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Why do people choose to develop emotional intelligence and why do they turn to Six Seconds for their path? In “Voices from Six Seconds Network,” we introduce you to people in the network who share their experiences, personal journeys, and how they embrace EQ in different areas of their daily lives.

Voices from the Network: Cynthia Kitagawa

by Maddalena Campitelli

“Difficult times can shut us down, or with added emotional intelligence and an increase in connection, they can catalyze us to GROW.” – Cynthia Kitagawa

What comes up for you when you remember how you felt in those first days of the COVID lockdown? Isolation? Uncertainty? Disorientation? Fear? How did you navigate those feelings? <Learn more on how to navigate emotions to increase personal connection>

We had a chance to chat with Cynthia Kitagawa recently to learn more about her journey as a coach in the Six Seconds Network. Growth is a priority for Cynthia. Every year she creates a learning and development plan. She’s practical and efficient; figuring out what she wants to learn, what to focus on. Cynthia shared, “Learning helps me develop and grow to find new and better ways to help others in their development to enjoy fulfilling lives which is energizing and rewarding to me. I’m always on the lookout for new skills to help others grow.”

Back in 2019 Cynthia was already using EQ in her work, and had been coaching for some years, but she was finding a challenge. The emotional intelligence model she knew was very theoretical. At that time, she found EQ models, “interesting to learn about, but difficult to put into practice.” Her goal was to discover a way to better embed EQ into her practice. “My challenge was to find something simple to use for people to learn and put it to immediate use,” she explained.

After some research, she eventually found Six Seconds, and she enthusiastically said, “the Six Seconds Know Choose Give (KCG) Model is it!” Learn more about Six Seconds certifications and models here. But as luck would have it, as soon as Cynthia started her journey of learning and getting certified with Six Seconds, in March 2020 COVID hit, and suddenly the world turned upside down. Cynthia had just returned home to Hawaii after a trip helping her daughter care for her newborn grandson and three-year-old granddaughter. It was scary to leave them and travel home. Everywhere felt unsafe.

At Six Seconds we were also on a rollercoaster journey of growth. The impact of COVID on our network was dramatic – the immediate training calendar was canceled, all travel suspended, budgets for projects frozen and we scrambled to make new plans. One of the first priorities was to help people suffering around the world. Anabel Jensen, Six Seconds President said, “You know when there is a health crisis somewhere in the world, the Red Cross steps in? When there is an emotional crisis, it’s time for Six Seconds to step in.”

We were not sure how, but we were committed to follow Anabel’s call to action. So, we started the GrowU project with five free classes taught by our staff. It eventually grew to 10-15 classes a week taught by dozens of volunteers from the network. We experimented with new content and training on zoom, youtube and e-learning to reach out globally to support people to grow and practice emotional intelligence. We learned a great deal, and in the same period, recreated 15 different certification programs to be highly effective in a virtual setting. That season of accelerated growth was like the renaissance — massive investment to innovate, create, re-imagine, connect and experiment. From March to October we put up 300 free or low-cost classes and sustained our network helping people through some very dark days of 2020.

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Meet Cynthia Kitagawa LinkedIn →

Professional achievements: Cynthia is a facilitator, coach, advisor, consultant working with individuals, teams and organizations to help them achieve peak performance. Cynthia believes that how people feel about their work, colleagues and the organization they work for is a critical driver of organizational performance and she enjoys helping people become their best selves at home and work.

Favorite Six Seconds Learning Philosophy: “No way is the way.”

Learn about Six Seconds Learning Philosophy →

Noble Goal: “Helping others become their best selves through self awareness and insight.”

Learn about Six Seconds Noble Goals →  

Her “Don’t Miss This” Six Seconds tools & courses: Know-Choose-Give Model (KCG) and Thoughts Feelings Actions Model (TFA) because “they have a very practical use” (Get your own set of TFA cards) “I can pull them out whenever I have a challenging situation in my daily life”; the Change Map model <Read more about the Change MAP in the book Inside Change> “it is the greatest model to demonstrate that from a place of anxiety and fear it’s possible to switch to curiosity”; and the Practitioner course because “this certification has been especially applicable to me for its incredible variety of different amazing exercises suggested in class, from which I can pull from for my coaching sessions.”

GrowU classes filled a vital role in activating our network. GrowU offered the chance for new people to interact with the network and feel the power of Six Seconds community experience, and a platform for our certified to keep making a difference despite the global shutdown. Keeping busy and activated was a lifeline for many and helped manage anxiety through uncertainty. The GrowU project was short lived but taught us so many lessons. Paradoxically, through the struggle and innovation, we saw increases in the number of our active certified members, and our overall reach grew. It was the staff and people in the network that were the real light shining that kept us going. They were deeply committed and passionate and determined to make a difference in the world, especially when people needed emotional support so desperately.

Cynthia was one of the newest members in our network and she remembers joining in GrowU courses. When Cynthia returned home to Hawaii and had to quarantine for a couple of weeks in her guest room. She remembered feeling stuck <Are You Feeling Stuck? Try This 3-Step Technique>. “During this emotional time, I filled my days with multiple Six Seconds programs from GrowU, and immersed myself in the various class offerings. Thankfully, I learned to explore emotions, the impact of emotions on our behaviors and well-being and shifted from feeling anxious, scared, fearful and sad, to optimistic, curious, and connected.”

“I was so impressed that Six Seconds managed to put this community together and offer so many activities to keep people engaged and so many opportunities to reach out and connect.” She felt such a strong sense of community and connection even though she was new, she was welcome. Because of Six Seconds’ GrowU, Cynthia didn’t feel so isolated and grew through the power of EQ and its daily practice.

Since 2020, Cynthia has been certified in a variety of Six Seconds programs and has used tools with her clients. Most recently she completed certification in EQ Performance Metrics Certification to use the Vital Signs with Leaders, Teams and Organizations. She especially finds this model and assessment compelling for her business clients. “I always appreciate the simplicity and usefulness of the Six Seconds models to learn and grow EQ learning and practice,” she concludes.

Cynthia’s plan is to never stop growing. “The more I’ve learned, the more certifications and different assessment tools I got, the more I’ve been able to incorporate Six Seconds into all of my programs and it definitely exceeded my expectations.”

Thank you Cynthia for sharing your EQ journey with us!

If you would like to share your story and be featured in future newsletters please email [email protected]

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​​​​Want more resources about Growth and Creating a Growth-Oriented Approach to Goals?

More on Growth Mindset

Research on the Role of EQ on How We Grow

Leveraging Gratitude to Cultivate Growth