On Being Unstoppable

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Last week, I visited the webpage of a coaching school someone I know is considering. On the school’s homepage, a graduate of the program boasted that the school’s methodology had enabled her to teach her clients to be “unstoppable.” And that stopped me, right in my tracks.

The nature of being human is that we are eminently stoppable. Our very biology gives us natural limits to how hard we can push. We need to breathe, to drink, eat, and sleep. We crave touch, the sun, fresh air, and communication. Our bodies are covered in a soft flesh–relatively defenseless with no claws or sharp teeth. We bleed and heal. Our reproductive cycle gives us utterly helpless young, demanding that we stop and take notice and care for these vulnerable creatures. And, of course, we die–the ultimate full stop. Death comes for us all with no regard for how hard we try to push it back. To be human is to be stoppable.

And yet we seek to be unstoppable.

Life should be able to stop us. If not for beauty, then for heartbreak. If not for the joy of seeing a tree’s stark branches waving against a gray winter sky, then for the horror of seeing people starving to death in our own rich cities or drowning to death on the shores of Europe. If not for the pleasure of a beloved piece of music, then for the despair of another mass shooting. If not for the happiness on face of a dear friend or family member, then for the agony present  when they suffer or when we let them down. Let life be present to us. Let it stop us.

To be unstoppable is to be blind to what is happening all around us. To be unstoppable is to refuse to notice the effect that progress–at any cost–might have on our relationships, our bodies, and our spiritual life. To be unstoppable is to deny our own biology. To deny our hearts and the beautiful web of relationships that surround us.

Sometimes the world demands a response. And sometimes the only response is to pause. To be stricken. To be soft. To take a moment to laugh, or to cry, or to hold someone’s hand. A moment of noticing how angry we are, or how sad, or how–this is the really hard one–how numb we’ve become.  And cultivating the ability to be stopped takes deep work.

It requires relational sensitivity to know when our families, colleagues, and friends need us to downshift and approach them in a new, more attentive way. It requires somatic wisdom to be able to sense our energy status and get a clear reading on what our bodies need. It takes emotional awareness to stay present in strong emotions while also noticing the emotional states of others. And, finally, the ability to stop often takes great bravery as it will likely be questioned by those who would not dare question the cultural value of being unstoppable.

In my coaching practice, I do not seek to teach clients to be unstoppable because I believe it is deeply problematic, even dangerous. What happens when you teach your client to be unstoppable, and their family and friends need them to stop because they have been neglecting their relational responsibilities? What happens when you have an entire culture of unstoppable people, and the culture next door needs them to stop because they are encroaching on ancestral lands? What happens when you have an entire planet of unstoppable people, and the environment is begging them to stop because species are going extinct and the land is being polluted?

Can you see where being unstoppable can lead? Do you see where it has already led?

Instead, I believe that we must learn to listen to the call of the world, our loved ones, and our bodies, to stop. In the coaching relationship, the relationship of mutual trust and mutual respect creates a strong container where clients can examine the habitual responses they have always relied on. Over time, they becomes more able to recognize the habitual turning away that has become so pandemic in modern society. They learn to cultivate a new response. This takes the learning of new skills and competencies; patience, compassion, resilience, discernment, the ability to self-observe (to name a few). I’ve seen clients, over time, become more resilient and able to stand in deep witness to their own emotional experience; to be stopped by the world, to be touched by it. They have the freedom to experience their reaction without being overwhelmed by it. This allows them the opportunity to make choices that they were unable to make before.

Today, let a small part of yourself be broken by this heartbreaking and fragile world. What might it mean to open yourself up enough for that to occur? What meaning might leak into your life if you dared? Stop, and and you might find out.



Jessica Minah is the Director of Enrollment and a Graduate of New Ventures West. Jessica’s presence, curiosity and wisdom—not to mention her previous experience as an award-winning radio producer and sales account manager—make her a natural fit for the role of guiding would-be coaches into the fold. She was certified as an Integral Coach® in 2014 and works with clients around the US. She lives in Baltimore with her husband Greg and brightens our San Francisco headquarters with her regular visits.

How to thrive despite having so much on your plate

Do you find it overwhelming to juggle work, life, relationships, wellness and family responsibilities? You may need review your calendar and reevaluate what’s working and what’s not working so you can implement habits that support you for the long haul. The following are 4 tips that can help you find ultimate work-life balance so you can thrive in your life and in your relationships.

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1. Stop Trying To Do Two Things Simultaneously: Although employers in the U.S. and some abroad praise multitasking, statistically multi-tasking is a less efficient and effective strategy.  First, it sends your stress levels through the roof. And secondly, you are likely to make more mistakes and increase your anxiety level along the way. The key is to develop a one mindfulness skill-set where you focus on one task, stay in the present moment and as a result feel calmer because you are not as easily distracted by alternative tasks that pull you away from the here and now.

2. Take A Personal Inventory Of Your Habits: This is an important first step to evaluate and self-correct habits that are not beneficial for your wellbeing. Do you ever find that you are trying to cram in too many tasks in a limited amount of time? Do you also tend to underestimate the amount of time it takes to complete each task? If so, you probably find that you put a lot of pressure on yourself and set up unrealistic expectations. This leaves you feeling bad as a result. An alternative strategy to increase inner harmony is to increase the amount of time allotted to complete each task and reduce the number of tasks on your to-do list, so you can start setting realistic expectations with clearer, more achievable objectives.

3. Mindfully Increase Your Self-Esteem: By becoming more intimate with yourself and your time you can learn to find your own internal rhythm. The more you become attuned to the sensations and wisdom of your body, the more you can feel intuitively if a choice is uplifting or depleting, expansive or constrictive. By slowing down and giving yourself time, you allow yourself to listen to the voice of truth within and feel empowered to follow your intuition.  

4. Give Yourself Breathing Room: Do you tend to overschedule yourself, leaving little room for spontaneity? By incorporating extra breathing room in your schedule to just relax and decompress, you open up space for mindfulness and self-care to become a priority in your life. Delegating tasks to others, getting support and intentionally creating the life and lifestyle you desire is the key to greater fulfillment and inner peace.

Do these tips make a difference in your sense of balance and wellbeing? Share your voice in the comments section.


Andrea Cairella HeadshotAndrea Cairella is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and owner of True Potential Counseling based in Long Beach, CA.  She works with adults and children and specializes in couples issues, trauma, addiction, anxiety and self-esteem and is the creator of Create A Relationship You Love ™ an online psycho-educational program for couples. If you would like to access my Free 3-Part Video Series visit TruePotentialCounseling.com to: Avoid the 4 Common Mistakes Many Couples Make And Know What To Do Instead, Learn the 8 Strategies To Strengthen Your Emotional And Physical Bond With Your Partner and Improve Communication In 10 Minutes Or Less.

From Adrenalin to Inspiration: The Burnout Solution

How breaking our addiction to excitement helps us access our natural, sustainable energy.

Most people intuitively get the concept of switching your energy source from “adrenalin to inspiration.”  It’s actually quite similar to switching from oil to solar power. One form of energy creates negative consequences and is limited, and the other is sustainable and life regenerating. We can grasp this concept for our homes or cars, but what about our bodies and our being?

What I call “authentic” or “connected” power is the source of inspired energy. This is the place where we are in tune with ourselves, nature and others. When we are in tune with our authentic power, we naturally source from inspiration. Disconnected, or reactive, power acts through selfish competition, survival, and without regard for others. When we are sourcing from disconnection, we tap into adrenalin. We need to rush, be busy, not be lazy, and get it done when we are in an adrenalin state.

Most people mistake excitement for energy. Energy is energy, excitement is a heightened state which can burn out your natural energy reserves. This one discernment can change your life. Read on to understand the subtleties.

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What is living from adrenalin?

For the most part, many of us use our stress response and adrenalin to increase productivity. We think this is the source of energy – it’s the source of the “just do it” mentality. The greater the pain, the greater the gain, so we push through and engage in a competition to determine who can work the most hours and juggle the most activities.

As a society, we are low-level adrenalin junkies. We chase it through caffeine, reality TV, dramatic relationships, Facebook, twitter, constant stimuli, and avoiding silence and stillness. Whether people know it or not, they tend to rely on adrenalin as their main energy source.

But this strategy is excitement masquerading as life-force. Living this way creates high periods of productivity, but they are always followed by the inevitable crash. That crash leaves us feeling low, disheartened, and guilty about doing nothing. Does this sound familiar to you?  Here are few more examples in order to determine if you are sourcing your energy from adrenalin.

Signs and Symptoms YOU Are Using Adrenalin as Energy

  • You can go for HOURS with no food or breaks and be very productive, but then you reach a limit after a couple days or on Fridays when you just can’t conjure up the energy anymore
  • You feel if you stop for one second you will “get behind”
  • Fear fuels your motivation
  • You never feel like you “get there”
  • You get snippy and irritable
  • You procrastinate on what matters, but busy yourself with other work (My house is very clean during tax season.)
  • You experience a lack of self-confidence, fraud syndrome, and FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
  • You are never really full, content, or peaceful but you work hard to convince the world that you are

There is another way! When we are stressed, we cannot access the problem-solving state of mind necessary to relieve our stress. We cannot access intuition and imagination, and yes INSPIRATION. It’s hard to see what’s missing when we’re in this adrenalin soaked, spazzy place. But when we are able to shift to living from inspiration—to a state of connectedness and expansiveness—suddenly what we need becomes as obvious to us as getting a glass of water when we’re thirsty.

What does living from Inspiration look like?

Here are the possible benefits of shifting from adrenalin to inspiration:

  • Knowing you are enough, you matter, and your life is purposeful
  • Not requiring outside validation to feel on track in life or on a project
  • You operate from a place of: “I’m worthy, deserving, and good enough now. From this place, I can create whatever I put my mind and heart to”
  • Joy is regularly accessible
  • Your cell phone connection to the big boss of infinite wisdom is your intuition
  • You become inspired, feeling the desire from within to complete a task and you become an overflowing cup, rather than scraping from the bottom of your will power
  • You are pulled by your visions, rather than pushed by your self-criticisms

Simple Steps to Implement Inspiration Energy Into Your Life

I highly recommend stopping the search of what to do, and connect to your own inspired state to ask what you need. You know. I know you know. Now love yourself enough to do it, and be it. Remember, living things need life-sustaining nourishment. We need:

  • water
  • sleep
  • rest and work, ebb and flow
  • food that has nutrition for energy
  • the Sun
  • connection to other living things

You get the picture – doing what lights you up, nourishes you, makes you feel content.

Meditation Injection

Meditation can help train your connection to your inspired state of being. Here’s a quick practice I call Meditation Injection. It can take place during red lights in your car, bathroom breaks, elevators, waiting on the phone or in a line, waking up or falling asleep, commercial breaks, and so on. Giving yourself an uninterrupted two to five minutes is great. They key is to do what you know you will maintain. Here’s a tip: Set a reminder in your phone to remind you do this Meditation Injection.

Begin to breathe and notice how it feels. Feel the sensations: warm, cold, tingly, or perhaps numb, vacant.  You can’t get this wrong, just feel and notice. Feel your breath, notice and inhale and exhale. Notice how your body keeps you alive effortlessly. Notice that it’s all being done for you. The Earth is spinning and gravity is holding you in place. You are basically being hugged by the earth’s magnetic core. You might sigh or you might even tear up with relief and recognition. Inhale. Exhale.

Welcome back home – to being you and being connected to life.

Now you can get back to work and be your awesome, inspired self!


The Emerging Women Leadership Platform is dedicated to supporting learning and collaboration that integrates feminine leadership and catalyzes a vision for a thriving future. Start your 30 day free trial to get in on the live webinars, practices, and connection now!

8 Ways to Feed Your Soul with Spiritual Adventure

Do you love a good spiritual adventure as much as I do?

A few years ago I read a book that rocked my world. In Serpent of Light, Beyond 2012, Drunvalo Melchizedek describes a planetary shift in consciousness and power back into the loving arms of the feminine.

Serpent of Light follows the shift of the Earth’s own kundalini energy to the Peruvian Andes, which Drunvalo claims is the new spiritual epicenter of the planet in this emerging feminine age.

Whether Drunvalo’s story is true or not, for the past few years we have all felt the momentum of this shift, as women learn to claim their power and emerge to lead in so many beautiful and unique ways. I am inspired by the truly extraordinary women I experience here at Emerging Women and in my own circles. We are rising!

However, as feminine leaders in a still highly masculine world, we are pioneering this new age and it can feel like a lot to untangle and re-weave. The question is:

How do we continue to bring our feminine nature more fully into our professional lives and all that we do?

The answer, I think, is to create more space and time to feed our souls on a regular basis—to create conscious opportunities to pass the microphone from the left brain to the right brain and give the feminine our undivided attention.

Spiritual adventure is one of the best ways that I know to do that.

This type of adventure is more than a vacation. It is an opportunity to shed multidimensional layers of responsibility and enter a realm of mystical possibility.

When you step out of your normal routine and into a safe and sacred container to experience the unknown, the field of all potentialities opens to you. That’s why I co-founded Hanuman Adventures – to bring some of these practices and experiences to emerging women everywhere.

Here are 8 Benefits of Going on a Spiritual Adventure:

1. Remove the distractions.

We do our best to feed our souls and resource ourselves in the feminine… but let’s face it; our lives are full of distractions.

Work, kids, technology, social engagements, and all that we juggle makes it challenging to drop in deep enough to listen to the whispers of the soul.

Sometimes we need an entire week away from it all.

2. Create space for balance.

Make sure you have delicious and healthy food, plenty of time for rest, and an abundance of adventuring activity. Empower yourself to tune in to what serves your balance and to take good care of yourself throughout the week so that you return home rejuvenated and refreshed.

3. Healing and transformation.

Whenever you step out of your normal routine, or your “comfort zone,” you create the opportunity for break through. What parts of you are ready to be seen, felt, and heard? What are you ready to transform? A well-planned spiritual adventure can provide a safe container to hold you in as you release the old and step into the new.

4. Yoga as soul medicine.

On Hanuman Adventures, we practice yoga daily in nature to move energy and experience the health and vitality of a strong body-heart-mind-earth-spirit connection.

5. Grow in conscious community.

We need each other. It’s that simple.

6. Giving back.

Each spiritual adventure includes an opportunity to work with the locals to practice seva (selfless service). When we give in this way, we often realize that we receive exponentially more than we give.

7. Your men are invited.

All of this work of feminine empowerment is really to restore the balance between the masculine and the feminine. We love our men. Let’s bring them along!

8. Inspiration and celebration.

Joy is one of the most healing forces on the planet. Laugh, dance, sing, play and shed a few happy tears.

We are here to celebrate life!

Going on a spiritual adventure can be a game-changer. Just in making the commitment to the adventure you start to experience the transformational magic.

What you are seeking is seeking you… Are you in?

Dayna Seraye is devoted to cultivating the path of the heart through the sacred body temple. She leads transformational yoga classes, workshops, retreats and trainings nationally and internationally to support individuals and communities to connect and awaken.

Dayna is the co-founder of Hanuman Adventures, offering extraordinary yoga retreats with a unique focus on seva and sacred sites. She takes people like you to extraordinary sacred sites to melt the pressures of daily reality and experience the magic of immersion into nature, the heart, and community.

October 24–31, 2015, Hanuman Adventures is going to Peru for a spiritual adventure in the heart of the Sacred Valley. March 20–27, 2016 they journey to Bali, the land of devotion.

Transformation + Courage – #EmergingNow

Dear Friends,

One of the articles in this week’s Juicy Bites round-up of EWlive14 blog posts quotes me as saying, “Committing to authenticity takes immense courage, and I don’t believe it can be achieved alone.” This pretty much sums up not only the reason I founded EW, but also the reason I was able to found EW.

Transformation and transition can be upsetting if we don’t have anchors to help us stay true to and in alignment with our selves. When things seem to be moving too fast, I need the support of my community – specifically my women’s circles. I love to see that a lot of you already know this: we see circles forming of EW participants all across the US, and we’ve had requests to start them in the UK, Australia, and other exciting locations.

As you know we’re rolling out our Power Circle program starting next month, and registration ends this Saturday. If you’ve been carrying dreams in your heart but haven’t had the support to realize them, keeping your ideas, passions and goals in flow with a circle and trained facilitator will work wonders. I hope you jump on this opportunity with us!

Big love,

Chantal Pierrat

Founder, Emerging Women

Power Circle Registration Ends Nov. 1st!

  Juicy Bites: Your Voices ~ Sharing Experiences

We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line in the comments:

Juicy Bites: Navigating the Elusive Work/Life Balance

This week in Juicy Bites, discover:

  • Inspiring interviews with moms working in the advertising industry
  • Top reads for women looking to improve their work/life balance skills
  • How parents sharing work/life responsibilities benefit the entire family
  • Why work/life issues are relevant for everyone, not just moms
  • Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s funny takes on being working moms

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women, is:

1. How Moms in Advertising Do the Balancing Act via Digiday

In an effort to empower, inspire, and advance women in the advertising industry, standout working mothers are honored each year by the Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) organization. In this article, Digiday interviews a few of the winners.

“By default, I am helping other women in my company redefine a new normal. Now there’s a whole group of young females who see a female exec making this choice, and now they know it’s OK to say they need to go home to their families too and that there isn’t a negative repercussion.” – Joy Schwartz

Continue Reading …

2. Finding More Moments of Balance in 2014 via Huff Post Women

While researching her own book on choices modern women face and how those choices impact society, Tanya Selvaratnam read many books by female authors who “boldly tackled work/life issues from different angles.” Here, she lists a few of her favorites.

“How do we reject the expectations foisted on us to excel at everything in work and in life, to drive ourselves to the limit, while we try to be happy, healthy human beings?” – Tanya Selvaratnam

Continue Reading…

3. The Work-Life Balance and ‘Getting to 50/50’: Forum via KQED Public Media

When two parents have demanding careers, striking the balance between work and family can be a challenge. But when those parents share work and parenting duties equally, the whole family benefits, according to Silicon Valley executives Sharon Meers and Joanna Strober.

“The fact is that the majority of mothers work, no matter what their income is. And so we need to have solutions that work because most women in America need to work.” – Joanna Strober

Continue Reading…

4.  Single Professionals Need Work-Life Balance Too via Huff Post Women

“A full life doesn’t require a spouse and/or children,” says single, childless professional Whitney Caudill. “All lives require balance and respect.” In this article, Caudill outlines reasons why it’s harmful to center the work/life balance dialogue around only working mothers.

“Work-life balance issues apply to everyone; these issues are not limited, as it often seems, to parents. These issues are relevant for women and men, the married and single, and those that are parents and childless. It is universal.” – Whitney Caudill

Continue Reading…

5.  Gospel of Parenthood, According to Tina and Amy via Huff Post Parents

Finally, because a sense of humor is crucial to the work/life balancing act, here are 16 quotes about parenting from career comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

“It is less dangerous to draw a cartoon of Allah French-kissing Uncle Sam — which, let me make it very clear, I have not done — than it is to speak honestly about [working moms].” – Tina Fey

Continue Reading…

We are excited to start a conversation and learn more from YOU, dear emerging women. Please join in with a comment below:

Emerging Women Live 2014 in NYC

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to announce that registration is open for Emerging Women Live 2014! Join us for inspiration, authentic connection, and real support as you evolve into the leader you are meant to become.

 

Emerging Women Live is about exploring what it means to influence change in our world through a more integrated approach to leadership and business. As women seek a more conscious approach to success, we have incredible power as a tribe to reinvent our current landscape and positively shape our future – as well as the future of other women less fortunate than ourselves.

 

Learn more about EW Live here:

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Our first event in Boulder this past October was an incredible success. Whether you attended live, or tuned in via our live stream broadcast, or you simply heard about it through friends or our website, hopefully you can feel the power of the movement we have collectively created.

In 2014 we will be in New York City, where the creative energy and connection to a more diverse population will be welcomed as we grow our tribe to reach even more women both nationally and internationally. Our speaker list is still being finalized, and if you liked last year’s line up, you will be thrilled by who we are bringing in for 2014.

While we expect our numbers to grow, we plan to keep this event intimate so we can focus on the quality of connections we will inevitably make during our experience together. It is the power of these relationships that will propel us forward in our desire to fully manifest our lives.

Join me and the rest of the Emerging Women tribe for an experience that will last far beyond the four days we spend together. Early Bird tickets are available until July 31st HERE.

 

Big love,

Chantal

Gratitude for Emerging Women Live 2013

Just how much love and connection can one let in over a 4-day period? Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, somehow my heart opened wider to let in even more joy.

I am not sure exactly what the secret ingredient was that led to the BIG MAGIC that was present throughout the event, but it seems that we all brought our wands with us to Emerging Women Live, and I am still floating as a result.

I thought I would reach out while we are all in this power state of emergence, and let you know how very blessed I feel to have had the chance to share this experience with you all, whether you attended the event or joined us via livestream.

Thank you for holding the space for me to step into my being in the face of uncertainty that comes when one is emerging. I was living the truth of who I was and you all made that possible for me – aaaaahhhhhh that felt great.

I have so much gratitude for the level of presence and authenticity that you each brought to the experience. From the beginning, there seemed to be an environment of trust and openness that set the stage for the entire event, and now this has become the foundation of our tribe.

There is much I could say, and yet I have little brain power for words.  I am wanting to sit in the feeling of it all. I want to dive deep into my heart and my body to relish this vibration a bit longer before inviting my mind back in.

And so with this I leave you with a bow of appreciation, and a request to help me build Emerging Women into the movement it is destined to become.

With gratitude and big love,

Chantal

The FREE recorded version of Emerging Women Live 2013 is available for a limited time only. Watch #EWLive13 HERE.

Juicy Bites: Feminine Values are Shaping Modern Leaders

This week we learn:

  • The importance of feminine values in shaping modern leaders
  • The “100 Natural Laws of Cliteracy”
  • Why it’s important to practice courage, vulnerability and authenticity
  • Why admitting your struggles may save your startup
  • Overcoming the real issues immigrant women face when pursuing their dreams
  • Caroline Ghos’s take on  Marissa Mayer’s recent controversial feature in Vogue

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. Please leave your comment below.

What is it that makes you feel deeply vulnerable?

1. “Feminine” Values Can Give Tomorrow’s Leaders an Edge via Harvard Business Review

Today’s work requires a new leadership paradigm. This article, a study based on 64.000 people around the world, reveals that both men and women leaders should incorporate more feminine values.

“If people have grown cold on male-dominated structures and leadership, they offer a solution: Two-thirds of survey respondents felt that “The world would be a better place if men thought more like women”, including 76% of the French and Brazilians and 70%of Germans.”

Continue Reading…

2. Cliteracy 101: Artist Sophia Wallace Wants You To Know The Truth About The Clitoris via Huff Post Women

New York artist Sophia Wallace wants everyone to be cliterate. Wallace’s project entitled “Cliteracy” includes “100 Laws of Cliteracy,” street art about the organ, as well as a “clit rodeo” that involves an interactive installment of a giant golden clitoris.  Her artwork has a much broader focus than sexual pleasure.

“It is a curious dilemma to observe the paradox that on the one hand the female body is the primary metaphor for sexuality, its use saturates advertising, art and the mainstream erotic imaginary. Yet, the clitoris, the true female sexual organ, is virtually invisible,” Wallace told Creem magazine earlier this year.

Continue Reading…

3. Brené Brown On Why Courage, Vulnerability And Authenticity Have To Be Practiced via Huff Post

Brené Brown champions the feminine virtues of authenticity and vulnerability. Her work gives people permission to be themselves, and that’s probably the greatest gift anybody could give.

In the interview, published in Origin Magazine, and picked by Huff Post, we talked about taking risks. Brené exposed the painful ways we “say ‘yes’ when we mean ‘no’, and say ‘no’ when we mean ‘hell yes.’” She  invites us to get in the arena and “get (our) ass kicked on occasion” — all in the name of living our truth.

Continue Reading…

4. Can honesty save a startup? via Forbes Women

This article tells the moving story of two women entrepreneurs who decided to be honest and acknowledge the difficulties, challenges and frustrations of starting your own business. Jessica Lybeck and Erin Hopmann, founders of Dabble, created a blog called “30 Days of Honesty” where they allowed themselves to be vulnerable, authentic and admit their day to day struggles. Stella Fayman, a serial entrepreneur, believes that their decision is a bold and inspiring move: “I applaud them for their integrity and authenticity in sharing such a harrowing time with the public. If only we could all be a little bit more honest, we could help each other and solve our own problems much more quickly.”

Continue Reading…

5. The Women Who Do it All but Don’t Have it All via Washington Post

In this article, Georgeta Dragoiu, managing director and co-founder of MDC Strategies, talks about the cruel realities immigrant women have to face when trying to pursue their dreams. She explains:

“While money isn’t always the solution, it is certainly a key part of the problem. For many women, believing they can lean in to a career, rather than multiple low-paying jobs, starts when they’re exposed to alternate realities. They need a sense of community that extends beyond others who sound or look like them, and that can help them see new opportunities. That’s why we should make sure the debate on women’s empowerment doesn’t leave out those who can’t afford the same set of choices.”

Continue Reading…

6. Dear Marissa Mayer Critics: It’s Time To Rally Around Great Leaders Everywhere via Fast Company

Caroline Ghosn discusses the recent controversial appearance of Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, in a feature in September’s issue of Vogue. Caroline explains:

“At the end of the day, perpetrating this culture of intense scrutiny–especially as it is applied to unconventional-looking leaders–makes us all the poorer. All we are doing is continuing to validate the noxious benchmark that leaders need to look and act a certain way.‬”

Continue reading,,,

This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women is:

What is it that makes you feel deeply vulnerable?

Words of Wisdom from our Speakers at Power Party New York, September 10th, 2013

Four fantastic women are ready to share their wisdom with you, on September 10th in NYC at Power Party New York. I hope you can join us and experience the energy and receive the amazing gifts these women have to offer.

We encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, to open up and allow yourself to be challenged, to ask yourself questions you would have never dared to ask, and to receive the answers and the guidance you need to shift your paradigm of success. Power Parties are authentic networking events like no other you’ve ever experienced. We ask real questions, and we connect because of our passions and not because of our status. We embrace vulnerability, and our feminine power. We courageously listen, learn and grow.

Power Party New York is Emerging Women’s 5th local event. Our goal is to bring together brilliant women and build a veritable tribe committed to truthful living. With your support we can generate real change that empowers women not only in our communities but around the world.

Join us and begin creating a life of alignment, authenticity and powerful self-expression!

If you can’t make it in person to Power Party New York, you can still participate via live-stream. Please RSVP on Facebook, and we will share the live-stream link closer to the date.

RSVP on Facebook HERE

Register on Eventbrite  HERE  (Early Bird Pricing Ends August 30th)

Below you’ll find a 4 quotes from our fabulous presenters at Power Party New York. Enjoy!

Speakers:

Mama Gena

Regena Thomashauer (Mama Gena) is a revolution: an icon, teacher, author, mother and one of a handful of pioneers on the planet researching the nature of pleasure and dedicating her life to the discipline of pleasure and fun.

Image by Ibai Acevedo
Image by Ibai Acevedo

Kate Northrup

Kate Northrup is a professional freedom seeker and creative entrepreneur. She created financial freedom for herself at the age of 28 through building a team of more than 1,000 wellness entrepreneurs in the network marketing industry.

Image by Ibai Acevedo
Image by Ibai Acevedo

 Robyn Hatcher

Robyn Hatcher is an author and communication skills expert and Founder of SpeakEtc., a boutique communication and presentation-skills training company. Once an extremely shy child, Robyn is now passionate about helping individuals express themselves effectively and powerfully.

Image by Brandon C. Long

Amy Ferris

Amy Ferris is an author, screenwriter, playwright, and editor. Her memoir, Marrying George Clooney, Confessions From A Midlife Crisis was produced and performed as an Off-Broadway play (CAP21 Theater Company) in 2012.

Image by Michael Vincent Manalo
Image by Michael Vincent Manalo

Register for EW Power Party New York  HERE

Power Party New York is an event in support of Emerging Women Live, October 10-13, 2013, a national event at the St. Julien Hotel which will feature the following speakers: Brené Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, Eve Ensler, Alanis MorissetteSobonfu Somé, Ani DiFranco, Kelly McGonigal, Tara Mohr, Tami Simon, Kristin Neff, Jennifer Lee, Sera Beak and many more!

Check out the Emerging Women Power Party in action:

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Juicy Bites This Week: Overcoming our Fears

This week we learn:

  • Wisdom from pioneer science woman Maria Mitchell
  • Why it’s important to take credit for your work
  • The top 100 websites for women
  • Why startup failure is not the end of the world

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. In one word (or more) tell us:

What does it take to overcome our fears?

1. Pioneering 19th-Century Astronomer Maria Mitchell on Education and Women in Science via Brain Pickings

Maria Mitchell was the first woman to work as a professional astronomer. She became professor of astronomy and the only woman on the faculty at Vassar College in 1865. A trailblazer woman in science, a fighter for equal pay and equality in education, she also co-founded the American Association for the Advancement of Women and became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

From Maria Mitchell: Life, Letters and Journals (public library; free download) — emerges a portrait of a fascinating, fearless woman.

Check out this diary entry from 1874:

“For women there are, undoubtedly, great difficulties in the path, but so much the more to overcome. First, no woman should say, ‘I am but a woman!’ But a woman! What more can you ask to be?

Born a woman — born with the average brain of humanity — born with more than the average heart — if you are mortal, what higher destiny could you have? No matter where you are nor what you are, you are a power — your influence is incalculable; personal influence is always underrated by the person. We are all centers of spheres — we see the portions of the sphere above us, and we see how little we affect it. We forget the part of the sphere around and before us — it extends just as far every way.”

She also encouraged the freedom of thought:

“Women, more than men, are bound by tradition and authority. What the father, the brother, the doctor, and the minister have said has been received undoubtingly. Until women throw off this reverence for authority they will not develop. When they do this, when they come to truth through their investigations, when doubt leads them to discovery, the truth which they get will be theirs, and their minds will work on and on unfettered.”

Continue reading…

2. What are we all so afraid of? via The Telegraph

A new blog, ifuwerentafraid.tumblr.com shows the impact fear can have on women’s lives. The blog is hosted by Lean In, the campaign run by Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook and the author of Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.

Anna Maxted, a bestselling author based in North London, England – no stranger to crippling anxiety – wonders what she’d do if she weren’t afraid.

“You gaze at this parade of women on If U Weren’t Afraid and suddenly understand that your fears are ordinary, honest. And yet, how sad to see those discarded dreams.”

Continue reading…

3. Why You Need To Brag More (And How To Do It) via Forbes Woman

A May 2013 study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that women who work with men are far less likely to take credit for their work than those who collaborate with other women. Instead of  truly accepting their accomplishments , women give away the credit, talking about the great team they had, the collaborative efforts involved, etc. Familiar right? Instead of saying thank you, women are unnecessarily modest.

“A 2012 report from management consulting firm Accenture called “The Next Generation of Working Women” found that women are less likely to speak up than men, less likely to proactively manage their own careers, and less likely to ask for a raise. According to an NPR report that aired last year, the last fact can mean anywhere from $1 million to $1.5 million in lost earnings over a woman’s lifetime. Owning up to your accomplishments isn’t about arrogance; it’s about equality.” ~ Peggy Drexler

Continue reading…

4. The 100 Best Websites For Women, 2013 via Forbes Woman

The fourth annual list of FORBES 100 Best Websites for Women is a formidable resource.  We are curious which one is your favorite? Leave your suggestion in the comment box below.

Continue reading…

5. Why you should ignore startup failure stats via VentureBeat

Melania Brescia Photography
Melania Brescia Photography

Running a startup that eventually fails can be a valuable experience, writes Eran Laniado, managing director of BMN.

Eran explains:

“[…] not attempting to pursue one’s dream may be very frustrating. Moreover, those who never try will never fail. Those who never fail find it difficult to cope with challenging situations outside of their comfort zone when these eventually arise. A failure today may teach a person to cope more successfully with similar situations in the future.”

Continue reading…

This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women is:

Let’s start a conversation. We would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below.

Juicy Bites This Week – Accepting The Truth of Who You Are

This week we find out:

  • Fascinating research that points out the achievements and challenges women face in the workplace
  • Alanis Morissette’s advice for women who are on the precipice of their own Emergence
  • Women’s barriers to becoming leaders, and candidates for senior positions
  • The inspiration behind Emerging Women
  • How self-compassion can help us accept the truth of who we are

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women, is:

What allows you to accept the truth of who you are?

1. Women in the Workplace: A Research Roundup via Harvard Business Review

This article explores recent research by business, psychology, and sociology scholars that offers a window into women’s collective experiences in the workplace, bringing light to issues such as:

  • Work/Life Balance
  • Equal Pay
  • Leadership Qualities

Continue reading…

2. Alanis Morissette – Creative Intimacy and the Merging of Yin and Yang via Grace & Fire

Emerging Women is happy to announce the launch of our podcast series: Grace & Fire.

Our first podcast features the amazing powerhouse Alanis Morissette as she talks about:

  • Vulnerability
  • Strength with Femininity and balancing the Yin/Yang or Masculine and Feminine essence
  • The effect of success on the creative process
  • How anger can actually build intimacy in relationship
  • And finally, Alanis gives her one piece of advice for women who are on the precipice of their own Emergence.

Alanis is a keynote speaker at the 2013 Emerging Women Live Conference, October 10th-13th in Boulder, CO.

Listen to the podcast HERE

3. Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers via Harvard Business Review

We are seeing more and more companies make gender diversity a priority. Despite the good intentions of their employers, women still face hurdles to becoming leaders and candidates for senior positions.

“Becoming a leader involves much more than being put in a leadership role, acquiring new skills, and adapting one’s style to the requirements of that role. It involves a fundamental identity shift. Organizations inadvertently undermine this process when they advise women to proactively seek leadership roles without also addressing policies and practices that communicate a mismatch between how women are seen and the qualities and experiences people tend to associate with leaders.”

Continue Reading…

4. LeapCast Podcast Episode #3 – Chantal Pierrat via LeapCast

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Check out this podcast series from LeapCast – a catalytic community for passion-seeking women.

Tune in to learn what inspired Chantal to start Emerging Women Live, the fears that surfaced as she was launching, and how she pushed past them.

Listen to the podcast HERE

5. Embracing Our Common Humanity With Self-Compassion via Huff Post Healthy Living

Kristin Neff talks about the importance of self-compassion and being in touch with our common humanity, and how that allows us to be more understanding and less judgmental about our inadequacies, and more aligned with the truth of who we are. Recognizing that we are not alone in our suffering, and that failure and imperfection is inevitable we are able to be acceptant of ourselves and less intimidated by our mistakes.

“One of the most important elements of self-compassion is the recognition of our shared humanity. Compassion is, by definition, relational. Compassion literally means “to suffer with,” which implies a basic mutuality in the experience of suffering. The emotion of compassion springs from the recognition that the human experience is imperfect, that we are all fallible.”

Kristin Neff is a speaker at the 2013 Emerging Women Live Conference, October 10th-13th in Boulder, CO.

This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women is:

What allows you to accept the truth of who you are?

Let’s start a conversation. We would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below.

Juicy Bites This Week: The Road to Accepting Your Feminine Power

This week we find out:

  • Tara Sophia Mohr’s interpretation of “purpose of life”
  • What are the 4 women’s issues that haven’t changed since 1911
  • How to unlearn in order to accept your feminine power
  • Why in order to succeed women need more ambition

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women, is:

1. Debunking the Whole “Life Purpose” Thing via Tara Sophia Mohr Wise Living

Tara Sophia Mohr believes that the traditional “life purpose” that each of us is searching for with angst, can actually be something that we don’t even acknowledge in our lives. In this blog post Tara also offers a short practice of how you can connect with your true purpose every morning.

“Here’s the truth: Your purpose is to bring more love to this earth. It is to heal where there is brokenness. It is to bring light where there is darkness. It is to restore sanity where insanity reigns, kindness where fear has taken over.”

Continue Reading…

2. Four Women’s Issues That Haven’t Changed Since 1911 via Huff Post Women

Over 100 years ago, radical writer and activist Emma Goldman penned the essay “The Tragedy of Woman’s Emancipation.” Goldman explored issues of equal pay, the tension between family life and home life, and the obstacles that inhibit true gender equality. Many of  the issues Goldman fought for feel nearly as relevant now as they must have then. Here are 4 of them:

1. Men dominate many of the most esteemed professional fields — and get paid more for their work.

2. Work stress disproportionately impacts women.

3. The “freedom” the workplace supposedly offers women sometimes doesn’t feel so free at all.

4. Women are doubling up on work at home and outside of the home.

Continue Reading…

3. Unlearning to find your way via Role Models Wanted

I had the great pleasure to be interviewed by Jenn Aubert, an entrepreneur, acupuncturist, business mindset coach, and writer. Her mission is to help women entrepreneurs get out of their own way so that they can live big. She helps female entrepreneurs bust through limiting beliefs, fears and self-doubts so that they can build and grow successful businesses.

In this interview we talk about the road to accepting your feminine power, and learning how to incorporate more feminine leadership qualities into your professional life; how to achieve true connection, collaboration and how to allow yourself to be vulnerable.

Continue Reading…

 4. Women Need More Than Confidence to Succeed, They Need Ambition via Huff Post Women

More than 70 percent of high school valedictorians in 2012  were women and it’s a well known fact that for decades, more female students than male students have graduated from college. Later on numbers drop dramatically for women: to 37 percent for mid-managers, and even lower, to 26 percent, for vice presidents and up. Women head slightly more than 4 percent of Fortune 500 companies. Continue Reading…

Dr. Peggy Drexler explains:

“Could bias, in fact, happen not only from the top down but also the inside out?It can. Persistent bias felt or perceived at any point in a woman’s career can erode her own ambition by causing her to feel less confident about her skills and abilities. She then strives for less. She doesn’t get the promotion or the raise not because it’s given to a man, or because she somehow doesn’t measure up, but because she’s voluntarily taken herself out of the running. It’s not confidence or ability that women are lacking, but ambition they’ve lost–or let go of–along the way.”

 

This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women is:

“How would describe, in one word, feminine power?”

Let’s start a conversation. We would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below.

Power Party New York, September 10, 2013

Emerging Women is hosting another fabulous Power Party, on September 10th, this time in New York City at The Lounge at WeWork. Power Parties are authentic networking events that aim to bring together brilliant women ready to influence real change in the world through “the how” of what we do.

The line up for Power Party New York  will rock the city for sure – featuring Mama GenaKate Northrup, Robyn Hatcher, and  Amy Ferris, all successful visionary leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives who are trailblazing a new way of influencing positive change in the world. Expect authentic sharing of what makes these women tick and how they were able to achieve uncompromising success by living the truth of who they are.

Join us for a night of drinks, authentic networking, real connection and FIRE!

Register here: ewpowerpartyny.eventbrite.com

If you can’t make it in person to Power Party New York, you can still participate via live-stream. We will share the live-stream link closer to the date. Stay Tuned! Live Stream RSVP on Facebook HERE

Speakers: 

Mama Gena

Regena Thomashauer (Mama Gena) is a revolution: an icon, teacher, author, mother and one of a handful of pioneers on the planet researching the nature of pleasure and dedicating her life to the discipline of pleasure and fun.

Creatrix and CEO of both the School of Womanly Arts and Relationship Technologies, Regena created the sassy and sexy TV series, Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts, in partnership with Mag Rack, based on her bestselling book and school of the same name.

Regena is also the bestselling author of three books published by Simon & Schuster—Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts: Using the Power of Pleasure to Have Your Way with the World (2002), Mama Gena’s Owner’s & Operator’s Guide To Men (2003) and Mama Gena’s Marriage Manual (2004). She has been a guest on NBC-TV’s Today show and has appeared on 20/20 (where one of her segments garnered a 20/20 record of more than one million website hits), and has been interviewed on a multitude of national and regional broadcasts including NPR’s The Next Big Thing.

Regena’s programs at the School of Womanly Arts have been profiled in The New York Times, Elle and New York Magazine. Her views on personal development and the power of women have been featured and quoted in several national publications including Glamour, Newsweek, Marie Claire, Allure, Self, InStyle and The Washington Post.

Kate Northrup

Kate Northrup is a professional freedom seeker and creative entrepreneur. She created financial freedom for herself at the age of 28 through building a team of more than 1,000 wellness entrepreneurs in the network marketing industry. Her philosophy is that if you free yourself financially you can be fully present to your purpose on the planet. She’s writing her first book, Money: A Love Story and she continues to mentor entrepreneurs in creating financial freedom. Find out more and download her free guide, The 5 Things You Gotta Do to Create Financial Freedom.

Robyn Hatcher

Robyn Hatcher is an author and communication skills expert and Founder of SpeakEtc., a boutique communication and presentation-skills training company. Once an extremely shy child, Robyn is now passionate about helping individuals express themselves effectively and powerfully.

Robyn has helped thousands of business professionals improve their presentations and interpersonal communication. Prior to founding SpeakEtc. Robyn worked as a professional actress, appearing on stage in New York and surrounding region, as well as in television commercials and dramas.Robyn served as a writer for two daytime dramas and has frequently appeared as an expert guest on HuffPost Live, was a contributing media expert in PRNEWS 2013 Media Relations Guidebook, and wrote a personal essay that became a part of the published anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom (Seal Press, 2012) Her first book, Standing Ovation Presentations (Motivational Press, 2013), is a complete presentations skills guide that contains a unique communication-style system called ActorTypes.

Amy Ferris

Amy Ferris is an author, screenwriter, playwright, and editor.

She has written everything from YA novels – a greater goode (Houghton Mifflin, 2001) to memoir, Marrying George Clooney, Confessions From A Midlife Crisis (Seal Press, 2010). Her memoir, Marrying George Clooney was produced and performed as an Off-Broadway play (CAP21 Theater Company) in 2012. She co-edited the anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom: Sharing the Stories That Kept Us Small (Seal Press, 2012), and has contributed to numerous anthologies: He Said What? Exit Laughing,The Drinking Diaries, and The Buddha Next Door to name a few. She was Editor-in-Chief at Milford magazine, and a contributing editor and monthly columnist at Urban Refugee magazine. Her blog Marrying George Clooney was named one of the best blogs for women over 40 by More magazine. Amy co-wrote the films Funny Valentines (Julie Dash, Director; Starring Alfre Woodard, Loretta Devine – BET Networks, Starz Networks) and Mr. Wonderful, (Anthony Minghella, Director; Matt Dillon, James Gandolfini, Mary Louise Parker and Annabella Sciorra – Warner Bros, The Samuel Goldwyn Co.) Amy serves on the Board of Directors at Peters Valley Art and Education Center, and the Advisory Board of The Women’s Media Center. She is on faculty at the San Miguel Literary Festival. Amy lives in Pennsylvania with her patient and loving husband, Ken, and their two cats, Bella and Lotus.

Reserve Your Spot at EW Power Party New York HERE

Power Party New York is an event in support of Emerging Women Live, October 10-13, 2013, a national event at the St. Julien Hotel which will feature the following speakers: Brené Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, Eve Ensler, Alanis MorissetteSobonfu Somé, Ani DiFranco, Kelly McGonigal, Tara Mohr, Tami Simon, Kristin Neff, Jennifer Lee, Sera Beak and many more!

Check out the Emerging Women Power Party in action:

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