I'm curious: after listening to this podcast, let me know what you LOVED to do as a child. How does it manifest in the work you're doing in the world today?  Feel free to comment below or send me a message.
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I saw this quote from Marianne Williamson yesterday, and hit it me in the gut.

It comes from her book A Woman's Worth, written in 1994, and it names a powerful cultural norm that's still alive today: women must hide their truth in order to survive.

Today is an especially appropriate day to share this because it's Friday the 13th.

Did you know Friday the 13th was originally a day for goddess celebrations, to honor the divine feminine? The number 13 is innately connected to the feminine: 13 menstrual cycles, 13 moon cycles.

Like so many things feminine, this day was stolen by the patriarchy and vilified. Now it's associated with darkness and evil. And these forces are threatening to take away our rights once again.

Let's reclaim this day for ourselves.

Let's cultivate the courage to be honest and real.

Let's practice listening to OURSELVES and each other – with love.

Here's an idea for how you can do this:

List 13 ways you can honor yourself today. Post your list where you can see it. And choose 1-2 things to do each day. This may or may not include taking a step out of your comfort zone and into activism. It's up to you.

What does this have to do with marketing?

Marketing is a great place to practice truth-telling. Truth-telling is a radical act. People respond to the truth. You don't have to use inauthentic sales tactics that feel icky. You get to be YOU.

If you need help getting started, I'm here to help!

I honor the feminine in each of you! ❤️

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Are you ready to become a truth-teller with your message and marketing?
I work with women who are leaving the corporate world to start their own creative or wellness practice, or who've been in business for awhile and are ready to take their website and message to the next level.

​Get in touch here if you’d like to talk about working together: 

Do you know a creative woman entrepreneur who would enjoy this blog? You have my full permission to share it with her! ​

LIFE (AND BIZ) IS A JOURNEY. SHARE YOURS!​

By the time you read this blog, I’ll be on the road. I’m in the final stages of packing now, hiking boots and all.
 
My destination? The Blue Ridge Mountains and Asheville, NC – one of my favorite places! I’m heading down to host my first Big Magic retreat at my friend Suzanne Armstrong’s studio. I’m so grateful and excited that this day is almost here.

Of course my fears have popped up, telling me, "you'll be boring," "who do you think you are?" "this is too much for you to handle."
 
And I know how to address those fears. That's what I teach my clients to do, and yes, I need to apply those lessons to myself too, because I'm human. We all get to give ourselves permission to be human.

So, I’m looking forward to a day of fun, play, and going deep to uncover the truths of our lives – and working through those things that block us from fully living these truths. My favorite material!
 
We’ll be exploring Elizabeth Gilbert’s themes from her book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear: Courage, Enchantment, Permission, Persistence, Trust, and Divinity. These are key ingredients for living a creative life.
 
What does that mean, to live a creative life?
 
To me, it means, feeling free to fully express myself.
 
It means embracing imperfection and sharing who I am, flaws and all.
 
It involves an understanding and acceptance of PROCESS, not just product.
 
In my work, I help my clients apply these principles to their marketing. Women shouldn’t feel pressured to lock their truth in a closet in order to market their business.
 
In fact, here’s a little-known secret:

truth-telling is a smart marketing strategy.
 
We get to be ourselves! What a relief! We don’t have to construct a false persona to hide behind. We get to share our stories, the stories that demonstrate our passion and life journeys that brought us to the work we do.

And THIS is the stuff that draws clients and customers to us.
 
Because our life journeys aren’t easy. They contain detours, U-turns, and road blocks. And we find ways to get through them. And these details demonstrate our resolve, our resilience, and our creative fire.
 
For example, here’s my truth right now: running my business was stressing me out more than was acceptable to me. The lack of consistent income was eroding my confidence. So I got a part-time job doing marketing communications for a local non-profit. And I’m feeling a weight lifted off my shoulders.
 
It’s okay to do what you need to do to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
 
You may hear business coaches out there telling you that getting a job to support yourself as you grow your business is a cop-out. You’re either all-in, or you’re out. But I’d like to present a counterpoint to that argument. Sometimes getting a side job helps you be all-in. It gives you a chance to come up for air. It gives you a foothold as you climb the mountain.
 
As women, we carry so much on our shoulders. We don’t need to be shaming each other for doing what we need to take care of ourselves.

Creating a business, like creating a work of art, is a PROCESS.
 
In Big Magic, Gilbert makes the point that we shouldn’t demand that our art support us financially. And I would argue that applies to entrepreneurship too. When we’re growing our businesses, we shouldn’t demand that they support us financially right off the bat. We often need to give ourselves time to figure it out. We need to give ourselves breathing room so we can –dare I say – ENJOY the journey.
 
It’s a bold step to start – and run – your own business. Whether you’ve been in corporate for awhile and you can’t stand it anymore, or you’re ready to take your venture to the next level, please, please take good care of yourself. Get the support you deserve.
 
And don’t worry – my part-time job still leaves me PLENTY of room to continue serving my clients. So if you’re thinking about taking your next step and your want your marketing to reflect who you truly are, let’s talk.
  
If you'd like, you can follow my hiking (and biz) adventures on my Instagram page! Just click below to check it out.
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Do you know a creative woman entrepreneur who would enjoy this blog? You have my full permission to share it with her!