What makes Cuban women so confident

I was reminded yesterday of a moment during the recent Wisdom of Embodied Femininity virtual retreat when professional Cuban dancer Duannis Monaga shared a beautiful yet powerful mantra with our participants.

"Imagine you are walking down the street
And you come across a very handsome man with whom you exchange looks
But you feel embarrassed by knowing that you feel desired so you look down.

No, don’t do that. That is wrong.

You are all special for the simple reason that you are all women.
You have a unique essence called feminine seduction.
It is inside but you have to let it out.
That’s why you are all so special; because you are women."

Everyone was almost in tears hearing her words because they touched them deeply at the place of self-worth and self-acceptance.

What they didn’t realize was the way Duannis spoke to the group is the exact way her mother spoke to her growing up.

Cuban women are raised with embodied femininity because of their mothers. It is taught as a ritual from a young age, to look in the mirror every morning and repeat, "I am beautiful, I am special, I am unique, I am a woman."

They start the day feeling gorgeous, just as their mother’s mother taught her. This belief system is passed down from generation to generation and is how they prime themselves for the day.

It’s why Cuban women have such confidence and ooze sabrosura.

Imagine if every girl was told from a young age that she was beautiful, that she was special, that she was deserving - just because she was a girl. And not just told but made to feel it in an embodied feminine way.

What would change about how she sees herself?

How would her relationship with her body change?

How would she approach challenges and limitations in life?

How many more women would-be leaders, CEOs, innovators, scientists, and doctors believing in themselves fully?

In Cuba, a woman can clean the washroom in a restaurant as the cleaning lady and walk out confidently and as powerfully as if she just slayed in the boardroom - with the same air of dignity and sabrosura. They know that what they do doesn’t dictate their self-worth. The love they get at home from their mothers, packed with sabrosura, does and it is fully embodied in the feminine.

I want you to begin embracing the art of living of the sabrosura.

Each morning this week, I want you to look in the mirror, and take 2 minutes to repeat to yourself:

I am beautiful.
I am special.
I am unique.
Because I am a woman.

If you have daughters, create a ritual to support their self-worth and encourage self-love. And if you are a man, teach your daughters, show this to your wife, share it with your co-workers…

Reflect on this: What is possible when we begin to see ourselves for who we truly are - beautiful, confident, powerful, soft, and simply put - women?