Ladies Who Launch

Avoid Valentine’s Day disappointment – Treat Yourself!

By Coach Joelle Prochera, professional life coach and fellow launcher!  To hear more from Coach Joelle subscribe to the Livloud! Newsletter or read the coach joelle blog.   

Hello Ladies,

The big day is approaching and married, dating or single, most of us have experienced a Valentine’s Day in silent anticipation of a grand display that never happened.

On this day for love I have a special invitation for you…

Instead of waiting for grand expressions,

Instead of waiting for the perfect day to be delivered,

Instead of waiting for love,

How about you create a little love in your own life with a day designed just for you!

Imagine….

A day off….reading in bed…bubble baths…. a 2 hour massage….

Not for any reason but because you say so and because you are worth it!

In a recent LIVLOUD! Article I shared the concept of creating a day just for you - a mental health day.  As you are gearing up for your day of hearts, lace and chocolate, consider showering yourself with love and sharing that love with the important people in your life.

Read the article: A Day for You: The Mental Health Day Challenge.

Happy Valentine’s Day Ladies! Enjoy treating yourself!

SMOOCH!

Joelle

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR COACH JOELLE?:  I am looking for the opportunity to fully serve each of you on your personal adventure.  If you have a life or business challenge that you would like a coaching perspective on, please share your comments below or email me at [email protected].

Make your life a work of art a joyful dance a grand adventure

Feeling Stuck Ladies? Take Action!

How to jumpstart your energy and creativity in the middle of the winter grays.

By Coach Joelle Prochera, professional life coach and fellow launcher!  To hear more from Coach Joelle subscribe to the Livloud! Newsletter or read the coach joelle blog.   

Hello ladies!

The shorter days, encroaching darkness, and cold invite us to rest, to wrap ourselves in blankets and read books with cats in our lap, to watch tv and to hibernate.   In many ways this can be a welcome reprieve and as with everything, life comes in cycles as much as the seasons, so there is nothing wrong with this quiet time. 

With that being said, for us launchers, being quiet is only fun for so long before we are just itching to see some movement.  A new contract, a new insight, some small success…. Anything!  Sometimes quiet can be too quiet, and life can feel a little stagnant, especially for those of us up here in the north. This is why I wanted to write to you today about how to get an energy and creativity boost when things just don’t seem to be moving the way you are used to.

1) Get out of the house!

Ladies, one of the beautiful things about creating a life and business that you love is that for many of you, you get to choose your environment.  I know for me one of my favorite things about being self employed is that the typical day’s attire is a jogging suite and fuzzy slippers.  The challenge is that when we can run our businesses over the phone and the internet there can sometimes be a distancing from the world. 

Do some work at the local coffee shop or coordinate with a friend to share office space a couple of times a week.  For those of you in cold climates, visit the tropical house at the zoo or a hotel with an indoor garden.  Just getting out and getting a change of scenery and being out in the world can spur renewed motivation and a fresh point of view.

2) Learn something… anything!

I have noticed that when you are feeling stuck, lost or uninspired one of the best things you can do is to expose yourself to something new.  Is there a tele-seminar you can listen to on your lunch…a guest speaker coming to town …a special interest class you could take….or maybe a book that you have been meaning to read? 

The beautiful thing about our well designed minds is that they will take any new information and put it to work in your life.  I find it amazing how attending a riding lesson suddenly spurs an article I need to write or how listening to a speaker about architecture can create new inspiration about the way I want to structure my business.  Don’t think too much about it, just open your email or the local paper and ask yourself, “where can I learn something new today?” and run with it.  You may be surprised by what comes up.

3) Get with your girls!

We have all heard of the emotional and even physical benefits of being with our girlfriends.  I have found that few things get me more inspired than a little wine, some chocolate and good friends.   Invite a girlfriend out to lunch.  Start a mastermind group.  Attend your local Ladies Who Launch monthly meetings.  Creating this space to talk and share company is one of the greatest joys there is and it is always sure to lead you to some new action or inspiration.

4) Take action!

Whether you have the winter blues or a creativity block, inspiration and energy are just moments away.  Action, any action will move you forward.  Get a change of scenery, expose yourself to something new, or share the comfort of friends, it is inevitable that something new will present itself, something new that will lead you to a next step and then another and next thing you know you are well on your way to furthering your dreams and living and working inside a life that you love.

Carpe Diem ladies!

Coach Joelle

SHARE YOUR SELF IN THE COMMENTS BELOW: Do you have a special way that you get your juices flowing?  Share your brilliance with the ladies in the comments below.

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR COACH JOELLE?:  I am looking for the opportunity to fully serve each of you on your personal adventure.  If you have a life or business challenge that you would like a coaching perspective on, please share your comments below or email me at [email protected].

Make your life a work of art, a joyful dance, a grand adventure!

Joanna Scaparotti, From Grinch To Guru

From Joanna Scaparotti. Joanna is a member of the Boston Ladies Who Launch where she runs a Reiki practice. Her website is Solutions for Stress, and her blog is Urban Vitality.

The holidays used to stress me out.   The angst and impending sense of doom started just after Labor Day.  When most were thinking about their late summer barbeques, I was already panicking about how I was going survive the holidays with my sanity and health intact.

The worst part for me was shopping for holiday gifts - it was like torture.  I stressed about finding those perfect presents that would delight and please the people I gifted.  I stressed about spending the right amount of money – enough so the person felt valued but not so much that I would end up broke.   I stressed about fair and equal gift giving, trying to make sure that the gifts I got each person were equivalent in value and also similar in number to open on the big day.   The more I stressed over gifts, the more I viewed gift giving as an obligation and came to resent the tradition.

Gifts weren’t the only terrible obligation demanded of me this season.  There were also the sweets, candies, cookies, and pies that everyone loves to make and give; of course I had to accept these gifts and eat them in order not to offend or disappoint.  It was brutal and wreaked havoc on my delicate system.  Then there were the holiday events where I was supposed to be light-hearted, joyful and merry.  Instead I was usually tired and grouchy; with one of those strained fake smiles that makes everyone else nervous and tense.

Not surprisingly, my health would decline this time of year after months of tension and anxiety.  I would be exhausted and achy, suffering from indigestion and some kind of upper respiratory ailment.  January would finally come, and I would collapse into my bed for as long as possible, like the Grinch in his hidey-hole secretly plotting how to stop holidays once and for all.

One year, I just couldn’t go through with it.  I wanted a break, and I refused to shop.  Lo and behold, my husband ended up taking care of all of the presents.  It turned out not to matter that he bought them all just days before Christmas, and they weren’t strategically planned to please and delight.   He enjoyed himself, and nobody could tell the difference between a gift bought spontaneously and a gift chosen deliberately with much debate.  I saw the distinct difference of enjoyment between a gift giver giving from his heart, and a gift giver giving out of obligation.  It was one of those “ah ha!” moments for me. 

Have your best holiday yet!:Your 5 step plan to "go for the joy" and lose the stress this holiday season.

Happy Holidays Ladies!

For many of you it is “that time of year”. You know, THAT TIME OF YEAR when…

• The lists of to do’s are a mile long.
• The mall is a mess but you need to be there.
• You have 10 parties to attend in the next 5 days.
• There is a pile of cards on your kitchen table that all need addresses (and perhaps they even need to be written.)
• There are special meals to prepare.
• There are parties to throw.
• There are large groups of people coming together that may not always do so well together.

Welcome to the holidays!

Whether this is your holiday time of year or not, we can all relate to those times when there is so much to do and seemingly not enough time to do it.

We can all relate to the idea of spending time with people, whether family or friends that perhaps get on our nerves, tire us out, or tend to create frustration or conflict. 

So many people take the frenzy and the frustration as a necessary evil of the season and today I would like to challenge this notion. 

Instead of the holidays “happening” to you, the flurry of activity and agitation being thrust upon you unawares, this year you are invited to create your holiday with intention.

You are invited to create your best holiday ever! Let’s go!

Step 1) Describe it!If you could create your holiday any way you wanted, what words would you use to describe it? 

Peaceful, fun, nostalgic, easy, effortless, flowing, meaningful?

Pick one or two words that describe your holiday the way you would like it to be.

Step 2) Be willing! Ask yourself if you are willing to be pleasantly surprised by your holiday and the people around you. 

Without a space for allowing something new you will never get it.  If you are determined to have a rough time then there is no room for your new experience.  Notice and acknowledge whether you are really ready for something new. Are you REALLY ready for uncle Phil to be an absolute delight?  If you are not, no problem… no surprises for you!

Step 3) Choose your best you! That's right, you get to choose how you are going to show up for the holidays. 

If you want the world to surprise you then you need to do your part as well.  To have your effortless, peaceful, memorable holiday, what could you bring to the table that would help this along.  Put another way, to have your best holiday yet, how would you choose to “be”. 

Would you… “be happy”, “be passionate”, “be courageous”, “be calm”, “be fun”, “be delightful”! 

Ask yourself if you could bring a “great you” to your holiday with intention, how would you “be”?

Step 4) Take action! Identify any obvious actions you could take to fulfill on your holiday to remember. 

With this new intention and new point of view there may be some obvious actions to take. 

• Perhaps you chose to be “bold’ so that you can create an “adventurous” holiday.  In that case you may already be clear that you need to call the neighbors and tell them to get ready for some carolers on Sunday night and that you like rum in your eggnog.
• Or perhaps you are choosing to create a “peaceful” holiday and you have chosen to show up or be “loving”.  As a result, you are clear that you need to get in touch with your sister, repair a misunderstanding and let her know you would love to have her over for dinner next week.

Step 5) Get Ready! Watch for your intention to be fulfilled.  (Get ready to be surprised and delighted!)

Once you are clear on what you want to create, the best way for you to “be” to create it, and you are truly willing to be surprised, then your final step is to watch for it. 

• Put on your new point of view and be willing to experience joy in the flurry of holiday shopping.
• Be willing to see the adventure in a ruined turkey or the guests showing up 4 hours early. 
• Be ready to find new things to appreciate and new empathy as you spend time with those who have traditionally rubbed you the wrong way. 

Get ready to have your best holiday yet!

By using these 5 simple steps I have seen nothing short of miracles occur. Before you make one more sugar cookie or hang one more wreath, stop and take a moment to create your holiday and reap the benefits of an intentional life.

Have a holiday to remember,

With Love,

Coach Joelle

SHARE YOUR SELF IN THE COMMENTS BELOW: I have taken this opportunity to create my own experience of the holidays below. You are invited to declare yourself. Create your week with intention. Create your best holiday yet and share what new delights showed up!

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR COACH JOELLE?:  I am looking for the opportunity to fully serve each of you on your personal adventure.  If you have a life or business challenge that you would like a coaching perspective on, please share your comments below or email me at [email protected].

Coach Joelle's best holiday yet!

Step 1) The holiday I am creating is: loving, fun, inspiring and meaningful.

Step 2)  I am totally willing to be surprised by what is possible for this holiday.

Step 3) How I will show up or the way I will “be” to create this Holiday is: Open, warm, playful, bold and intentional

Step 4) Obvious Action to take: 

• find out what day uncle Rob is available for Karaoke and find a place to go. 
• Create a holiday goals ritual for the family Saturday morning. 
• Write my intention somewhere visible so I remember what I am committed to.
• Bring my Wayne Dyer CD’s to learn more about Taoism.
• Bring my Ipod so I have my my music and audio programs to listen to. 
• Create a ritual with my husband to take our relationship to the next level.

Step 5) I’m ready baby!! Bring it on!!

Please don't give me a fruitcake!

Dear Audacious Ones,

Okay...this is it. The last few days before the big one. You know, it's coming right at you and you still have a few gifts to get. Oh and then there's a few people who want to know what you want. Well, for one thing it's not a fruitcake is it? Or a bright red wooly sweater with a snowman on it?

How about giving a gift that gives and give and gives again.

How about changing the present?
Yes really.

My friend Robert Tolmach has come up with something that is pure genius. A one stop shop for doing good at holiday time and all year through.
Are you still clearing out clutter from last year?
Well here is a good way to avoid more of the same. Avoid long lines and you can really be making a difference.
ChangingThePresent.org, a new nonprofit website, is helping nonprofits capture some of the $250 billion we Americans spend each year buying presents for one another. Instead of buying more stuff, you can choose what you want to accomplish from among thousands of donation opportunities and you can make donations in a friend's name.\

WHO KNEW?

Did you know that every year, Americans spend $250 billion--$100 billion during the holiday season, alone--buying presents for one another.

Imagine, for one delirious moment, what we could accomplish if even a small percentage of that gift money were redirected to nonprofits working to make the world a better place.

Many of us, and many of our friends, don't really need another fruitcake, toaster, wallet, day of the week panties, fuzzy slippers, tin of popcorn, pen & pencil set, or Chia pet. Still, our friends expect a gift don't they?

Don't you? You know you do.

Since most people are passionate about a favorite cause or two or favorite nonprofit, it's no wonder that more and more people are giving donation gifts, that is, a charitable donation made in a friend's name, in lieu of giving store-bought presents. What better way to honor the people we care for than by making the world a better place.

ChangingThePresent.org offers thousands of specific donation gifts from hundreds of leading nonprofits, so visitors can choose exactly what they want to accomplish. You can protect an acre of the rainforest or fund an hour of a cancer researcher's time. You can provide a child with a first book, an AIDS patient with life-saving drugs, refugees with shelter, or a hungry family with a nourishing meal. The site offers something for virtually every cause.

You can browse by cause, search by name to find almost any nonprofit, or peruse friends' wish lists and registries to find exactly what they would find most meaningful. Plus, you can create personalized greeting cards, which will be mailed the next day to announce the donations made in friends' names.

ChangingThePresent.org is not just for gift donations meant as an alternative to traditional presents; a wide range of features also makes it a more attractive channel for some of the $199 billion that us generous folks already donate each year.

Give a gift that matters go here> http://www.changingthepresent.org

You can create your own profile page to show what causes and nonprofits you most care about, allowing you to sharey our passions and interests with others. Those who wish to do so can earn recognition for the donations they make. For those who want to know that your dollars are being used effectively, the site provides extensive information on causes and nonprofits.

Those who keep an eye on their own finances will appreciate that, unlike merchandise, donation gifts are tax-deductible. You can also enjoy the ability to support any number of nonprofits with a single credit card transaction and to find receipts in one place for all your giving.

Every cause needs an enemy to challenge. For ChangingThePresent, it's the preposterous gift that absorbs money that might better be used for more meaningful purposes. You can submit your favorite dumb gift examples to the Stupid Gift Hall of Shame, where voting will determine who wins a sweet prize--
50 pints of Ben & Jerry's.

Just so you know how legit this is...
The Board of Advisors for ImportantGifts, the nonprofit that is launching this website, includes over 150 of the best known and most respected leaders in the nonprofit world. This group includes the heads of Amnesty International, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Ashoka, the Global AIDS Alliance, Grameen Foundation USA, the Rainforest Alliance, Refugees International, Save the Children, Sesame Workshop, Sierra Club, the United States Fund for UNICEF, and others.

And they've done some major outreach to some big time celebs names are going to be announced in the not too distant future. But don't wait for them. Be a star in your own right and get with it.
Isn't this season about the spirit of giving?
Really giving?
I mean come on do you really need another T-shirt?

A big Audacious Kiss and Hug to you,
Nancy

Nancy Mindes, coach
Chief Audaciousness Officer
Audacious Ladies get your Success In Style.
How audacious do you want to be?
516.705.8823
http://www.NancyMindes.com

"Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." `Goethe

Want to really give?

Stress Relievers :: Sunkist and Bikini Waxing

by, FashionMista

Stress relievers for me, or so at first I thought, was eating big chicken burritos, carrot cake, Sunkist, or tall-half-caff-one-pump-vanilla-lattes, but then I remembered that those things all make me really groggy. Even Sunkist, but the orange soda is really more of a reward, not to be confused with a stress reliever (note to self), as it can pretty much put me to sleep with sugar overload.

Here's my stress reliever list:

• Bikini waxing. I'm not crazy, but you go in to a girl you know (preferably at an Aveda-affiliated salon), under a haze of Aveda candles. If the ripping of those strips doesn't whac you out of a stress zone, I don't know what will. I just always feel really great for some reason afterward. However, I am now lasering, but I still get the same affect. Could be from lots of bubbly talk with the esthetician whose main focus is making you beautiful.
• Salsaing to Estoy Como Nunca by Eliades Ochoa in my living room, a cd I found in the give-away pile of my building and just luv. A great remedy on the iPod on a subway ride home as well.
• Vacuuming with my super compact and fun Eureka to Bonnie Raitt's early bluesy album,  Takin' My Time.
• Quiet time. Very valuable. If you live with a boy or a girl or a husband, this may need to be negotiated. I find that bribing with good, cream sauce-based dinners is a good bartering chip to be used against “the game” or “the stats” or “highlights” however “quick” they may need to be on (but try to serve on time).
• Cooking creamy dinners. I invented my 3-cheese mac and cheese after a very depressing time at a temp agency office while testing in Word and Excel when I first moved to New York. It was raining and I didn't want the rest of my life existing in Excel, so I had a little breakdown that involved serious cooking when I got home. Now I make Excel work for me. It knows who is boss and can induce states of euphoria when used properly.
• Jogging. The endorphins and oxygen to the brain is really important. And you might as well buy some cute jogging clothes. The last thing I bought were running skirts...
• Yoga. I don't do it all the time yet, but every time I do, I'm much more centered.
• Backgammon. Especially when you beat your live-in boyfriend or girlfriend or husband. Unless you lose because you're watching Men in Trees.

I have to go serve that creamy dinner now, but you get the drift.

Relief is just a thought away

Dear Audacious Ladies who Launch

Consider this.
Your thoughts and fears are like outdated computer programs that jam up the works
and cause your machine to crash.

But you can always upgrade by getting into action.
Affirmations are a great way to do it.

Try this:
Before you jump out of bed and race off to start your day
take 5 minutes to just close your eyes again and breathe.

First take a moment to say "thank you" for having this wonderful day stretched out before you.
(even if you have a crazy one coming at you, be grateful anyway the universe will notice)
then
Take long slow deep breaths and notice your thoughts;
Avoid making lists or plans just follow the breath and watch your thoughts roll by and let them go.
They will keep coming, keep allowing them to come and go like waves on the shore.

Notice what comes up for you.
What would you like to create for the day?

Now to create a new program to replace your outdated software, create an affirmation that  you can repeat
throughout the day.

Affirmations enable us to let go of negative programming and make space for that which propels you forward.
Here's one to get you started from Louise Hay, from her bestseller, You Can Heal Your Life.

For self criticizing: "I am willing to release the need to be unworthy. I  am worthy of the very best in life, and I now lovingly allow myself to accept it."
Keep it with you.
Post it somewhere and everywhere.
Say it often. SAY IT LOUD.
Step into your Audacious Intention with GUSTO.

A BIG audacious hug to you,
Nancy

Nancy Mindes, coach
Chief Audaciousness Officer
Audacious Ladies get your Success In Style.
How audacious do you want to be?
516.705.8823

Go here to join my Audacious E-Zine http://www.NancyMindes.com

"Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." `Goethe

THEGREENHOUSE: Amy Gullia

THEGREENHOUSE Spa in Dallas is a great nearby getaway!

The high-action of the holiday season is intensifying and causing me to think about my favorite stress relievers.  THEGREENHOUSE Spa (just for woman) is a great answer for me on many levels! The private experience is tailor-designed for each woman and includes personal time with highly-qualified staff of experts in health, fitness, and beauty including a staff naturopath. They have some of the most unique and effective treatments I have encountered and the all-organic cuisine is fabulous!

What really hits home with me are the Fat Flush Programs. Afterward your body looks and feels different and talk about a good way to start a new year! It includes fresh organic cuisine and multi-faceted internal and external treatments that cleanse, relax, and rejuvenate. It is common to lose 5 pounds or more and get a great long-term metabolic boost. 

They pamper you from every angle and who does not love breakfast in bed everyday?

It is a local hideaway for Dallasites but woman fly from everywhere. It is an international spa but conveniently located in the US —no passport needed! The clientele includes some of my favorite celebs who are loyal to this unique experience. They constantly have small group lectures with authors and experts on topics for women and on staff counseling so you can walk away truly renewed in mind and body.  www.thegreenhousespa.net

Favorite Stress Relievers: Rachel Whalley

I have several favorites when it comes to stress relief. First is my weekly workout. I take NIA classes three times a week, and I always feel loosened up and energized afterward. NIA is a fusion fitness class that incorporates elements of dance, martial arts, and yoga. The goal of each class is always to move the body in a way that feels natural and joyful. I used to dance when I was a teenager, and NIA fills my need to channel music through my body.

 

My second method of stress relief is getting together with a close friend and talking for hours on end. I'm really nourished by intimacy, and I have some wonderful friends who are brilliant, self-aware, and funny as hell. Spending time with any of them helps me to get stress out of my system because I can rant about problems, feel close to someone I care about, and laugh at myself.

 

Relaxation Tips: Rita Patel

Rita Patel is a member of the New York Incubator. Rita blogs at
Rita's Drawing Board.

Giving myself a foot massage. It is great on a few levels: It feels good and relieves tension in many parts of my body. It is also a time for me to focus on my self – whether it is 5 minutes or 20 minutes – making me stop fro the busy-ness of the day and become reconnected.After I am done and I stand up---I feel a big difference in how grounded I feel – the reduction in stress I think is related to the idea of reflexology that each body part is represented on the hands and feet and that pressing on specific areas on the hands or feet can have therapeutic effects in other parts of the body. This grounded feeling is a really beneficial change the rest of the day and how I carry myself do things.
Meditating: I think there are many ways to meditate and not each
time is good but I find that no matter what the few minutes I spend focusing on my breath and letting the air and thoughts flow – either by focusing on soothing or freeform – that the rest of the day is better and I am able to enjoy and be more effective. Like the foot massage, I think it comes from feeling more connected and grounded.

On a long term level – really looking at how my thoughts and action affect how my body deals with stress I listen to a segments recorded by Milton Feher (found at
http://smithsonianglobalsound.org/containerdetail.aspx?itemid=1140 or in person in NYC).  I met Milton through my acupuncturist about four years ago and he changed my life. He is in his 90s and spends his time learning and teaching about stress and our bodies – helping people improve much from relationships to singing or walking to sleeping. He is practical yet profound...He is in Midtown and meets with groups regularly.