Friends – Page 6 – Life Unfolds Blog

Ladies Who Launch LIVE!

Friday was the big San Francisco Ladies Who Launch LIVE event. Despite battling a cold all week, I couldn’t miss this amazing gathering of more than 300 women. There were inspiring speakers, including Mariel Hemingway who talked about healthy living, and panelists giving expert advice on launching.

You can watch this segment from A View from the Bay to see highlights from the day and the fashion show (photo above).

Several of us were at the site on Thursday getting ready for the big day. We definitely bonded as we stuffed gift bag after gift bag with swag. It was like early trick or treating!

I can’t believe that the Oakland Incubator kicks off next week. We’ve got a great group of gals ready to launch their ideas and I’m excited to start launching! Stay tuned for more!

[tags]Ladies Who Launch, entrepreneurship, women in business, creativity, Ladies Who Launch LIVE[/tags]

Creative Playground

Imagine eight vibrant, creative women spending a Sunday afternoon together drawing, playing and exploring. This colorful and expressive group scribble gives you a taste of the fun, bright energy of this gathering of my friends for our first “Creative Playground.” We’re a group of coaches, therapists and artists at heart who are called to bring a more expansive view of creativity and feminine power out into the world. The concept for this Creative Playground was born out of a “quest” that I claimed at a CTI workshop, called Quest: A Leader’s Journey, in September.

I am on a journey of discovering how to root expressive arts and creativity more deeply into coaching. The arts (visual, music, dance, drama, creative writing, and the like) have long been used by therapists for insight, recovery and healing. And, given my experience in recent Expressive Arts Therapy courses, I believe there is an opportunity to create more community and thought leadership around using the arts and creativity from a coaching perspective. Since in coaching the client is viewed as already whole and doesn’t need healing or fixing, the focus is more on using creativity as a catalyst for forward movement toward their goals and dreams. I’ve been using this for myself and in my own practice and refer to it as art visioning.

I’m excited to share that I’ll be co-leading a call on “Expressive Arts Coaching” with a fellow Quester, Kathy Loh, on November 15th to dialogue with other coaches about how they use the arts and creativity in their practice.

What does creativity mean to you? How do you express your creativity? How do you use creativity to help you move forward in your life?

[tags]art visioning, creativity, coaching, expressive arts therapy, art therapy, expressive arts coaching, creativity coaching[/tags]

Blessings and Synchronicity

Yesterday morning, I reconnected with my blessings box which sits on a little altar in my meditation/yoga room/coaching office. Whenever I’m moved, I’ll write what I’m grateful for on a handmade “I am blessed” card and place it in my blessings box.

Reading my cards filled me with deep appreciation and joy as I was reminded of how grateful I am of my supportive and loving husband, the beautiful area in which we live, my wonderful circle of friends and family, living my dreams and so many other amazing things!

Coming from a place of gratitude created a lovely flow synchronicity throughout the day:

A kind, young man walking in the BART station held a parking spot for me in the otherwise filled lot.
I met some colleagues for a meeting in the financial district and then when I was done, I decided to visit my husband at his last day at work at his current company (moving on to bigger and better things!). I looked up his office address and realized, it was in the same exact building, just four floors up! I walked in just in time to join the “good-bye” ice-cream run with his team.
Brian and I had a spontaneous dinner date in the city.
And when I went to the SF Coaches meeting later that evening, I was thrilled to see my dear friend Julie Daley. And we continued our wonderful connection as she graciously drove me back to the BART station to my car.

What are you grateful for? I’d love to hear! Or take a moment to write it down and tuck it away in a special, sacred space. And as you appreciate what’s positive and wonderful right now, notice how you open yourself to serendipity – even in the simplest forms. It’s amazing what the universe will serve up when we’re ready to receive!

[tags]Blessings Box, Law of Attraction, Synchronicity[/tags]

Cuddling with Carson

My college roomie, Julie, and her husband, George, just had their second boy last Friday. I met little Carson earlier this week at a mere four-days old! He’s very cute and alert. Pretty amazing to see those tiny fingers and toes AND to see Julie and George in action as seasoned parents and their son, Jaden, as the proud big brother.

Wow, things sure have changed since our college days! And yet, somethings stay just the same – like enjoying a wonderful day with a dear friend.

Active Minds

On Saturday, my grad school friends, Liz, Shanti, Toni and I, got together for a mini Bay Area Active Minds reunion. We reminisced about our professors and classes and found it hard to believe it was nearly 10 years ago! Yikes! And a lot sure has changed since then, including a couple of little ones in our midst (that’s Zolly in the picture).

Staying connected to these amazing gals keeps me inspired. Liz has her own consulting company and has authored two books on business communication. Shanti is the Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Cal’s International House and a proud mother of two beautiful boys. And Toni is a high-powered consultant and she and her husband just purchased their first home.

Shanti, Toni and our friend Karen (who is now in Iowa) did the first ever Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day back in 1998 and bonded even more over blistered feet. I feel blessed to have these women in my life after all these years, even if we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like.

At my mom’s 70th birthday party, she celebrated with friends that she knew since junior high. That is such a reminder to me about the importance of enduring friendships.

Who in your life have you not seen in awhile that you want to reach out to? How have you stayed connected to friends over the years?

[tags]Annenberg School for Communications, USC[/tags]

Eat, Pray, Love…. Repeat

Friends. Food. Fun. What could be better on a gorgeous, warm and sunny San Francisco afternoon? The book club ladies (sans Francisca) gathered at Kristen’s house in the Sunset to revel in Elizabeth Gilbert’s fantastic memoir “Eat, Pray, Love.” While discussing the author’s personal pilgrimage through Italy, India and Indonesia to find her true self, we feasted on antipasti including caprese salad, grilled asparagus and scrumptious figs with blue cheese. We shared how we related to her journey as we devoured to-die-for orecchiette pasta with chicken sausage and red chili flakes smothered in a tangy cream sauce. We pondered how the she might be integrating all her learnings into her day-to-day life post-travels as we gobbled up chocolate, vanilla and hazelnut gelato dripping with gooey chocolate ganache. Obviously, we had no problem taking a cue from the Italy indulgence theme from part one of the book.

Since the book club ladies weren’t able to attend my Freedom Party a couple of weeks ago, they gave me a heartfelt present. It brought tears to my eyes (there’s always some laughing and crying at book club!). Each gal picked out a special stone carved with an inspirational word like “Dream” or “Courage.” The fifth rock simply read “Friends” symbolizing the enduring strength of our friendship. Whenever I’m reading in my hammock in the backyard, these precious pebbles will be there to remind me that these four wonderful women will always be there for support and love.

As we wrapped up the day and I got into my car, the clear view of the ocean beckoned. Instead of heading straight home, I spontaneously drove out to the beach – one of my favorite spots when I used to live in the city. Just like in the book, I felt pulled to have some time just for me. I cast off my flip flops and waded in the cool, salty surf. I just love how the sound of crashing waves is so meditative. Even in this calm, peaceful place I noticed, though, that my mind still wandered. And since instead of berating myself for mind chatter I’m practicing holding myself with compassion, I just went with it. Riding the wave. I recalled how about seven or eight years ago I performed a letting go ritual on this same stretch of sand. I had written down things that were frustrating about my job, my life, etc. and then tossed them into the sea.

In that moment of reflection, I really related to a quote from the book, “I think about the woman I have become lately, about the life that I am now living, and how much I always wanted to be this person and live this life, liberated from the farce of pretending to be anyone other than myself.” My heart swelled with gratitude. This book has opened my eyes even more to my own personal journey and to deepening my own spiritual path. And by following an urge to do something nice just for me on this sunny afternoon, I gave myself the gifts of enjoying the present moment and of honoring who I am now and who I am becoming.

[tags]book club, Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love[/tags]

Seattle Visit

Before embarking on our Alaskan cruise, Brian and I visited one of my dear friends from Leadership, Lisa and her family in Seattle. I hadn’t seen Lisa in about a year and a half, so I really enjoyed catching up in person and hearing about how well her life is going. And I hadn’t seen her daughter Willow in more than two years. She is a real sweetheart and has the cutest smile and laugh.

We went to a park near Washington Lake where many families were barbequeing, swimming and having a good ole time. Willow peddled her Radio Flyer tricycle around the trails and played on the slides and swings. Lisa even showed us the Willow tree she and her husband Kelly planted for Willow on the banks of the lake. Kelly is a helicopter instructor and while we were playing with Willow at home, we heard a helicopter hover over the house. At dinner we found out that it was indeed Kelly circling overhead to say “Hello!”

On Sunday, Lisa took us out to the Fremont fair where we browsed many booths of unique and artistic wares. Fremont is a funky little part of Seattle. It even boasts a neon Rapunzel sign with blond hair hanging outside the window of the draw bridge leading into the town. I loved the neighborhood tour of the city and getting a taste of Lisa in her element. What a treat.

[tags]travel, Seattle[/tags]

My One Year Anniversary of Freedom

This weekend I celebrated my one year anniversary of taking the leap from Corporate America to live my dreams! To honor the milestone, I uncharacteristically threw myself a “Freedom Party” (part of my goal to step out more and be seen!) and invited friends and family who have supported me on my journey.

My parents drove up from L.A. to help me prep which was so amazing given what a full week I had leading up to the party. We grilled yummy chicken and shrimp skewers and feasted on a wide assortment of decadent desserts.

The biggest treat of all was spending the day with so many important people from all different parts of my life. Of course there were my parents, Brian and his parents and then there were friends from school and work, coaching friends, family and even my neighbor (also a Gap girl) came over from across the street.

In this picture are friends representing my high school, college, Accenture and Gap days. I hadn’t seen my high school speech friend Cat (in the purple) in probably 10 years and am so thrilled that she’s recently moved to the Bay Area. How timely that my parents also brought up a box of my old speech trophies. The morning of my party I was reading the notes on the bottom of some of the trophies. Our speech coach Mr. Fong always encouraged us to capture our thoughts about the event on the bottom of the trophy so we could remember what the experience was like. I’m so glad we did that as I was able to reminisce on one of my major accomplishments of making it to the state championships, along with Cat, my senior year. I wrote 15 years ago, “This trophy means so much to me because it represents the hardest fight I had to face this year in speech, overcoming my doubts. It feels so great to have all the right things happen for me finally.” Those words rung true for me, too, on this new milestone as I reflected back on a year of being out on my own.

Not only did I reflect on the past year, but I also looked out toward next year and asked the guests to also answer the question “What do I want my life to look like one year from now?” We wrote our responses on “lily pads” that we placed on the “Take a Leap” pond. Even some folks who couldn’t come sent in their responses to be included in the festivities. Some highlights of my intentions for the next year include (gulp!…) writing a book, creating creativity/coaching kits, being a leader for CTI, leading workshops and retreats that make a positive difference in people’s lives, continuing to grow my coaching practice, being peaceful and fulfilled, connecting deeply with Brian and spending quality time with him and our dog Emmett.

It was cool to see the array of dreams in the “pond.” If you’re so inspired, I invite you to add your response to the question, too! I look forward to seeing how all of our visions manifest over the coming year.

I feel so grateful to be living my dreams and to have the support and love of my family and friends. Here’s to another amazing year!

[tags]entrepreneurship, life coaching, yoga, creativity, escaping Corporate America, manifestation, visualization[/tags]

Book Club: Yoga Mamas

It’s hard to believe that my book club back from my Gap days is still going strong after nearly six years! We five friends always enjoy delicious food, side-splitting laughs (especially around dessert time) and fun conversation (we try to get some discussion about the reading, but mostly just gab)! I’ve really enjoyed watching our lives grow and change – new homes, kids, jobs, etc. – and knowing that I can always count on my “book club ladies” for love and support.

My inner Martha delights in creating themes for my book club meals. For my turn this year I paid homage to my recent yoga teacher training and also when my friends and I used to take the lunch-time yoga class at work. We enjoyed a light, quick summer read called “Yoga Mamas.”

To start off our day together, I led the gals in a brief yet grounding yoga class. Then we feasted outside on a raw food extravaganza. (I slaved away in the kitchen for nearly 8 hours the day before chopping, cutting, and assembling all sorts of veggies and nuts.) After all that work, though, the dishes turned out to be amazing! I made a few from Cafe Gratitude’s recipe book “I am Grateful” including my favorite dessert “I am Devoted,” a heavenly coconut cream pie without any refined sugar, flour or dairy. And a too-die-for “lasagna” from “Living Cuisine” with an incredible macadamia nut ricotta filling and zucchini noodles.

All in all, the book club ladies had a wonderful time soaking up the sun and relishing in the nourishment of friendship and food. Couldn’t have asked for a better day!

[tags]book club, Yoga Mamas, yoga, raw food, living cuisine, Cafe Gratitude[/tags]