Sun Will Come Out folded card by Everything Little Miss

This post was supposed to be about BlogHer. I promised. And I’m sorry if you were looking forward to it. I scheduled it into my calendar today, but (a) ran out of time and (b) couldn’t wrap my head around it. Right now, I should be making dinner. But I couldn’t bring myself to BlogHer or dinner without sitting down and getting this out here, in the open, to you, to me.

Long story short? I surrender. I put up my hands. I give up the cape. I wave the white flag. (Insert all other similar analogies here)

As it turns out, I’m not Superwoman, and it has to be OK right now. I have clients to coach and Spring to co-host and an e-course to launch (in October, we think! stay tuned!) and I. Just. Can’t. Do. Everything. (more…)

I’m finding my way, originally uploaded by knottednes & found via kind over matter

Even though yesterday’s Tough (Question) Tuesday (”What can you take off your plate?”) was an “easy” one (compared to “Do you believe in passion?” & “What’s your definition of success?“), it totally stumped me. I looked at it & looked at it, hoping the answer would jump out of the screen & show itself to me, all spooky word-jumble-by-a-ghost-style (like the letters of “What can you take off your plate?” suddenly form “can of pea” & that would somehow tell me something).

But nope. The Otherworld did not send my messages via my 7 year old computer (that’s getting upgraded this week! Hurry up for spooky things, Ghosts. I know you’re in here). Instead, I knew a Big Ole Brain Dump was gonna show me the way. Yup, I’m about to share my process & everything that’s on the said daily/weekly/monthly (!) To Do list (despite the fact that maybe I “shouldn’t”!). Hence, the Big Ole Brain Dump along with the estimated time that goes with each task, as I think it’ll help me sort through things:

• 7 group coaching sessions: 15 hours/week for sessions & back end work
• 13 private client sessions (email & phone): 15 hours/week for sessions & back end work
• rewriting my Services copy with new packages & pricing & (forcing Luke into) updating it to go live (Note: Once it does, I’m gonna be charging $99/session instead of $79. You better contact me now if you’re thinking of working with me, ’cause there’s no going back once that baby’s updated): 3 hours
  
• weekly Skype Boozin’ & Brainstormin’ meetings with Jess Swift (for our top secret project!): 2 hours/wk because we force ourselves to stop gabbing. Otherwise, 84 hours/wk.
• writing copy for said top secret project: 3 hours/wk, ideally.
• monthly newsletter: 5 hours/month
• Spring & all that goes with it (monthly calls, taping videos, communicating with collaborators, writing & publishing posts, etc): 20 hours/month (approximately)
• 2 new written exercises/wk for group coaching sessions: 3 hours / wk
• Taking Flight content: 3 hrs/wk
• Running 3 mornings/wk: 3 hrs/wk
• weekly business building check-in/updates: 90 min/wk
• monthly finance reconciliations: 90 min/month
• daily Hootsuite/Twitter communication: 30 min/day
• blogging 3x/wk & answering comments: 4 hrs/wk

(more…)

Open Up from blue bicicletta

Hello my lovely readers!

I have a small and painless request (I think!). Y’see, I started advertising on blogs like a real live grown-up woman of the world/business owner, & while I love the sites where my badge blinks brightly (currently, at Kind Over Matter, Kelly Rae Roberts & The Bright Side Project), I’d love to find, well, more peeps like you! While I think I kinda sorta know what your go-to blogs/magazines are, I know what happens when you assume…..so I figured I’d ask!

If you can kindly let me know in the comments what your go-to, can’t-miss blogs and/or mags are and whether you read ‘em by visiting or by subscription (whether via email or RSS), I would supercalifragiouslisticexpealidosciously thank you. (more…)

Get Over It by Restless Type

Happy Friday, lovelies! I have to have to have to point you back in the direction of Spring because, as the title of the post suggests, we’ve done a big fat revamping. Not only did we post the very first video with our very new co-host Tiffany Moore (she’s so cute & funny & smart & engaging!), but we redesigned the site, too (”we” being “the lovely & talented Jess Swift”). We have big, fat, grandiose plans for Spring – like starting a video channel, having more contributors, taking over for Oprah (y’know, little things) – but, well, we’re not exactly sure when they’re gonna roll out & how it’s all gonna happen. It’s kinda scary & pretty exciting at the same time, so you know I’m happy (I love living in that scary/exciting place!). So please please (with sugar on top) head on over to Spring & watch our videos & comment everywhere & add us to your RSS feed /get our newsletter or email updates & help us take over the world spark some awesome conversation. Our June videos are all gonna be about the Law of Attraction, & both the videos & the comments that are already happening are super stimulating (hehe, I said “super”).

Speaking of scary/exciting, I hafta tell you briefly about the scary/exciting thing I did on Wednesday night: I attendended a networking event ALONE! Now, you might be saying to yourself, “Michelle, you can have a conversation with a wall, what are you talking about?” in which I’d reply, “But I’d only talk to that wall if someone I knew was in the vicinity!” Seriously, I don’t go anywhere alone – not to restaurants, not to the movies, not anywhere (OK, subways & sidewalks & parks & food stores & coffee shops to work don’t count – I go there alone all the time, you know what I mean). And even though I know I can talk to a wall, & I don’t have a problem meeting new people & – heck, I’ll say it – they usually find me pretty fun/nice/engaging, I don’t trust it enough to have the strength to walk in the door by myself. So, when my friend who was accompanying me to the BlogHer Meet-up left me a voicemail that she had to go home sick (hope you’re feeling better, Kylie!), I listened to the message on the platform of the 6 train, 1 stop from where I needed to go, & panicked. I was tired. I looked great. I spent an hour getting there. It would take an hour getting back. I was scared. What was I scared of? I finally told the Vampires to leave me the hell alone, as I spent enough time looking good (I ironed, for Pete’s sake!) & getting there that I couldn’t just turn around when I was 1 short stop away. Also, I know logically that I can talk to a wall. My Vampire didn’t have a comeback for that one. So, I transfered to the local train, got off at 28th Street, & walked into the restaurant. Because I was a few minutes early, I was told to wait at the bar until the downstairs space opened up. I went about my “busy business”, checking my iPhone to see if any emails came in in the last, oh, 4 minutes, & I was greeted by a warm smile by a woman – alone – at the next table.

“Are you here for BlogHer?”, she said. (more…)

That’s Molly. She gave me a seriouser pic to use, but I didn’t wanna. Look how cute she is!

I first met Molly Hoyne of Stratejoy via Twitter.  Yup, Internet friends. I checked out her site & fell in love with her the awesomeness of her blog, the enthusiasm & obvious passion she brings to her coaching, & how she calls everyone “cupcake” & “babe.” So, when she asked me to be an affiliate for The Joy Equation, her new “30 day guide to living life on purpose”, I…hesitated. Because, well, I’m still pimping out Danielle LaPorte’s Digital Firestarter Sessions (it launched amidst the scholarship craziness, & it’s amazeballs!) & I didn’t want youse guys to think I’m walking around with a fur coat & a cane & lots of bling. But then Molly sent me the PDF of The Joy Equation Workbook (think of a whole book of Tough (Question) Tuesdays) along with the first chapter of audio links, & it was a done deal. This is what I needed when I was going through my quarterlife crisis (although I didn’t quite know that’s what it was!), & the fact that she’s offering donation-based pricing just added to the cherry on top. So, I said, “Duh!” Molly & I then went on Skype & did a video interview to let ya know more about her & The Joy Equation, but her eyes looked demonic & the audio didn’t sync & it looked like I had rubbed vaseline all over the lens a la Barbara Walters, so we decided to have the interview in print instead. You’re welcome.

What did you wanna be when you grew up? I wanted to be a psychologist, an interior designer, a motivational speaker, a professor, a mom, a wedding planner, an actor and a biologist.  All at the same different times of course!

How did you become the Stratejoy Coach? Here’s the short version:  I had a completely dramatic Quarterlife Crisis when I was working in hospitality sales about 4 years ago.  Even though I was awesome at my job and really loved the people I worked with, I felt like I was losing touch with the real me…  A lot of my job felt “fake”: from the suits to the sales process to the “the guest is always right” attitude. (more…)

Before I worked with Creatives, I was one. OK, I am one, present tense. And little ticks me off more than the Myths/ Untruths / Blatant Lies about being a creative person. Whether it’s your career or “simply” a hobby, the world at large tends to think that:

1. Creatives are stupid. Yup, I graduated NYU in 3 years. Yup, I was a theater major. That does not make it “easier”. Thank you.
2. Creatives are broke. Well everyone knows that you can’t make a living being an artist, or an actor, or a dancer, right? We must hate things like retirement & health insurance. Yuck.
3. Creatives are self-absorbed. Here’s a joke: How can you tell if someone’s Creative? By their big fat head! Here’s another: (Person 1) Knock knock……uh, knock knock……KNOCK KNOCK! (Person 2, the Creative) Oh, were you talking? I didn’t even see you standing there! I get so distracted by mirrors & my beautiful reflection. Wanna hear me belt a High C?
4. Creatives need to be told, constantly, that it’s “hard” to be a Creative. When I was pounding the pavement for 10 long years, & mentioned to anyone that I was Broadway Bound, I got one response, overwhelmingly: “That is such a hard life. Wow, so, so hard. You must have it so hard. It must be so hard for you.” I usually didn’t get that all at once, but it sure seemed like it. And my response, with a smile, was always, “Yup!” Um, I’m living it, idiot.
5. Creatives are lazy. This makes me more angry than any of the others, probably because my mission statement is to help Creatives that will not settle for a career that’s devoid of passion. To do that, there is major, major work involved. Major. And there is major, major drive & major, major motivation that goes along with it. Take Carmen Torbus, a client of mine who is a mother of 2 with a full-time job but is also an artist who leads workshops, writes books, blogs & contributes to a katrillion publications. Yeah, she’s just sitting on the couch eating Bon Bons all day. Puh-lease.

So, here comes that list of all the awesome things that Creatives are. I knew you were waiting for it. (more…)

OK, not really.

OK, kinda.

OK, enough that my husband calls Danielle “my cult leader”, & was worried that I wasn’t kidding when I joked that attending her Group Firestarter in NYC last Sept led me to shaving my head & vowing to only eat oregano.

Allow me to explain. (more…)

I Can Dream With My Eyes Open by wordboner, found via design is mine

March 4, 2010 was a day that changed my life. It was the day that I released the chains, untied the rock from around my ankle & flew the coop. Yes, that’s dramatic. No, things weren’t “that bad.” But on that day, while I was heading to the meeting that would change my life, I had to stop myself from leaping & twirling across Park Avenue, belting out show tunes (”Everything’s Coming Up Roses”, specifically) & kissing babies & doing bell kicks.

March 4, 2010 was the day that I quit my day job. The day I excused myself from an environment that, while not torturous (no, not this time around), was the opposite of what I encouraged my clients find: an environment that focuses on the strengths they love utilizing, an environment full of support & encouragement where they can create days full of passion & opportunity to thrive & grow & learn & love. Yes, it’s idealistic & yes, I know it’s almost impossible to find but yes – it is still unacceptable for me (for me!) to have so very little of that in the place that demanded 55 hours a week of my precious time. Yes, my present Corporate America job had “stability”, & a nice salary, & nobody to bully me to tears or punch walls in my presence when a deal went sour (yes, both of those things happened multiple times in my past jobs). For most, it would have been Enough. For me, it wasn’t even close.

So how did I get from that realization to that freedom? From that darkness to this light? From that frozen tundra to this tropical paradise? From that pile of poop to this mountain of magnificence? I want to say: “Easy” – but it was anything but. I want to say: “Simple” – but it was anything but. Here’s why: (more…)

Wondering what I’m doin’ with my first week as a self-employed woman of the world? Let me tell ya about it!

It’s Soul Week (& I’m Resisting the Hell Out Of It!) from WhenIGrowUpCoach on Vimeo.

And here are the links that I refer to/promised ya in the video:

• Jess LC’s Makeunder My March series
• Kelly Rae Roberts talking about Soul Camp, which was my inspiration for Soul Week
• My Simply Fearless Fempreneur coach, Cassandra Rae

(more…)

Yes I did.

I’m going to be a full-time creative career coach when I grow up, which will specifically be on March 22, 2010.

Cue the tears sobs of gladness (did you expect anything else?):

I Quit My Job! from WhenIGrowUpCoach on Vimeo.