Entrepreneurship – Page 4 – Life Unfolds Blog

My Inner Teacher and My Inner Muse

Today Kate and I participated in Kimberly Wilson‘s Yoga and Creativity workshop. Through a blissful blend of journaling, visualization, asana, collage and meditation my inner teacher and inner muse came out to play. I loved being on the mat in a room full of yoga enthusiasts and women wanting to connect with their creativity. These are my kind of peeps!

During our discussion, a theme emerged around striking the balance of being inspired with lots of creative thoughts and being grounded enough so that we can implement them. I know with my vata kapha dosha, I can tend to get overwhelmed and flighty with my whirlwind of ideas or stuck and sluggish from that very same overwhelm. That’s when I need to fire up some pitta to get me in action! And I can use that right about now given the goals I have for the rest of the year.

For the workshop, I dusted off my yoga teacher training journal that I made with papyrus from my trip to Egypt and a copy of my lotus blossom painting. I realized that I had stopped regularly journaling about my practice sometime in 2007, yikes! I’ll definitely pick that back up again, even if it’s just short entries about what I’m noticing with my yoga. It’s hard to believe it’s been more than a year since my teacher training! It felt good to reconnect with that journey in a creative way again.

And that’s the Hip Tranquil Chick herself with me (and my new very asymmetrical haircut!). With all her entrepreneurial ventures and her lovely presence, Kimberly is truly an inspiration. What a treat to meet her in person!!

You can find us both as guest bloggers on the wishstudio blogzine!

eWomen Network Conference 2008

I’m in Dallas this weekend for the annual eWomen Network Conference. It’s been an amazing past few days meeting so many talented, smart and savvy women (there are about 3,000 women entrepreneurs here at the Hyatt Regency!)

One of my favorite things was getting to spend lots of quality one-on-one time with publishing experts and authors as part of the eWomen Publishing Network. I got fantastic “femtoring” (as eWomen Network founder Sandra Yancey likes to say) from Jan King, my book coach and founder of the eWomen Network Publishing Network, Debbie Mzarek, a fabulous woman I met a last year’s conference and author of “The Field Guide to Sales,” Jennifer Madson, a fellow lady launcher and author of “A Financial Minute,” Gail Richards, a fellow creative spirit and head of Author Smart, AND (OMG!!!!) the brilliant and wonderfully down-to-earth Tama Kieves author of a super-inspiring and best-selling book, “This Time I Dance.” I read it a couple of years ago right around the time I quit my corporate job and it was just what I needed to hear then. Anyway, I shared my Right-Brain Business Plan, dream box and Unfolding Your Life Vision collage books with her and she was so thrilled!

I even asked Tama to give a video testimonial for me, which she so graciously did as you can see below. All I can say is WOW!!!!!!!!!

And if all that wasn’t enough, while I was in the Publishing Pavilion, I met this really sharp woman April from Georgia. We hit it off and she invited me to dinner with her friends from the Savannah eWomen chapter. So I got to know Deborah, Melissa, Nanci and Judy, too! What a positive and empowered group of women.

I can’t wait to continue connecting with them after the conference. There are so many other cool people I’ve met here, and I’m sure I’ll meet more tomorrow before I head home.

The morning always starts off with some surprise entertainment. So today we saw jugglers John and Owen of The Passing Zone. These two funny guys pulled off crazy stunts including juggling machetes while balancing on a beam and standing on top of each other.

And then they juggled sickles while a brave audience member balanced spinning plates and a ball! (I’m glad I wasn’t in her shoes!).

And finally, a really inspiring part of the program was hearing Sandra talk about The GLOW Project, which includes a full-length movie and a magazine to showcase uplifting success stories of women. They had a panel of a few of the women featured in the movie and it was extremely touching to hear about their journeys and how they keep their inner glow burning.

Whew… It’s been a very, very full day and I have lots of great ideas to absorb! I’m always amazed at the power of networking with so many incredible women.

The Power of Creative Cohorts

My friend and fellow Lady Launcher, Cami Walker, was visiting from L.A. this weekend and recently asked me to lead a Right-Brain Business Plan workshop so she could make one for her new creative venture. We gathered seven other participants for a fun afternoon of visioning and planning. I wrote a bit about the workshop here.

I originally planned to launch this workshop in the fall. What I love, though, about having creative cohorts is that they are there to help spur things along! If I were just plodding along by myself, I would’ve sat on this idea for a few more months. I might have worked on the concept here and there and eventually set a date later this year.

But with a simple nudge and within just a few weeks, I’ve gained tons of momentum. By putting myself out there (perhaps earlier that I had originally planned), I now have new insights on how to improve the workshop and also confirmation of some other ideas I was tossing around. This weekend was a great reminder that creating is an iterative process. A process that starts with putting something out there! It sure helps to have a friendly catalyst nearby who can help propel you forward.

Celebrating the Two-Year Mark

Today I celebrate year two of living my passions full-time! On June 23, 2006, I left Gap corporate headquarters and haven’t looked back since. I was talking with someone today about how so much shifted for me when I stopped living my dreams on the side and gave myself permission to dive fully into entrepreneurship.

Last year around this time, I threw myself a One-Year of Freedom Party. My guests and I wrote down what we wanted our life to look like in one year. I dug up the cards this weekend. It was cool to reflect on my vision and acknowledge what has already manifested and what’s in the works. A few highlights include… launching a product (my Right-Brain Business Plan e-Book), becoming a Quest Circle Coach for CTI (not quite a front of the room leader, but closer on the path!), developing my first art visioning kit and enjoying life.

What do you want your life to look like one year from now? What would shift for you if you focused full-time on your passions? What milestones will you celebrate?

Lessons from Public Speaking

“Here’s your opening line…” Ahhh, the magic words of Patricia Fripp, award-winnning speaker and speech coach. On Thursday and Friday, 10 of us lady launchers participated in Fripp’s Public Speaking School. Fripp dazzled us with her lightening-speed ability to whip out compelling opening lines, her laser-focused on-the-spot speech editing and her dynamic and humorous storytelling. If you’re considering public speaking, I highly recommend taking one of her courses (or even getting any of her CDs or DVDs). I walked away with so many nuggets on structure, content and delivery that I’ll apply to anything from a 3-min. blurb to an hour-long talk.

Despite being a quiet kid, in junior high I competed in mock trial and high school I competed in speech, mostly in “DI” (dramatic interpretation). I got a kick out of portraying twisted, emotional yet very strong women (hmmm, what does that say about me?!). My senior year, I even went to the State and National Championships.

Although I got pretty comfortable reciting scenes from plays and books in front of large audiences, I was petrified of doing anything that required my own content or thinking on my feet. I avoided original oratory, debate, impromtu and the like. What did I have to say? Would anyone even care? What if I sounded stupid? Of course, those thoughts still cross my mind as I blog, write my book, give talks or facilitate groups. The difference now is I just do it anyway.

When I reflect on my years in speech and the mentoring from my speech coach Mr. Fong I’m very grateful for the experience. There are many lessons that help me in my personal and professional life. Be BIG. Be prepared. Practice, practice, practice. Focus and breathe. Get feedback. Practice more. Dress for success. Believe in myself. And so much more.

Now, after working with Patricia Fripp I have new “Frippisms” to add to my lessons from public speaking. And I’m excited that we lady launchers can support each other in preparing for and giving our presentations! That makes the daunting process of public speaking that much easier.

On the Radio

One of my business goals for this year is to increase my media exposure, which I find exciting and scary! So, when someone from eWomen Network recently contacted me to see if I was interested in being on the eWomen Network Radio Show, I said “Yes!” with sweaty palms and a racing heart. In my interview with Sandra Yancey, Founder and CEO of eWomen Network, I talk about my art visioning approach and share a couple of tips to bring more creativity into your life right now.

The show aired this past Sunday, but for the next couple of weeks you can listen to a recording online. Every week, Sandra showcases several women entrepreneurs and their businesses. It’s one of the great benefits of being an eWomen Network member.

Next month, I head back to Dallas for my second eWomen Network conference. This time, I’m participating in their publishing track to help give me a kick in the pants around the book I’m working on.

Anyway, if you get a chance to listen to the interview, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Meeting Jamie

While I’m out here in Toronto (or just outside of Toronto to be more accurate), I just HAD to meet my friend and kindred creative spirit Jamie. What a treat to finally meet this amazing woman in person!!! Jamie is such a wise, intuitive soul who dances vibrantly with life. That’s us above finishing up our dinner. (I’m hoping she got a better picture!)

Jamie and I “met” early last year through an online coaching community for creative artists. One of my paintings was posted on the home page and Jamie reached out in her magical way to connect. From there we started to exchange e-mails back and forth, each time finding more things we have in common and are passionate about. Since then, we’ve been supporting each other in building our businesses, living creative lives and making a positive impact in the world. We’ve even started to collaborate together on ways to be pioneers in the emerging field of Expressive Arts Coaching.

I love that we both do things even if they scare us (see collaboration point above for just one example). I love knowing that I can drop her a line when I’m frustrated or stuck because I know she’ll understand AND she’ll call me forth. I love knowing I can always look to her for inspiration and insight. I love knowing that we’re there to celebrate successes with each other. I love that all of this grew out of a simple, spontaneous e-mail hello.

Who are you wanting to meet? What magic might unfold by simply saying hello to someone you don’t know? What new connection can you create today?

Right-Brain Business Plan e-Book Now Available!

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my new Right-Brain Business Plan e-Book and guided visualization! This is one of my creative projects that has been in the works for a bit, so it feels great to get it out here (you can bet some beads went into the bowl!). I hope you’ll be inspired to create your own Right-Brain Business Plan after listening to the meditation and reading the book.

One of my cool take-aways from this project is the power of collaboration. I partnered with my friend and talented designer, illustrator and artist, Kate Prentiss, to develop this product. Instead of going it alone and feeling stuck or frustrated, I had a creative cohort to bounce ideas off of, to help keep me accountable, and, best of all, to have fun with. Our collaboration made the process that much more fulfilling and exciting and it helped to move things along a lot faster than if I had worked in isolation.

What creative partnerships do you lean into in your work? What have you been able to co-create together? I’d love to hear!

And, here’s a bit more detail about what’s included in the Right-Brain Business Plan e-Book:

9-page illustrated, colored and hand-written e-book
15-minute guided visualization to get you in touch with the big vision of your business
a link to a simple, “right-brain” template for getting started on the “left-brain” numbers

Price: $19.95

Buy yours today!

P.S. – I’m off to Toronto for the weekend to help facilitate a circle at QUEST! I look forward to sharing my experience with you!

Musepreneur on Wishstudio

The fabulous Mindy has created the deliciously delightful and inspiring wishstudio blogzine. I’m thrilled to be a part of the community as a regular contributor with my monthly Musepreneur column. In it I’ll be exploring the heart and soul of business and sharing right-brain ideas, tips and resources for creative entrepreneurs. Check out my introductory article and find out if you’re a musepreneur! I’d also love to hear what you’d be interested in seeing or learning about, so please let me know.

Come join your creative cohorts! In addition to our talented hostess Mindy, there are so many amazing women on the wishstudio blogzine including my friend Jamie of Starshyne Productions (who I get to meet in person later on this week in Toronto!!) and Kimberly Wilson of Hip Tranquil Chick.

Happy wishing!!

Bowled Over

A few months ago, the amazingly talent artist Jessie had blogged about her Buddha Bowl. Rather than getting crazed by a long to-do list, Jessie used her bowl as a sacred container for intentions. In yet another stroke of synchronicity, it was just around that same time that I started to use a bowl for a similar ritual.

I had been feeling totally overwhelmed with the many creative ideas swimming around in my head and feeling really frustrated that none of them where as far along as I had wanted them to be. My coach Marcy reminded me that, indeed, I have been making progress little by little and I would benefit from having a way to honor my incremental steps. She suggested the simple structure of a bowl and beautiful beads.

So, after I do anything for any of my projects, I place a bead into the bowl. Do a bit of writing, place a bead into the bowl. Get feedback from friends on my ideas, place a bead into the bowl. Research different raw materials, place a bead into the bowl. The repetition can be meditative. And it’s way more aesthetically pleasing than tracking the status of tasks in a complicated project plan! With my fresh start this past week, I’ve found myself placing a few more beads into the bowl (it had been awhile), so that acknowledgment of moving forward again felt fantastic.

If you’re like me, your mind probably quickly jumps to the next thing before you’ve even recognized what you just accomplished. This bowl and bead ritual is an easy way to celebrate each step along your path and to remind yourself that every little action makes a difference. Before you know it your bowl will runneth over!

What small steps will you acknowledge today? What’s a simple and beautiful way you can honor your progress?