While I rarely wax political in this space, I want to draw your attention to a series of radio interviews called “Same-Sex Marriage: Who Cares!?” The reason this is relevant to the personal and business topics I write about is because without equal rights under the law lesbians are at a disadvantage and have to overcome additional hurdles to success. (Of course, we don’t let any of these obstacles deter us because we’re powerful and persevering women!)

You can check out the PR about the series here.

This series is spearheaded by one of my colleagues Souldancer who is just a fabulous guy doing great work in the world. A great lineup is planned featuring impressive women like Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon, M.V. Lee Badgett, and Colonel Cammermeyer to name a few. The complete lineup can be perused at the program guide. He is still looking for some guests to fill in a few of these blanks in the schedule:

• A constitutional scholar to speak to historical efforts regarding amendments driven by a particular interest group
• A state level expert to speak to what they believe states in general have to LOSE by a federal law that permits same-sex marriage.
• A national organizational level expert of a religious denominations to speak to what they believe their denomination (or similar groups) have to LOSE by a federal law that permits same-sex marriage.
• A nationally visible lesbian family to share their thoughts on how a law that permits or denies same-sex marriage impacts their family.
• A nationally visible our person to share their thoughts on how a law that permits or denies same-sex marriage impacts their workplace.
• A nationally visible South African or Australian gay or lesbian to share their thoughts on what they’ve experienced as their country struggles with this issue.
• Nationally visible gay and lesbian nonprofit executives to share their thoughts on how large non-profits shape US society in general and the impact they may the proposed constitutional amendment to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples.

If you or someone you know is interested, you can contact Souldancer directly at info@souldancer.org or drop me an email and I’ll put you in touch.

Please visit “New Voices” which is hosting this series and tune in for Same-Sex Marriage: Who Cares!?.

I recently talked about the quality of information you allow yourself to digest each day as being a key ingredient of success and avoiding burnout. One fabulous and entirely free way you can add more soul-full high quality information to your daily diet is by listening to some of the shows on Hay House Radio.

Some of the world’s best spiritual leaders, medical intuitives, coaches, holistic healers, and others are available to you each week free of charge streaming over the internet or downloadble to your MP3 player. And, if you listen live, many shows allow you to call in and speak personally with the show host to have your questions answered.

I personally am a huge fan of Debbie Ford, Cheryl Richardson, and Caroline Myss and have been listening to their shows faithfully since Day 1.

I highly recommend taking a peek and a listen to Hay House Radio. Listen for a while and just notice if your spirit feels a little more uplifted. All these shows are great introductions to becoming more self-aware and making positive changes in your life.

Post a comment and let me know what you think …

A thriving relationship is one of life’s most satisfying experiences. As someone who has been in a committed relationship for over 14 years I can honestly say it is one of the cornerstones of my life. And, after all these years I can still say that we are crazy about one another!

What I know for sure is that a relationship does not complete me. While that whole “you complete me” nonsense sounds great in movies and love songs, it doesn’t work in real life. I am whole plain and simple, with or without a relationship. And, until you can become more aware of who you are and what you really want from another person in a relationship, you will kiss a lot of frogs and experience a lot of heartaches and hard lessons.

That is why I am so psyched about Barb Elgin’s (Coach Sappho) new Programs for Singles. In her program she breaks it down to the fundamentals — getting real clear on:

• Who you are
• What you want from a relationship
• How to go about finding it

She takes a holistic and intentional approach to singles and is passionate about giving you the support you need to make your relationship dreams come true.

I just returned this week from my first Olivia Vacation, the Western Caribbean Cruise. This was my virginal voyage with the company renown for delivering extraordinary vacations to lesbian women.

I had high expectations (and goodness knows I can be tough to please) and they not only met but far exceeded them. Here’s just a few reasons why:

• The company walks its talk from the top down and it shows in all they do. (I’ll talk about this much more in an upcoming post)
• High standards of excellence. From their choices of ship to ports of call to entertainment, it is only the best for the ladies of Olivia.
• They create an atmosphere where you feel like you truly matter and are cared for. The number and helpfulness of the support staff is refreshing in a day and age where “the customer comes first” are often empty and hollow words. To feel personally attended to in a crowd of 1850 guests is an art form.
• Enthusiasm and energy. Where else do people hoot and holler and cheer the trip director and staff just because they walked on stage and said good morning or good evening? The positive vibes from all aboard are so strong that a girl used to the cynicism and apathy of life in the ‘burbs of Pennsylvania could easily get overwhelmed initially.
• A safe space. From pre-sail to disembarkation you inhabit a safe, accepting, and diverse space that is hard to find anywhere. Think of the best women’s festival you’ve ever attended and then double it.
• Variety. I thought I’d be bored on a cruise or that I wouldn’t enjoy it because I am not an outgoing partying type or social butterfly. The variety of activities and opportunities to participate in or just get away from it all in a quiet corner made it possible to do your own thing at any time of the day or night. And, with the exception of a few of the “special parties” on the deck or lounge, the place never seemed overcrowded.

Now a lot of people I know shake their heads and say that they could vacation cheaper doing it on their own. Maybe, but in this case you truly get what you pay for — unsurpassed excellence and an experience you just can’t find elsewhere. I will definitely do it again — the only question is should I cruise? go to a resort? take an active vacation? Hmmmm, so many choices!

I don’t get any perks or benefits from recommending them, I just feel strongly about my positive experience. So, check out their website at Olivia.com and if you’re so inspired as to book a vacation, tell them I sent you!

Let’s face it, we all like to do business with like-minded lesbian owned businesses when we can.  While I am not someone who has this as their first critieria when making a purchasing decision, it is often one of my critieria if the circumstance lends itself to it.

There are plenty of gay and gay-friendly directories on the web and in print.  So far, though the Lesbian-Business Directory is the The ONLY lesbian owned and operated business directory I have found online.

In addition to the business directory, they also offer a selection of business related articles, interviews, and resources as well for the budding businesswoman.  While it is so far a small selection, I believe this part of their site is new as of late 2005, so I would expect it to grow.