Linda Tucker

About

Linda Tucker has a vast spanse of experience which has subsequently resulted in her diverse views. Linda hailed from the realms of international marketing and fashion through a threatening life experience with a pack of lions to her devotion to the conservation of The White Lion.

After being rescued by a Tsonga medicine woman from a life-threatening encounter with a pride of lions in 1991, Linda Tucker gave up a career in international marketing to become a conservationist.

Since this time, she has dedicated her life to the urgent protection of the critically endangered White Lions, venerated as the King of Kings by African elders. Despite their rarity and cultural importance, the White Lions have no protected status and may be trophy hunted in the wild and in captivity.

Linda Tucker | Legacy Project

To ensure the survival of this legendary animal, Linda Tucker has raised millions of dollars in a long-term strategy to secure large tracks of protected wilderness territory in the heart of the White Lions’ ancestral heritage lands, in the epic-centre of UNESCO’s Kruger-to-Canyons Biosphere, one of the last viable lion ranges on the planet.

Over three decades, Linda Tucker has campaigned for the protection of lions against the legalised malpractices in South Africa’s notorious cuddle-to-kill industry. Today, it is legal to commercially hunt lions in the wild, in cages after these cubs have been petted by tourists, and to trade them as skeletons into the lion-bone trade to Asian markets.

Over this time, she has developed and launched a LionHearted Leadership™ model for humanity, inspired by the White Lions as icons of good governance, and enlightened leadership. Her pioneering initiatives include the establishment of an Academy for LionHearted Leadership,  equipping adult leaders as agents of change; and the StarLion Eco-Educational programme for emerging youth leadership, which presented to Nelson Mandela in 2007.

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Interview Questions

My definition of success has definitely evolved over the years, as my priorities have become more clearly defined. Success is the ability to make a positive difference in this world, recognizing that there is an ecological crisis that needs to be profoundly addressed, which directly impacts everything, including people.

Success is the achievement of that positive difference: in service of, rather than the destruction of, our magnificent planet.

Unconditional Love. I have no doubt Love is the greatest force.

I really enjoy the word “proud.” It’s a lion word. I am proud of my achievements, and I feel a wonderful sense of pride at others’ achievements, especially when they do something that positively influences our planet.

I feel proud of my partner’s (lion ecologist, Jason A. Turner) scientific achievements and landmark genetic discoveries which will help ensure that the White Lions are protected as an endangered species, and I feel proud of the dedicated and highly accomplished international team I’ve built around this project. Lions function in a “pride.”

They are the only truly social cats, and they can’t achieve their apex leadership role alone. They have to be highly coordinated and tactical in their hunting techniques in order to survive and flourish. The females also cross-suckle each other’s cubs, which helps create the deepest loving bonds I’ve ever seen in any animal, including humans.

They are incredibly loving and incredibly proud animals. The shocking fact is that lions risk extinction in the wild in our lifetime. Ensuring the survival of Panthera leo as a living legacy for humanity has given me and my team many moments of deep pride and fulfillment, in the face of an incredible crisis.

Anything is possible when people follow the dictates of their hearts responsibly. That’s what The 13 Laws of LionHearted LeadershipTM enable us to do: change our world.

LionHeartedness—that quality of coming alive.

LionHeartedness is a quality of fearlessness inspired by Love and respect for nature, that enables us to save our world.

It comes from passion, commitment, and a knowledge that you are serving a greater goal which benefits others.

An overwhelming Love for my subject. It is the defining force behind LionHeartedness – and it makes you unstoppable.

In over two decades of working with African lion shamans, I have developed a training, called the LionHearted Leadership™ training, specifically designed to activate people’s hearts.

Once you truly start to feel the power of your heart connection, you are fueled and driven in an entirely new way, a way which will then achieve entirely different outcomes. These greater outcomes will deeply fulfill you and transform your world.
LionHearted Leadership™ training teaches resilience.

It opens hearts to enable future leaders from all walks of Life to become powerful agents of change, willing to challenge existing paradigms and champion new approaches to Life. To become such a leader, each of us needs to make one simple shift: from an insecure, exploitative, need and greed consumer culture to a confident, loving consciousness that holds a deep reverence for the sanctity of Life and Mother Nature.

The key is to open our hearts. I truly believe that this is the quantum shift that will save our world.

I have given this question some very deep consideration over a couple of decades in my conservation work to save the White Lions. I’ve drawn on the deep wisdom, loving courage, and entirely authentic approach to Life displayed by these majestic animals. Out of these experiences, I have created The 13 Laws of LionHearted Leadership™.

These Laws are designed to reawaken true values in humanity at a time when true leadership – characterized by LionHeartedness – is most critically needed.

 The LionHearted Leadership™ training is Life changing and immensely powerful. It can be undertaken by anyone, from any walk of Life, who wants to do something meaningful with their Life.

These principles are distilled in the 13 Laws of LionHearted Leadership™. They are fueled by a loving and courageous heart and an acceptance that there is a Great Plan with which we should, in all humility, align ourselves.

The most immediate way to align ourselves is through daily sacred practice.

Specifically, I teach a practice designed to reawaken the heart and reconnect us with the original solar power of our Sun, the heart of our solar system. It also connects us with the Great Heart of our universe, the so-called Sun behind the Sun.

This practice is called the Npenvu Protection Practice for the LionHearted. But any sacred practice that honors Love and Creation will help prepare you to bring to action the principles and values I believe are important to live by.

These are The 13 Laws of LionHearted Leadership™:

LAW: LIONHEARTED ACTION

  1. ORIGINATION Follow your Paw-print
  2. APPRECIATION Celebrate your Nature
  3. COMMUNICATION Share the Roar
  4. NURTURANCE Encourage fresh growth
  5. RADIANCE Protect the LionHeart
  6. REGENERATION Serve Mother Earth
  7. COLLABORATION Find your Pride
  8. AUTHENTICATION Gain full Responsibility                                            
  9. CO-CREATION Live your Dream
  10. GOVERNANCE Steward your Resources
  11. LIBERATION Uncage your Gifts
  12. ASPIRATION Rediscover the Stars
  13. ELIMINATION  Cleanse your Kingdom

 

I can give you numerous examples of success for each of these Laws. Let me choose the 9th Law of Co-Creation, possibly the most powerful tool available to us for transforming our world.

It shows you how to manifest your dream, but you have to be responsible about it. After years in the fashion industry, where, like so many women today, I was filled with superficial dreams and illusions, I left it all behind to follow my true heart’s calling.

I stepped into a dangerous and challenging world where I applied this Law successfully in manifesting a seemingly impossible dream: securing the sacred site that is the White Lions’ ancestral wilderness heartlands – which was worth millions of dollars which I did not own, and which was held much like a military stronghold, by canned hunting operations who killed for a living.  My book, Saving the White Lions, tells the story in more detail.

Each of The 13 Laws is effective in different ways in helping us achieve a positive outcome.

Here are some of the critical skills that I have been developing with the help of my team. They all come, not only from a call to consciousness, but also a call to action, living and enacting these 13 Laws of LionHearted Leadership™ in everyday Life.

  • Being original and stepping into your life’s purpose.
  • Finding and helping to create joy in your work and home environments.
  • Expressing your truth and listening to others, which includes receiving inspiration from Nature and animals.
  • Working effectively with opportunities and enabling those around you.
  • Radiating with health, vitality and enthusiasm for Life.
  • Healing yourself and rebalancing your environment.
  • Taking pride in yourself and enjoying giving and receiving support.
  • Being authentic and taking responsibility for the power of your words and your actions.
  • Actualizing the dream you are holding in the very core of your heart.
  • Drawing ample funds and resources to you as and when you require them in order to be effective.
  • Freeing yourself from restrictions by putting your unique gifts into practice.
  • Becoming a shining star, able to transform negative situations into positive outcomes.
  • Practicing discernment, and knowing when to draw the line.

Each of these benefits comes naturally from applying the individual Laws. But Advanced LionHearted Leadership™ training goes further than a call to consciousness and a call to action.

This level of training is known as Sacred Warriorship – and, when you are ready for it, then and only then, the 13 LionHearted Laws become a call to arms.

The word “mindfulness” is very important. It is much more than simply the rational mind. It refers to using your mind in a loving, responsible and heart-centered way.

I come from the highly academic background of Cambridge University, and have worked in high-stress corporate and advertising environments. But LionHearted Leadership™ teaches you to think with your heart.

To achieve anything really meaningful, you need to reactivate your heart as your golden compass and stop the buzz in your head. Rational thinking alone cannot truly bring fulfillment.

My most important lesson is that criticism, opposition, challenge, and temporary setbacks have been much more helpful than praise.

They have been more than just character building; they have provided the structure, grit, determination, and even inspiration to refine my strategy and vision. They have helped build my resilience in the face of real crises and ultimately made for a much more successful outcome.

LionHearted Leadership™ is resilience training, providing us with the tools to meet Life’s unexpected challenges.

Fear is a constant factor in our lives. It is a reality. We live in a manmade world that gives great cause for doubt, fear, disillusionment, and depression. Trying to reason ourselves out of it simply doesn’t help.

Cold logic fails in the face of fear. The only way to overcome fear is to work with the deep heart principles that ultimately guide our universe and represent the interconnection between all things.

Fear separates while Love connects. That is the oldest principle in the cosmos. It is the inspiration behind LionHearted Leadership™. Overcoming fear is therefore at the core of LionHearted Leadership™ training. Reactivating our powerful heart center through Love and respect for Nature instills a fearless consciousness, capable of changing our world.

This reconnects us with our true purpose and our true identity.

Each of The 13 Laws has helped me to overcome the different faces of fear, whether based on reality or irrational perception. But the most effective one, I find, is the 2nd Law of Appreciation.

Whenever I feel self-doubt, angst or negativity, I simply find a space to give thanks, and more thanks, and still more thanks.

When I recognize how much I have to be thankful for, how wonderful it is to be alive, everything changes. It is the difference between the glass half full or half empty, between loathing and wasting Life, and enjoying it. And this, I’ve discovered, makes all the difference in the world.

I can’t always perform at my peak. I need both high-performance events and times for recharging and replenishing. Creating balance in my life is critical. The 13 Laws of LionHearted Leadership™ are very clear on this.

Reestablishing my connection with Nature is a key to my health, balance and regeneration. In fact, this is the 6th Law of Regeneration.

Once I am clear about my identity and purpose, I become clear about what events to prioritize as peak performance focus points, and when it’s equally important to go quietly into retreat, reserve and recharge mode for that fundamental reconnection with Nature.

The most powerful “resource” is directly from “The Source”. In other words, I go into Nature and reconnect with the creative force that lives in all of Creation.

That way, I recognize that everything I achieve and create is only achievable by co-creating together with the true source of power on this planet, using loving intention. In this way, I have started actualizing my dreams. This ability to manifest is the 9th Law.

I would like to see many more people activated and revived by the LionHearted Leadership™ Training to transform their lives and environments in positive, Life-giving ways.

Everyone has a totally unique destiny which is linked with the stewardship of this beautiful planet.

Our LionHearted Leadership™ Training enables people to fulfill their own unique purpose and take up their rightful role with self-confidence, originality and uncompromising clarity. This is the 1st Law of LionHearted Leadership.

I can only do my best – and that is good enough. Life is full of unforeseen challenges, some of which only make sense many years later. They are all significant and an intrinsic part of my evolution.

When I recognize them as such, they become opportunities rather than threats. For as long as I can be sure I give the issue my best effort, I can come to terms with seemingly negative outcomes. That is the nature of LionHeartedness.

I would advise them to look very closely at what real wealth and real value mean and feel like on an everyday level.

  • Do they feel good?
  • Do they feel happy?
  • Do they feel healthy?

I have generated significant money for my cause.

Making money is only fulfilling when it is linked to your own personal purpose in enacting humanitarian or planetary service. That is the gift of the 10th Law of Governance.

This project attracts a great LionHearted team of people who strive to live The 13 Laws on a daily basis by being brave, dedicated, focused and committed to the greater good.

Not one of us is perfect, but each of us is on an evolutionary journey which is greatly enhanced by the White Lions and all that these inspirational animals represent by way of good, service-based leadership.

The White Lions are living symbols of these 13 Laws in action, as are LionHearted people like Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu (both of whom I’ve had the honor of meeting), and His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis (whom I still hope to meet).

Lions are a crucial heritage for this planet. I will do everything in my power to ensure they will continue to be a living legacy for humanity’s future.

Lions, as apex predator, have a critical role in maintaining balance and health for the entire ecosystem. If they go extinct in the wild, ecosystems will collapse, and consequently human systems will also collapse.

This is called “trophic cascading.” But restoring the capstone species to the ecosystem restores balance and order across all systems. That’s worth fighting for.

Interview Date

  • 2019-11-28

Country

  • South Africa
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