Did you know Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away? And, with Thanksgiving the official start of the “Holiday Season” (whatever that means), at least in the US, a whole host of other holidays are just around the corner.

Does the thought of this season..

• Make your palms sweat?
• Fill you with dread?
• Stress you out?
• Activate panic and overwhelm inside of you?
• Send you back into the closet?

Well, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way! If you’re anything like me, the holidays often become more about drama, doing a million things, trying to please everyone, and crawling out of your authentic skin and into some facade. Well, no more! I’m here to stand up for all my comfortable in your own skin principles and tell you that you can have it YOUR WAY. Or, at the very least you can enjoy the holidays in a way that feels right to you.

Want to know how to do that? Then join me for my FREE teleclass on “7 Secrets to a Stress Free Thanksgiving and Holiday Season”:

When? Thursday, November 15th at 6p EST (for 1 hour)

Where? Anywhere you are via telephone

To Register: The live class is over but if you’d like to hear a recording, contact me.

Can’t Make it? Don’t worry, the call will be recorded and sent to all registered participants so you can listen in even if you can’t make it live.

What are you waiting for? The holidays will be here upon you before you know it…why not make them easy as pie…

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending a self-defense workshop as part of the Bucks County Day for All Women. It was the final session of the day and while I had taken a self-defense class many moons ago I figured it was a good opportunity for Kim & I to learn something new. With all the traveling, hiking, biking, and other things we do, sometimes solo, I figure the more I can learn and assimilate over time, the betteroff I’ll be should the unthinkable happen.

What stuck me most (even though I already knew this concept) was the immediate and strong focus on the importance of presence. Our instructor Mr. Dorrell drove home the point that how you appear to others can often be the #1 determining factor on whether or not an attacker will pick you. Now, while I always knew the whole appear confident, be aware of your surroundings, keep your hands free, and don’t look like a victim advice, it really hit home for me. As he showed us two power stances used in karate, it clearly demonstrated the difference a simple way of standing can have on another person’s perception of you. In fact the co-instructor for our session was a young woman with a petite stature. Of course she was a black belt so no one is going to mess with her, but it wasn’t that fact nearly as much as her presence that communicated that message. It was at that moment that the bells went off in my head — there is indeed a connection between what I do — helping others learn how to be comfortable in their own skin and actual physical safety. How’s that you say? Read the rest of this entry »

Last night Kim & I filled in for our neighbor who couldn’t take her son trick or treating because of a back injury. We love this boy (herein referred to as “our boy”) anyway so we figured it was a great opportunity to get out & experience Halloween in a new way once again. Since I still wasn’t feeling great recovering from a short bout of illness, I was in a good mood, but subdued and very observant. What I noticed is a pretty scary reflection of the mindset so many people adopt and live by and don’t even realize they are doing it because it is so ingrained at a young age.

We live in a small development where the residents range from the truly uncultured and unsophisticated (and that’s the nicest way I can put it) to smart singles and families who are either getting started with their first house or simply choosing to live within a reasonable price range for a small single home (imagine that!). The houses are fairly close together with the largest yards being 1/4 acre. So, close together, but not claustrophobic. It took us around an hour and forty-five minutes to do the loop at a leisurely pace.

People (especially kids) Can Be Mean

I’m not sure why we feel the need to judge and taunt one another. Nowhere is it as evident as with young children (except maybe in politics). Our boy is 11 and a most creative young man. He is cute as a button, polite, and wise beyond his years. He had an awesome costume that would make any drag queen on Commercial Street beam with pride. He was an Egyptian Pharaoh complete with the costume, headband, and awesome makeup. He truly looked authentic. A lot of people, especially the adults sick of seeing the same dozen princesses and hobos really loved his costume and commented on it (although I’m still not so sure what the people who thought he was Julius Caesar were smoking). Yet a few kids would pass by and smirk “nice costume” or “nice makeup” and not in the complimentary way if you know what I mean. All I could think was — it is Halloween for Christ’s sake — it’s a costume and the kid is 11. Apparently our prejudices run deep and start early. Read the rest of this entry »