Ramblings of a Wildpreneur™

I sat down to write yesterday and it didn’t work, at least I didn’t think it did.

What happened:

I sat down with clear parameters outlined at the top of my document for what I wanted from my piece: character count, voice, tone, reminder and topic all spelled out.

I started typing words 6000 times and erased it all each time.

Each time I erased it my anxiety and my frustration grew. I felt like I was failing.

I was supposed to be “writing” and this act of typing words and erasing them certainly wasn’t “writing”. Or at least that was my story.

I decided to check in with my writing coach and let her know that I wasn’t going to have anything to share that the words...

Several years ago, I moved to London for an extended stay.

An exciting opportunity and everything confused me.

The little details of everyday life overwhelmed me. Tasks that were normally easy felt difficult.

How to get groceries—without a car.

How to find American peanut butter.

How to navigate the Tube with three young children.

How to get a cell phone.

I had so much to learn. 

Eventually, I got the hang of the Tube. I learned to love HobNobs. And I learned I hated Marmite, no matter how many times I tried it.  

I remade my daily life. It was a grand adventure.

When I came back home, I had a fresh perspective on all the routines in my life that had been so familiar to me.

You see, everything that had been...

Entrepreneur culture is ripe with the message that you SHOULD hustle, slay, kill it, do all the things RIGHT NOW, or you will fail. 

We know that if we try and do ALL the things for ALL the people, it is a recipe for BURN out.

Why would we think that work in the time of Coronavirus would be any different? 

I know at first, for me, it felt different. My clients all needed additional meetings and support. Some of them were called to create new offers, and others just wanted the familiar touchstone of knowing we are in this #together. 

I have worked to expand my mental and physical capacity over the past year. I COULD support all of my clients without straining my systems, or so I believed. 

What I didn’t...

We are living in uncertain and extra-ordinary times. Everything that we took for granted a month, a week, a day ago—kids being in school, flying to a conference, going to visit a loved one, going on a plane to vacation—are all on hold, indefinitely.

It feels much like someone scrambled all of our puzzle pieces and then walked away.

There are so many questions and so many feelings! 

How do we put the pieces back?

Do they need to go in the same spaces as before?

Were we trying to fit square pegs into round holes?

I’m angry. 

I’m happy. Am I even allowed to be happy?? (Yes, yes I am.)

I’m scared. 

I’m excited. 

The list could go on and on. 

This time in the world reminds me of...

Spring is coming, can you feel it?

The geese certainly can and were vociferously sharing the news, this morning.

I've been feeling the energy of Spring in my business, too, finally!

In the last few months, I've taken time to honor the energy of winter. I made space to dream, not to have all of the answers, and to listen to the stories around me. I needed time to discover what was being called forward in my business. I could see it in the distance, and it wasn't yet clear.

I'm not going to lie sometimes it felt a little (aka a LOT) scary ~ the words will I ever have a plan, may have been cried out with more than a bit of angst, more than once this winter.The deep creative incubation period can take much longer than we want it to take, aka...

Being an entrepreneur is hard. It is personal, intimate work.

And when things don’t go as planned, either in your business or in your personal life —

you send out a newsletter, and a reader tries to shame you for homeschooling your children,

‍a contractor flakes,

a sales cycle slips,

your parents end up in the hospital

— you can quickly spiral into a cycle of shame, worry, and self-blame.

Or you can choose another way, a middle way.

You can choose to treat yourself with compassion and love. You can give yourself grace.

That is precisely what I chose to do this week. It’s been a week of one thing after another — the list above contains a few (not all) actual events from my week.

In...

I've been thinking about cultural norms this week. My daughter, whose homeschooled, asked if we could read Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.

From just the title, you wouldn't think that it would have much to do with building a coaching business, but oh my, it does.

In Braiding Sweetgrass, she talks about the way western culture demands that we know something only from our scientific and linear mind.

What a limited way to move through the world, and yet it is what is ingrained in us from a young age.

Schools taught us to ignore our emotions, to only focus on what it takes to get an A in the class, to not ask too many questions, and certainly not to question the cultural norms.

That...

Clarity comes from releasing our offers into the wild.

Only then can we experience how they impact those we wish to serve.

Scary, right?

Any excuse NOT to push the button . . .

The dog needs to be walked. I couldn't possibly push send before I take him.

I need to learn one more thing, and then I will be qualified. Then I will be enough.

Sound familiar?

I've heard it from clients. Let's be honest. I've heard it from myself.

It's hard to release our treasured ideas and projects.

What if they laugh?

What if they don't respect my work?

And, my love, what if they adore it and clamor for more?

What then?

What then?

Truth is you can figure it out, either way.

Through experimentation, analysis, and iteration you will grow, you will discover your...

Culture teaches us to solve our problems with our beautiful minds.

It teaches us from an early age that the only way to a gold star is through following the rules and being "smart."

We quickly learn to push down all the pesky emotions that get in the way of being logical and rational.

I mean we WANT all the gold stars Right?!

And yet, is that really where the real intelligence lies?

Um, hell no.

It is in our ability to lead with our hearts.

A brain in service to the heart is a much more powerful tool.

I remember when I attended the Nine Day School for The Work with Byron Katie, the terror that I felt as the control of the ego/mind slipped away.

I was terrified about what would happen to my business. I mean, I make my money through...

An easy button. Wouldn’t it be grand if we could all have one for our business creation?

I know I would like one.

Sadly, there isn’t one. I’ve looked high and low — no easy button.

That doesn’t mean that being an entrepreneur is all hard work and hustle.

Nope.

I believe the key to consistent, sustainable success is found at the intersection of mind-body work and principles of sound business practice.

It is an unusual combination and one that I have seen work across the board for my clients, time, and time again — one that brings creativity, joy, and excitement to their business. Their business becomes their haven.

We can achieve our goals when we learn to listen and trust our inner knowing, along with...