Dr. Rubye Bray is president of Wu Li Turtle, and WuLiTurtle.com is where she is a certified executive coach, Georgetown trained, and is an expert in the topic of leadership and organizational performance. She created the business breakthrough program where she works with high level professionals from around the world to boost their leadership skills and business performance. Dr Bray was a university doctoral professor for 16 years. She recently retired as a lieutenant colonel with more than 21 years of service and a vice president for a technology firm. She's chaired more than 80 dissertations and in so doing, she has supported leaders in many institutional types, finance, government education, entertainment, health, labor, law, manufacturing, and defense, in locations around the world.
Contact Info
Phone: 703_864_3769
Email: rbraye@wuliturtle.com
Most Influential Person
My Mother.
Effect on Emotions
Mindfulness has made it possible for me to respond instead of react.
Instead of carrying anger all the time so that when something is said that's harmful and hurtful, I am ready to retaliate with the same type of expression, I now realize that love is the answer.
So for everything that happens, it's like, go inside and find what would love do.
What would love say? What would love think? How would love behave? That's how mindfulness and slowing down is really blessed and helped me.
Thoughts on Breathing
Breathing, for me, represents the source of life.
When breath ends, we've transitioned to a new place, and so I treasure breath like I treasure love. There is such gratitude and acceptance and, I can't say enough, for the breath.
With each breath, I am given an opportunity, a possibility to be my best self, to think my best thoughts, to say the best words. That's the importance of breathing for me.
Without breath, I am not. With breath, I am.
Suggested Resources
Book: Unclutter Your Mind: 500 Ways to Focus on What's Important by Donna Smallin
Book: Discover Your Inner Strength by Jim Bandrowski, Stephen Covey, Ken Blanchard, Brian Tracy, Rubye Braye, and others
App: Sonic Aid CDs
Bullying Story
When I integrated Cloverdale, [a middle school in Montgomery, Alabama] I was bullied in ways that were just horrific.
It is not enough to be told. I won't use the terms and the phrases. I don't want to put them in the universe again.
Things that were believed about black people, things the children and their parents said to black people and things that were done to black people.
My mother, embracing nonviolence, simply said, "If you get in a fight and come home and I am made aware, you will have another fight with me." She was so committed to nonviolence, but that didn't mean that I had to be passive, that I couldn't stand up and confront evil, but that I was not to retaliate with violence.
And so I found myself whispering prayers, both for me and those that I interacted with, the other children and their parents, the teachers at the school, and the administrators at the school, "Help us all. Help us all."
I can remember sitting in church listening to Dr King addressing the importance of nonviolence and not retaliating with violence. That would be like putting gasoline on a fire. You don't fight fire with fire.
And it was just a gift. And even now as an adult, there are times when I just project love and light out into the universe, knowing that, like the symbol for the ying and the yang, there will always be light, there will always be darkness. The brightest light helps to balance the darkest darkness.
It's like, let me carry this bright light. And in so doing, I don't do it just for me, but to help model the way for others.
Relax and Breathe Summit
Join me, Bruce Langford, on the Relax and Breathe Summit. This free Summit, hosted by Pompe Strater-Vidal, features 22 guests who will offer you simple techniques to find calm, clarity, and focus.Join here: www.MindfulnessMode.com/rab2018