What do you want to hold onto from summer?

I hope you had a great summer – with time to unwind, to play, to refuel.

As the calendar turns from August to September, many of us recall feeling excited about the start of a new school year. (I always looked forward to what could be lying ahead for me, and feel that anticipation each September. My husband, on the other hand, finds himself feeling apprehensive each year at this time.)

No matter what your natural response is to this change of season, making the shift to anything new is worth considering.

New rhythms, new patterns of daily life, and new schedules, even when welcome, always entail adjustments.

How do you want your September to look?

Rather than just clicking to the next week on your calendar and jumping into a more demanding schedule, consider these possibilities:

1. What might you hold onto that made your summer special?

What small thing that you indulged in over the summer can you build into your routine now?

Maybe you’ll create space for quiet daily walks like the ones that allowed you time to simply connect to the smell of the air and take in the sky, without having to rush to be someplace or do something.

You might plan for a morning walk once or twice a week, even if a shorter walk than you savored over the summer.

Or, you can choose another way to enjoy some unscripted, easy time for yourself, maybe in the evening if that will work best, so you are not “on” all day every day.

2. Is there something new you are ready for now?

The start of the new season may be the perfect time to start making a longed-for desire or dream a reality.

That could mean starting to explore possible ways to move ahead.

It might look like reaching out to someone to get their feedback or their take on your idea.

It could mean setting a boundary or two to preserve needed time, as well as space for your attention to be focused on the way forward.

3. Is there something you’ve been tolerating long enough?

Times of transition are excellent prompts to take stock and consider what’s working well and what less-than-desirable situation you may be tolerating. 

If something comes to mind that you recognize as a situation or dynamic or relationship you are no longer willing to tolerate, you get to change that.

The change may be easy to make, or might entail thoughtful planning. And it may require help.

The key is to make the decision and take a step forward.

When you keep in mind the outcome that will eliminate the negativity you have been tolerating, it will be easier to find a way to make the change.

Change requires willingness

Whether you want to make space in your life for a piece of what made you feel happy over the summer, or you want to consider moving something from a back burner to the front burner, or you feel it’s time to stop tolerating something so you feel more joy each day, or you have the desire to bring something else new into your life, you will be called to initiate a change — and often a sequence of changes.

The theory, the imagining the vision, is the easy part.

Taking action is not always as easy.

Start by focusing on why the change is meaningful to you. You might do some journaling about it, to make the outcome you envision vivid.

Once you plan a first step to take,

• Be willing to take a bold stand for what matters to you.

• Be willing to get support.

• Be willing to take imperfect action.

• Be willing to course-correct and continue when things do not go according to plan.

And be committed to staying the course.

That’s what creators do.

I’m making changes, too.

This fall, I will be making changes that I began contemplating at the start of the summer.

I have been holding a vision and laying the groundwork.

I will share the changes with you next week.

Until then, happy September. I would love to hear about how the start of this new season goes for you, and happy to chat with you about how you want to create meaningful change in your life.

Grab a time for us to talk.

The Multiplier Effect: How Self-Discovery Impacts Everyone You Love

I led a retreat last month, and I keep turning over something that I witnessed there.

When a woman gets clear about who she is and what she wants, the change rarely stops with her. It moves outward.

Incredible changes unfolded

Over the course of three days, where women engaged in deep conversation and heartfelt sharing, as well as a range of creative experiences that opened their hearts and allowed clarity to emerge, remarkable changes were set in motion.

A healer who had craved creative play that had been eluding her revelled in the experiences she had. Her joy was palpable and lifted us all. Over the course of the retreat she faced and dispelled significant limiting beliefs that had been holding her back, and she’s now returned to caring for her her clients with more presence.

A consultant found new ways to cope with pressing personal challenges, and reshaped routines to care for her physical wellbeing, too. In turn, she was inspired to reshape ways she works with large organizations.

A mother moved from acknowledging a deep desire to have more time in nature to ways to bringing that experience into her reality each day. And now she shows up differently at her own kitchen table.

A woman in the midst of a professional transition also found clarity about a key personal relationship. She has set new standards and is now bringing more clarity and confidence into everything she does.

I have come to think of it as a multiplier effect.

How you can ignite something meaningful

The work you do when you step into a space of self-discovery and expansion reaches far more people than you alone, because you carry it into every room you enter.

To get a taste of what that can feel like, you can give this small practice a test-drive at home.

Even a small opening can have an impact for you, and those around you, too.

1. Pick a quiet spot. Have a journal and pen next to you.

2. Sit and think of something special — something you have longed to do, or something you can imagine that would make you really happy in the future.

3. With that image in your mind, notice how you feel. Excited? Peaceful? A little nervous? Curious? Eager? Amazed? Notice how your body feels, too. Are your shoulders relaxed? Are there flutters in your stomach? Maybe you feel tingly.

4. Next, relax into the vision and see if you can imagine more — as though you were actually living in that experience. What are the sounds you hear? What’s the weather like? What colors are around you? What do you smell?

5. Now write down what you envisioned. And note how you felt, and how you imagined the expanded vision. Describe it all as vividly as possible.

Savor the experience you had. The next day, pull out your journal and reread what you wrote, and revisit it during the week and beyond.

You might want to share your vision and feelings with someone close to you.

You can also add to your journal — write more about the vision as your imagination plays with it, and maybe jot down a small action you can take to get a clearer picture of it, or a step you might take toward starting to make it happen.

As you continue to hold the vision in your mind you may sense that the people around you notice something new in your energy.

As you rise, so do others  

When I see women rise, and the way people around them feel and respond to them, whether in retreats I lead or when I coach great women, I feel especially moved.

Time and again I observe that when you give yourself room to grow and step into an elevated space with an open heart, everyone around you feels it.

If that idea stirs something in your heart, hold onto it. 

If you’d like to know more about retreats and the multiplier effect, email me and let’s talk.

Finding purpose amidst change: your journey starts now

Now that the transition from summer to fall is here, things have likely shifted for you. 

Schedules and routines change in many families. Traffic is heavier, requiring extra time to get around. The pace of life and work often picks up as more meetings and events fill the calendar.

And, sometimes shifts come to light slowly.

I felt something subtle shifting for me last year, and have been going through a period of change for many months. What was vague in my awareness at the start has become clear, and exciting shifts have been occurring for me over the last months.

I began to see a path to having bigger impact with my work, and more personal satisfaction. I have been speaking more and love it. I was moved to create 2 new retreats, Creation Vacation to start the year, and L’Aventure Française in the fall. Both provide longer, deeper experiences. And the 3-day Live Big Live! retreat I have loved leading for 4 years is now only offered each spring. 

I am also doing more work inside of organizations, where cohorts of women are engaged in learning together and having a bigger collective impact.

Making these changes entailed gaining clarity, then committing to taking action and allowing things to unfold over time.

Do you feel that things may be changing for you?

Whether there’s a change in play now that feels exciting, motivating, or nerve-racking, or something simply feels like it may be beginning to shift, each of us is always changing.

Let’s look at what may be going on for you.

How are you changing now? 

Pause and take stock of the ways you are changing. 

Whether you feel most comfortable staying static or relish things that are new and novel, change is inevitable!

Take a thoughtful look at what is happening in you as well as around you.

Are you aware of changes in your ways of operating, or how you are feeling or thinking? 

Perhaps you are excited and eager about something you’e involved with.

Perhaps there’s something you want to stop doing, or begin to do, and are considering how you will move forward.

Perhaps you yearn to do something inspiring, new or exciting that feels missing now.

Perhaps change is being imposed on you, and you realize it presents an opportunity. Or, maybe an imposed change has brought on fear.

Maybe you feel stuck, for a reason you are of aware of, or not.

Perhaps you have a hunch something is brewing and are patiently allowing clarity to emerge. 

And, it is likely that there are several changes in the mix for you. 

The good news is that when you bring awareness and add intention to how you want to respond to the changes that you identify, great outcomes are possible.

Move forward with intention

You can realize great outcomes when you choose your response to a change that is underway, rather than drift along (which sadly, is what most people do).

Perhaps you have tended to drift through life. I certainly did for a very long time.

I had ideas and took initiative. I started and ran a great business, and was a leader in many settings. But looking back I can see all of the ways I was not fully intentional — that I was drifting.

It was not until I started to take a clear look at my life (with the help of a wonderful coach whose questions prompted big awareness), that I realized I was no longer lit up by my work. I came to know I was ready to make a significant change. And making that change — selling my business — set me on the best path ever.

With awareness, you, too, can choose a clear direction and begin to move in that direction.

The change you choose to make your focus and pursue may be small and meaningful, or you may feel ready to make a bold change.

Whatever you make your focus and bring commitment to doing can have a life-changing impact.

I invite you to bring awareness to the changes you are facing and feeling now.

Then consider your best way forward and set your intention to take action, knowing you can course-correct over and over.

You will be on a meaningful path on your journey to true fulfillment.

Email me — I welcome you to share what is up for you now and the steps you are choosing to start with.

Ready to live bigger? Start with these 5 steps!

Most accomplished women I talk with express a desire to live a truly balanced and fulfilling life. While they yearn to show up fully every day, have an impact, and thrive, many confide that they feel limited and frustrated in their efforts to make that vision their reality.

Most take on too much.

Some don’t advocate for what they want — in their professional lives and in personal relationships.

They put their needs (for self-care, pursuit of personal interests, quiet time and more) behind those of others.

They compromise.

While they love the idea of living their biggest life, it does not feel natural for many of them to think of changing the ways they currently operate. Or they simply do not know where to begin to make changes.

Some even feel that the idea of living big may be too much — too much to expect for themselves, and/or too hard to achieve.

You cannot think too big, or live too big

One thing I know to be true is that all of us can learn, small step followed by small step, to show up fully in the world.

We can create the lives we yearn for!

We can overcome our doubts and limitations to pursue all that we desire and to have our biggest impact.

Can you embrace this truth? 

When you choose to pursue your biggest life, I urge you to be mindful that making significant changes is a process that unfolds over time.

These 5 steps will get the ball rolling.

1. Start with one small shift

When you start with new awareness, add commitment, and are willing to be patient as you make small shifts, you will begin to experience meaningful change.

And you can build on that change over time.

Here is a great place to start:

Ask yourself what small change will have the biggest impact for you now?

Maybe it’s getting more sleep.

Maybe it’s speaking up more clearly and boldly for something important.

Maybe it’s saying “No” without feeling guilty.

Maybe you will choose something else.

Make a choice!

2. Focus on that change

To help you stay focused, make reminders for yourself.

Use your phone, or put colored post-it notes on your desk, your bathroom mirror, your coffee-maker, and your laptop.  

You can ask for help from a trusted friend. They can be a sounding board, and might text you every day at a particular time to see how it’s going. 

Be creative and have fun with ways to keep yourself focused on this meaningful change.

3. Make a plan

For instance, if more rest is key for you now, will you get to bed earlier? Might you take a power nap at a time when your energy drops?

If you want to feel less discomfort saying “No,” you might journal in the morning and write about why it is important for you to stop crowding your days with obligations to others, rather than yourself.

Then, if you know a request is pending, or someone is waiting for an answer, or you simply want to be forearmed, take some time to practice kind ways to decline the request. 

4. Track your progress

Subtle changes can be hard to notice. Keep a small journal, or a running record on a device, to record the daily efforts you make and the outcomes you experience.

Take note of what works and what does not meet your expectations so you build on positive approaches. And note specific outcomes as they occur. 

If you have an accountability buddy or a coach, ask for feedback as you share your progress and your outcomes.

And acknowledge your progress — even small shifts are worthy of celebrating! It is the small shifts that become new habits, and your new normal. 

5. Keep going!

As you bring small changes into your life, and experience the way they enhance your wellbeing, momentum will build.

You will be ready to identify and embrace new changes you want to make, and you will likely feel increased confidence and enthusiasm about pursuing them.

This is how living big works.

As we each expand and live the satisfying life we desire today, we see more and more opportunity ahead.

We can all continue to step up and live with even more passion and authenticity and joy. And our impact is amplified as we continue to shine more and more brightly.

I invite you to join me on this path of expansion. My dream is for all of us to live all of our greatness. Let’s Live Big together!

(And if you’d like to share your vision of your biggest life, I’d be delighted to hear about it. Email me and we’ll make a date to talk.)