Before we go any further, I know you’re dying to find out the answer to yesterday’s cliff-hanger question: What body part is this?

As it turns out, it’s Marvelous Mama Unbelievable Underwear from ASSETS, so everyone was right – it’s a pregnant belly! Am I an idiot that, on first glance, I thought it was padding to give yourself a big ole butt? Tara, Megan & I were hysterical, and I was thisclose to asking the ASSETS woman in the booth about it until I realized what it was called. Regardless, it’s totally funny. That butt is huge.

So, day two! I skipped breakfast that day as well as the keynote because a lady needs her beauty sleep (especially ’cause I was out the door on Day One earlier than my usual wake-up time & I had a bachelorette party to attend the night of Day Two), and went right to the first Break-out Session I thought would be best for me (there are 7 offered simulataneously and none are repeated, so the pressure’s on!): Networking With a Purpose Via Social Media. Because of the Session Fiasco of 2010 that occurred the day before, I didn’t have high hopes – and wow was I proven wrong! The panel was made up of Laurie, Ana, Carmen & Heather & they rocked it so hard that I took 5 pages of notes (comparitevly, I only had 3 for the whole day on Day One!). If you click here you’ll get the transcript of the whole session so I won’t regurgitate it for you, but I had to say my big a-ha! moment that came out of this was the gem, “Recruiters need applicants as much as applicants need recruiters.” This was a lesson I learned as an actor – that the casting director is desperate for you to be the right person when you walk into the room! I didn’t think of this being directly applied to career changes but, well, duh! What a fantabulous perspective.

After lunch, which I spent on-site gabbing with Nicole Indelicato, a to-be life coach studying with Martha Beck & working on her branding designs with Jess Swift! Obviously she’s a smartie pants, so we ended up not only spending the entire lunch being anti-social together (wait, can you be anti-social with someone else?), but went to the rest of the afternoon seminars together, too. (more…)

Ok guys, it’s totally time for my BlogHer post! And I know why I’ve been puttin’ it off/avoidin’ it since it ended, um, 11 days ago (oy!) – it’s a beast! So much to share, make fun of, & give props to.

I’m gonna start at the very beginning, which Julie Andrews tell me is a very good place to start. Early Friday morning I had a 10a appointment to be interviewed in the PepsiCo booth as part of their Women: The 5G Network series. I wasn’t sure how they got my info or what they were gonna ask me, but that didn’t stop me from saying, “Duh!” So, right after the Newbie Breakfast (which I only caught the tail-end of, because I went to the non-newbie breakfast without realizing it because, um, I was a newbie. But thanks to Anna and Lori for saving me a seat anyways!) I tried to counteract my extremely poor sense of direction & find my way to the Expo Hall that the PepsiCo booth was in. When I finally found it (after, um, 25 minutes – and it was 10 feet from where I was for breakfast!), I was shocked to find not just a stage, not just lighting equipment, not just two cameras, not just a “set”, not just a super sweet Access Hollywood-like interviewer, but a make-up person, too! I mean, for serious, people. I loved the heck out of this, and here’s the finished product to prove it!:

So fun, right? My headband had a cute feather on it that was actually on the side of my head facing away from the camera, but you live and learn, right?

I can go on and on about Day 1, but Tara did a great job of describing my sentiments exactly in her recap called, approporiately, blogher10 – it was, um, weird. Here are the highlights in picture form:

Top left: Me with the actual Jimmy Dean Sun guy from the actual Jimmy Dean Sun commercials. He asked me my name and I said “Michelle.” I asked him his and he said “The sun”. Ah, to be an actor again. Top right: Me and Mrs. Potato Head (credit Tara). This is when it struck me as odd that this constitutes going to work. Bottom left: One of the three Marmadukes from the movie. To take pictures with. What?! Bottom right: The funnest part of my day! We skipped out on the Lean Cuisine lunch or whatever they were serving at BlogHer and I went to Johnny Utah’s with (from l-r) Tara, Megan, Rebecca (who tweeted this about me: “Musical theatre kid turned career coach. Great vintage style. Carrie Bradshaw’s smarter little sister.” She’s so my new bestie) & Ashley. (more…)

I realized last week that this past Saturday, the 19th, marked 3 whole months as a Woman of the World / full-time creative career coach / jailbird from Corporate America. I can hardly freakin’ believe it (I think May went by in about a day & a half), but it’s true. Here’s a summation of what’s been rockin’ & what’s been less rockin’ since then:

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The second Law of Attraction video is up on Spring, along with a giveaway! Enter by 12p Eastern today for your chance to win a Bring Your Own Sunshine print (aw).

Get Danielle LaPorte’s Nuggets of Genius in your own home, on your own time.  The Digital Firestarter Sessions from my “cult leader” are taking the Interwebs by storm!
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Hi everyone! I miss you. I’ve been neglecting you this week. OK, possibly maybe not really, but I feel that way.

I also have started feeling recently that things were getting too serious & pimp-y & straight-laced around here. I was starting to get jealous of bloggers who post pics of the food/parties/galavants they’ve ate/attended/galavanted, & I want some of that love here. I eat/party/galavant, too! But for some reason, those posts fall by the wayside, deemed “not important.” No longer, I say!

To start the lovefest, I just have to post pics of my new besties Jess Swift & Khristian A. Howell. Jess & I have become close friends since we started working together last August (yes, she was my client! love it!), & we could hardly believe that we never met! I was so, so glad that I agreed to help her / forced my help onto her (depending on who you ask) so we could spend the better part of 4 days together while she was here for Surtex. Khristian is also a fantabulous designer who exhibited at the conference, & since she & Jess traveled here together from Atlanta, we were all joined at the hip. We might have sobbed on the street when saying our good-byes. And when I say “might have,” I mean “definitely did.” But can you blame us? Look how cute we are, even after walking around in cold, wet, humid, misty-rainy weather!

from l-r: Khristian, Jess & Me. We’re in love. (more…)

Yup. I’m video happy.

Ever since I got such an incredibly amazeballs response to my video announcing the scholarship winner, I’ve gone a bit nuts. I created a YouTube channel complete with Nancy the Ballerina Nurse & Bruce the Strumming Businessman (those are my logo people) as the wallpaper, & made a video for each group coaching session I’m offering to my scholarship applicants. And no, you can’t see ‘em if you’re not a scholarship applicant (if you are, the link’ll come with my personal email)- they’re hidden because YouTube is cool like that. But what you can see is an About Me video I made for the scholarship applicants, but realized I didn’t need to keep it private. Since there seem to be a lot of new peeps here lately, I put on my Genius Cap & the lightning bolt hit: put it on my blog! Here it is:

If you wanna keep your eyes on/subscribe to my channel, it’s right here.

Please feel free to let me know a bit more about you in the comments section. Also, let me know if it’s too damn long. God forbid I talk for under 8 minutes. Jeez Louise Louise.

So glad you’re here! (more…)

Breathe in inspiration & trust yourself by tea for thoughts

I’ve been practicing what I preach, & what I know, & the life lessons that have presented themselves to me in the 32 years, 4 months & 2 days I’ve been on this planet.

I’ve been super nice to myself.

I’ve been taking in all the niceness that others are giving me (& man, have I been getting bunches of niceness lately). (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…)

live from your heart, uploaded by Deb Did It, found via kind over matter

March 29, 2010

Dear Michelle,

It’s your first day as a full-time entrepreneur! Well, technically it’s your 6th day, but since last week was Soul Week this is your first “official” day. Doesn’t it feel warm? Doesn’t it feel special? Doesn’t it feel peaceful & right? Can’t you get a glimpse of what your life will be like from now on (hint: you call the shots & plan your day around your values & intentions!)? You’re already off to a great start, having showered, gotten dressed, enjoyed a cup of coffee & a bowl of cereal & some time with your Google Reader. Heck, you even returned some emails & crossed some stuff off your To Do List – but you eased into it slowly. And here it is, only 9:30a & you’re already honoring the Me Time you want to have in each work day. (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.

Hold On by Kelly Rae Roberts. She knows just what to say.

Y’know when you have a Great Big Plan for months & months & then that plan blows up in your face/falls apart/decides to become a Great Big Mess?

Well, I do. It’s happening today. In case it’s not obvious, things are not going as planned.

I wanted to have exciting news for you guys tomorrow – a juicy, exciting, awesome vlog where I would most certainly cry. And now….well, I know it’ll happen SOON but I just don’t know when. And I know that I’m a life coach & I know that I should (there’s that word!) just roll with the punches & take deep breaths, especially because I know that this Great Big Plan might only be delayed for a week or two. But I don’t wanna roll with punches or be rational or take deep breaths. I wanna yell & throw a tantrum & shout to the skies, “Why is this happening to ME?!” (more…)