look into our own lives and our own experience and reflect in such a way that we can see, “Okay, how can we make more impact in the world?”

So, my first question to you today is: What does peace mean to you?

For me, peace is much more than the absence of war. 

It’s a way of actually being, a way of fostering connection, understanding, and harmony in the world. It’s really been, in the background of everything I’ve done, I think, in my career. And for many of us, when we really sit and think about what we do in our daily lives for a moment, we realize we are creating peace by the actions we’re taking.

So, I’m going to share with you some stories from a dinner I hosted. As you know, for those of you who have listened and those who haven’t, I’m a master coach. I’ve been doing my work for 38 years, working with leaders, couples, and entrepreneurs to really foster connection and harmony in their relationships and their systems.

Of course, my work is focused on having better lives, having more success, creating more richness in your life, and more connections to those that you love and however you want to expand in the world. 

But the other thing behind everything I do is always looking to see: How do we create more harmony?

My passion lies in helping people understand and accept each other’s differences to create stronger and more peaceful lives and, of course, communities. And that has a ripple effect on the world.

Today, I want to share with you about a dinner I just hosted this past weekend. 

It’s part of a series, and this one was about the topic of peace—what it means to us, how we can foster it, and what gifts we bring to create peace. 

Because again, I think that’s a great question to ask ourselves. You have certain gifts that can absolutely make an impact very closely in your world, or maybe on a bigger scale or larger scale.

One of the reasons I’m curious about this is as I go into a different phase of my life, a different season, I’m very curious about how I can contribute the skills that I’ve developed through my career as a communication expert and as a master coach to go into some systems and help in terms of navigating those difficult conversations, those challenging places where there is conflict or where understanding is needed. 

Because I love doing that, I would love to take what I’ve learned and share it in a way that makes an impact. As I said, that can be on a small scale—it could be in my community—or it could be on a larger scale because of my work internationally and my love of different cultures and countries.

I’m just curious and open to seeing: Where can I put myself where I can really be in service?

So I want to share a little bit about the dinner with you. 

I learned about intimate dinners through the book Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. I read that book 15 years ago. I love Keith Ferrazzi’s work, and way back then, it inspired me. 

I thought I would love to do something like this. But I really felt like, in some ways, when I go out with people and have dinner, that’s what I do because I love to have those deeper, meaningful conversations.

But this year, when I moved back to Houston, I thought I’d really love to start these dinners and start these gatherings. So I’ve done a couple over the last, I guess, six months, and I’ve started hosting these gatherings. And I’ll do several more over the next year.

This is where I bring together different groups of people to share their thoughts on a meaningful topic. 

One reason I do it is to connect people who would really enjoy getting to know each other. I love doing that. I love seeing people meet and have this synergy right away. The other reason is to have different kinds of conversations.

At our dinner this past weekend, some people had been in their careers for 40 years, couples who had been married for almost 40 years, and some women who had chosen to spend their lives as moms, growing their relationships. Some women were very much entrepreneurs. 

So we had a variety of different people, and that always makes it interesting because you get to hear different perspectives.

This topic, as I said, is very close to my heart. I’m, in many ways, deeply troubled by the divisions and the conflicts in the world. I have to say, it bothers me. And I believe that small, intentional actions can actually shift the way we approach life and foster that peace over time.

So my only rules at the dinner were no politics and no religion. Not that I don’t think those things are very important to talk about, but in this setting, I wanted to make sure we didn’t get into controversial views where people were fighting to prove their point. 

This dinner was more about sharing—more of a personal thing—about what peace means to you so we could dialogue. It wasn’t about trying to change each other’s minds.

That was my only rule.

The interesting thing, as always, is that each guest brought a unique perspective. 

One person focused on the power of meditation and self-awareness. Another spoke about starting with your home and family. Others shared ideas about educating women in underserved areas, nurturing children, and building understanding through deep listening and communication.

It was so fun to see how these different ideas woven together into this bigger picture of what peace can mean. 

It’s important for each of us to own what peace means to us and take action, no matter how small. It doesn’t have to be on a grand scale.

Often, I see people hold back because they feel like they can’t do something big. 

That’s why I wanted to do this podcast. Any small thing that you begin in a peaceful manner—mentoring, teaching, or creating harmony in your world—is powerful because it has a ripple effect.

So for me, my gift lies, like I said, in deep listening and creating spaces where people feel truly seen or heard. 

Over the years, I’ve guided people to understand and accept differences, whether in relationships—which was a huge part of my career and something I’m really going back to because I love that work. I love the deep understanding that comes from teaching couples how to recognize that men and women, our differences actually complement each other. 

I also do this work in businesses, and it has a ripple effect on communities and families. 

Over the years, I’ve seen how small shifts—choosing curiosity over judgment—can create change.

Curiosity is something I teach in my mastermind. I teach women to practice curiosity over and over again, so they walk back into their lives being curious instead of judging, because it’s so easy to fall into judgment. And then to practice understanding over resistance.

Today, I’m about to go into my mastermind, and we’re actually working on the skill of receptivity, which is an incredible communication skill. 

Basically, it’s learning how to respond instead of reacting, because it’s so easy to react. And when we react, we create resistance, and that doesn’t create peace, right?

When you make these changes, like I said, they have a ripple effect into something much larger. That’s the thing for human beings—in the moment, when we’re doing things, we don’t always see or understand our impact. But what we do ripples out into our children, into how they show up in the world.

When you start to look at it, you realize how we show up, what we choose to do, and how we choose to be is incredibly powerful. We have so much power, no matter where we sit in the world.

One of the biggest areas I love and focus on is helping men and women move from the “war of the sexes,” as they say, to the “dance of the sexes.”

When we stop trying to change each other and start honoring our differences—because they actually complement each other—we unlock an extraordinary potential. Not just in relationships, but in all systems we’re part of.

I’ll go a little deeper into what I see with men and women because, again, this is really my focus and something I want to write a book about. I’m really interested in it because I’ve seen so much, and it was my work for so many years. 

I have a lot of perspectives I’d love to share. It’s just a way that I see things. It doesn’t mean it’s the way it is, but when people read or listen, it may give them a different view that creates more harmony in their lives.

When men and women truly see each other, when we honor and support each other in a way that transcends societal expectations or outdated roles, we tap into something extraordinary.

It’s not that one of us is better than the other or that we’re meant to fit into some perfect little box, right? It’s about creating a partnership that is strong and authentic, and that ripples outward. 

Our children feel it, our communities feel it, and eventually, the world feels it.

I believe that when couples make the conscious decision to see beyond their own relationship—and this is a lot of what I teach—to recognize that they have a bigger role to play in the world, they can create extraordinary change.

And it doesn’t have to be grand. It can be as simple as becoming a role model for your children and grandchildren. Then, they lead by example—not by preaching about politics or religion—but by embodying what it means to be human. They commit to humanity, with all its beautiful diversity, shapes, colors, and cultures.

For peace to be possible, here’s what I see: Everyone needs a seat at the table.

Yes, rules and guidelines are necessary, but we must ensure that every voice is heard. That’s often where conflict happens—when someone doesn’t feel heard or feels misunderstood.

Even if we don’t agree, we can strive for understanding and resolution. We don’t have to agree; we just have to recognize, “Okay, that’s their perspective. How do we set up systems that serve different viewpoints?” 

As long as it’s not harming us or someone else, we can find ways to coexist with our differences rather than letting them divide us. That’s so much of what’s happening in the world right now. 

But we are capable of creating collaboration and cooperation while still holding different views and perspectives.

There’s a great story I heard years ago, and I’d love to share it because it really demonstrates what can happen when everyone has a seat at the table.

In 2016, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos led peace talks with the FARC guerrilla group. He went in and offered them a seat at the table, recognizing their political motivations and addressing the underlying causes of conflict. 

His very inclusive strategy led to a historic peace agreement that ended over 50 years of conflict—can you imagine?—and earned Santos the Nobel Peace Prize.

President Santos and FARC reached peace through extensive negotiations. Key points they agreed on included land reform, political participation for former combatants, a commitment to end the conflict, addressing the needs of victims, and tackling illicit drugs. 

The comprehensive agreement focused on creating lasting peace and addressing the root causes of the conflict that had lasted 50 years.

As I was researching, I wondered why the FARC group decided to do that. How did they benefit? 

What came out of it was that FARC decided to engage in peace negotiations to transition from armed struggle to political participation. This offered them several benefits.

The agreement allowed FARC to become a legitimate political entity, enabling them to participate in the democratic process. It provided a pathway to disarmament and reintegration into society, reducing the risk of further violence. 

It also allowed them to pursue their social and political objectives through nonviolent means, whereas before, they had relied on violence for decades. And finally, it offered an end to decades of conflict, fostering stability and peace for their members and communities.

Overall, the peace process provided a way to achieve their goals through peaceful means and avoid further suffering. 

That’s such a beautiful example of how finally facing into something that was a conflict—always fighting—and bringing those people together, giving them a seat at the table, and having those tough negotiations can lead to lasting peace.

So, as I was sharing at my dinner, it’s a little more simple, but I wanted to share some of what the people there expressed.

One woman spoke about how meditation and inner peace—knowing yourself better—can radiate outward to create more peace around you. 

Then, starting at home. Another woman emphasized the importance of fostering peace in your immediate environment. She raised her daughters, has a marriage of almost 40 years, and has created a beautiful, peaceful retreat in the country where people can get away and find peace.

Another man shared that he had been in combat, and much of his work now is centered around peace and conflict resolution. He said what he really saw is that the bottom line is educating women—how educating women in underserved areas can have a transformative impact on communities, creating opportunities for growth and peace.

Another guest focused on nurturing children and giving them tools to navigate life with empathy and understanding. She’s a lawyer, and she wants to change the legal system from something that often takes advantage of people to something more supportive and just.

Then, two men who have been in their careers and owned businesses for 40 years—one who had traveled to 72 countries, another to 80—talked about how they’ve seen so much of the world and understand that through listening and strong communication skills, you build deeper understanding and create peace.

Another woman shared how she has impacted people through her relationships. She’s a mother and has built an incredible relationship over the last 40 years, really being the support and empowerment for her partner as he’s gone out into the world.

You can see these are all very different perspectives, and they’re so valuable to hear. When we sit in our own world and think about what peace means to us, it’s powerful to see it through the eyes of others. I believe it’s important to understand and give people who are different from us a seat at the table.

Peace doesn’t start with grand gestures. It can start with small, intentional choices. As I said, as simple as listening without judgment, creating harmony in your relationships, supporting education, and fostering empathy and connection in your community.

So, as you’ve listened to this today, here are two questions for you to reflect on:

What is a gift you have that you could use to create more peace in the world?

How can you bring more harmony into your daily life, in all your relationships—at work, at home, and in your community?

It’s great to ponder those. 

And one last question, if you want to think about it: What do you believe is the key to creating more peace in the world?

It’s great to think about that and see if there’s some action you can take to start doing that a little more, right?

So that is my talk on peace today. 

Thank you so much.

Like I said, peace isn’t something we wait for. It’s something we create, moment to moment, through the way we live and the way we connect with others. 

By embracing our unique gifts and contributing in our own way, we can build a world that feels so much more harmonious, hopeful, and human.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for listening. 

If you liked this episode, please rate it—give us five stars. 

My wish is that this brings a little more peace into your life.

Thank you.