Risky Conversations with Jamie Lee

Post-Election Love Letter to Women, Immigrants, and People of Color

• Jamie Lee

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Today's episode is recorded on November 7th, 2024 — just days after the U.S. election. 

Like many of you, I’ve been navigating big, complex emotions: grief, disappointment, and a familiar feeling of heartbreak. 

Today, I’ll share a personal reflection on what this election meant to me as an immigrant, a woman of color, and a coach who serves women striving for leadership in a flawed system. 

We'll explore how Kamala Harris’s concession speech spoke to the hopes and resilience of so many of us, and I’ll offer a few practices to help ground us in this challenging time. 

Above all, this episode is a reminder that we have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world, even when it seems a door has closed. 

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I'm recording this on November 7th, 2024 — two days after the U.S. general election.

Yesterday, I woke up feeling sick and scared. I spent the day in a kind of metaphorical blanket of shock, grief, and disappointment, like many of you. It was a struggle to do anything except stare into space and go for long walks. Dressed in black, I felt a sense of solidarity with others I passed on the street, who were also dressed in black. It felt like a deja vu of 2016. It felt funereal.

Personal Background and the Dream Deferred

As a woman, an immigrant, and a person of color living in the United States, this election hit hard. Four decades ago, my father chose this country for the opportunities he believed it offered his three daughters — a place of liberty and freedom. The dream of seeing the first woman of color, a Black woman, a South Asian woman, a daughter of immigrants, elected as president remains, for now, a dream deferred.

I coach highly competent, accomplished women, many of whom are women of color, often overlooked by a deeply flawed system. For so many of us, this election was emblematic — we wanted to see Kamala Harris break that glass ceiling. We placed our hopes in her, seeing a version of ourselves in her.

Kamala's Concession Speech: Dignity and Leadership

When Kamala gave her concession speech yesterday afternoon at Howard University, she consoled, uplifted, and acknowledged her supporters with incredible dignity. Watching her speak, as I have many times before, I felt awe and respect for her leadership, for the strength of character she embodies. She addressed a crowd of mostly young people, many of them Howard University students, with these words:

“Don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before. You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world.”

The Coaching Perspective: Holding Space for Emotions

In my work, I often encourage my clients to honor and feel their emotions without judgment, especially during times of grief or disappointment. Yesterday, I struggled with that myself. In the evening, I joined my fellow coaches in the Ethical Coaching Collective for a peer practice session, where I was paired with a phenomenal peer coach, Heather. She held space for me without judgment, without trying to “fix” my emotions, as I cried. It was what I needed — to be present with my own heartbreak, to feel held and heard.

As I reflected on the work I do and the people I serve, tears rolled down my face as I realized what I know deep down: that the heart is big enough for both heartbreak and conviction to co-exist. Sadness and disappointment can exist alongside an unbreakable faith in our ability to do extraordinary good in the world, even when doors seem to keep shutting in our faces.

Resilience and Rebuilding: Moving Forward Together

We grieve, we heal, and then we get back up. If the door we wanted has been shut, we go build new ones or knock on others. I am a coach, and I believe in our power to challenge limits. As Kamala said, we have the choice not to believe anyone who tells us something is impossible. We have the choice to trust our capacity to achieve extraordinary things — not only when it's easy but especially when it’s hard.

Mental Rehearsal and the Power of Imagination

In the peer coaching session, Heather guided me through a mental rehearsal, a powerful technique I often share with my clients. This practice is effective in helping us build new neural pathways and create change on a deep level. Our minds are so imaginative and powerful, capable of going anywhere.

When guided through the mental rehearsal, I imagined myself standing on the podium with Kamala Harris, looking out over that crowd of young, hopeful faces at Howard University. My heart swelled with gratitude, with profound love and respect for the people who share our dream of equality, freedom, and representation.

Recommendations for Healing and Grounding

To help you find grounding in this moment, I’d like to share some practices:

  1. Step away from your phone — take a walk, spend time near nature, and do simple things that ground you.
  2. Get support from a friend, partner, or coach — and if you’re an introvert like me, give yourself permission to spend time alone.
  3. Reconnect with your convictions — allow this moment to be an invitation to remember what you stand for.
  4. Turn off the noise — reduce news and social media notifications, and give yourself a break from the constant flow of information.
  5. Listen to your inner voice — the one that believes in possibility, that nudges you toward liberation, even if it’s as simple as reminding you to get up and drink water.

Conclusion: The Path Forward

We are in this together. As challenging as it may feel, our resilience, our faith, and our sense of purpose remain. True personal power lies within us, and the battleground for freedom is both in our minds and in our hearts. Remember that sadness and conviction, grief and strength, can coexist. We’ll keep moving forward, building new doors, and believing in our capacity to do extraordinary things.