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Stay Curious: Sermon 5-22-22 at Flemington Baptist Church

It’s not every day I am called to deliver a sermon, but anytime I am, I humbly take the invitation. And in return, I call upon you to stay curious!

Below is an adaptation of the sermon delivered to the congregation:

If you would like to watch the sermon, please follow this link.

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Stay Curious

Good morning! It is always a pleasure to be here in the FBC community but today I feel an extra deep sense of pleasure. I will admit my imposter syndrome is running strong right now. Standing in for Pastor LaThelma. A human for whom I feel a great deal of admiration and awe – Her studies, her practice, her devotion. But I also respect the work she has done as an individual to show up fully as herself – as she was divinely crafted.

Who am I to preach for her – to you? Am I enough?

Though I am ordained through the Universal Life Church online so that I may perform wedding ceremonies for friends and family, and though I find this to be one of the greatest blessings of my life, I still struggle with my enoughness to be here today.

The conflict, I know, is not an external one. I have felt welcomed by Flemington Baptist Church (FBC) since our first visit here just over a year ago. I know I have been called here to this community. We, my family and I, have been welcomed home.

As with most struggles, I wrestled with two contrasting, internal voices.

The first is the voice that has been given permission for much of my life to speak up as truth. The authoritative voice in the back of my head saying, are you enough? The second is the voice I hear calmly, quietly, consistently saying, My darling, of course you are enough.

When I find myself wrestling with a deep voice in my soul and the nagging voice in my head, I know it’s time to call upon vulnerability. It is time to invite God’s love to breathe oxygen into my life and bolster my courage to overcome my fear – to let my curiosity for what I can be to dominate over what I am afraid I am not. It is time to say, I do not have to do this alone. I never do this alone.

Today’s bible passage comes from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

For when I am weak, then I am strong. This passage reminds us of a few things:

We are to expect hardships in life. Even with God’s love and protection, just as happiness is an expectation – so, too, is suffering.
that we avoid the ego’s nagging refrains by reminding ourselves that we do not have to be perfect but that God’s power is made whole, complete, perfect when we allow the relationship to be one of deep connection – of openness – of weakness.

In another sermon, we will break down my feelings on the use of the word weakness here as definitions matter and our cultural connotation of the word is unflattering, but it is assumed that weakness is the opposite of strength – of showing feebleness. In contrast, the kind of weakness Paul speaks of shows courage and clarity that can only be revealed when we trust. I believe that the weakness spoken of here is intended to say “trust” and this requires an openness – a vulnerability to bring forth our own authenticity – our divine truth.

Fun fact about me, I earned my black belt in Okinawa Kenpo karate when I was 27. I went in thinking I would learn how to fight. What I learned was how to protect myself. How to keep my person and my property safe from danger – from vulnerabilities. What I also learned was balance and peace. The fight stance alone is a contrast.

In this stance – we are solid, hyper-vigilant, and ready for attack. The translation of Karate means “empty hand”, and the translation of Kenpo (Kempo in some variations) means “the law of the fist”. To protect without weapons except for those organic to the body. It is powerful to practice relentlessly to possess weapons within us. There is safety knowing we have the tools and the experience and the courage to protect and feel peace in that security. Our bodies and minds can be truly powerful (and for this training – I am really aggressive when I take Tai Chi classes – LOL)!

Yet even in our most respectful, humble of scenarios, the bow, we never release the burden of protecting ourselves – of eliminating our vulnerabilities. We never lose eye contact. Never look away. Never hand over our power.

Karate taught me how to eliminate my vulnerabilities (physically) and protect. I am grateful.

But we are called to pray. To open up our vulnerabilities. To open up our weaknesses. To hand them over – to trust in god.

In this stance we are safe – but we are burdened if we attempt to take on life and its onslaught of struggles and fear alone.

In this stance, we are safe – unburdened because God has our back.

But the world today can be a scary place.

When I look at the world around me, I am certain that each one of us desires in a desperate manner to be seen – not just to be seen for what the world prescribes – but for who we are truly meant to be. To live fully. To dust off the edges of our gems and shine them for the world. If we believe we are divinely created, then we must never stop seeking this truth. We must always leave room for new oxygen – more growth. Continued change.

We know this, yet we grant permission for our culture to tell a different story of success and belonging. Let’s face it, there are many avenues of influence into our minds, bodies, and souls today, and this weaves a tightly wound, unbreathable corset around our souls. It is narrow – one of judgment. Standardization. Segregation. Intimidation. And scarcity. We are told to conform – to fit in – to withhold what’s inside. We are rarely told we are special and necessary if we are different from the masses, learn and perceive the world in unique ways, or worship a different God in a different manner in a different church with different music and traditions.

I am here today to ask you to reframe your weaknesses – see them as a calling from God to explore your innermost beliefs and interests and desires – to see them as guiding lights drawing out the inner gem within. Know your weaknesses are only your truths asking to be set free. Knowing that when we bow our heads and hearts and lift our hands in supplication that we are allowing God to breathe oxygen into our souls and bring forth our inner majesty.

I am here today to ask you to now see this in others – to allow their weakness to find a space to breathe without judgment.

I am here today to ask you to stay curious. As I have said many times before, I believe that God lives in connection. I believe in the connection between the bees and the trees, and the water and the sand, and the earth and the sky. I believe in the connection between all of god’s creatures and all of god’s creations!

When we look at all that connects us rather than all that separates us and allows connection despite the contrast, we create a space for God to live. When we can open up to this, we can see God’s work alive all around us. And I believe this requires our vulnerability.

In cybersecurity, a vulnerability is a weakness that can be exploited by cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to a computer system. To combat this, we hire experts to explore and identify the vulnerabilities long before a criminal might crack into the system – subsequently and allow the software and data and safety to breathe and grow. We install firewalls and constantly check and recheck and protect in order to thrive. For this to be successful, the experts must be curious enough to look closely and honest enough to share the truth.

In the humanities, vulnerability is the willingness to show emotion or to allow one’s weaknesses to be seen or known; willingness to risk being emotionally hurt:

This is the courage to say I love you first, to say I no longer love you first. It is the wisdom to say, I feel alone, and I need support. It is the risk we face everyday to introduce ourselves wholeheartedly to the world.

This is a risk. But is it one worth taking since God’s power is made perfect when we do.

This can be scary. When we do it alone.

But God is our firewall. Our fortress. Our strength.

It is not a weakness to expose ourselves fully, the real risk is withholding the truth. For in doing so, we risk diminishing the light within. Diminishing God’s work and God’s ideas. Restricting connection.

Researcher and storyteller, Brenee Brown, defines connection as “the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”

Connection is the energy that exists between God’s creations. It is the energy that exists between people. It is the Holy Spirit at work.

When we consider where we see God at work – God’s hand at play, I cannot help but think of all the magic there is to share. When we are curious, we find God in the connection of music spanning from the Americas to Africa to Australia and bringing forth a chorus of culture and communion. When we are curious, we find new ways to share the message of love and faith with those who are unfamiliar to the gospel. When we are curious, our differences become a new page in God’s book for us to explore. Our differences broaden our knowing of God’s creativity and confidence. Our differences are God’s divine work.

If we build our boundaries constructed by bricks of fear and judgment instead of trusting in God’s firewall, we will eliminate the opportunity to be seen as we truly are – to see others as they truly are, and this makes deep connection nearly impossible. When we carry the burden of hyper-vigilance and fear alone, we disconnect ourselves from our faith and our sanctuary of God’s love.

We must be curious about what God has in store for us. So simply keep your firewall subscription up to date, and all will be fine.

So that’s it, right? Easy peasy –

Wrong. This is not the easiest thing.

In a society that thrives on fear and scarcity, we must remember God’s abundance.

Then stay curious about where to find it.

Because you are safe.

John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

To move through with curiosity and confidence – separating the inner voice of God from the nagging voice of fear – we are set free. And freedom is what we crave. This comes from connection.

I fear that we are struggling as a culture to experience deep connection not only to others but especially to God and to ourselves. To shed light on this, I would like to share a few things with you:

Glennon Doyle’s podcast, “We Can Do Hard Things”, recently highlighted work published by Australian Palliative care nurse, Bronnie Ware. Her “5 Regrets of the Dying” were shared. I was called to this because I, too, have expressed these regrets through life, and I am working to transform their relationship to my happiness and my suffering. In sharing them with you now, I want you to close your eyes and please raise your hand if you have said – or are saying – these things to yourself today.

I wish I had the courage to live life true to myself, not the one others expected of me.
I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
I wish I had had the courage to express my feelings.
I wish I stayed in touch with my friends.
I wish that I had let myself be happier.

If you raised your hand for even one of these, I invite you – as my calling here today – to get curious about the subject. Is it your connection to expectations, work, feelings, relationships, or your inner self that needs your attention? What happens when you ask the question of “am I enough” and God answers, “Of course you are.” Can you hear it? Can you be still and know that you are safe? Can you stand upon your fertile, higher ground, and relying upon the legacy of your roots, can you reach up and out to shine your light? Can you redefine the perceived weakness?

Jesus said “I am the way and the truth”. He said, “follow me. Be curious with me. Trust me.” And God will be your refuge, your road, and your right. The truth is the fertile soil and earth upon which our roots grow deeper and allow the branches to extend up and out. We are strong and stable because of the truth (be still and know) and then we are set free by the truth to seek outward turning over a new leaf(stay curious) knowing we can always return to our core. Our faith. God’s work is ever present.

The thread of vulnerability is woven through each branch welcoming both feelings of being held (not restricted) and being seen as we grow and breathe life into ourselves and others. But we must stay curious. We must allow oxygen to breathe life into our souls.

In this Easter season as we approach Pentecost, we are reminded of the love, the faith, and the dedication that allowed Jesus to face his journey from life to death on the cross. We are then reminded of the love, the faith, and the dedication that defeated death in his resurrection. We are reminded that Jesus never walked alone, and he knew it. He walked each unbearable step in the knowing: He died for it. So that we may be set free. Even in the face of change, danger, opposition, or despair, God is with us just as God’s Holy Spirit held Jesus as he carried hope for you and me on his shoulders. God had his back – just as God has your back and mine.

Our Deepest Fear

Marianne Williamson

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness

That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves

Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small

Does not serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking

So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,

As children do.

We were born to make manifest

The glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us;

It’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,

We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we’re liberated from our own fear,

Our presence automatically liberates others.”

Stay curious. The world is waiting:)

Amen.

Here’s the The Trouble with Being a Good Parent

Here’s the trouble with being a good parent – it’s impossible to get just right when the rules of engagement change every day. Let me lay it out for you:

The expectation in the beginning: I will be the best parent ever. The books I will read will help me do it just right. I learned so much on my journey, certainly I can make the world right for this tiny human. Everyone else has done it perfectly, so surely I can.

The reality: I feel like I am failing. I am too tired. I am not enjoying all of this like I am supposed to. I am not nearly as good as the parents I see around me. I am not enough for my kids.

The hard truth: You are not perfect. You are a parent. You are a human. You are a hero. And you are likely a hot mess.

The real struggle here is to remedy the conflict between who we are trying to be and who we are authentically meant to be. The struggle is to revamp the expectations and be clear on what we will use to measure ourselves.

How do we do it: We identify our values, our goals, and our opportunities. Then we bust out our obstacles.

Why do we do it: The cycle will continue unless we change it, and the cycle can be dark.

The real goal: Let them become who they authentically are (especially in a way that you were never offered). This is where we avoid the ”Encanto Effect”. You know, where each character has a special gift (which sounds totally awesome), but that gift becomes their defining feature and smothers the exploration of other talents and emotions and experiences.

What gifts did you withhold in the name of pleasing others and aligning to their expectations? What gifts are still waiting to be revealed? What gifts can you help your kids explore?

Whose perfection are you seeking?

In martial arts, we practiced the Dojo Kun – the way of being within the dojo and out in the world shared through 5 simple mantras. One was, “Seek Perfection of Character”. What this reminds me is that we are not practicing to be perfect performers. We are practicing to:

SEEK: attempt or desire to obtain or achieve

PERFECTION: the action or process of improving something until it is faultless or as faultless as possible. For our purposes today – let’s focus on the process of improving to meet standards of our own choosing.)

of CHARACTER (the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual)

When I sum that up I get this: one must desire/attempt the act of improving the qualities unique to them. This reminds us to open the pathway of their journey, grab some pom-poms, and start cheering them on. The critical answer here is understanding we should each be seeking our OWN perfection only to be found on our own journey which means we have to let them become.

But this is scary. To allow them to become something unknown – to figure life out on their own terms is freaking scary. The thought of letting them struggle or endure sadness is intolerable. The record in my brain kept playing this dreaded tune on repeat: “a good parent makes sure their kids are happy, safe, and comfortable all the time, and you will be a good parent.”

I always told my kids that my job was to protect them. When I began saying it, I deeply meant to protect them from all things bad and dangerous. For my brand new babies, it was quite literally making sure they stay alive. I was comfortable with my proclamation of protection. Then as they grew, I realized it wasn’t just the protection of physical safety I was promising but also I was trying to protect them from suffering. I wanted to keep the monsters not only out of the closet but out of the state, the country, and everywhere. I wanted a life for them free of suffering.

BUT Life is not just made of happiness. The inevitability of life is just this: we will endure both the highs of happiness and the lows of suffering. Neither will remain. Neither can be anticipated. We can only be in the moment and be aware that the next moment changes. My kids will encounter some of the truly deepest feelings of celebration and exultation, and they will be faced with some impossible situations and feelings.

If I block their experience from suffering, I will deny them the necessary opportunity to learn to manage their great big feelings in a way that will help navigate their journey. I cannot buffer them from suffering. That is on them to manage. My job is to instill the desire and the courage to protect themselves, to trust themselves, and to enjoy themselves.

So while it pains me to watch my kids struggle with anything, I also know I want to raise happy, healthy, independent, financially stable, contributing members of society who are unique and sure of who they are. However they choose to do it, I will support them, but I know today that I owe it to them to teach them to find their joy amidst the happiness and suffering as they embark upon this bumpy, beautiful journey.

I won’t tell you it‘s easy – But I will tell you time and again that you can endure it with more joy for you and for them. And I will tell you that I have your back. In this coaching practice, we will dig into what values drive you at your core, what aspects of life you are tolerating, and which resources can be tapped to help you bring your best self back to life. We will do this for you and to help you love the people who count on you!

You don’t have to be a good parent in all the ways and in all the things, but setting your sights on seeking the perfection of your unique character will make you great!

You are worth it, and the world needs all of us to shine brighter.

~Much Love✨

Racing, Yoga, & Parenting (Repost)

This originally was written in for the Grace UCC Newsletter for the Parenting Column. It was written in 2015, but the message rings true today. Please enjoy a trip down memory lane with me as we are reminded that life’s journey is all about the experience along the way – the learning, the bumps and bruises, the glitches and the glows, the experience of life.

Just recently I drove a race car. Like a real – NASCAR – racecar! It was a bucket list item added years ago – long before I was married – long before I was a mom. When I was young and adventurous and confident, I decided that I wanted to drive a racecar. I was totally intimidated, but I went in to it knowing that I would push myself as far as I believed I could, and then I would push a little further. I didn’t drive quite as intensely as the others, but you would never know it from my joy.

That night when I opened up my journal to insert the proud check mark, I looked through the list and started to laugh when I read, “Learn Yoga”, in my definitive, declarative handwriting. I was going to “learn yoga”. I laughed because with my perspective today, I know how ridiculous it is to think one can “learn yoga”. It is a practice – a thing you do every day. A thing you learn again every day. It is a practice coupled with confidence and mistakes and insecurities and growth. It is a joy.

For me, it was separating the idea of learning a task (aka – mastery) and practicing a task (aka – effort) that suddenly made me great at yoga. I didn’t need to master the pose, the style, and the depth because the essence of yoga – perhaps life – is to keep pushing, keep strengthening, and keep breathing. I began to understand that the wobbles and the frustration were a practice that may never be perfect but the effort is always redeemable.

You see – parenting is so very much like yoga. Not only do I often parent while wearing my yoga pants, but the concepts are so very similar. We have to practice. We are always practicing. There’s no Superbowl or World Series of parenting or yoga. We simply continue to grow and develop – to be our truest selves and hope it is enough.

I struggle though to extend that mindset of acceptance of who I am to other aspects of life. I hear the call to wake up each day and with acceptance for yesterday and dedication to do better today, yet somehow my expectations are so unforgiving. I have always been hard on myself, but when I suddenly had two precious lives under my watch, I wanted nothing more than to be the very best. I make myself crazy trying to meet the unfortunate (self-imposed) demand to be perfect, flawless, and balanced. To be fair, I am so very proud of the job Chris and I are doing in bringing up our two amazing children, and I am so thankful that he can balance me out!

I put so much pressure on myself to get it right all the time – the first time – every time. How have I neglected myself the opportunity to learn as I go? How naïve to think that I didn’t need to practice being a great mom – every day. I find I don’t want to accept in myself my shortcomings as a parent and am unbelievably hard on myself. We are hard on ourselves as parents. We expect ourselves to get it right all the time.

I am silly.

We are silly.

As a kid, one of the household understandings was very simple, “as long as you are doing your best, I will be proud.” As I try to pass this wisdom on to my kids, I question the authenticity of my position. I want them to know that working hard and challenging themselves is what creates us and moves us; however, it is not always easy, nor will it guarantee success. Practicing is often dirty and frustrating.

Each day I want to be a better parent and refrain from outbursts, wash fewer dishes, answer the first time they call me, put down the phone, and actually be with them. Under one perspective I see this person – this mom – scrutinizing each personal foul and kicking the dirt at each bump, and then I see my two children (Brayden-4 and Eden-1.5) and know that I am modeling the actions my children will one day recreate. Yet I am trying to teach them to work hard and accept themselves for who they are. The contradiction is alarming.

Titus 2:7 tells us to “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity and dignity.” It so clearly calls us to practice in a way that demonstrates goodness and grace. We have to remind ourselves that there’s true beauty – true grace – in the bumps in the road: They bring with them growth and an opportunity for grace. As in yoga, we stretch and stumble and breathe and accept it and then stretch more: We must do so with parenting.

The hard truth is that parenting is painful – it is hard. Yes. BUT – The pain is a sign that we becoming something more. I see it during each stage where I finally understand them and the next moment they throw a curve ball – they change. They are unpredictable, and the frustration is a reminder that our children are growing and developing and becoming more. Their development is the most amazing thing I have been blessed to bear witness to. It has been the greatest blessing and the greatest challenge of my life. And it is my responsibility to teach my children that they have immeasurable value and can find and give grace everywhere.

We will do this by accepting within ourselves our flaws, forgiving ourselves of these flaws, and embracing where we are in our journey. We will show them with our actions, our beliefs, and our words. Grace UCC’s precious motto reads, “No matter who you are and where you are on life’s journey, you are fully welcome here.” Each time I read this I am warmed inside with a tremendous amount of acceptance and grace, for the words are truth without question. It is this same feeling and these same words I want my kids to embrace, so I need to begin embracing them for myself.

So parenting is a whole lot like yoga. It requires me to take the time, take the breath, and take a chill pill. We will not get it right all of the time, but when we expect ourselves to learn parenting or learn yoga, we are denying ourselves the growth within the journey. When we look at the bumps in the road, we miss the changing of the seasons and beauty in change. I am learning to get back in the racecar (metaphorically…for now) and push myself as far as I can, and then to push a little further. Find the patience for it demonstrates grace. Be forgiving as it opens a door for growth. Laugh a lot for joy feels good on everyone. And show up tomorrow with integrity and hope!

I tell you all of this for one simple reason – I have chosen to write this column. It is a stretch for me in the balance of life, but this column is going to be a display of my practice as a parent. Some will be rather insightful and others will likely make you scratch your head in wonder, but I am going to embrace this practice in parenting, life, and writing. My only qualifications for writing this are that I love my children immensely, and I am willing to try new things. To some I may be spot on, and to others I may be way off, but the truth is mine, and that makes it the very best truth I know.

A favorite sermon of mine is one where Pastor Dan calls us to “Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude”. It is an attitude I need to be reminded of frequently, so each month I will end with an “attitude” in case I miss the mark above. So mine for this month is this: I will work to be grateful for the growing pains of parenting for they are signs that we are all becoming more. I will allow myself to practice parenting and release manifested demands. I will forgive myself and simply do my best each day with integrity and grace. I will laugh.

What will yours be? And as your Life Coach, how can I help you practice in a way that allows your best self to shine? How can we welcome more grace into your space?

Much Love,

Day #1 – Hidden Treasures

Today is Day #1. Philosophically, everyday we awaken is Day #1 – a chance to renew hope and back it with action – everyday offers us the gift of a new start. But today is a special Day #1 for me. Today I let my hidden treasure fully out of the box – today I fully commit to helping you find yours.

I resigned from my full-time position as VP of Marketing of Fimbel ADS to devote all of my energy to fulfilling my life’s purpose: empowering others to shine their best light, for this is the only way I know to change the world. I have been practicing my craft for the last two years while balancing my ‘day job’, and the balance has shifted in favor of Joy, Inc. – in favor of you! I knowingly watched my light fade in a hampster wheel attempt to serve others, and while the days were sometime hard and overwhelming, the growth and the opportunity to learn were tremendous.

We so easily get buried in the doing of the day to day that we forget what we are doing it for. We lose perspective and purpose. We lose our desire for the hidden treasure. And when we lose this, the world loses with us.

In her book, Big Magic, Liz Gilbert (@Elizabeth_Gilbert_Writer) shares her insights into the topic of exploring what’s inside us all. At one point in the book she says, “I happen to believe we are all walking depositories of buried treasure.” This quote hits home her thesis quite nicely: Fulfilling the life you’ve dreamed of requires the magic inside of you to be released.

I will add to that: Doing so is the way we bring enough light to outlast the darkness of today’s world.

It is ambitious, but it isn’t impossible. In Michael Franti’s song, Gloria, he sings to us, “When many little people in many little places do many little things then the whole world changes.” This doesn’t happen playing it small inside the rules of others, it only happens when our big light shines.

This is the ripple effect at play, and I can only imagine the work that can be done if more people felt wholeheartedly themselves. Consider the conflicts and monotony that would be reduced – consider filling the world with your light.

In this coaching practice, the goal is to bring your hidden treasure to the surface – it is to find joy and to give joy. You and I will build a relationship based on trust, accountability, and collaboration, and then we will build a rolling plan. We do this by identifying values and desires – we start where you are. This will include an exploration of what you are tolerating and what you are willing and able to do to step beyond the obstacle. Together we will put behaviors behind the hope, and together we will evaluate, celebrate, and navigate your next best step.

Here are the hard facts, however…

There is no magic pill or process to finding your authentic self as it is yours uniquely. No one ever before on this great planet has ever walked your journey. No one could ever tell you how it should be done.
I do not have the answers for you. I certainly can offer my advice! But that wouldn’t be authentic to you, and that would get you nowhere. What I do instead is offer you questions, accountability, and support that will require your truth to lead the way.
Growth takes time. Ask an oak tree. Growth takes time. It also takes commitment and nourishment. But more importantly – it takes initiative. I spent 39 of my precious years thinking I had to be perfect and sacrificial only to find I was withering away. Through this practice, I continue to regrow the mindset and the behaviors and the joy that serves me and others. But growth takes time.
You are going to have to feel your feelings. This is a hard fact for many as we spend much of our life trying to ignore our feelings – move through them. But, my friend, your feelings are signals, and we need to listen. We do not need to act on all of them, but we have to be aware they exist. Then…hang on to your hats…you will need to dig up some vulnerability and address those that are holding you back. But do not fret…I will be with you the entire way.
This one may be the most uncomfortable one for you as it deviates from the narrative we tend to hold, but it is the single most important thing I can share with you: YOU ARE WORTH IT. You are so worthy of loving yourself. You are so worthy of finding your joy. You are so worthy.
It is on you to take the first step. Go back to #1. No one on this planet can tell you when it is time for YOU to shine, for that blessing and burden fall on your shoulders. Reaching out to ask for help might seem unheard of, so consider it like this: If it isn’t initially for your sake, who in your life might benefit from a happier, healthier, more confident and creative version of yourself? Do it for them, but don’t be surprised when it becomes about you!

If you are feeling the pull to explore what’s hidden inside of you and ahead of you, let’s talk. I gladly offer a complimentary consultation to share more about the work we will do, how I got here, and where you would like to see this collaboration take you.

Today I took the next step toward my most authentic self (thanks in great part to wonderful coaches I had along the way), and I would love to take you along my journey by formally inviting you to Joy, Inc on Day #1.

I am only a message away, and your hidden treasure is not out of reach!

Much Love,

An Invitation to Joy✨

Are you ready to turn up your spirit volume? Perhaps you have a friend who needs help shining! Please join me in my mission to cultivate JOY in our world. You are formally invited!

I am a teacher and a healer at my core. As an educator, my mission was to empower my students to explore and embrace their best selves. As a coach, my mission remains the same. I don’t claim to have the answers for you individually, but I bring you real questions and insights because you already have the answers waiting to be explored without judgement. My job as your coach is to assist in finding new perspectives, share hard core accountability coupled with compassion, and empower your authenticity to glow. I feel you. I see you.

The only way I know to change the world is to shine my light on others so they may in turn enhance their light while brightening the whole world.

Click the image below to listen in to get to know me on the I’m my Sista’s Keeper Podcast

People I work with find more of themselves through an authentic light, become grounded while building momentum, share a willingness for vulnerability in our sessions and in their personal and professional lives, celebrate with a sense of humor and humility. We will explore what you are tolerating, and what you are willing and able to do to incorporate joy into life.

“Joy is resilient, enduring happiness despite dark times.” ~The Dalai Lama

I lost this resilience when the story of the moment took dominance over the story of my life. Despite my love of learning and words, I lost power over the words I allowed to be truth in my experience. It was my work with coaches that helped shift the narrative and align my behaviors with what truly matters to me.

Happiness is not joy. Happiness relies upon external and uncontrollable circumstances. Joy becomes accessible when we apply the right perspective, acceptance, and compassion for ourselves and our encounters regardless of the external forces.

There’s no secret sauce to how we make change – There’s only the journey.

We start where you are and celebrate your strength for showing up for growth.
Establish a clear vision aligned with your authentic values.
Identify available and motivating opportunities
Face obstacles head on to get ahead of it roadblocks and excuses
Build an actionable and engaging plan
Evaluate and celebrate glows and glitches.

One of my favorite reminders comes from Dr. Jean Oursler, The Results Queen and reminds us all of the power of experience and perspective: “We failed all the time as kids, but we called it learning.” Change isn’t about getting it right the first time. It is about cultivating the desire and determination to try again, and I have your back with celebration, bandaids, pom-poms, and JOY!

Let’s get your 2021 Vibes aligned and turn up your spirit volume by emailing me, Michaela, at bringjoytolife.mb@gmail.com.

Much Love, M✨