My friend and fellow Lady Launcher, Cami Walker, was visiting from L.A. this weekend and recently asked me to lead a Right-Brain Business Plan workshop so she could make one for her new creative venture. We gathered seven other participants for a fun afternoon of visioning and planning. I wrote a bit about the workshop here.

I originally planned to launch this workshop in the fall. What I love, though, about having creative cohorts is that they are there to help spur things along! If I were just plodding along by myself, I would’ve sat on this idea for a few more months. I might have worked on the concept here and there and eventually set a date later this year.

But with a simple nudge and within just a few weeks, I’ve gained tons of momentum. By putting myself out there (perhaps earlier that I had originally planned), I now have new insights on how to improve the workshop and also confirmation of some other ideas I was tossing around. This weekend was a great reminder that creating is an iterative process. A process that starts with putting something out there! It sure helps to have a friendly catalyst nearby who can help propel you forward.

One of my business goals for this year is to increase my media exposure, which I find exciting and scary! So, when someone from eWomen Network recently contacted me to see if I was interested in being on the eWomen Network Radio Show, I said “Yes!” with sweaty palms and a racing heart. In my interview with Sandra Yancey, Founder and CEO of eWomen Network, I talk about my art visioning approach and share a couple of tips to bring more creativity into your life right now.

The show aired this past Sunday, but for the next couple of weeks you can listen to a recording online. Every week, Sandra showcases several women entrepreneurs and their businesses. It’s one of the great benefits of being an eWomen Network member.

Next month, I head back to Dallas for my second eWomen Network conference. This time, I’m participating in their publishing track to help give me a kick in the pants around the book I’m working on.

Anyway, if you get a chance to listen to the interview, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my new Right-Brain Business Plan e-Book and guided visualization! This is one of my creative projects that has been in the works for a bit, so it feels great to get it out here (you can bet some beads went into the bowl!). I hope you’ll be inspired to create your own Right-Brain Business Plan after listening to the meditation and reading the book.

One of my cool take-aways from this project is the power of collaboration. I partnered with my friend and talented designer, illustrator and artist, Kate Prentiss, to develop this product. Instead of going it alone and feeling stuck or frustrated, I had a creative cohort to bounce ideas off of, to help keep me accountable, and, best of all, to have fun with. Our collaboration made the process that much more fulfilling and exciting and it helped to move things along a lot faster than if I had worked in isolation.

What creative partnerships do you lean into in your work? What have you been able to co-create together? I’d love to hear!

And, here’s a bit more detail about what’s included in the Right-Brain Business Plan e-Book:

• 9-page illustrated, colored and hand-written e-book
• 10-minute guided visualization to get you in touch with the big vision of your business
• a link to a simple, “right-brain” template for getting started on the “left-brain” numbers

Price: $19.95

Buy yours today!

P.S. - I’m off to Toronto for the weekend to help facilitate a circle at QUEST!  I look forward to sharing my experience with you!

I recently completed a money circle with money coach and fellow Lady Launcher Aurora Medina (whom I describe as Suze Orman meets Shakira!). My relationship with money has had its ups and downs, so it was helpful to spend time reflecting on how I am with my finances and how I want to be.

During my years of climbing the corporate ladder, I made a good salary and never worried about price tags or balancing my checkbook. I spent way too much on clothes (well, I had to make use of my Gap, Banana and Old Navy discount, now didn’t I?!!). However, I did do some of the right things - tucked money away in a 401(k), set up monthly automatic transfers into my savings account, invested in mutual funds, etc. - without ever really paying much attention.

Now that I work for myself, I am much more aware of my cash flow and finances. However, this doesn’t mean that I like dealing with it and avoidance blocks more abundance from flowing into my life. So, participating in this money circle was a first step in being more conscious about how I am around money.

Aurora had us create money vision boards. Mine depicts the peace and relaxation I feel when I’m confident about money. The phrase “business is booming” is juxtaposed by a calm woman just chillin’ in nature. That image reminds me that I don’t need to run myself ragged to make a living. That in fact, I’m more effective when I’m grounded and centered. I also have images of material things I want. Top of the list would be re-doing our kitchen and getting a dishwasher! Regular vacations would be nice, too.

Another assignment was to create a money beliefs box. Well, given my dream boxes, you know I was all over this one! In fact, I created mine during the workshop I led last Friday. I found a quote from supermodel Linda Evangelista that says, “I don’t wake up for less than $10,00 a day.” How’s that for raising the bar?! I also have “say your worth it” which is a big one for me to step into, too.

Inside the box, I wrote my new beliefs about money on little slips of green paper. Some of them include:

• I deal with my finances easily and effortlessly.
• I’m doing what I love and am good at and I easily pay others to handle the rest.
• I indulge in self-care luxuries knowing I can totally afford them.
• I attract abundance and live abundantly.
• I make my money work for me.
• It’s easy for me to make more money in less time.
• Brian and I have a sound financial plan for now and for the future.
• I make generous contributions to worthy causes on a regular basis.

The other nugget I got from the money circle was identifying my money type. I scored high on Money Magician, but because my financial life is not yet where I want it to be, we looked at the next highest which were the Martyr and the Artist/Creator. I also have strong Warrior energy which is great to tap into. I will be paying attention to which of my types is making decisions about my money and how that might be hurting or helping me. The ultimate goal is to become the Money Magician who can easily manifest inner wealth spiritually and outer wealth in the material world. Find out what you are by taking the quiz.

I’ve also ordered two books that Aurora recommended: Money Magic by Deborah L. Price and Prince Charming Isn’t Coming by Barbara Stanny. I’m looking forward to reading them.

What is your relationship with money? What are your beliefs about money and how are they serving you? What does inner and outer wealth look like to you?

Yesterday, I was invited by a friend Cathy to lead my dream box workshop with her small networking group of East Bay entrepreneurial women. These five financial- and foodie-focused females get together regularly to help support each other in their “next steps.” It’s such a great idea to have a group of like-minded people to help keep accountability and motivate each other to keep moving forward. We had a fun few hours of collaging and gabbing. I love doing workshops like this for small gatherings of women who already are friends (like I did for my painting and collage workshop last year). It’s usually a nice change of pace for them and they get inspired by each other’s creative visions. What fun, new creative activities can you do with your group of friends?

It’s been another full week and challenging for me to keep up with all the great things going on. I did make a point on Wednesday to take advantage of the gorgeous spring-like weather by practicing yoga in my backyard. With the sun shining overhead, birds chirping in the trees and the cool breeze on my skin, I was in yogi heaven! I’m amazed at how the fresh air brought me so in touch with my breath and my body - wonderful!

With another Ladies Who Launch Incubator that started last night, I’m reminded to get creative about doing more nice things for myself. After all, pampering is part of the lady launching way! So, I can’t wait for more sunny days like this to do backyard yoga ‘cuz that sure counts as a nice thing.

Today I was at It’s Yoga for another dream box workshop with a new circle of teacher trainers. It’s hard for me to believe that it was almost a year ago that I completed my yoga teacher certification. So many wonderful things have manifested since then. One being getting to lead this workshop at the studio!!!

I had fun laughing and hanging out with the group. They were a playful and engaging bunch! And I loved hearing about their dreams and seeing the unique ways they all decorated their dream boxes.

One of the students crafted her own “guru-in-a-box” with a pop-up Sri Swami Satchidananda to offer inspiration and wisdom! How cool is that?!

Our Creative Playground met at Laura’s lovely home for an afternoon of mandala making. A mandala (which means means circle or completion in Sanskrit) symbolizes wholeness. Laura explained that in Sanskrit, bindu means particle or dot and is the center point of the mandala. It’s a place of infinite capacity. We are always moving toward this point. It is a journey.

We circled around a table on Laura’s front porch while she led us through a visualization to our creative center. Then, to warm us up, she invited us to pick up oil pastels and chalks and quickly create our first mandala in 10 minutes. I loved the freedom to just intuitively let the colors flow. During the visualization I was reminded of some powerful insights I had while listening to someone from the Strozzi Institute speak about body-based coaching at SF Coaches earlier this week. The presenter led us through a centering practice to get us really grounded in our bodies. We aligned from top to bottom, lengthening while grounding. We became aware of our width, meaning how we show up in the social dimension. And then we noticed our front and back, where we’ve come from and where we are going. Throughout Laura’s visualization I imagined that energy surrounding me like a globe and that’s what I depicted in my first mandala below. This piece felt very airy and dreamy.

Once we were done with our warm-up mandala, we moved on to a more focused project. I decided to play with brighter oil pastels against a black background. I explored feeling more in my body and more grounded and bold by using the vibrant, warm colors of the lower chakras. The mandala of the yellow, red and orange blossom emerged.

Mandalas come in all types. Some are very symmetrical and others, like mine today, are very organic. What’s amazing is that mandalas show up in nature all around us. Think of the rings of a tree trunk, the spirals of a sea shell or even planets circling the sun in our solar system.

What connects you to your center or bindu? How can a mandala help you journey inward and expand out? For more ideas on creating mandalas, check out Mandala: Journey to the Center.

While rain drizzled lightly outside, 11 vibrant women gathered for my Dream Box workshop at fellow Lady Launcher and coach/therapist Laura Parker’s Creative Action Center. We christened her lovely office space with positive energy and creativity as the women visioned their goals and collaged colorful dream boxes.

I love witnessing everyone in their creative process.  In the beginning we discussed  how as successful women we’re so conditioned to have very specific and practical goals (often brought on by others outside ourselves). But by rolling up our sleeves and getting messy, we’re able to tap into our intuition and childlike creativity. Our imagination and right-brain helps us dream big!

One of my favorite parts of the workshop is the show and tell at the end. We get to hear about what each woman is creating in her life and what action she’s taking to continue moving forward. It’s always cool to see how unique everyone’s dreams are and also where there is synergy and opportunity to support one another on their journeys. I can’t wait to see these dreams of health, travel, meaningful connections and creative projects come true!

How are you blowing the lid off of 2008? What creative ways can you tap into your big dreams? And what support do you need to move forward?

The past 10 days have been a whirlwind of excitement, connection, fulfillment and fun! I visited Washington DC to be a Circle Coach for Quest, returned home to lead a dream box workshop at It’s Yoga and then flew out to Cleveland for our Ladies Who Launch leader training. I had a great time at all the different events. And this weary traveler is happy to be home (where it’s not snowing!).

Quest was amazing. What an honor to help shepherd our Questers on their journey of discovering their leadership essence and taking action on their inspiring Quests. I look forward to seeing how they each continue to make their unique impact on the world!

The icing on the cake was meeting up with my friends John and Marie last Saturday night in DC. I hadn’t seen John in about three years and this was my first time meeting Marie in person. What a treat!

Had one day back home to make dream boxes with the yoga teacher trainers including students from Mexico, Israel, Japan and all across the US. I’m always so moved by what the participants dream of and create!

Next up, Cleveland! On our first day there, Launy, Corinne and I ventured to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I’m no music buff, so much of the paraphernalia was beyond me. But I did get a kick out of seeing a letter that Madonna wrote to a friend while she was at the University of Michigan, Jim Morrison’s report cards from grade school and drawings that Jimi Hendrix did as a kid.

California girls Launy, me, Corinne and Claire braving the snow. It was so much fun to be at the training with these smart, savvy gals. And we’re so excited to bring all our launching energy back to our fellow Bay Area launchers.

Oh, and I just had to take a picture of the infamous chocolate cake that magically appeared after every meal. Good thing we had yoga class Friday morning to work off such decadence.

And finally, a beautiful shot of all 14 leaders in training from across the US and Canada along with our awesome trainer Stella. What an amazing group of women!

The third installment of the best-selling Girl’s Guide series comes out today AND I’m featured in the book!!! The Girl’s Guide to Kicking Your Career Into Gear by Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio offers practical advice for taking charge of your career - whether it’s getting to that next level, switching careers or deciding to work for yourself.

As the featured coach in Chapter Two: Getting where you want to go, I provide some creative exercises for envisioning what you want from your job and offer suggested actions to take. (Note, I’m listed under my former coaching brand Change Journey Coaching due to publishing lead time).

Not only am I thrilled to be in print, this opportunity exemplifies the power of intention… Last year around this time, I had just finished a great book about using collage to set dreams and goals. I thought to myself, “Hey, I really could write a book about my approach to art visioning!” I got inspired to do some art visioning of my own around the book idea and planned to create a mock book jacket for my future book. It was late at night, so to make sure I didn’t forget the next day, I wrote an e-mail to myself on 1/7/07 with the subject line “mock up a book cover/jacket w/ headshot, bio, advanced praise, etc.”

Well, I woke up the next morning to find in my inbox an e-mail with the subject line, “book interview.” I had to do a double-take. Was this what I called the note to myself about my book? I was beside myself when I realized it was one of the Girl’s Guide authors asking if I wanted to be interviewed for their next book! I was amazed that in less than 24-hours, a wonderful opportunity presented itself that was a great first step toward writing my own book!!

By the way, the authors will be holding a book-signing/workshop in San Francisco on Wednesday, January 30th from 7:30-9:30PM at Books Inc. on 2251 Chestnut Street. Maybe I’ll see you there?!