Almost a week later I am still integrating my experience from this year’s Radical Aliveness Retreat. You see last year was a wild, deep, and intense ride for me. Intensely painful at times but with months of hindsight I know it was such a necessary and fruit filled journey. This year was equally moving but in a different way. After all, I’m in a different place personally than I was last year. This is good because it means I didn’t spend the year in between stagnant like a pond in mid-July! And it is all because I have been willing to come to the edge and look.

Let me share with you what that means. Dr. Susan Rangitsch who leads these retreats shared this:

Imagine you are standing on a ledge and there is a tree branch before you that you just know could not hold your weight. And the teacher says, “Come to the edge”. “Come to the edge.” Would you go?

Of course when I heard this last year besides being scared to death of the idea my first thought was that this woman was certifiably insane. I mean, really. Let’s be real, why would I knowingly wander out on a metaphorical branch that could not hold me? Read the rest of this entry »

In this week’s episode things are heating up for the ladies of The L Word as we approach mid-season. Relationships are starting to crack and the hookups are coming fast and furious. As I expected from last week’s fall from integrity, this week finds Alice doing what every great Internet marketer wishes they could - go totally viral with her podcast and outing of the NBA star. Her end of show argument with Tasha is starting the ball rolling on what I call incompatible values in a relationship. If you and your partner aren’t congruent, it makes for a bumpy to impossible ride. More on that as things develop.

This week I want to address what was a very short piece of the show but one that I believe holds a most powerful lesson. Bette was on the phone talking to Tina about what she could possibly do about the Jodi situation at work. You see according to the powers that be at the school (and most certainly Bette) they believe Jodi took artistic freedom a bit too far when she let a student stand at the front on the room with a gun pointed to his head. Now whether you think it was ok or not ok for Jodi to allow this, the point is that she wants a meeting with the folks in charge and Bette wants to step in and do her control thing. Why Bette would call her ex for advice on this lord only knows and Tina’s look of disgust pretty much illustrates the absurdity of it. Yet Tina gets my coaching gold star award for her composure, compassion, and response:

“Let her speak for herself. Jodi is a very capable person. … I know you want to fix everything but you have to let her succeed or fail on her own. Otherwise it’ll be a disaster for both of you.”

Now there’s the best advice I’ve heard in a long time on this show. Read the rest of this entry »

What is integrity? The word gets tossed around a lot, but do you know what it really is? Are you clear on what it means to be in integrity? Did you know that integrity is perhaps the most important part of your personal foundation and that without a clear understanding of what integrity means to you you could be living your life like a house of cards?

Why is it so important?

• It holds the key to living a life you feel good about.
• Without it all success feels hollow
• Your reputation with yourself and others relies on it
• Your relationships - with yourself and others - personal and business - count on it.
• It is the foundation and critical success factor for achieving financial freedom.

And the best part of this is it is all within your control. How inspiring is that?!

Want to know more? Read the rest of this entry »