Finally, the drama commences. Finally, there’s fantabulous excitement to come soon, soon, soon……and this is how I’m feeling today!:

Top of the World, uploaded by Shekynah & found via kind over matter

I’ll see ya via vlog post tomorrow with something I’ve been longing to say for years!  Hallelujah & amen!

…drumroll please……

…now the violins….

….and then the cowbell….

…now drumrolls louder…. (more…)

I’m going to Vegas today – yay hooray! 5 days in the desert with my man, his sister, & her boyfriend (who dances for The Donny & Marie Show), not to mention some time with my man’s BFF from high school, who we never see unless someone’s recently dead or about to get married. But I didn’t think it would be fun if I have all the fun, so when I saw the Everyday Creative Kit & Workbook on Nicole Docimo’s blog I just had to DM her on Twitter & asked if she’d sponsor a giveaway. As you can guess, she said yes (Are you wearing a dress? I’m not, I confess!)! I’m so freakin’ excited. The first sponsored giveaway on this blog! About damn time.

Here it is! Isn’t it awesome?! (Please note that that’s a hypothetical question)

I asked Nicole the simple question of what inspired her to create the kit, & she gave me these gems:

“Something that has become very important to me over the past few years, as I’ve gotten back into art after spending some time avoiding it (for reasons of fear, and delusions that you can’t do art as a career), is the idea that everyone is creative. How many times I have heard people say, “I’m not creative,” or “I wish I was creative.” Honestly, this is RIDICULOUS, and it makes me angry that so many people have internalized this. I think it is one of the barriers to artists becoming artists and really flexing their “art-wings,” and on a larger level, I think it is one of the barriers to a lot of people really enjoying life. (more…)

Just a quick reminder that the free info call for Operation: When I Grow Up!  is on for tomorrow, Feb 16th at noon EST. Make sure that Santa knows to come to your house by clicking here, expanding the first section & filling out the super short form. Even if you’re busy prepping the cookies & milk, sign up anyway & your presents (aka the recording of the call) will be thrown down your chimney (aka sent via email) a few hours later. Wait, am I Santa in this scenario? Can Santa be Bat Mitzvahed? I gotta check on this….

Hope to hear you at noon tomorrow!

There’s so much awesomeness going on I just had to create a When I Grow Up Round-Up! Cute title, huh? It’s not alliteration but it rhymes, so it’s OK by me (yes, “up” & “up” totally rhyme- says me).

First up is the announcement of a Free Info Call for Operation: When I Grow Up! on Tue the 16th! I’ve never done one of these before, but thought it would be really useful for anyone thinking of joining my next group session. I’ll let ya know our agenda for each of the 12 sessions, what awesome things you can expect, & answer all of your questions. Just sign up here & even if you can’t make it, a recording will be sent to you via carrier pigeon (or email, but carrier pigeon sounds cooler) a few hours after the call. So join us for some laughs, some awesomeness & a sing-along (sing-along optional).

Second up is that I was quoted in the Careers section of Metro this week! For those not in a major northeast city, Metro is one of 2 free papers that are given out at every subway stop (at least I think they are – I’ve never been able to dodge ‘em!) in Boston, NY & Philly. I was thrilled to see my contributions in the article Let Your Office Creativity Fly Free. Thankfully I refrained myself from standing up in my sit during busy rush hour, pointing to the article, & yelling, “That’s me! That’s me!” Although who am I kidding – New Yorkers wouldn’t bat an eye over craziness like that!

Third up is the new weekly video on Spring! We’re posting a new meaty, juicy video every Tuesday in February instead of one humongous, time-consuming one, & so far the response has been awesome. This week, we talk about how to find your support system (both online & off), how to ask for support,  what to do with those supporters who don’t reciprocate, & even a personal (& scary!) challenge from Jess LC. And we have a new giveaway! So carve a half-hour into your busy day for some support time & watch here! (more…)

It’s amazing how many places you can go without leaving your apartment. Of course, I’m talking about my multiple appearances on the Interwebs this week!

First off is the monthly Spring instillation, which is now a weekly one! That’s right – instead of one long-ass video, or 1 long-ass video cut into smaller pieces, we taped 4 stand-alone segments & are posting a new one each week. How great is that? Click here for the first part of our discussion on support, & don’t forget to comment for your chance to win our weekly giveaway (yup – weekly! How cool are we? Answer: very cool).

Note: this is not my self-portrait, but the button you click on to get to the self-portraits on The Mathematics of Glamour. (more…)

Give Me a Hand by Blue Bicicletta

Last month, I got a tweet from Danielle LaPorte alerting me to the Help Haiti Blog Challenge, & it’s been stuck in my mind ever since. I’ve been running it over in my head, trying to figure out how I want to contribute. I’m supposed to add a badge & complete this sentence:

“I will donate ________ dollars to _________ on behalf of the next person who buys _________from me.”

But I don’t wanna. I wanna involve more people than just The Next Person. I wanna give more of myself & the things I can contribute. I wanna donate 5% of my coaching income for February to Haiti. Will you help me make sure it’s a lot? Click on over to my Services page to find out about my private sessions, & over to Events to explore the group sessions I got goin’ on, & know that your hard-earned money will be hard at work for those in need.

Holy crapballs, is this exciting. Maybe even more so because after the video was pushed back for the second time, I resigned myself to seeing it in March. Or May. Or 2011. But not before the week was over!

Put Me In, Life Coach is a 5-minute video on Newsweek.com that profiles me as one of the 15,000 (!) life coaches out there. You’ll hear how I found my way to coaching, how I got accredited, my definition of a life coach, & even see me coaching a client & hear her thoughts about being coached! I stand corrected: holy crapballs, this is super exciting.

Oh, and if you’ve found your way here because of this super awesome video, Welcome! Click around & stay for a while – there’s a ton of neat stuff both on my blog & in my site. This is my home on the Interwebs, & you’re always welcome!

Once more for good measure: holy crapballs.

I have to admit I am so super behind in my Award posts. Back in December I got the Sweet Thing Award from Maggie, & all the way back in November I got the Sugar Doll Award from Melissa!

Since I got the Sugar Doll Award first, I’m posting my response now. It’s 2 months late, but hopefully it still counts!

Here are 10 Things About Me that I haven’t yet shared (since this is similar to my Honest Scrap Award & my Kreativ Blogger Award) :

1. The only time I’ve never had bangs was when I grew them out in 8th grade. This was also the time when I got a perm. A perm + no bangs = no date to the 8th grade dance. And no, you will not see a picture of me from that time. Unless I’m dead. Until then, here’s a cute pic of me with bangs when I was super little. (more…)

motivation note cards by watersounds

By now you guys have heard me yammer/exclaim/giddily scream about my new website (& if you haven’t, well, come on over & visit – you’re always welcome!). What I haven’t done yet is pimp out my group coaching sessions, & the first one starts on Feb 9th, with early bird registration ending next week & overall registration closing shortly thereafter! That’s super soon, people, & I wanted to make sure you kids saw what I have to offer because, frankly, my group coaching sessions are awesome. I love doing them like nobody’s business (that’s what she said). Thankfully the feeling’s mutual – here’s what my last group coaching participants (yes, there are just 4 to a group so everyone gets personal attention each week!) had to say:

• “When the recession hit, for the first time in my life I struggled to find a job…and I realized I was struggling because I didn’t know what I wanted. Looking back, I had patiently dated a million jobs, expecting Prince Charming to fall into my lap. When the scheming little bastard refused to show, I decided to get out there and hunt it down. This new goal brought out my demons, but I pushed forward by telling myself that Group Coaching would still be worth it even if I only found a better “date,” and not my elusive Mr. Right. Every group coaching session was fun and energizing, even when all four of us showed up feeling like basketcases! No matter how rough the week, Thursday night had the magical power to lift us all up. Temporary feelings of loserhood shriveled, and with renewed confidence we hashed out concrete tasks to keep the momentum going for another seven days. Instead of just knowing my own story – the anxieties, roadblocks, and triumphs – I had the privilege of witnessing three more. Now that these group sessions are behind me, I am realizing how much I dip into those other stories, searching for and finding solutions, strategies, hope, and inspiration. Happily, Group Coaching resulted in much more than a “better date.” By the end of the sessions I had developed a new professional dream, a personal mission statement to guide it, and an action plan to make it a reality. Many thanks to my Fairy Godmother, Michelle!” – Faith, California
• “The group coaching environment was great! We fed off of each other’s energy, and it helped in feeling like you were not alone in the general struggle of self exploration and needing change in your career. The best thing about group coaching was when Michelle saw my hangups as opportunities to grow and helped me understand and celebrate my strengths. By asking a question or framing the issue I was having in a certain way, she allowed me to break free from what was holding me back. So many times I said something that was important, specifically something that was said with clarity, and I remembered it was recorded and I could go back to it later. It helped having someone else see the strengths and potential that I didn’t see in myself.” – Stephanie Gravalese-Wood, Massachusetts
• “The highlight of my group sessions was when Michelle would listen to what I said when I was really confused & then cut through the mental fog & say something insightful – and then come up with an action plan to fix it! She’s a great listener and summarized our feelings succinctly & with clarity, and she has a super friendly personality that puts people at ease when they might be nervous about revealing their hopes/dreams to a group of people. My group session experience was SO POSITIVE & wonderful! I also got really concrete tips from other group members in my position, & we were able to comment on how we knew what the other people were saying, feeling, going through, etc. My group sessions really gave me the confidence to move forward.” – Charlotte Dauphin, Virginia
• “I decided to sign-up for group coaching with Michelle because I didn’t know what to do with me. I wasn’t feeling happy with my job, I wanted change, but I didn’t know for what. Often, I was feeling stressed and oppressed by my behavior and I wanted to find my path. I was looking for help to organize all my ideas & thought in order to focus on something. Michelle really helped me feel more comfortable with myself. Everything seems more easier & simple with her. She’s funny & friendly & didn’t judge & almost every time she was targeting right. I now know myself more than before, so I can focus on what I’m good at, & make my work more interesting for me. I now have a good subject to start my blog (& express myself & get out there!) & I’ve decided to sign-up in a graphic design school, so I’m happier! I have gained not less than that.” – Julie D., Montreal

While I love my private sessions, whether they’re by phone or email, there’s something about being part of a group of creative people with a similar goal that supports & “gets” each other that gets the breakthroughs broken-through like nothing else. The fact that it’s low-cost, too (just $39/session) allows me to coach a whole slew of people who might not be able to afford my private sessions, while still making sure that they get individual attention. That’s really important to me. (more…)