Where Did Your PodCast Go?

Yes, I had a PodCast... Connections Coaching Cafe. Actually, it is still around, I just have not recorded in a really long time and for those of you who subscribed and/or listen occasionally, I appreciate the love and I truly apologize for leaving you high and dry these past few months.

I was in the process of truly defining what my coaching practice was going to be and that (along with other family obligations and travel) did not allow time to regularly record the PodCast. I was barely blogging at the time too. I was in that "Where is this going" phase, it was hard to maintain focus. It was also hard to come up with motivating anecdotes when I was struggling with my own motivation. As I explained before... coaches are human too. When it comes to empowering and enriching lives, I never want to give less than 100%. I have to remember...that notion also should apply to me! I needed to step back, re-prioritize, and get to the core of what was important to me, my family, and what I wanted this practice to be.

Well, as you can see...this summer, I am back in the saddle... revamping my web presence and coming up with great coaching programs and workshops. The plan is to revive the "Cafe" with more vim and vigor!! I hope to relaunch in late August or early September. Stay tuned!

The Big Purge

I have written a few times about how I made transition from Relocation Consultant to Writer/Life Coach. I speak frequently about the mental changes I went through…I'm going through to adjust my work habits, etc. But there is one huge transition that I have not made that I have been dreading for the better part of a year…my office.

Guess what, I was actually on the HGTV show Mission Organization for my office. At the time of the show, I was pregnant with my first child and still a Relocation Consultant. Writing and Coaching were not even a blip on the radar screen. My office was redesigned to fit the productivity of my former career. It worked perfectly for that profession. When my needs, my priorities, and my career began to change, my office did too… into a big mess. Thank heavens HGTV discontinued the show because they would be so ashamed of me right now! I began piling my new life on top of my old life and things were just not working. I didn’t have space for my new files because my old files (dating back to 1999) were taking up the space. I just had "stuff" everywhere and it was getting to the point of no return. I didn’t even want to be in my office. What once was a place of inspiration became a bone of contention. I did not want to feel that way about my personal space. My supposed creative space that made my stomach turn whenever I stood in the threshold. Something had to give. It was time to let go.

Read the full article on Divine Caroline

Blog Blocked...AGAIN!

This is reaching depressing proportion! Can you believe it... I am blog blocked again! I say to myself every morning, "I need to post something on my blogs" and then I go completely blank! So tonight, I decided to, again, just blog about not being able to blog. I am probably thinking too hard about it. I am looking to be inspirational or belt out some prolific prose but what I am doing is setting myself up to be where I am right now...stuck! I am putting too much pressure on myself to write something "worthy" when I should just do what I tell others to do... just write. Write for the sake of writing. I have read the blogs of others and they are so easy going...just writing about their day, etc. and here I am trying to win a Pulitzer or something. As the subtitle of this blog states, these are my notes on how I live a life I love within the chaos. Fingers are hitting keys and you have something to read. Blocked? Blog about it!

Clock Out!

I am trying to teach myself a valuable lesson...learning to "clock out". As an entrepreneur, I am so conditioned to working 24/7, I have trouble shutting off. Hence, having my computer with me at the hospital when I was giving birth to Jackson. I have to sometimes remind myself that I changed professions (from Relocation Consultant to Author/Life Coach) so that I did not have to work so much. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. It is so hard that sometimes when there is no work...I actually invent it...I make up some important task that needs my immediate attention! I should be using that energy elsewhere, right? I am not embracing change! One night after the kids were in bed and my body was limp with exhaustion, I still crawled in bed with my laptop, notebooks, and client files. I actually found myself getting a little miffed at the fact that my inbox was empty and I had nothing to respond to. I really had nothing I needed to be doing at that moment except, well, SLEEP! I had to tell myself, hey girl, CLOCK OUT!

Click the title to read the full article on Divine Caroline

Making My Lemonade

I think I have really grown as a Coach and as a Mother over the last couple of days. I am in my own private "Mommy Hullabaloo" and I am handling it beautifully by practicing what I preach. I am sleep deprived. My whole body aches. I haven't had a decent meal since Tuesday of last week. And yet, I am very proud of myself at how I have handled things. My husband has been away for a week and I have been on my own with the kids. Normally, I go running for any available relative and hang out at their place or beg them to stay with me. Though slightly coming apart at the seams, I am holding down the fort! Why is that so surprising? Because I used to spend a lot of time telling myself that I could not do it by myself... that I always need help. Most of the time that is true but I never gave myself credit for being a good and capable mother...woman...until now. The kids are trying my patience and tag-teaming for affection and I have "lost it" a couple of times, but I have not been broken! As I coach my clients with their "lemons", I too am making my "lemonade". Well, it's 11:40pm and I need a shower but I can barely keep my eyes open... decisions...decisions...

I Am Not Immune!

I am not immune to negative feelings and negative thoughts just because I am a Life Coach! I am still very much a work in progress! I can still have self-doubt and days that I am not happy with my looks. I am human, after all. I can be disappointed that something did not go my way. I can be afraid to try something new. I can be jealous that something I wanted fell into the hands of someone else. The trick is to feel it...and then let it go! Do these things have an impact on the whole of my life? Not really. I always have to remember that set-backs are a part of life and they always happen for a reason. They happen to remind you that you are not in control, God is. The universe is. Whatever "Higher Power" you believe in is in control. Set-backs happen in order for something that is truly meant for you to occur... as in when one door closes another opens, right? Sometimes disappointments happen to save you from making an even bigger mistake. It is easier said than done. As I write this, I remember where I have had difficulty with it. I am thinking of things that I want or have wanted that I may or may not get and all I find myself focusing on is the "may not".

Like I said, being aware and living authentically does not make me immune to these feelings. I am doing the right thing with them. I am exploring them. I am giving myself the human right of feeling them. What I am not doing is allowing these feelings to consume me...or at least trying not to. I am not blaming others. I am holding on to my faith that all is going according to the plan that has been crafted specifically for me. I must not question it. There are reasons for things being the way they are and one day I will know why. I have to also remember the many ways in which I have already been blessed and know that the blessings will continue to come. I am not immune... but I am aware and very thankful for clarity and peace of mind.

Look at The Lesson

It's wonderful when you can see mistakes as building blocks for future success and not as mini-failures. I was reflecting on some recent business decisions and though the were very good ideas, the timing of their execution may not have been wise. The "old me" would wallow in regret of the mistake or bad judgement call and beat myself up over it. But instead, I subconsciously find myself looking at the lesson and even the blessing received from it! A break-thru! An AH-HA, if you will. I feel myself evolving into the person I want to be...the real me! Now that I am getting my mind right, I sincerely hope my body will follow!

Why I Became a Life Coach

I am always telling that to other women who talk to me about "how I did it" (starting a business, writing a book, becoming a stay at home/work from home mom). So why did it take me so long to figure out that "this" was my actual passion. My niche. Empowering women (of all ages) to chase their dreams or just be comfortable with themselves or how to effectively communicate with loved ones or colleagues. Why on earth was I not doing that for a living? I cannot tell you how many times my phone has rang with a friend or relative on the other line asking for advice on some life changing event. What do I say on an interview? How do I ask for a raise? Am I crazy to start my own business?
I give women a chance to voice what's in their hearts without criticism or the emotions that someone closer to them may bring. A champion for their cause but also giving an objective analysis on how to go about the situation. I take a less clinical approach and use more of a “big sister” or “best girlfriend” style of coaching. My clients tend to open up more about their feelings about particular subjects that way and it also makes them better listeners.
Most of my clients are women going through a life change … becoming a new mother, coping with a career change, deciding to go back to work after a hiatus or child birth, deciding to branch out into their own businesses. My new niche is young women ages 16-25 dealing with teen and young adult issues… talking openly, honestly, and effectively to parents, preparing for college, preparing for life after college and/or entering the "real world".
I am far from perfect. I have my own coach (and a therapist) which I think give me even more of an edge. I am learning and growing with my clients. As they are discovering things about themselves and moving toward the path of enlightenment, I am making one step closer to my own personal goals and achievements. Doing this makes me happy. Knowing I helped someone realize and achieve a personal goal fills me up.