Joanna Scaparotti

Self-care shifts for fall #fibro

2011-09-28T02:49:00.000-04:00

Ah arthritis season has arrived. Time to shift into my fall/winter morning routine where I need heat on my SI joints and to stretch & rotate all joints before I can even get out of bed. Joint pain is worse for me in a lot of ways than post workout pain. Sore muscles make me cranky, sure, but they don’t make me feel like my spine can’t support my body. Getting up and down, standing, carrying, lifting, walking & driving all feel precarious when my arthritis flares up. If I don’t tend to it, a fibro flare can follow which lands me in bed for extended numbers of hours.

So what’s different about my fall winter self-care than spring/summer? Heat needs to be handy at all times. I stash thermacare pads in my car, bags and office. I have to make extra time available just to get up out of bed. I warm up my joints in bed actually and then move right to my yoga mat for kundalini spine warmups and sun salutations under my sun lamp. Where the summer I did most of my workouts in the morning, my body can’t handle this now. Midday or evening workouts are better. They are longer, slower, less intense. I also pay extreme attention to posture and body mechanics to ease the strain as much as possible as I go through my day. I wear layers and keep blankets and heat handy all day. I stay as warm as possible, and I take frequent breaks to warm up my joints so they don’t get stiff. And I warm up my bed at night with heating pads, so there is no cold shock to my system when I get in.

An email experiment

2011-09-27T08:50:00.000-04:00

With my new discernment about urgency and importance, I decided to do an experiment to wrangle my email inbox into something manageable. Prior to my chat with Kyeli, I was always trying to clear out the inbox before I responded to the emails that needed care and attention. I often ran out of time before I got to the important stuff.

I decided to reclaim my inbox by using Google’s Priority Inbox tool. First, I scan my full inbox, and I delete anything I have no intention of reading. (I’ve even taken myself off some lists to make this a quicker step.) Then, I move everything social (politics, my spiritual community, my friends, family) to a special folder I can indulge in when I’m not working.

Wow does that clear up a lot of emotional space for focusing on work!

Then I look for all the actual emails from live people (not newsletters or advertisements) and flag those so they pop to the top of my Priority Inbox. I star anything personal and important so it doesn’t get lost either. Finally, I demote anything that doesn’t require a response or that I want to read at some point but not right now to a Review and File folder.

Now it’s clear which emails are truly important to tend to right away - they are at the top of my list!

I work my way down though those tiers, only getting to the less important stuff if I have time for it. It’s felt so good to be tending to the important stuff and no longer being caught up in the urgency created by modern life.

I’ve been doing this for a couple of weeks now, and I’m finding myself getting a significantly larger amount of work done in less time. Naturally, the discerning what is really important vs what is urgent or busywork has overflowed into all aspects of when I am working. I’m staying focused on task instead of distracted by my online social life and real life. I’m impressed with how much more efficiently I am getting work down.

Getting more work done in less time and having more time to connect with people, relax, meditate or do art has been awesome and inspiring. Wondering what I meant by discerning the difference between urgent and importance?Check out my blog post from last week.

Workshop with @AQSecurity4U on Financial Wellbeing for your Biz

2011-09-27T08:45:00.000-04:00

October 19, 2011 6:45pm at The Healing Center in Beverly, MA

Learn the five biggest financial mistakes that business owners make and how to avoid them in an interactive workshop facilitated by Andrea Quagenti, an independent Certified Financial Planner TM with Financial Planning Solutions, Inc. in Newton, MA.

Come to this workshop, “The 5 Biggest Financial Mistakes Business Owners Make and How to Avoid Them,” with an open-minded perspective on your personal business practices and you’ll gain insight into successful financial practices. You will also gain knowledge about how to achieve greater success and increase your earnings potential.

About the Speaker: Andrea M. Quagenti, an independent Certified Financial Planner TM (CFP®), takes a comprehensive approach to financial planning to help elevate her clients to new standards of living and savings. Andrea educates and inspires clients at all income levels to embrace new concepts of financial wellness. By focusing on “big picture” thinking with careful attention to detail and quantitative analysis, Andrea focuses on partnering with her clients to design customized plans that help ensure long-term financial security. Highly credentialed, Andrea offers more than 13 years of financial experience, including nearly 10 years at Fidelity Investments, along with the most thorough training available to achieve her status as a CFP®. A graduate of Salem State College with a concentration in finance, Andrea extends her passion for money management to many others. She offers pro bono financial coaching to patients of The Dana Farber Cancer Institute. For more information, visit http://www.fps2.com/.

Looking for those missing pieces?

2011-09-26T15:48:00.000-04:00

Does your heart ache to uncover, understand and overcome the hidden fears and habits that hold you back from success? Do you want to learn how to reliably access the wisdom, insight and intuition of your core self? Would you like to resolve the core issues blocking you from reaching your potential? Do you need insight, inspiration and a workable action plan to turn your vision into a reality?

All of these and more are what previous clients have gained by going through the Clearing your Path for Success program. Next session starts October 15, 2011.

The 6 weeks of the Clearing your Path for Success program includes weekly lessons emailed to you, 6 class recordings that explain the weekly lessons in depth, plus the Clearing your Path for Success ebook and 5 guided meditations set to music.

Also includes FREE 6 weeks access to the Heart-Centered Entrepreneur Online Forum where you can post, share and interact with others in the program, participate in a weekly general disussion phone call (Sundays 8pm EST), submit your weekly lesson response for feedback from Joanna.

The optional Apprenticeship Mastermind Group includes 6 weekly 1 hr group calls on Wednesdays at 12pm EST with mastermind participants to discuss the weekly lesson topics, troubleshoot roadblocks and challenges and receive live feedback from Joanna and participants about your business. Limited to 6.

Also optional, 3 hours of Private Coaching with Joanna includes private 45 or 90 minute phone calls with Joanna to receive personalized guidance, assistance and strategy for your business. These are scheduled at your convenience.

How to get started:

The next session starts October 16, 2011.

All the Registration details are located here.

Or you can explore the Learn at-home version of the Clearing your Path for Success. The Learn at home program includes an e-book and 5 guided meditations for $31.99. Details here.

Did you catch my newsletter last week?

2011-09-26T14:51:00.001-04:00

It’s all about why it’s still important to know the neighboring businesses and my theory on why heart-centered entrepreneurs are specially designed for community and collaboration instead of viewing each other as threatening competition.

Read the newsletter on the archive at Constant Contact here!

Clearing out my Inner junk

2011-09-26T14:46:00.002-04:00

This is an old blog post from November 7, 2009. It’s my story, and it’s still relevant.

I spent many years observing and working in the wellness industry before I wound up enough courage to launch my own practice helping others. For a long time, I found it more comfortable to help others on a volunteer basis and to be the support person in a wellness office instead of stepping into the confident shoes of a practitioner who trusts in his or her own knowledge and skills to help others in exchange for money.

For years, since the mid-1990’s, I had volunteered as a mentor for other women with non-profit organizations, and on the side, I offered holistic health coaching and Reiki healing to friends and family. This was in addition to working, often full-time for others in the health and wellness industry. This volunteer practice was no hobby. I devoted many hours per week to helping, guiding and facilitating healing and growth of others to the point where my “real” job became an impediment to the very important healing work I was doing.

I reached a crossroads in 2007 where I had to make a choice - there simply was not enough time in my life to balance marriage & family, full-time volunteering and full-time work. Nobody in my household was happy with how overbooked I was, so with the support of my husband (at the time), I left my full-time job to launch a practice that both served others and brought in the income that my household needed.

I didn’t consciously know it at the time, but hanging up a shingle as a real mentor, practitioner or coach meant that I had to face and clean out societal conditioning and self-worth issues.

With each step I took towards “legitimizing” my practice, another fear, limiting belief, or doubt would pop up. The first six months were mostly full of trial and error, facing fears and limiting beliefs and my own personal growth into the role of practitioner.

In addition to the inner work that I had to go through in order to confidently offer my services to others, I had to learn how to run a business too.

There are so many authorities on how to run a business out there - it was confusing and overwhelming. I listened to what the experts said, and I tried this or that technique, bought client attraction and marketing systems from “experts”, and doubted that I really had what it takes to practice in a way that served others and myself.

I was able to build my practice quickly in comparison to statistics about how many clients practitioners usually line up the first year. But, after injuring myself towards the end of the first year with overwork and poor body mechanics at the Reiki table, I realized that the only way this business was going to really work for me and support my life was if it was built on my values and aligned with what was healthy for me.

With the help of my mentor, I was able to go within to find my own Inner Voice of Authority and start making decisions and taking actions that truly aligned my practice with my beliefs and values.

When some of my Reiki students were ready to start practices of their own, I found a deeper calling than I had heard before. I realized that I could assist them in the process of becoming a practitioner and business owner by showing them how to listen to their Inner Voice of Authority and make each decision along the way from a place of personal health and empowerment instead of spending months, maybe years, listening to all the experts about what they should be doing to become a successful practitioner.

As I’ve described about my own journey to become a practitioner, there’s a transformation process that every practitioner has to go through, like a caterpiller becoming a butterfly. Most practitioners are motivated to do this good work out of an altruistic desire to help others, and it is very easy to find people willing to let you help them for free. The transformation from volunteer work to paid, professional work requires a shift in perspective and understanding on the deepest level so that her energy as a practitioner attracts paying clients who love to work with her.

My apprenticeship takes new practitioners as well as established practitioners who are stuck or blocked in some way through a step by step process to identify their true calling, find their Inner Voice of Authority, identify the Roadblocks (fears, limiting beliefs, external pressure) and work through them to clear their own path for success.

I want my clients to have the courage and confidence to do the work they love and feel called to do in a way that not only serves others but supports their own lives as well.

In the first run of this program in 2009, we uncovered some very deep insights into how to make decisions from your Core authentic self and be in business from a heart and soul centered place. In addition, we’ve experienced the incredible power of shared creativity to break through limiting beliefs and habits via the collaborative model of the mastermind.

One of the most powerful aspects we explored and shifted was the prevalent limiting belief about wellness practitioners from all modalities - that being of service to others in a beautiful, spirit centered way is only possible if you sacrifice your financial wellbeing or rely on someone else or a “real job” to take care of your financial responsibilities. This belief does not serve practitioners, and it does not serve their clients. Hiding behind volunteer work prevents practitioners from truly blossoming into their fully empowered powerful selves.

I’m working with my clients and my mentor to create a new model of working from your authentic self that allows you to be of service to others and to yourself. Clearing your Path for Success, the first half of my Heart-Centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship, runs again this October. It starts October 15, 2011.

It will take you step by step through this transformation so that you can start building momentum and attracting energy and clientele you need in your practice.

The best part about the program, in my opinion, is that it empowers you to find and overcome your Roadblocks, access your Inner Voice, and make Decisions from your heart.

Urgency vs importance & new commitments to the health of my business

2011-09-16T13:00:00.000-04:00

Last week in my coaching call with Kyeli, we discussed the difference between urgency and importance. WHOA! I so needed clarity around this.

We explored how so much of the demands on our time and attention from technology are often urgent, but not important.

All those beeps, rings, and songs from our computers and mobile phones are screaming out for our attention, but are they truly as important as they claim to be? No, most of the time they are not. We respond to our devices like they are those machines in the hospital monitoring vital signs. Yet, our mobile devices really aren't giving us information that's as crucial as vital signs, even if we respond to them as if they are.

This got me to thinking about how much of my time and attention is diverted from what is really important to my business as I automatically respond to the urgency coming from all directions. As I think about it, I see I have a terrible habit of wanting to “deal” with the demanding stuff first, believing I couldn't relax and focus on the important stuff until the demands were gone. But just like the kitchen sink, my inbox always needs tending. It will never be completely clean, and it's just setting myself up for non-productivity if I only relax and work on important stuff when it's empty.

I discovered that even though I easily ignore my devices when another person is in the room with me so I can give them my complete attention, I am totally rude to myself!

I allow my attention to be diverted from what I'm working on when beeps, songs and chimes go off. So, this is why the important stuff keeps being postponed. I spend my time trying to manage what's coming at me and get everything to "settle down", instead of taking control of my situation by setting boundaries.

The stuff I value, the self-care for my business, never quite gets the attention and focus that it needs as I run around feeling important because I am caught up in a cycle of urgency.

And yet, I know from first hand experience that if I don’t do my personal self-care (yoga, meditation, Reiki, wholesome foods, exercise, etc), my body starts to feel painy and my sleep isn’t great. Basically I feel crappy, and it's hard to focus and be attentive, creative and great at my work. So after a lot of years of practicing, I’ve got fantastic self-care habits programmed to come first in my life. It's a requirement, not a luxury.

However, I need to reprogram my habits when it comes to my business. I've not been prioritizing the business-care things that need to come first (staying connected with clients and community, finishing projects on time, returning important emails & phone calls, keeping up with promoting and attracting clients, creative dates with myself, sacred focus time etc..) in order to keep my business thriving and growing.

Duh! I was so busy being anxious that I forgot to stay on track. Oops! I bet I'm not the only entrepreneur that has done this. Have you?

I let myself get caught up in the urgency and demands technology makes possible. I feel pretty silly as I look at it now, but I know it’s totally true. I was conditioned like Pavlov's dog. Beep! Check-my-phone-reflex. Oy. Let's break that cycle, please.

I am seeing clearly now how much my business needs self-care just like my mind, body and spirit do. It needs stronger boundaries, healthier habits and quality interactions. It's definitely time to create some new business-love-and-care routines so my business feels as great as I do. It’s just a matter of carving out the time and attention to tending to those things FIRST, and leaving the busywork for in between moments, while you’re on hold listening to terrible music or heck just throw it out.

So I'm making some commitments to my business.

I'm putting the important stuff first. I'm making my work time sacred and not allowing distractions to affect my focus. I'm evaluating whether I need to be on so many newsletters, following so many people on Twitter, Facebook and Google + and paring down so the focus on what's important is there. I'm shutting the constant alerts on my phone off so that it's not tempting me while I'm working on important stuff. I'm keeping my email and browsers closed while I'm writing, working on curriculum and creative projects so that I don't get pulled into an interesting but irrelevant conversation. I'm staying off all devices for some part of the work day so I can meditate and be creative without distractions.

Oh, it is so worth it.

I’m finding my days more peaceful and productive already.

Do you want to be a Reiki Master?

2011-09-16T12:42:00.004-04:00

There is just one spot left in the Reiki Master Certification starting on Sunday. Could it be yours?

Reiki Master Teacher Joanna Scaparotti has been practicing and teaching Reiki locally since 2003. She teaches Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki along with her own guided Reiki techniques. Her training emphasize developing intuition and trusting insights from your Inner Wisdom.

The Reiki Master Program consists of 100 hours of training over the course of 6 months. The class meets approximately twice a month for a total of 40 hours of classroom training and 60 hours of home practice in the form of homework and client case-studies (approximately 3-4 hrs per week).

The rest of the details here.

Reclaiming my personal power

2011-09-14T16:47:00.000-04:00

I spent several hours in meditation doing a healing the other morning. I often get a “calling” to do a healing. When I sit down in meditation to answer the call, I don’t really know where it’s going to go or what’s going to happen.The meditation happens the way it wants to happen, and I am just a conduit for the love and healing energy.

I am simply a facilitator and my job is to witness and hold space for the healing.

The healing journey started off with sending love, light and peace to those who suffered in some way from the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Then it got really personal.

I believe that in healing the personal, we send ripples out into the world that bring love and healing to others who have suffered in similar ways. The energy from healing, prayer, sending love or Reiki reverberates out into the world, just like the frightening energy from hate crimes and violence do.

These deliberate acts of healing energy are so needed to bring balance back into our world.

The healing session took me on a journey back through the last 10 years and beyond in my own life. I discovered that there was a part of me that identified with being a victim of unseen forces. The attacks of September 11, 2001 served to amplify those feelings in myself and anyone else who was already resonating with victimization. Today’s healing journey was to release that association and reclaim my personal power and hopefully send ripples of empowerment out into the world.

I’m going to be really honest with you about my journey. It’s super personal, and it feels a lot vulnerable to share it. My heart wants to share, so here we go.

So many times in my life I have come close to reaching my goals and then something always screws things up.

Until I did the healing work this morning, I thought of it as an unseen force outside of my control that was always preventing me from succeeding. Sometimes, I would blame my ex-husband. As I journeyed back through memories of all of the times this happened, I discovered it went way back even before my ex-husband. It went back to the transition from junior high to high school.

It went back to a point in time where I decided that it was safer to not be too smart or too successful so that I wasn’t singled out and emotionally tortured. Even though I tried to hide my true self, it still would pop out here and there, and the pressure would start up again from different people to stop being so smart and successful. It was painful, and it caused me a lot of heartache.

I never understood why it wasn’t ok for me to be smart, talented or successful, but it was clear from the messages of teachers, fellow students, and later colleagues and bosses that I’d better knock it off or else. It happened in classes in high school. It came from professors and classmates in college. It came from sexist bosses in my high tech career.

By the way, this never came from my parents or my larger extended family. In fact, my parents raised me exactly the opposite. They encouraged me to be smart, strong and capable. My sisters and female cousins turned out that way.

But for me, I guess I was more sensitive to the pressures around me. It was painful to experience so much negativity and dislike of who I was, so I learned to hide it.

And I got so good at pretending to be someone less threatening and more agreeable to the people around me, that by the time I was married I was sabotaging my own success before someone else could convince me to do so.

Over my twenties, I downshifted myself from being a financially independent educated woman with a full-time career to taking less and less skilled positions with less and less pay and essentially becoming financially dependent on my ex-husband. I turned him and our marriage into an excuse not to succeed at my dreams.

I become the person I thought I was supposed to be in order to be loved, accepted and not tormented.

I got so good at giving my power away, that I lost sight of the fact that it was me doing it all along.

There were many times in my marriage where I felt I “had no choice” but to go along with things that didn’t support my dreams and goals. I see now that I had many more choices than I was willing to consider at the time.

I was afraid to be too smart, successful or capable because I was afraid I would no longer be loved.

It was right around when I turned 30 that I started journeying back to my truth. I decided that being true to myself was more important than being loved for pretending to be someone else. I realized I wanted children, and this was something I had been in denial about in order to keep peace in my marriage. I also realized I truly, deeply wanted a challenging, stimulating career where I had the freedom to work as fast and as creatively as I felt like, where I wasn’t holding myself back trying to please others.

In my 30th year, I launched my business, and I started putting my truth first.

As you can imagine, this did not bode well for a marriage built on agreements I made, spoken and unspoken, that didn’t honor my truth. I became a different person, but really I became myself. It was really hard letting go of the relationship that had defined my life in my 20’s. I didn’t think I had the option to break the commitment I made, so I tried to make it work despite how painful it was. I put it off as long as possible, until the pain in my body, a reflection of the pain in my spirit, disabled me (temporarily, thank goodness) and forced us both to find new ways to get our needs met.

Then I was free, angry, hurting and frightened.

I had to do a lot of work to forgive myself for being untrue for so long and for compromising in so many ways that weren’t right for me so I would be loved and accepted.

And I did all the work.

I stepped into my own shoes, and I healed. I got used to sharing the truth about who I am with family, friends and everyone else. I learned how to ask for and receive help. I became whole. I kept growing my business. But that little fear that “something out there” preventing me from being successful could still trip me up kept worrying me in quiet moments.

Until yesterday when I realized that what had been making the choices to hold me back all along was me.

So I gave that part of myself a big hug and thanks for trying to protect me for so long. I told her it was time to go now, as I am no longer afraid to be my smart, capable, creative self and be successful.

And a wave of peace, hope and knowing that I am already successful washed over me.

Listening to my heart when it says to slow down

2011-09-13T17:30:00.000-04:00

I've been in a reflective mood since the beginning of this month. Mid-2011 marked the end of a 10 year period in my life where the people in my day-to-day life were much different than now. September 2001 was momentous for me, not just due to the tragedy on September 11th, but for my wedding on September 1st that year.

So much has changed in my life and in our country since then. Read my post about the impact September 11, 2001 had on my life and the lessons I learned eventually.

As I've been pausing to remember and reflect, a crucial message came through from my heart - SLOW DOWN.

As I listened to my heart I discovered that I am not comfortable offering you the Heart-centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship in the same way as I did in the past.

My heart wants to slow it down, to offer you the first part of the program this fall and the second part in the winter. Not only that, my heart doesn't want to rush into starting immediately.

So, we'll begin the Heart-centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship on October 15, 2011 instead. At that time, we'll do the first part of the apprenticeship, Clearing your Path for Success.

You'll still have the opportunity to tailor the program based on what best meets your needs: the basic program with emails, general discussion and online forum, the mastermind group, and/or private coaching with me. Read on for more specifics.

Is there anything in your life or business that you are rushing? Does your heart want you to slow down?

Remembering September 11, 2001

2011-09-11T10:56:00.002-04:00

My heart is feeling raw this morning.

I remember laying in bed that morning after my husband of 10 days left for work. I was looking up through the windows at the gorgeous September morning, the sky a beautiful, vivid blue with only a few puffy clouds slowly sliding by. I was content, blissful, so happy in every cell of my body, enjoying the honeymoon phase after my wedding. I was probably watching my wedding ring sparkle in the sunlight, as I laid there for a few moments soaking up the sunshine, my joy and all being right in my world.

Then my sister called and told me to turn on the television. And my bliss shattered.

It was replaced by confusion, fear, grief as I watched the live television coverage of what was happening in NYC. I was riveted for hours, as many were. The ripple effects, the layers of grief for all who died, all who lost, all who were affected became a dark shadow drowning me. The light in my husband’s eyes went out, and it rarely came back for more than a few seconds at a time over the next 7 years.

My honeymoon was over, and the innocent joy of all being right in my world was gone. The simple bliss of that morning never returned to my married life. The tragedy tore us apart, as one’s grief and depression is a lonely affair. We grew apart in so many ways, and we never recaptured that joyfulness again. Each year together grimmer than the previous.

Three summers ago, we finally divorced. The pain of those years of suffering had fully taken over my body. I was disabled with pain, and I could no longer hold my world together and keep the dream alive. I surrendered to defeat and failure. I had believed that love was enough to weather any tragedy or storm, and I was wrong.

And I was left behind, trapped in my body with all that pain. For six months, I waited for the pain to stop so I could start living again. One day I realized I had been waiting for years to start living again, and seven years had passed me by. It started to dawn on me that joy and peace were not going to find me while I sat around dwelling on pain and disappointment.

It was up to me to find them.

I decided it had been long enough. It was time to stop letting my life be defined by pain, grief and disappointment over shattered dreams. It was time to start living again. The journey to joy, for me, started with a new kind of surrender. I accepted that at this moment in time my body and spirit are in extreme pain after years suffering.

I discovered that pain and suffering are not the same thing.

Simple acts of kindness towards myself and being fully present to experience them replaced the suffering with peace. I took baby step after baby step, constantly checking in with myself. “What do I need in this moment? What kindness can I give myself in this moment?” Those days, weeks, months of kindness and self-love added up. Despite the physical pain in my body, peace, contentment, even joy slipped back into my life. No longer were they based on external circumstances, who loved and wanted me, or lack of pain. They came from a place directly inside of me that is not dependent on anything else to exist. I found them when I treated myself with loving-kindness.

I hadn’t known how powerful I had been all along to cultivate peace, love, joy and bliss in my daily life by simply acting with a loving intention.

I realized that, like keeping love alive in a relationship, personal happiness is an active, dynamic process. It requires daily commitment and discipline to cultivate. It needs tending like a garden, making choices throughout each day to be kind and loving towards oneself and others in thought, action and deed. In fact, the two go hand in hand, by treating oneself and others well, it is easy to keep happiness and love thriving. Throw in some daily gratitude for what you have instead of dwelling on what you don’t, and your heart grows in it’s capacity to experience love and joy. No matter what the circumstances are around your life today.

What happened September 11, 2011 changed me in profound ways. I am not sure I would have the depth, compassion and awareness I have now without that loss of innocence. I may not have suffered long and hard enough to learn that suffering is just an illusion, a creation of the mind, as the Buddhists say. My lesson learned reminds me of my favorite quote from the Charge of the Goddess by Doreen Valiente:

"If you find not what you seek within, you will never find it without."

Remembrance

2011-09-08T08:53:00.002-04:00

Remembrance is a practice where you invite the Divine into your heart to fill you with the Love, Courage, Strength etc.. you need to cross any of those scary bridges in life between where you are now and where you need to be.

It's a simple practice. First you center yourself in your body, allowing yourself to relax and focus inward. If you like, you can place your hand over your hard. The simply call on the Divine in your heart with a name that resonates for you. It might be God, Goddess, Great Spirit, Ohm or even your own name. I call on the Divine with the name Amma which to me means, Mother.

I like to picture my heart as a castle and courtyard encompassed by a wall that keeps my heart safe. When I need support, I envision going to a back gate at the edge of my garden, and I call out to Amma asking her to join me. I envision this lovely, older lady walking up the path and coming into my garden. She comes in, sits down and over a cup of tea we talk about what’s bothering me, what I need. Her presence is so nurturing and soothing. I feel better just having her near, and the longer we sit together the more clarity and comfort I get about what’s been troubling me.

It seems to me that when I am ready to cross one of those scary bridges, she holds my hand and walks with me. Insights, new perspectives, healing happens gently as we cross the bridge. That’s what Remembrance is like for me.

The Remembrance is from the Sufi tradition, and I learned it from Mark Silver. Apparently, there are many names for God in the Sufi tradition, and one of those names is Ash-Shakur. The story with this name is that in the beginning there was just God. God wanted to be able to see, experience and appreciate all aspects of itself so God created all the creations in the Universe. Ash-Shakur is the name for God that means "One who Appreciates".

I learned and practiced this technique when I went out to Portland, Oregon in February 2011 for a seminar with Mark Silver. As we leaned back (metaphorically and physically) into the Source in Remembrance and asked for Appreciation, we were amazed how easily and powerfully we received it! It never failed to fill our hearts with a sense of being unconditionally loved. And, wow what things you feel you can accomplish and experience when you are held in that place!

This technique is so easy, and I have been teaching it to everyone I've encountered since my return from Portland! It's been an "Ah-ha!" experience for all whom I've shared it with.

Here's my version of how to lean back into the Source for Appreciation and support.

1. Relax

Begin by sitting somewhere comfortable where you won't be disturbed for 5 minutes or so. Take some slow, gentle breaths and release any tension in your body.

2. Check in with your Heart

Bring your attention to your heart center. Check in and see what you are experiencing at this moment. Trust and make space for however you are feeling - whatever it is - it's ok. Just acknowledge how you feel and allow it to exist.

3. Connect with the Source

With your attention in your heart center, ask the Source to come forth and be present in your heart. The way we learned was to repeat a name of Source that resonates with us. For me, it's "Mah", but choose something that works for you. Repeat the Name in your heart a few times and gently let your heart open to receive this connection.

4. Ask for Appreciation

Share the feelings you discovered a few minutes ago in your heart with the Source. Pour your heart out to the Source if you need to. Once it's all been acknowledged, simply ask to receive Appreciation. Keep breathing with a soft heart and allow yourself to receive whatever comes. For some it may just be a peaceful feeling, for others a vision, and for others maybe a song or words. Allow yourself to lean back and receive this Appreciation, knowing you held by the Source.

Talk about what you do

2011-09-07T09:28:00.001-04:00

I hope you had a relaxing long weekend!

I was busy preparing for fall in so many ways, but I had plenty of time to relax too. I finished a book for book club this week and even had time to make a delicious soup. I also helped my sister prepare for the arrival of my new niece or nephew and dusted off and polished up something else close to my heart: the Heart-centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship.

The new, improved Heart-centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship includes the basic program: 6 weeks of Clearing your Path for Success, 6 weeks of Six Steps for Success, and 12 weeks access to the Heart-centered Entrepreneur Forum, but there are also some premium options now: a Mastermind Group and Private Coaching with me. Contact me if you're interested!

Today, I want to talk about what you do. It's the activity from Day 4 of the Buff your Business! Bootcamp. Building and maintaining a successful business requires the same kind of discipline as a fitness routine, as consistency is the key to success. Showing up every day for your business is just as important as showing up every day to your yoga mat.

Watch today's video here!

When someone asks you what do you do, are you someone who responds with "Ummm", your day job position title, or something vague like "I work for myself?" If you answer with "I'm a massage therapist" or "I'm a designer", you are getting closer to the truth but are still hiding behind these labels.

It is really important for heart-centered entrepreneurs to learn how to talk about what they do in a way that goes beyond vague, beyond merely factual description.

A heart-centered entrepreneur needs to be able to reach right out and touch someone by resonating with their heart with their words about the gifts they offer.

Using clear, revealing, heart-centered language can be scary on a number of levels, but it is so important to practice, practice, practice until it's as easy as saying your name. Telling people what you actually do is so important, even if it makes you feel vulnerable at first.

Let me give you an example by using myself. If I responded to what do you do with "I'm a business coach for holistic practitioners", what does that really tell you? Probably that I know something about some kind of business, but not really much to give you a clue to go on about what I actually do with my clients.

Instead, if I said to you - "I help heart-centered professionals develop the skills and courage they need to live a healthy, happy lifestyle that is fully supported by their heart-centered business."

Wow! The second one there is a lot more specific and descriptive. If any part of that resonates with you, you are going to have questions. You might want to know how I do that or what kind of businesses do my clients have or even what kind of skills I am teaching my clients. The questions are the point, though!

Questions start a conversation, and a conversation is a great opportunity for you to hone your communication style and talk about what you do.

A potential client could be searching for you anywhere. Think of all the people out there who need you but who don't know you can help them or don't know how to reach you. It's ok, even important, to tell everyone what you do, even if someone is not your ideal client, because they may have a friend, relative or neighbor needs what you can provide. The more your community knows who you are and what you do, the easier it will be for new clients to find you.

So how do you put together a specific answer to the what do you do question?

Well, sometimes this is called an elevator pitch (from back in the days when someone had 1 minute on an elevator to pitch an idea to the boss). Think of it today like condensing your message into a status update - clear, direct, concise and to the point.

Here's a formula for your offer:

"I help (describe ideal client in 1-3 words)(action) (solution to ideal client problems) so they can (reach goals or alleviate pain)."

It also will help to be prepared to answer follow up questions asking for details on how, why and when you help people so you can hold up your end of the ensuing conversation. The more you talk about what you do, the easier it gets. Also, talking about what you do generates excitement, interest and energy around you.

Tell 3 new people what you do today. Feel free to run it by a friend or colleague first for feedback.

Download your own copy of the Buff your Business! Bootcamp and join the Forum here.

If you're not feeling confident about your business and need support in identifying your ideal clients, crafting your offer, and communicating from the heart to your audience, the Heart-centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship is where to start. The next program starts September 25th.

If you'd like to learn how to listen to your heart, get clarity about your path and hone your meditation and visioning skills, the Clearing Your Path for Success Learn-at-home Programis what you need. The Premium version of this program is included in the Apprenticeship, but the E-program includes a workbook and 5 guided meditations set to inspirational music that you can do at home by yourself or with a buddy.

Connecting from the heart

2011-09-02T09:34:00.000-04:00

Watch my video here!

The Buff your Business! Bootcamp was inspired by my own experiences participating in online bootcamps for physical fitness. I love the challenge of working out every day, being held accountable and being able to share my ups and downs with a buddy or three. Bootcamps shared with friends are an extremely motivational and fun way to be disciplined and create habits that lead to success.

Building and maintaining a successful business requires the same kind of discipline as a fitness routine, as consistency is the key to success. Showing up every day for your business is just as important as showing up every day to your yoga mat.

There is no denying it - social media is the way people connect online. Short, snappy status updates on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the new Google+ are the way to engage your audience and potential clients in conversation.

This is especially true if your ideal clientele are under 50 years old. If you happen to work with a more senior population, perhaps you can skip this step. Although, I know plenty of people in the 50-70 age group who research on Google, shop online and stay connected with family and friends on Facebook. So perhaps, unless you work specifically with a 75+ community, online socializing may not be a necessity.

Hmm. These elders may have children and caregivers who are likely researching online and staying connected via social media, so really, there is no excuse not to get comfortable using social media.

So whether your business sells heart-centered products or services, social media is a great way to expose people to your offerings. Think of those little status updates as mini-opportunities to connect with your ideal clients and introduce yourself.

Please, however, do not view your status updates as commercials. People are already bombarded with ads online and on tv, and social media is a place where you can make a heart connection with someone.

Yes, heart connections are even better on the phone or in person, but in this day and age you have to show up where people are - on their laptops, Ipads or smart phones. Think of social media as a way to get to know people so you can invite them to meet you in person later.

So let's get right to the important stuff: how do you make a heart connection with someone on social media?

By writing about what's close to your heart. By writing with passion and a generosity to share what you know and love. By commenting on other people's posts with love, kindness, and compassion. First impressions are still important, it's just now that more of them are taking place online these days.

So get creative and start a heart-centered dialogue with your audience on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn. Share interesting links related to your passion and sum up profound thoughts in 120 characters or less. You can do it! It's like challenging yourself to write in Haiku. "Social media / choose your words and phrases well / it will be archived."

Just do us all a favor and remember that consistency is not the same thing as repetition.

Consistency means showing up and sharing; whereas repetition becomes boring and annoying very quickly. You are welcome to direct people occasionally to your offers or craft an offer within a status update, but be careful not to turn your social media feed into a home shopping network.

Rule of thumb: keep direct promoting to 1 out of every 5-10 status updates you make. Let the rest of them be conversational and heart-centered so you can build a relationship that may turn into business one day. Need more guidance on how to connect from the heart using social media? Check out the suggested activities in the Buff your Business! Bootcamp E-book.

If you'd like to learn how to listen to your heart, get clarity about your path and hone your meditation and visioning skills, the Clearing Your Path for Success Learn at Home Program is what you need. It includes a workbook and 5 guided meditations set to inspirational music that you can do at home by yourself or with a buddy.

Remembering to surrender

2011-08-25T21:00:00.000-04:00

I am having a hard time since my hip started hurting on Tuesday evening. I am frustrated and disappointed that this aggravated hip is taking time out of my days and botching my plans for the week. I am starting to wonder if there is some message in the hip pain about stretching too fast and the snapping back that happens when something feels threatened.

We weren’t working strenuously in yoga class, mostly we were stretching. I recall reaching into a place in my left hip with one of the stretches, feeling a muscle wake up that I hadn’t noticed before, a depth to the stretch I hadn’t felt in this hip in years. I felt fine at the time, but about an hour after the class my core and hip muscles locked up around the area and two days later they are still tight and sore. That muscle in my hip must have called in the troops because it felt vulnerable and in danger of being hurt by the new sensations of the stretching.

This seems relevant to human nature.

If we venture out of our comfort zones too quickly without feeling safe and supported, we almost involuntarily snap back into a safe space to hide for awhile. I’ve sure experienced this with my heart in romance, in my career and especially with my business. I have definitely been working on stretching my edges in many aspects of my life this summer, and the stretch hasn’t always held.

It’s two steps forward, one step back.

Mark Silver talks a lot about making it safe for yourself and your clients to do the sacred healing work you are here to do with your business. His solution is to lean into the Divine in Remembrance for all the nourishment, support, nurturing, faith, love, energy and support you need to feel safe.

Today with this ouchie hip that prevents me from bending down to feed the cat and reach for pots on the bottom cabinet shelf, I feel unsteady, unstable, not safe in my body and in the kitchen. I feel frustrated that I have to ask for help with things I “should” be able to do myself. I am frustrated that this pain is distracting me from working on the big project I excitedly planned for today. I am frustrated that many of my plans for the week have been thwarted by this pain in my left hip.

Insert big, dramatic sigh here.

And as I finally give up and stop trying to push through the pain to get just one small task accomplished so I feel good about myself, as I grump around my apartment refusing to laugh with my sweetie as he attempts to cheer me up, as I retreat to the bedroom with tea, journal and pen, I finally remember to surrender.

Sometimes the only thing you can do is surrender to the circumstances. We spend so much time believing we are in control, and yet we really are not most of the time. There’s nothing in my power to prevent the hurricane that’s coming on Sunday and disrupting my full day of meetings and clients. I can complain about it, but at the end of the day all I can do is surrender to mother nature and come up with a plan b, whatever that is, that works within the limitations outside my control.

Just like with my aggravated hip. I surrender, finally. I give myself permission to feel ok even though the pain distracted me from my planned project all day. I let go and accept that this is how it is today. And as I do so, all that frustration, stress and anxiety pushing down on my chest melts away.

I can breathe deeply again. I can laugh, pet the cat, and finally relax. I surrender.

What are you offering?

2011-08-22T21:00:00.000-04:00

Creating a successful business requires the same discipline as establishing healthy habits for physical well-being. The reality, just like with working out, is that lots of people are sporadic with promotional activities. Let's break the cycle of despair and create successful, steady promotional habits to keep your business flowing smoothly all year long.

While it takes discipline and commitment to get consistent results in your business, it doesn't have to be dreary. The seven different bootcamp days are designed to keep you on your toes and inspire you to get creative with your promotional activities so they are fun for you.

So without further ado, Day 2 - Make an Offer (every time!). Watch my video here.

Making a confident, heart-centered offer while face to face with someone is the best opportunity for transitioning an interested person into a client.

In a client ~ practitioner relationship, it's your responsibility to make it as seamless and easy for someone to book a session as possible. Handing them your card and walking away is a lost opportunity. When my friendCatie Shoenfarber gave a workshop to The Healing Centerpractitioners, she emphasized that making a heart-centered offer EVERY time is the way to start filling the pipeline of your business.

So, how do you create a heart-centered offer?

Your offer needs to be positive, specific and include your next available session (up to 3 options) as well as your confidence that you can help the person.

Catie suggested crafting formulas for your offers that you can practice until they become second nature. Choose your offers based on your goals for the year to help you meet them.

An example of a specific, heart-centered offer is: "I understand your situation, and I can help you. This is what I specialize in, and I have been able to help other clients reach the same place. I would love to work with you in reaching your goals, here are my openings this week." Tweak this offer with specific details about your own practice.

Don't hand the responsibility over to the client to contact you later to schedule the appointment.

Catie pointed out that you offering a specific appointment time is your commitment to this potential client. Making a commitment first makes it much easier and less scary for a potential client to commit to an appointment with you.

My rule of thumb is to expect that 90 percent of my offers are refused this time, so I keep offering until I connect with that 10% who are ready to work with me today.

I trust that keeping my heart open and flowing with love will attract the people who need my help the most, and it's ok when people who aren't ready say no. It's not about me, it's not personal. It's about them and where they are at today. It takes a little practice to shift into this perspective, but it's very rewarding when you do!

Trusting in abundance, filling your heart with love, meditation, centering yourself, practicing the Remembrance are all ways to practice keeping your heart open no matter what the other person says or does. Check Appendix A & B of the Buff your Business! Bootcamp Ebook for resources and ideas on staying centered and abundant feeling.

If you'd like to learn how to listen to your heart, get clarity about your path and hone your meditation and visioning skills, the Clearing Your Path for Success At-home Study Programis what you need. The Premium version of this program is included in the Apprenticeship, but the E-program includes a workbook and 5 guided meditations set to inspirational music that you can do at home by yourself or with a buddy.

Do you need help with your business? Do you have a strong desire to shift your life or your business in a more meaningful and prosperous direction, but something is blocking you? You've been talking to other people, researching, seeking out options and opportunities, but still something is blocking forward movement. Do you need support, accountability and someone to push you (gently, with love) into the next level of success for your business? If so, the Breakthrough Bootcamp is for you! This 4 week coaching program is designed to get you the breakthrough results you need to create forward motion quickly.

What can your heart hold?

2011-08-18T18:00:00.000-04:00

I spent today in retreat, meaning I spent a lot of time giving myself Reiki and sitting in Remembrance so I could clear out the block I was feeling about my business. At first sitting in Remembrance was really tough, as this block in my heart made me want to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head or turn on the TV and distract myself from it. I took a break to eat some chocolate, and then I went back to it.

As I continued to sit with it, I reminded myself that it was ok to just feel the block and allow the emotions to exist. I didn’t have to feel inspired, clear or motivated, it was ok to stay with my truth of being stuck and blocked. I started to notice what emotions were wrapped up in that tight feeling in my heart. There was frustration and crankiness with being uninspired, a bit of fear about finances (pretty typical), and underneath that a lot fatigue. The fatigue surprised me the most since I didn’t know it was there, and I wondered what I was tired from? At this point, I shifted tactics and put my hands on heart and solar plexus to give myself Reiki. If I am fatigued, then some extra energy would help for sure. I continued with Remembrance. (If you don’t know what the Remembrance is - check out my blog post here. Never heard of Reiki?Learn more here.)

In addition to Remembrance allowing me to get up close and personal with whatever yucky stuff is going on with me on a subconscious or spiritual level, it’s also a healing opportunity. In Remembrance, we are connecting directly with the Universal source and so much love and healing is available here. All you have to do is ask. Which I did. I breathed into the tightness around my heart and even dozed off for a bit. When my meditation chimes rang to let me know 20 minutes had gone by, I still felt some tightness. So I stayed with it - trusting that it would ease if I could be patient and persevere.

Suddenly, I noticed the block had eased in my heart. I could breathe easier. I started to feel clearer and lighter. And then it hit me, I am exhausted from doing so much, working so hard this summer. I love what I do, and this makes working such a joy for me, so it wasn't that. Then I realized how many transitions have been happening in my life since April. I moved into a new home, am still adjusting to living with my sweetie for the first time, my sister got married, a new niece or nephew is on the way, and I shifted into a new relationship with my business. So much going on, and I dealt with the anxieties and fears by throwing myself into my work. I even did this silly thing where I made my Sunday schedule 9am-8pm. Really, Joanna? You are in the wellness business. What were you thinking?

It’s funny that you can still fall into unhealthy old habits when there is stress. Even when you know better. Even if it’s good stress for positive life changes. Even when your sweetie points out nicely that aren’t you working an awful lot? *sigh* Once that unraveled, I saw that I needed to get realistic about how much space and time for working with clients, working with the practitioners at The Healing Center, and writing I could really hold every week while having a healthy balance of self-care, and time for family and friends.

I pulled out my journal and made a list of what I wanted to be doing. I gave myself permission to go crazy with my ambitions. Then I got real about it, actually pulling out the calculator and showing myself that there's no way to turn 24 hours into 35 each day. I had to step back and start from the other end. With only 24 hours in the day and enough hours dedicated to sleep and self-care, I admitted that it really was reasonable to only expect myself to work for 8 hours, 5 days a week. I have a hard time limiting myself this way, so I have to get disciplined about sticking to a schedule and making enough time for self-care, relationships and TLC. You might resonate with me on this, or you might be challenged on the other end with your business - not committing enough time to your work so you can hold the clients your heart longs to help.

With a better picture of what my heart, mind, body and spirit could really hold every week, I was able to compromise and come up with a schedule that allows me to be fully present with clients & students without burning out. I had to make some tough decisions about how many clients and students I can really support, but I know it’s for the best. Limiting my schedule means I can give clients my best, and I feel lighter and more confident about that. I also feel supported, knowing that my personal needs are included in my schedule.

Have you checked in with your heart recently to see what it can really hold for your clients and yourself? Is there room for supporting more clients or do you need to cut back the quantity so you can provide the best quality support for them? What do you need to bring balance, peace and lightness to your heart?

Centering yourself is #1 strategy for success

2011-08-15T14:59:00.000-04:00

As you know, the Buff your Business! Bootcamp was inspired by my own experiences participating in online bootcamps for physical fitness. I love the discipline and challenge of working out every day but changing up what I do each day for variety so I don't get bored.

The other thing I love about bootcamps is doing it with a buddy who can hold me accountable and share the ups and downs. I find this to be extremely motivational and a fun way to create healthy habits.

Creating a successful business requires the same discipline as establishing healthy habits. The reality, just like with working out, is that lots of people are sporadic with promotional activities. Heart-centered entrepreneurs sometimes get caught up in client work when they are busy, and then when the client flow slows down to a trickle (or even a drought) they panic and start scrambling to attract clients. It's a cycle of despair fraught with stress and anxiety. Let's break the cycle and create successful, steady promotional habits to keep your business flowing smoothly all year long.

So without further ado, Day 1 - Center yourself!

Day 1: Buff your Business Video - click here to watch it.

Let's be totally honest here.

Yes, you absolutely love helping other people feel good. After all, that's why you are a heart-centered entrepreneur.

Most likely, you completely understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle that includes the activities, relaxation, supplements, food choices, exercise, meditation, time with loved ones, following your bliss, soul food etc... that you teach or give to your clients.

Being happy and healthy so you can do your best work as a cheerful role model for your clients is crucial. Clients love when you are happy, well and embody all the heart-warming qualities that they wish they had in their own lives. It's attractive, and it will motivate them to keep spending time with you.

And so, it's really non-negotiable. Centering yourself is the #1 thing you can do to guarantee your success as a heart-centered entrepreneur.

Meditation is a great way to center yourself. It's one of those techniques, over time with practice, that subtly shifts you into a more permanently relaxed, go with the flow state of being. There are so many different ways to meditate! Don't dismiss it as something you can't do because the idea of "clearing your mind of thought" sounds impossible.

Check out Appendix A of the Buff your Business! E-book for meditation resources and ideas.

If you'd like to learn how to listen to your heart, get clarity about your path and hone your meditation and visioning skills, the Clearing Your Path for Success At-home Study Program is what you need. The Premium version of this program is included in the Apprenticeship, but the E-program includes a workbook and 5 guided meditations set to inspirational music that you can do at home by yourself or with a buddy.

And, for those of you needing more support, accountability and someone to push you (gently, with love) into the next level of success for your business, the Premium Breakthrough Bootcamp is for you! This 4 week coaching program is designed to get you the breakthrough results you need to create forward motion quickly.

Ready, Set, Let's go!

2011-08-04T07:47:00.001-04:00

Buff your Business! Bootcamp for Heart-centered Entrepreneurs

I've created the Buff your Business! Bootcamp for Heart-Centered Entrepreneurs to motivate and inspire you to reach your business goals. It's called a bootcamp because it involves a commitment to daily business building exercises so you can get real results in your business.

Watch my Welcome video!

Do you need clarity, inspiration and more clients? Then this program is for you!

This program was inspired by my own experiences participating in online bootcamps for physical fitness. I love the challenge of working out every day, being held accountable and being able to share my ups and downs with a buddy or three. Bootcamps shared with friends are an extremely motivational and fun way to be disciplined and create habits that lead to success.

Lots of entrepreneurs are sporadic about their promotional activities, focusing on clients when there are plenty, and then scrambling to find more when things slow down. This bootcamp is designed to motivate you into creating successful promotional habits to keep your business flowing smoothly all year long. It takes discipline and commitment to get real results in your business, but it doesn't have to be dreary. We are going to have tons of fun working out our businesses together!

How does it work?

You'll follow the 7 day "Buff your Business" program of exercises designed to help you attract clients and pick up momentum. Doing this program for four weeks will help you make business buffing habits a part of your work routine. You'll do one exercise each day for a minimum of 15 minutes. Also, you're invited to stretch into doing 5-30 minutes of centering yourself 5-7 days of the week.

You'll follow this program for four weeks. It's going to stretch and challenge you, but it'll be worth it. You will see results in your business, as consistency and follow through are keys to a successful business.

What if I have more questions or need support?

You will be participating in the Buff your Business! Bootcamp inside a free forum to record your progress and share your insights with others doing the program. The forum will be a place where you can connect with other people who are participating in the program. Post your goals, questions and more in the forum to get feedback and support from me and a group of others like you.

Overall, this bootcamp will make sure you are implementing successful business building strategies and turning them into a routine to keep your client flow full. By doing a different exercise each day, you'll have more fun and be more likely to stick with it!

Need premium support?

For those of you needing more support, accountability and someone to push you (gently, with love) into the next level of success for your business, the Premium Breakthrough Bootcamp is for you! This program includes everything in the free version along with private coaching sessions with me over the phone.

Are you excited? I sure am!

Create your account and start the Buff your Business! Bootcamp right here!

Stay aligned with your Vision

2011-06-24T10:58:00.001-04:00

Excerpt from one of my Write-Out-Loud sessions with Lisa Abbate fromWordmountain

Lisa: Now we've talked about the nuts and bolts kind of practicality, but then we also talked about what are the nuts and bolts also of staying aligned with your vision, and you have this in here as 'Accessing you core self, spirit, heart to stay aligned with your vision', and I think it's really important for individuals who are solo-preneurs or entrepreneurs to really find ways to stay on their path and stay motivated or stay strong and believe them in themselves.

So what are some of the ways that you offer or can advise people on maintaining those, whether it's different meditations or things like that? Can you speak about that a little?

Joanna: I do have some guided meditations that I offer that can help practitioners on stay on their path. Those are available, and then other techniques that I do with clients include things like doing a vision board, like for my book, and I have one for clients. I have a vision board for the type of client I'm hoping to attract. In the past, for the type of business I wanted to build, vision boards can be really helpful doing affirmations - I actually do affirmation books with my clients where we take a bunch of index cards, especially if you can get them in a flip book, and you write down these different affirmations and goals in the flip book and then you look at it every day to remind yourself of where you're headed.

Lisa: Okay. Can you talk a little bit about vision boards? Because some people know what they are and some people don't. They haven't really done it before so I think that's a helpful thing to talk about - the process of creating one, what a vision board is?

Joanna: Yeah. So there are two kind of ways you can do a vision board, but the idea of the vision board is that you're accessing your subconscious, creative side of your mind. So you're using images. You can use some words, but the idea of the images is that it's accessing a different part of your brain than the thinking, kind of verbal brain. And when you look at the vision board once it's created where it has all these images that represent the things that you want to attract into your life, it kind of just helps them stay present with you in your energy and as you go throughout your days. If you look at it every day, it helps you make decisions that keep you aligned with your vision.

I really find that they're helpful and it's a really great tool for pulling out those magazines and just creating a time to work on it. It's part of the inner work I think, of this kind of business where you've some nice music and maybe a candle lit and quiet time, and you're really just focusing in on what you're trying to attract.

Lisa: So in another words, it's time well-spent.

Joanna: Yes, exactly.

Lisa: And it's not just a fluffy exercise. It's a core exercise.

Joanna: And it's a holistic exercise because it's allowing you to exercise, use other parts of your brain that, if you're focused on the nuts and bolts of your business and you're really working that left-side of your brain, it's nice to balance that out with this more creative work. Another thing that I've been doing lately is mandalas, coloring them, where I have books that have many mandalas in them and I find one that represents some process or something that I'm trying to accomplish or work with. And then, just the act of coloring it in and focusing on the topic of what this mandala represents helps me just align with that process.

Lisa: That's great.

Joanna: Yeah. So there are a lot of different ways that people can stay on task, but in this type of heart-centered business, it is really important to engage that side, the creative side, and the spiritual.

Lisa: That's really, really great. I mean I have some ideas of my own, but for manifestos, and what do you do in terms of creating your own manifesto? And what is that and how do you do it?

Joanna: It's kind of like a personal mission statement where you're declaring what you're setting out to do and how you want to set out to do it. It's really where you're putting your mission and values together and it's kind of a personal mission.

But you can also do one for your business as well. You know specific for the business, like we have one for the healing center. We provide these personal growth opportunities. We provide services that are heart-centered. Our goal is to be a resource for the community on the North Shore, and so you can kind of lay those all out for your business or what you hope the business will become.

Lisa: Okay, that's really good. It's like different. It's a mission, but not necessarily one sentence and it goes a little bit deeper than the standard corporate mission statement.

Joanna: Right.

Lisa: Okay. Those are really good. I think I need to do a few of those myself. I do. I get into the nuts and bolts and I never take the time for that. I think that it I so important to take the time to do it. I do it. When I am taking a walk I think about it but it is always not to be doing something else and that at the same time.

Joanna: Yes. It is like taking yourself away from the to-do list for a while and doing that. That other work can really help because that's also where your insights and breakthroughs are going to come; you are accessing that side of yourself.

Lisa: That's a good line. 'Where your insights and breakthroughs come true'

Joanna: Yeah. Especially if you're feeling stuck, pounding away at it doesn't necessarily help you get through it. So stepping back and accessing your creative side, whether it is through a vision-board, through meditation, through a mandala, or whatever it is that can help you tap into the answer or the solution that you need.

Lisa: Oh I think that is really good. These are all really good.

Do you need guidance and support in identifying your ideal client, crafting your offer and creating action plans? Join us for the Summer Apprenticeship for Heart-Centered Entrepreneurs. Or if you prefer one-on-one guidance, the Heartsick Employee to Heart-centered Entrepreneur program may be for you.

How the Law of Attraction Really Works

2011-06-14T18:56:00.001-04:00

I want to tell you a secret - I've never read "The Secret" though I've been practicing my own understanding of the Law of Attraction for years.

My version of the Law of Attraction is a combination of setting clear and specific goals, taking consistent action and being persistent. It's not woo-woo at all.

The Law of Attraction is often described as a technique to visualize and affirm the reality you want to create in your life. Things like "I am happy and healthy", "My business is fulfilling and profitable,"and "I am loved" etc.. There are some definite benefits from using positive affirmations and visualizations to shape your thoughts and shift your outlook. These chosen thoughts can help you train your mind to be more loving, positive and upbeat. This works great for shifting your mood and feeling more empowered and excited about life.

However, if you rely on these affirmations to grow your business without combining them with goal setting, consistent actions and persistence in following through with what needs to get done, not a whole lot is going to happen except you sitting around talking to yourself.

I absolutely believe there is a role for affirmations and visualizations, and I teach my clients exactly how and when to use them. But we also combine the mental outlook shaped by these exercises with down to earth strategies and action plans that produce results. For example, in last night's Mastermind call, we looked at what, specifically, would need to happen for the practitioners on the call to achieve their long term goals of making a profit in their business.

For one practitioner, the first baby step was to set a goal of booking 2 clients next month. The actions she needs to take in order to do that are not just speaking an affirmation every morning, though affirmations are helpful to keep you on track. She needs to get really specific about who she wants to help and flesh out a character profile of this person in her mind so she recognizes when she comes across this person.

She also needs to carry around her business cards, talk with everyone she meets about what she does, listen carefully to what people tell her about their own problems and goals, and finally to confidently let the people she talks with know that she can help them with their problems and invite them for a session. She can't just hand them her business card and tell them to call her either, she needs to offer specific session times in her invitation - so she needs to be aware of her schedule and availability too.

To make her goal happen, she needs to be proactive like this every day as if it's her job (it really is her job!), and keep up with it until she meets her goals. She also needs to be persistent and not take it personally when her invitations are declined. She needs to be confident enough in herself and her offering that she knows in her heart the right people will jump on the opportunity. This means wishing those who say no the best and moving on to the next person. She might need to seek out new venues to meet people if she is not encountering the people who fit her profile and tweak who she is talking to in order to hone in on her ideal client.

With consistent action, persistence and determination, I am positive that she will meet her goals. This is the "secret" I use to meet my goals every month, and you can use it too!

That Magical Moment of Connection

2011-06-07T15:18:00.000-04:00

After hearing the same frustration from my practitioners at THC month after month about how difficult it is for them to transition people interested in their services into clients, I decided to bring my friend Catie Shoenfarber in to share her success techniques and strategies for turning contacts into clients. Catie has been in the wellness business for over 10 years.

Before she began her workshop, she started with having us write our answers to the following 5 questions. If turning contacts into clients is a challenge for you, why don't you pause and jot down your own answers to Catie's questions.

1. What is your next available appointment date and time?

2. How long did it take for you to answer that question?

3. On a scale of 1 - 10 (1 lowest, 10 highest) how successful is your practice

4. What are your 3 main goals this year?

5. What are your 3 greatest strengths in your practice

These questions are important because they indicate how prepared you are to turn a contact into a client when you meet them. According to Catie, the key things you need to transform someone into a client include having your availability at your fingertips, knowing what you're really good at doing in your practice, and recognizing the magical moment of connection with the person in front of you.

(By the way, Catie's advice reflects what I learned at the Sacred Moment Seminar with Sufi Master Mark Silver back in February.)

Making a confident, heart-centered offer while face to face with someone is the best opportunity for transitioning an interested person into a client. In a client ~ practitioner relationship, it's your responsibility to make it as seamless and easy for someone to book a session as possible. Handing them your card and walking away is a lost opportunity. Catie emphasized that making a heart-centered offer EVERY time is the way to start filling the pipeline of your business.

So, how do you create a heart-centered offer?

Your offer needs to be positive, specific and include your next available session (up to 3 options) as well as your confidence that you can help the person. Catie suggested crafting formulas for your offers that you can practice until they become second nature. Choose your offers based on your goals for the year to help you meet them.

Don't hand the responsibility over to the client to contact you later to schedule the appointment. Catie pointed out that you offering a specific appointment time is your commitment to this potential client. Making a commitment first makes it much easier and less scary for a potential client to commit to an appointment with you.

One of the challenges practitioners run into is fear of rejection. We all feel it from time to time, but it's important to learn how to keep your heart open and allow it to be ok if the person doesn't say yes. Trusting in abundance, filling your heart with love, practicing the Remembrance are all ways to practice keeping your heart open no matter what the other person says or does.

My rule of thumb is to expect that 90 percent of my offers are refused this time, so I keep offering until I connect with that 10% who are ready to work with me today. I trust that keeping my heart open and flowing with love will attract the people who need my help the most, and it's ok when people who aren't ready say no. It's not about me, it's not personal. It's about them and where they are at today. It takes a little practice to shift into this perspective, but it's very rewarding when you do!

Practice making specific offers to the people you meet every day. You'll find that before you know it, your calendar is full!

Be True to Yourself

2011-05-31T14:06:00.000-04:00

I hope this finds you rested and relaxed after a long Memorial Day weekend!

This holiday is about remembering the people who fought for our freedoms, and it's a good reminder to pause for a moment in gratitude for all that we have. We have so much opportunity to be true to ourselves here in the US, and yet so many of us are too afraid or stuck to live our lives from a heart-centered authentic place. In my article below, I share a technique I use to stay true to myself and my dreams every week. I hope you enjoy!

A dear client of mine found this old email exchange between us in her archives last week from when she was first in a coaching program with me in 2009.

It was a good reminder for both of us about saying Yes to ourselves and No to others in order to be true to ourselves and our businesses. I thought it would be nice to share it with you as well.

By the way, I still do use this technique to stay true to myself, and after a lot of practice ~ I'm pretty good at it now! I hope you block off some time for yourself over this long weekend, too!

Enjoy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Joanna!!

This e-mail is another one of what I would like to call your 4As: Amazing Advice As Always!!!

I want to print it and tape it to my planner...

From the heart...

Carving out 3 things: Self-care, On my practice and In my practice...I love it.

Say YES to me and my practice and NO to other people.

Much love and gratitude,

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear ,

If it's from your heart, it will touch people and they will pay attention. People respond to things they resonate with, and when you reach out from your heart you connect with their hearts.

Remember that this is YOUR practice, and you can take all the time you need. In fact, it's crucial to take all the self-care time you need.

I know that a rigid schedule isn't for you, and it's not for me either. Let me tell you a bit about what I do and how it helps me. I think I mentioned this at our mastermind last time. I create my schedule weekly based on what's going on and what's available - who's in town, what kind of events are happening, holidays, clients, personal needs etc..

What I have is a commitment to myself each week to do three things: self-care, working ON my practice, and working IN my practice.

When and how I do this changes each week based on what's happening, but it keeps me focused and on track while also allowing the fluidity that I need with my schedule.

This means that each week, on Sunday for example, I sit down with my schedule and carve out these 3 blocks of time for my practice. (Whether it's an evening after work, a few hours on weekend day, etc..)

So here's how this could work for you.

Make a decision to designate 3 blocks of time each week on growing your practice.

One block is strictly for self-care,
Another is for working ON your practice (writing newsletter, reaching out to new clients, designing programs/packages, learning new skills, networking etc..)
The last block is for being IN your practice at your office space with clients or just visualizing, brainstorming and being creative if you don't have any bookings.

This means that sometimes you are going to have to say No to other people and let people down.

But this kind of commitment to yourself is necessary to make the changes and growth in your life so that you can lead the kind of life you want to lead.

It does take a bit of discipline to say Yes to yourself and your practice and say No to other people every week, but it pays off in the end. You're less frazzled, and there is less stress about trying to meet deadlines for yourself.

This is something I am still perfecting, but it has helped me get where I am today.

I hope you have a wonderful vacation! And when you get back, sit down with your calendar and block off some time for YOU.

Warmly,

Joanna

Do Less. Be More.

2011-05-26T16:35:00.001-04:00

I received this message on Friday night. This was after weeks of doing a lot more than usual with my sister's wedding, moving, starting my book, etc... and starting to feel a little fried around the edges.

Wow did it really resonate! Do Less. Be More. What great guidance for summertime!

I really checked in with myself, and I discovered that even my meditation time had become something on my to-do list instead of a time of just being present. I've been in a race against my to-do list, even though I should know better.

The to-do list is just like the kitchen sink. You get it clean, and then you have to eat and use dishes again. It never really reaches a perfect state of clean unless you never use it. Same with my email inbox. It's always refilling, so the emptiness is only temporary unless you are not communicating with anyone.

Where am I going with this?

Do less be more is a gentle clue-by-four from the Universe to shift into a different relationship with the to-do list.

It's always going to be there. How can I BE with the to-do list in a way that doesn't elicit an adrenaline rush? Can I make peace with it, shift things around so there is less to-do each day? What are my priorities?

Being calm, centered and pain free are my priorities, and in the most recent Reiki Master class we talked about how to start the day with Being instead of Doing. I think I need to take my own advice.

Here's what I told my students.

The single most important thing a person can do is to take some quiet "me" time every morning.

This means not starting the day with checking your email, watching the news or yelling at your kids to hurry up.

It means setting aside a few minutes just for you to relax before you start your morning routine or finding a way to incorporate it into your current routine such as listening to soothing music on your commute to work.

Whether you play with your pet, just sit with your favorite beverage savoring the flavors, meditate, do yoga, go for a walk, look out over your garden, play music you enjoy, or reflect in a journal, making the time every morning to just be is a very simple way to maintain sanity and keep stress at bay.

First of all, these special moments just for yourself allow you to be fully present in your day so you can truly own and appreciate it.

By making "me" time first thing, you claim your day, rather than it being claimed by the rat race or your obligations to everyone else day after day.

In addition, this quiet time sets the tone for your day.

If you start out peaceful and focused, chances are the rest of your day will follow suit. Whereas, if you start the day in a rush, frantic and running late, chances are the rest of the day is going to be fairly stressful too.

There is another benefit of spending time BEING every morning before you start doing all the things that need to be done in your day.

The quiet time gives you the opportunity to let creative ideas gestate, solutions to be discovered, and inspiration to happen because your mind is open and receptive instead of preoccupied like when you are busy the rest of the day.

This weekend, I spent a lot of time just being with myself, my cat and my sweetie. I felt myself slow down, stretch out and relax. Pain alleviated. It was great. I need to do this more often!

This morning, I made time to be before I started the Monday routine. I was surprisingly productive and focused, I think because of all the time practicing being present over the weekend. It's harder to be distracted by Facebook, Twitter, text messages, phone calls, the news etc... when you are being fully present with the task at hand.

Do less. Be more. Let's relax together this week!

Healing my relationship with Money

2011-05-23T09:27:00.000-04:00

Over the first few years of being self-employed, my business revenue doubled each year. That's pretty sweet, and it told me that I was reaching out to the right people in a way that resonates. It also indicated that my programs were successful and people kept showing up to work with me.

Yet despite this growing trend in revenue, I found that I was paying myself about the same amount as the first year - more or less nothing.

All the revenue my business brought in mysteriously disappeared each month before I could pay myself. Not only that, my business didn't feel stable (despite it's growth and success) because I was still operating on a week-to-week cash flow where the money goes out almost faster than it came in.

My business savings towards future growth wasn't growing, and neither was my paycheck. (What savings? What paycheck?)

I had known for a long while that I had a block in relationship to money, which is why I worked on it with my business mentor and my financial advisor. And yet, despite the wonderful systems they gave me to create good habits with my business finances none of it really clicked for me. I'd try a system and by the 3rd week I'd start avoiding money again.

I seriously had a problem here, but I was stumped on how to change it.

Then I had a breakthrough when I heard Mark Silver talking about responsibility. He said that we are responsible for showing up for ourselves, our clients, our family and friends. He talked about a lot of us misplace this responsibility, sometimes believing we are responsible for what happens next after we show up, but we are not. It's our job to show up, do the work, and then surrender it.

I realized at that moment that I had not been showing up for myself. I was not holding myself responsible in my relationship with money.

My usual reaction to money had been "Ugh, I don't want to deal with this," and I would find something else to do. I fell into a habit of being very passive about money, allowing it to flow right out of the business as fast as it was coming in. I was allowing others to influence where my money came from and where it went.

Oh boy. Facing that was pretty sucky.

I decided, finally, that it was time for me to get responsible and proactive with my money and face all the emotional stuff I had been avoiding.

The first step was to take stock of where the money was coming from each month, and where it was going. Ooh this was really an eye opener for me! I discovered that for some of the services I offered, the fee did not cover the expenses. It was actually costing me quite a bit to offer them.

Um. Ugh. Oops. That was a pretty upsetting discovery.

I gave myself time to sit with the yucky emotions, eat ice cream, and meditate until I had processed it all. I was ready to take responsibility for it. Part of taking responsibility was owning that I was the one who created the situation, and that it was ok to forgive myself, learn from it and do something different.

I figured out my emotional reasoning behind the services offered so cheaply. Some of what had motivated me at the time was wanting to please the people working with me by creating a rate they couldn't refuse. I realized, though, that these low rates mostly prevented people from really investing in themselves and working the program. With a price point so low, it was no big deal to sign up and shrug it off if you didn't get around to following through.

I had created a situation for my clients that didn't give them the best possible support and structure for success. Not only that, offering a program at cost to me wasn't helping me be successful either. What a lesson to learn!

Another part of taking responsibility was putting in the time, thought, heart and effort to restructure and get a handle on my business finances. I committed making bookkeeping a priority so I could always pull up a snapshot of my finances instead of guessing what the pile of receipts on my desk represented financially.

I also started fiddling with budgets and spreadsheets and invited this work to bring healing to my relationship with money. I hung in there and sat through all the yucky emotions that came up. Remembrance and tonglen breathing came in very handy during this process.

As I became acquainted with my finances and shifted my business so it had more financially healthy habits, I gave myself plenty of TLC, self-care and breaks. I kept working at it until I emerged on the other side like a butterfly leaving it's cocoon. I was a butterfly who felt empowered and inspired about the flow of money into and out of her business and life. It really was a beautiful transformation.

And if I could do it, you can too.

A new way to be in business

2011-05-16T14:40:00.001-04:00

Over the last decade, I have witnessed and worked in all aspects of the wellness industry watching it bloom, decline, shift and evolve in response to the world economy and growing awareness, globally, of what is needed for healthy communities, people and natural environments.

We have become a global society, connected to our communities locally and online across the globe via the internet and social media. We are no longer sheltered and isolated, aware only of what happens locally and what is reported on the news. We are a global society who can witness, experience and be active in helping humanity and mother nature heal from our own destruction of the earth, the upheaval in communities by natural disasters, consequences from economic ups and downs, war, famine, political games, etc... across the world through the innovation of technology and instant communication.

Inside this global society, a shift has begun. People are moving away from the excess, waste and destruction of monolithic companies and corporations into collaborative communities of individuals, organizations and small businesses who are creating conscious change and healing through their humanitarian, heart-centered and environmentally conscious works.

Specifically, we ~ the progressive, intuitive healers who are ushering in a new (or old depending on how you look at it) paradigm of living in harmony with mother nature and within our own human communities ~ need to consciously transform the act of being in business into a heart-centered, relationship and service oriented enterprise that is grounded in abundance and collaboration instead of greed and competition.

The truth is that we cannot leave the "dirty" work of running a business to those who don't understand that we are ushering in a healing evolution, and we simply cannot successfully guide and facilitate the healing of others without healing our own relationship with money and business.

We need to heal and reclaim the notion of what it is to be in business and to be in service.

We are on the cutting edge of this healing evolution, and it is up to us to show our clients, our students, and everyone else how to live and work in harmony with each other and mother earth. That's a pretty big responsibility, isn't it? And yet, it wouldn't be honest or healthy if we healers ignored this aspect to our own healing and growth.

Starting a heart-centered business is simply another part of your personal healing journey, and I invite you to join me on this path if there is an urging in your heart to help others. Don't be afraid to follow your heart or the guidance of your spirit. You don't have to figure everything out on your own. There are heart and soul centered mentors, like me, paving the way, making it possible for you to become an intuitive, inspired business owner that works and lives with integrity, compassion and abundance for your own highest potential and the greater good of all.

Do you have what it takes to be in a heart-centered business for yourself? I believe you do.

If you have what it takes to be committed to your own well-being, your own spiritual development and to treating others with love and compassion, then I know in my heart that you have the kind of commitment it takes to grow a heart-centered business that provides healing and growth opportunities for those who need your support and guidance.

Not only that, you have what it takes to allow your heart-centered work to be a channel for abundance, prosperity and love in your life and in this new global society.

Ask me how!

What is a Heart-centered Entrepreneur?

2011-04-26T11:18:00.000-04:00

If you're anything like me, you have a strong desire in your heart to be of service to others and have a lifestyle aligned with your values. And yet, while your heart yearns for this, you have too many commitments and responsibilities to take a leap of faith into a whole new lifestyle and start a business without a plan - you have to be practical.

Perhaps you're not even sure if it's realistic or possible for anyone, including yourself, to still be able to pay the bills and take care of your family as a healer and heart-centered entrepreneur. You dream of it though, and this desire in your heart keeps getting stronger instead of going away. And yet, it seems so impossible and impractical to leave your established career or job to embark on a new journey, even though your current situation doesn't speak to your soul.

It's possible though. I've done it, and I've helped others to do it too.

After high school, I didn't know what I wanted to do, and so at my parents encouragement I went to college and studied computer science. I didn't have a passion for it, even when I was studying it. I only lasted 3 years in high-tech after graduation before I burned out physically, emotionally and spiritually. I felt like the work I was doing was making the boss richer, and not accomplishing anything helpful for society or individuals. I felt so disconnected from myself, my passion for helping people, and my desire to be healthy, relaxed and well. It seemed like a no-win situation.

As an employee I made enough money to take care of my basic physical needs (car, apartment, food, medical care), but the work was not feeding my spirit and heart. My soul was starving, and I spent all of my free time and money receiving services from and studying with holistic health, wellness and spiritual mentors to try to satiate the hunger in my soul. I learned a great many things over the years, and I found a secret place in my heart that wanted to do this kind of work too.

I spent a long time looking for someone to hire me to do the kind of work my heart called me to do, almost 5 years searching with no results. I saw that a lot of people who went into private practice when they couldn't find a job doing their soul-work were perpetually struggling to pay their bills. It seemed like unless you were really lucky or smart, following your bliss in work didn't result in an ability to thrive in our 3-D world of bills, rent and purchases.

Eventually, I found some people in the healing arts who were able to be of service in a soul-ful and profitable way. So, I asked them a whole lot of questions, and I hired a business coach to help me fill the gaps in my knowledge. Through my experiences, I learned that there were specific skills one had to learn to have a profitable business, and it was a relief to realize that it was possible to be profitable in a way that has integrity and honors my values.

You can do it too! You can become a Heart-centered Entrepreneur with a business aligned with your soul that supports your life.

A Heart-Centered Entrepreneur is passionate about being of service and helping people feel better and change their lives.

She is determined to make a difference in others lives, in local and global communities, and model what she knows about how to live well, be in abundance and create prosperity through creativity and collaboration.

A Heart-Centered Entrepreneur is committed to creating businesses that are not only in alignment with personal and ethical values, but that support their chosen lifestyles too.

A Heart-Centered Entrepreneur is a leader and pioneer, committed to making change in the world by facilitating their own ongoing healing and growth and that of others.

A Heart-Centered Entrepreneur follows her bliss, doing work she loves and feels called to do.

A Heart-Centered Entrepreneur is someone who realizes the significant impact her mindful,heart-centered business can have on the world at large by modeling how collaboration, values based decision making and commitment to personal growth are sustainable, fulfilling and successful.

Do you have what it takes to become a Heart-centered Entrepreneur? I believe you do!

The world needs your talents as a healing professional. There are people out there hoping to find you to help them bring their lives and spirits back into balance. Stop hiding your gifts and giving them away to just family and friends.

Are you:

trained in one or more healing or wellness modalities like Reiki, Polarity, Holistic Health Coaching, Spiritual Healing, Yoga, Massage/Bodywork, Feng Shui, Astrology, Shamanism, Herbalism etc...?
living with a secret desire to have a lifestyle more aligned with your values where you work at your own private practice/business?
too responsible and practical to take a leap of faith in starting a new business without training, support and a plan?
working full time in your old career (or in your family) and need support and guidance in creating an exit strategy and transition plan into the life you dream of?
new to entrepreneurship and need training and new skills so that your heartcentered business/practice will thrive and support your life?
needing practical, real-life financial advice, strategy and support?

I can help! I can help you get clear on how to create and run a heart-centered business, create and implement a time line and exit strategy into your desired life.

You can learn how to make space in your current life for learning new skills and launching a heart-centered business, identify and work through emotional roadblocks and limiting beliefs that get in the way of progress towards your goals, develop a unique niche in the marketplace with a carefully crafted offering to your potential clients, authentic positioning and marketing, and client attraction plan, become comfortable with the heart-centered sales and agreement process so you develop long-term working relationships with your clients, establish your business part-time with 4-10 regular clients, map out a 1-5 year transition plan with achievable milestones and action plans, create a sustainable, practical financial plan for your transition, implement advanced heart-centered business strategies to grow your business, write your own realistic business plan and reference guide to keep you on track with your goals and timeline.

Ask me how you can become a Heart-centered Entrepreneur.

Join Joanna at the LIFEARTHEART expo on June 11th

2011-04-25T21:57:00.002-04:00

Joanna is speaking at the LIFEARTHEART Expo on June 11, 2011 in Marblehead, MA about how to become a thriving Heart-centered Entrepreneur.

From Heartsick Employee to Heart-Centered Entrepreneur & Soul-Satisfying Living You want to be of service as a healer and start your own business. The world needs your talents as a healing professional. There are people out there hoping to find you. No matter what you do, this calling only gets stronger. Where do you start? How do you make the leap? What does it take to be a successful heart-centered entrepreneur?

It's only $5, register here.

Yes, it's true! I'm writing a book.

2011-04-15T14:52:00.001-04:00

I have hinted about it on Facebook and Twitter over the last couple of weeks, and yes it's true - I am writing a book!

I am participating in the 2011 Book Boot Camp for the Entrepreneurial Soul with Author's Coach/Editor Lisa Abbate from Word Mountain.

I write my weekly newsletter, but this book requires so much more focus and dedication. Working on my book is incredibly challenging, but I love how much I am learning in the process. Lisa is keeping me motivated and inspired, and she has been teaching me all kinds of things about the publishing industry that I had no idea about.

I chose to work with Lisa because there are so many people who aren't satisfied with their careers and have a secret desire to be of service in the healing arts. They live double lives like I did for years. I worked by day doing what I had to do to make the money to support my life, but I spent all of my free time learning about holistic health and spirituality, going through my own internal healing process, and eventually facilitating healing for others. I was "working" more hours on my spiritual and healing path than I was at my job.

At some point, you just can't go on that way anymore. You get exhausted, and you can no longer ignore the calling. No matter what you do it just gets stronger. The day job needs to go so you can put your energy, ideas and passions into service in the healing arts. Yet, you need to support your life. How do you do that? Where do you start? How do you make the leap from the old paradigm to the freedom of a holistic lifestyle helping others supported by your true work?

That's where my book comes in - with insight, inspiration and practical, heart-centered strategies on how to navigate your personal exit strategy from relying on your job to live into the real life you know you're meant to be living in your heart.

In addition to sharing some of my clients success stories, I'll be interviewing a few of my mentors and role models so their juicy wisdom and guidance can inspire you. The book will cover all aspects of the transformation from your old life to new, with topics spanning the inner worth work and empowerment you'll need to do, proven strategies that allow heart-centered businesses to thrive, and healing your relationship with abundance and money.

I also want to know what you think needs space in this book. What questions do you have about blossoming into a life in the healing arts supported by your true work? What keys are you missing? Where do you feel stuck? I want to hear from you. Please let me know!

I'll be sharing tidbits and asking more questions over the coming months, so stay tuned!

Why do I have to?

2011-04-13T15:14:00.000-04:00

When you suggest setting aside time each week for seeing clients, which is a great idea, I have a problem--if I only have one or 2 days a week that I'm available then how will I be able to have people come to me who can't come at those times? This is something that has been bothering me for a long time, that I'll limit the clients I can see (not that they're coming out of the woodwork right now anyway). Is it a matter of trusting that the right clients will be able to make those times, or what?

As for your practice questions, these are great ones! They are very common too. Quite honestly, it DOES feel counterintuitive to limit your practice hours for the very reasons you pointed out. And yet, it turns out to be very beneficial to your practice in the long run.

The first thing I'll mention is that just like when you target your marketing towards a certain ideal client ~ you don't ever have to turn someone away when they ask for your services. Same with when you set your office hours. Having set office hours allows you to give a potential client some concrete options to choose from in order to get started with you. If none of your normal hours work, and if you have flexibility in your schedule and desire to work with this person, you can find a time that's mutually convenient. Remember, you never have to turn someone away if you don't want to. You are in charge!

Let me give you some examples to see if these help demonstrate what I'm talking about.

Recently, I was looking for a bookkeeper. A friend recommended someone, and she sounded great so I gave her a call. We talked about how she could help me, and I asked how to get started. She told me I could come by her home office anytime I wanted, just to give her a call with a heads up of a few minutes before I dropped by in case she was busy. I intended to stop by to see her the following Monday, but I wasn't sure what a good time was to drop by. I didn't want to interrupt her or drop in at a bad time or try to squeeze our session in between other commitments of my own. I felt awkward about the whole thing, so I never stopped by. She didn't call me back to follow up, so I figured she was too busy for a new client anyways. I've had this happen with massage therapists, chiropractors, hair dresser's etc. To me, this feels like the business owner is putting the responsibility of figuring out our appointment time on me instead of making it easy for me to show up when I know she's ready and available to focus on me.

On the other hand, there is a practitioner I've been seeing for years. She makes it incredibly easy for me to see her. She encourages me to purchase a 5 or 10 pack of sessions, and when it's time for a new round she spends a few minutes after our session getting those appointments booked with me so I know exactly when I am going to see her. It's a no brainer. The sessions are pre-paid and booked ahead, and all I have to do is show up and relax. She even sends a reminder email the day before. It takes all the stress and awkwardness out of it. This practitioner has an intuitive knack for making it easier for her clients and keeping her schedule full.

These are extreme examples, but I hope they are helpful in demonstrating the power of making it easy for your clients to schedule. If you leave it up to the client to tell you when they want to come in and see you, most of the time they won't follow through for similar emotional reasons as I described about my experiences with the bookkeeper above. The bookkeeper came across as either too busy to make time for me or too flaky to commit to working with me, neither of which gives me confidence about working with her.

If you have certain time slots allocated for clients on your calendar, when someone contacts you - you can very quickly give this person a few options from your calendar to choose from. This demonstrates confidence and gives the potential client a sense of security that you know what you are doing. It also gives the potential client the message that you are a busy (and therefore valuable) practitioner which gives them even more confidence.

About 90% of the time, people will be able to make one of those times work. In those rare instances when those options don't work, then you can work with the person to find a mutually convenient time. Here's how I would carry out the conversation whether on the phone or over email. Maybe this formula would be helpful?

Practitioner: "Let's get you on the schedule. I am usually in the office on Mon, Tues & Thursday. I could see you on Monday morning at 10am, Tuesday afternoon at 3pm or Thurs at 11am or 6pm. Do any of these work for you?"

If the answer is yes, great! If the answer is no, I would then ask "What time of day or day of the week works best for you?", and then based on the answer, I would suggest something in my schedule that's available most closely to what they need.

Heal & Reclaim what it means to be in Business

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One of my clients asked herself this question as she considered jumping with both feet into the Heart-Centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship. Even though she is a very talented and compassionate healer, she wasn't sure she wanted to become a business owner and self-employed practitioner in order to share her gifts with the world. Does this resonate with you?

If there's a small doubting voice in the back of your mind asking if you're sure you have what it takes to open a private practice doing the heart-centered work that you feel called to do, know that you are not alone!

Starting a business can be overwhelming and non-intuitive for heart-centered individuals. In fact, most of us dislike the idea of getting involved with "business" because in the mainstream "business" often seems unhealthy, negative and focused on profit at the expense of the environment, our communities, our neighbors and our hearts.

Why would a heart-centered person with a passion in her heart to help others heal and find balance desire anything to do with that kind of negativity? Of course she wouldn't. Instead, and I am sure you have done this just as I have, she wishes someone else would do the dirty work of running the business and hire her to do the life changing, world healing work with clients without getting involved with the business aspects. If only it was that easy!

The truth is that in this economy, in current Western culture, those life-affirming, well paying jobs for healers (who work on any level of mind, body, psyche or spirit) that we hope for are rare. The truth is that we cannot leave the "dirty" work of running a business to those who don't understand what we're doing, and we simply cannot successfully guide and facilitate the healing of others without healing our own relationship with money and business.

We need to heal and reclaim the notion of what it is to be in business and to be in service.

We ~ the progressive, intuitive healers who are ushering in a new (or old depending on how you look at it) paradigm of living in harmony with mother nature and within our own human communities ~ need to transform the act of being in business into a heart-centered, relationship oriented, abundance focused enterprise.

We are on the cutting edge of this healing evolution, and it's up to us to show our clients, our students, and everyone else how to live and work in harmony.

That's a pretty big responsibility, isn't it? And yet, it wouldn't be honest or healthy if we ignored this aspect to our own healing and growth. Do you have what it takes to be in a heart-centered business for yourself? I believe you do.

Starting a heart-centered business is simply another part of your personal healing journey, and I invite you to join me on this path if there is an urging in your heart to help others. Don't be afraid to follow your heart. You don't have to figure everything out on your own. I can show you how to be an intuitive, inspired business owner that works and lives with integrity, compassion and abundance.

Yes, you are ready! You can do this! Sign up here.

Heartfelt Questions and Answers about the Heart-Centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship

I think what's holding me back is the thought that I don't really know if our styles will mesh. I love the principles and intent behind the apprenticeship description you wrote -- I love the mission and the structure :) -- but it's very "business-like", and I can't tell whether to expect a more impersonal, business-like mentorship over the 12 weeks, or if it's meant to be more like heart-felt counseling. It could be the latter, but simply framed in a New England style that I've grown less accustomed to!

I am so glad that you brought this up! I've been in New England my whole life, and while I know the culture here can be kind of stiff and formal - it's nice to get your perspective. My mission is to shift the paradigm of business from being impersonal to heart-centered. I do believe that you will find the program to be very heart-centered.

During the first six weeks, we delve deep into your heart to uncover the fears, doubts and limiting beliefs that are holding you back in growing your business. These six weeks also include tools and practices to help you get in touch and stay in touch with your heart for all of the decisions you need to make.

The last six weeks, we look at how to take what you know in your heart and transform it into a business that attracts clients to you because your communication / marketing / advertising resonates with their hearts. So yes, it's very heart-felt but there are some practical business practices mixed in.

Another question I have regards course materials, can they be furnished electronically? (I'm out of the country and I notice the program description mentions a workbook)

Everything in this program is available electronically. The lessons come to you via email each week which include content and sometimes recorded lectures to listen to on your own time. When we connect as a group it's via a conference call, and our private sessions can be done over Skype or telephone. All of the content in the workbook is included in the content in the emails, but it's also available at an additional price as an electronic file if you preferred to print it out to write in it.

Finally, what is the anticipated time commitment each week for the apprenticeship? (how much time would you recommend be set aside to reap its full benefits?)

For the first six weeks, I recommend giving yourself 90 minutes to listen to the class lectures and then scheduling another 90 minutes later in the week to work on the exercises. For the 2nd six weeks, I recommend spending 2-3 hours each week working on the exercises. Our group coaching masterminds are 60 minutes, once or twice a month. Then your private coaching sessions with me will be 30 minutes, once each month.

Request more info or sign up here.

Success Story: Sister Hawk Reiki

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Joanna's Reiki Master program gave me the opportunity to feel confident as a Reiki Master and practitioner. I was supported, inspired, and felt the motivation to bring my heart, gift, and self forward. Joanna helped to guide my own vision for where I want to go with my practice and how I envisioning bringing Reiki into the world. I also received a thorough and thoughtful Reiki Master training, and feel that the breadth of training has given me what I need to go forward as a Reiki Master with confidence.Reiki has been one of the greatest gifts to receive, each day I'm thankful, and it's a blessing to work as a healer.

Find out more about Beth Farrell and her practice Sister Hawk Reiki.

Stop hiding your gifts! The world needs you!

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Heart-Centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship

Starts April 4th

The world needs your talents as a heart-centered healing professional.

There are people out there hoping to find you to help them bring their lives and spirits back into balance.

Are you:

less than 6 months into your practice or have been practicing for years on friends and family?
ready to be valued as a professional now?
struggling to attract the clients you need for your practice to be fulfilling and profitable?
unsure about the most effective, authentic way to promote your services?
hoping to shift out of your "day job" to a full-time practice but can't figure out how to do so?
currently seeing clients in your home, and it doesn't feel right?
tired of always looking for new clients because current clients are not rebooking?

How does it work?

This apprenticeship will help you get clear on how to create and establish your authentic, ideal practice in 12 weeks. Each week you will receive a lesson in your inbox, and you will be participating in an online forum. You'll also receive feedback from Joanna during the group coaching calls and your private coaching sessions.

You will learn how to create an authentic practice that supports your lifestyle, envision and find your ideal clients, develop your unique niche in the marketplace, discover an authentic marketing style that attracts clients, and learn the best heart-centered business practices for your business.

You will also experience the benefits of collaborating with like-minded practitioners in our online community for inspiration, encouragement and accountability.

"I recommend this program because this is what WE all need. We need someone willing to genuinely help guide us and give us a supportive, structured opportunity to provide the best practice we possibly can have." - Jennifer C.

Stop hiding your gifts and step courageously into the life you are meant to be living: an authentic, heart-centered practice where you can effortlessly attract and help people who look forward to your guidance.

For more information explore the Apprenticeship for Heart-Centered Entrepreneurs or just request application and more details.

Reiki Certifications

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Did you know that I provide Reiki Certification? I have been practicing and teaching Reiki in the Usui Shiki Ryoho tradition locally since 2003. I specialize in training those who wish to become professional Reiki practitioners and other wellness professionals who are passionate about mind-body-spirit balance and personal growth, and who have a burning desire to help others find healing.

Check out my Reiki Certification listing on Thumbtack or take a peek at the upcoming class schedule.

What's your Success Story?

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I spent a long time looking for someone to hire me to do the kind of coaching work my heart called me to do, almost 5 years searching to no avail.

I saw that a lot of people who went into private practice when they couldn't find a job doing their soul-work were perpetually struggling to pay their bills. It seemed like unless you were really lucky or smart, following your bliss in work didn't result in an ability to thrive in our 3-D world of bills, rent and purchases.

You can do it too.

I've created two different programs to give you the support, skills, and strategies to create the life you dream of living that's supported by a business doing heart-centered work.

For practitioners who need something to shift so that you are attracting clients and experiencing your business in a flow of abundance, the Heart-Centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship is for you. I am now accepting applications for the next Heart-Centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeshipstarting on April 4th. Spots are limited so get your application in early.Request an application and more details here.

Then there's the new program Your Exit Strategy: One Year Journey from Heart-sick Employee to Heart-Centered Entrepreneur and Soul-satisfying Living. This program is for healers who are lead

ing double lives - one life in the profession that no longer calls to them and the other as a spiritual being on a path of healing and teaching, often in the closet except with a few close friends or family. I know all about this double life, as I lived it myself for years.

I wrote my own Success Story, and I've been helping my clients write theirs. Check out Dana's Success Story.

Dana Tate

Tupelo Holistic Center

1. What was your life & practice like before you started to work with Joanna?

Before I began working with Joanna, I felt scattered in my practice. I had many abilities, but no way to integrate them and create a practice that best suited my personality.

2. What did you do with Joanna & what did you learn? What did you like about this work you did together?

Working with Joanna was exciting and uplifting; not only did I see the big picture of where I wanted to take my practice, but I had the actual words and strategic steps to take to make the transition happen seamlessly. Plus, working with Joanna was always fun and inspiring.

3. What skills, mindsets, and strengths did you develop through your work with Joanna that contributed to your Success?

I found that my communication skills improved drastically, and I felt very supported as I spread my wings in a totally new field.

4. What was the most significant take-away that you got from your work with Joanna?

The most significant take-away that I got from this work was the ability to imagine my perfect practice while taking realistic steps to create exactly what I wanted.

5. How do you define your Success now? How has your life & practice changed?

My practice has completely integrated and shifted into a fulfilling career. Not only am I working full time, but I am also teaching and consulting; I am thoroughly enjoying the fullness of my heart centered career.

6. What would you advise others who want to fulfill their purpose of being of service to others in an authentic, heart centered, abundant way?

If you are not quite sure if working with a coach is a rewarding choice, I encourage you to seriously consider working with Joanna. She is fully present with her clients, and you will be amazed by the abundance you will experience in your practice as she mentors you.

Deep peace,

Dana Tate

Tupelo, MS