I’m excited to announce that I’ve launched my new coaching brand, Artizen Coaching: The art of unfolding your life vision.

I wanted an updated brand that captured my creative, playful side as well as my naturally “Zen” state. And, thanks to Claire Fontana at Pitch Agent, the new name Artizen Coaching was born. (Also thanks to my husband who took the gorgeous main photo on the home page plus many of the pics throughout and who helped me develop the site).

After several painstaking years of wondering how to better incorporate my coaching with art and creativity, it feels good to have found a way to more fully express what I’m about and how I help women awaken their inner muse.

Going through a branding process is a great way to reflect on who you are, what you want to bring to the world and what your authentic voice is. Even if you don’t have your own business, per se, I love the idea that everyone is their own “Me Inc.” How are you representing your own “Me Inc.’s” values, vision and mission? How are you being the “CEO” of your own life?

[tags]Artizen Coaching, coaching, expressive arts coaching, branding[/tags]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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