So the other day I was at my local cupcakaria, James and The Giant Cupcake. They are insanely creative, talented bakers and designers, and they always have a limited supply of their unique confections.  The cupcake I was sinking my teeth into was the St. Patricks Day special.  It was heavenly.  Chocolate cake, cream cheese frosting, chocolate sprinkles and such to make it festive. “I wish I didn’t have to wait till next St. Patricks Day to eat this again.” I thought as I left the store. A few weeks later I was back picking up cupcakes for a birthday party.   Wishing I could buy more of those St. Patricks Day specials, I perused the shop. I realized that they had a NEW special out,  this time for Easter – and guess what? It was chocolate, with cream cheese frosting, and some … Continue reading →

I have had one heck of a summer vacation.  For the first time ever, I’ve taken time off.  I’ve spent almost every Friday since early June unplugged and adventuring.  Locally to the river or mountains, or not-so-locally roadtripping to Portland or Los Angeles.   I’ve gotten more sun this summer and had more moments of pure relaxation than I can count. I also built a new website.  Tadahh!  Which honestly was just as challenging and exhilarating as learning to surf.  Which I also did this summer.  There’s SO many moving parts. We were building this baby custom from scratch, so it felt like really high stakes, slow motion, collaborative art project. And it brought up a ton of my shit.   This website is now the second most expensive thing I own, second only to my car.  I have poured … Continue reading →

I have learned one really deep truth over my years coaching, running my own business, and supporting other business owners – and it’s that everyone feels scared, overwhelmed and intimidated by their Purpose, or Bigness. On the outside looking in, most of the time, these purposes, these callings, seem wonderful.  They seen wonderful, like the world is just waiting for this person to step into their Bigness and radiate their life purpose and dreams expressed into reality. To the person on the inside, having their Alice in Wonderland everything is different now, moment, it feels scary.  Hard.  Overwhelming. Because for them, this is their own special challenge.  They must walk through the scary forest so they can come out the other side, forged, learned, and shining brightly. I have a theory that we sign up for a heaping double helping of the life … Continue reading →

I work with a lot of really smart, talented people building their businesses.  And in the first few years of business, they have the totally understandable desire to please everyone. They want to help everyone, they want to work with everyone, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to make some money and get their business off the ground. Which, I can understand because we’ve all been there, and when you have nothing, it feels natural to try to do ANYTHING to make something happen. But you end up sacrificing yourself.  And as your business grows, that adds up.  You end up without any boundaries between you and your clients and your work. Burnout central. This is a problem because it never lets you fully unplug, or stop working.   And that is terrible for you, your relationships (because you never … Continue reading →

This story is part of a movement – the Busting The Overnight Success Myth: Community Blog Tour, where 21 ladies who have made their dream business a reality (in a variety of different niches) share what it really took for us to make this happen.  Including the not so pretty stuff.     When Allison Braun (The Business Joyologist) shared her vision for this blog tour with me, I knew I wanted to be a part of it because I want to share the behind-the-scenes truth of what it takes (and keeps taking) to make a business go.  So here is my story. It’s raw, real and includes things I’ve never shared before! This is a story about handling your money stuff so you can create the space to grow your business from a place of focus and creativity, instead of scarcity and desperation. I quit … Continue reading →

{This is a guest post by my incredible client Karen Pery.  She is taking her passion for leadership development through experiential learning to an entirely new level.  Surfing + leadership + business development? Yes please!} The stakes are high. You have a lot on your plate. You have a unique vision of the way things could be in the world, you’ve made it your life’s work, and it’s working.  Well done!  How are you managing the pressure of all of that?  How do you stay focused on what’s most important, when EVERYTHING is important? I’ve struggled with this, and the answer I have discovered to help me focus, balance and be more graceful in my business? Surfing. As a Leadership Coach, I realized I can’t just TALK about leadership, I have to DO leadership.  As an incredible business owner, I bet … Continue reading →