Archive for June 2009

Last week I was driving to a friend’s house for a meeting to discuss our businesses. It was a hot summer day and I was enjoying having the sunroof open and my tunes cranked. Because I had left the house early, I decided to take the scenic route to my friend’s place, which included long windy streets with a cozy canopy of oak trees. The fresh summer air, the sunshine, and the trees carried me on this beautiful afternoon.

My quiet and leisurely drive quickly changed as I was suddenly faced with a “Road Construction Next Two Miles” sign. It became bumpy and noisy and dusty…certainly not conducive to the peaceful drive I was planning on. But that was okay. The summer sun was smiling down on me, and I was grateful to be self-employed with a flexible schedule and wearing shorts and a concert t-shirt to my meeting.

The small line of cars on the road came to a halt, as a worker stepped onto the road and held up a sign, motioning for all of us to slow down. The part of the two-sided sign that said “SLOW” was facing our direction. A few cars made it past her, and then when it came to me, the worker held up her hand and Read more »

When I was 12 years-old I fell in love with Neil Diamond…the man, and his music (that’s me on the left, circa 1981!). As a kid, I often felt sad and lonely, and Neil’s music was a constant in my unstable world. Through his songs, I experienced a deep sense of joy and felt “heard,” which I so yearned for. And I’ve always been inspired by other people who follow the things in life that bring them joy. As a singer, songwriter, and performer, Neil excels at that!

Today, I’m as loyal and faithful of a fan as ever, so when Neil embarked on a big tour last year, I was thrilled! He kicked off the U.S. leg of his tour right here in Minnesota, and Bill and I saw several shows on the road and had a blast…getting front row tickets every time! Later you’ll hear more about how we got those tickets, but for now, let’s just say that at just the right time, they always appeared. And we are SO grateful!

Anyway, it was quite a run, and as the tour was winding down, we noticed that there was a show coming up in Grand Forks, North Dakota (which, in late November, is not necessarily high on our list of places to visit). We had already spent a good amount of money on shows and it would be a long, cold drive; it just didn’t seem realistic or practical to Read more »

Being a coach is such an honor. I get to work side-by-side with my clients who truly want to live their best lives! And one of the cool bonuses of being a coach is that I get to learn from my clients every day.

Recently a client taught me about the importance of supporting others in following their joy. It’s such a simple concept, but I don’t know that I fully understood it…until now.

Family tension

On a recent session, this client was discussing an upcoming family visit to see her mother-in-law who lived out of town. You could tell on the phone that she was uptight and anxious about this visit and all that it entailed. The dread in her voice spoke volumes.

Once we dug underneath the surface, it became clear that what my client was bothered about most of all were the “details.” Her mother-in-law kept calling her with questions in preparation for the visit with things like: “What type of food will the kids want?,” “Which museums should we visit?,” “When is bedtime for the kids?,” “What size shoes do they wear now?,” etc. This was bugging my client at a core-level, as she just wanted the visit to be Read more »