Her name was Miriam Wabanga, though she was simply Ata – “grandmother” in her African language – to most of us. Ata. (Spoken with reverence.) She was my closest friend during the two years I lived in her Central African village as a Peace Corps volunteer. She was twice my age and different from…
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Saying Yes to ourselves first
(image courtesy of Pinterest, via Handmade Charlotte) As women, we find ourselves signing up again and again. Sure, I’ll help out. OK, I’ll get it to you by Friday. Absolutely, I can cover for you. Of course – I’ll be right there. We’re hardwired to support, to nurture, to hold the container. We come together because…
Making peace with not knowing
Untitled, originally uploaded by Lina Scheynius (this post was previously published on Roots of She, where I am guest-blogging as part of the Winter Tribe) ::     ::     :: I want answers. Answers that make sense to me, and ones I can use as a starting point for action. I want…
On graceful exits and talk-walking
As a coach, I have spent many hours discerning what are “shoulds” vs. what are heartfelt wants and needs. Â I’ve been a mirror for my clients as much as looking in my own mirror (often with the help of my own beloved coaches). Â I’m pretty much an expert in this domain, as far as I…
Days #4, 5 and 6 : Heaps of Gratitude
Thank goodness this is a mini-movement centered around imperfection, because I have aced that. No, I didn’t post anything the past three days. Â I can’t talk about the curveball that has occupied all of my waking (and most of my sleeping) moments just now. Â Maybe soon, once I have processed the events a bit…
Day # 3 : When the train won’t stop
Welcome to Day 3 of 30 Days of Imperfection, a creative writing experiment inspired by the lovely Jac McNeil whose commitment to excellence was squelching her creativity.   I’m blogging every day for 30 days – and I promise to do so without excessive squirming as I hit “publish”.  On San Francisco’s cable cars the conductors monitor…
Day #2 : Yoga class
I went to her classroom to teach yoga today. She took the seat closest to me, and wiggled herself into lotus. Â She wants so badly to do it right. (Note to self : stop doing yoga “right”. Â Especially when daughter is around.) As the class began, she beamed at me. My heart melted. Permission granted,…
30 Days of Imperfection : Freeing My Voice
My friend, colleague and coach Jac McNeil just created a mini-movement, and I’m taking a deep breath and joining her. It’s a movement about freeing our voices. Â The other day, Jac wrote a beautiful post about how striving for excellence has prevented her from writing: I see this sweet, creative spirit within…
Unfurling with Abby Kerr
When I met Abby Kerr on Twitter I thought, now THIS woman has a vocabulary and she knows how to use it. (Word-girl that I am, I was utterly charmed). In addition to being uber fantastic in her craft (she’s a brand editor who helps online entrepreneurs…
Unfurling with Bridget Pilloud
In my coaching work, I use the metaphor of an unfurling fern to help my clients see how to participate in bringing themselves more fully, joyfully and authentically alive. In the context of this metaphor, the act of unfurling is catalyzed by a message of “yes!” from within…
