positive thinking

The Struggle About What To Charge

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In this moment, I can’t actually think of any client I’ve ever worked with that hasn’t at some point wondered or (most likely) agonized over what to charge. And I confess, I certainly have grappled with this many times in the past as well.

The question about where to set your rates brings up a whole slew of internal questions and judgments:

How valuable is my work?

What will people think when they hear my rates?

What are other people in my industry charging?

Will anyone buy from me at all?

Am I undercharging?

Am I overcharging?

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My Top 3 Business Blunders of 2015

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1-8-16MistakesI get deeply annoyed and sometimes angry when I see “gurus” pretending that their lives and businesses are perfect because…NO ONE’s life or business is perfect. We all have our challenges, our frustrations, and I am pretty sure we all make our fair share of mistakes.

I always strive to be as transparent as I can with YOU (my beloved community!) because I know that your personal and business growth will accelerate if you know that you are in very good company when things don’t go your way — it will help you refrain from beating up on yourself, comparing yourself, and judging yourself… all things that slow down your growth.

So here’s what you need to know:
I make mistakes.
Lots of them.
Sometimes, after I’ve made them, they are seriously painful.
They may cost me time or money or opportunity or peace of mind.

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Transformational Business & Life Lessons from Winter

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Winter-trees-winter-22173860-1920-1200Recently, I had the honor and privilege of training 25 world-changing leaders on how to align your life and business with the seasons and cycles so that you are more successful, more in-the-flow, and all-around happier. (If you’re interested in being at the next training, let me know & we’ll set a time to speak – they sell out quickly!).

Whenever I teach this, the room is blown away by the power of living and working in attunement to the Earth. It is life-changing.

And inevitably there is also some initial disbelief on what the cold, dark, bare Winter could ever teach about life and business.

Most folks shun the Winter and the dark, anxiously waiting for the warm, pastel days of Spring. READ MORE

Quickie Inspiration for You

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DSC_0029Whether you live in the US or not, considering everything that is going on in the world right now, this is the perfect week to connect deeply into gratitude and being thankful for all that you have.

While I don’t have all the answers to how we can change our world, I do know one important component of the healing of the world: YOU.

YOU have a sacred responsibility to love yourself deeply.

You have a sacred responsibility to approach yourself with tenderness and with care and with full acceptance for your beauty AND for your imperfection.

You have a sacred responsibility to hold yourself sacred and to have compassion for all of the things about yourself that you don’t always like.

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Leading your clients when your personal life takes over

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Joanna and her kids

Last week, while I was leading a group call with nearly 30 women, my parents telephoned me on both my home phone and my cellphone 4 times within about 2 minutes.

I could feel my heart start beating faster as I was coaching. My mother has had MS for 30 years, and there have been many emergencies, hospital visits, and even life-support situations over the years.

A version of me 3 years ago would have tried to ignore her calls until I was done teaching — yet be scared & un-present to my teaching the entire time — because I wouldn’t want to come off as unprofessional.

An even older version of myself would have freaked out completely, told the folks on the call that I needed to reschedule, and then go on to deal with whatever was happening.

Last week, instead, at an appropriate pause in between spotlight coaching moments, I let the women on the call know that my parents had called 4 times and that I was concerned enough to feel I should call back, but that it would only take a moment. I asked everyone on the call to hold for just a minute and quickly called my mom. There was a slight emergency situation, but nothing very serious. I was able to get off the phone in under 90 seconds, return to my clients with full presence, and then take care of the situation at an appropriate time.

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Some vulnerability about my business…

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I recently posted this on Facebook, and it received such an overwhelming response that it felt important to share with you as well. It’s a short article, but a VERY important one!

The last 15 months with a baby and a 1st grader and a business and a sick mom who lives far away and…well, just life and all that comes with it…has been really hard at times.

In terms of business, there has been massive, massive growth on some levels, and on other levels I’m moving way slower than ever before. I thought my re-brand would be done and ready to go by last January. Ha! I’m hoping now for end of September. I thought my Sacred Archetype Assessment would have been ready by last December. I released it in July. I had plans for writing my book and creating some really, really huge marketing moments this last Spring. That hasn’t fully happened yet.

I’m sharing this for a couple of reasons:

1) I could have easily beaten myself up through all of this, judged myself for being lazy or too slow, compared myself to others, etc. But instead I chose to honor my pace, to honor that my business is NOT my first priority in life, to honor that I choose to make time for my children FIRST, and for my business to fit in with my life and not the other way around.

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I Took A Look At Something Important This Week

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This last Monday, Penina had the day off school, and I strategically set up a playdate for her during Yael’s nap so that I could get some work done. Normally, I wouldn’t necessarily do this, but my babysitter was off most of last week, and I had stuff on my list to do.

As soon as I got Yael to sleep, I went to the computer to get through some emails.

About 5 minutes into it, Penina and her friend came downstairs, all dressed up — they wanted me to watch their play.

My first thought was "I don’t have time for this!"
My second thought was self-judgment that I would even think my first thought, because my kids are more important than anything to me.
My third thought was to chill out on myself.
I went upstairs.

While I was waiting for them to start, my mind was on the email I had left unwritten.

I didn’t even sit down, because I was thinking I’d watch them for a minute or two and then be able to get back to work.

They were dilly-dallying getting started, and I noticed some inner tension, because I wanted to send that email and write a newsletter article before Yael woke up.

And then Penina came "on the stage" and started singing. And as she sang, she looked at me to make sure I was listening closely. So I sat down.

And I decided to forget about the email and be fully present to my daughter and her friend. I started swaying to their singing and allowed myself to get fully caught up in the moment.

I pretty much ended up hanging out with them through Yael’s nap, deciding that this week’s newsletter could be a re-print of an older one I wrote, and that nothing would fall apart if emails went out a day later.

(This week’s newsletter article would have been a re-print, but I posted this originally on Facebook, and then I realized it was the newsletter article that I hadn’t written!)

I am clear on my priorities in my heart and soul, and most of the time in how I act. But I have to admit that every now and again my actions betray me. Sometimes I get caught between home and business. Or forget that one of the reasons I chose to be an entrepreneur in the first place was because I wanted more FREEDOM in my life to do what I want to do.

Today was a powerful reminder for me on how important it is to be vigilante when I slip into "work, work, work" — to realize it as quickly as possible and move out of it, so that I can have the life I want and a business that supports it.

Whether you have kids or not, living and being present to your LIFE is crucial. If you’re part of my community, you’re like me, and I know that while your business is important to you, it can’t be the end all, be all.

Where can you pay more attention to your life, starting TODAY?

What are the “little things” you do for your business that actually are big things and take you away from your life and freedom?

I would love to help you attract more aligned clients and visibility while also making choices that are right for you and your life. Fill out this 2-minute application, and we’ll set up a time to speak and see what you’re needing right now.

With love,
Joanna

This May Be Controversial…

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For all of the meditation, yoga and positive thinking that I’ve done in my life, I’m still a competitive person.

I notice when others in my industry do something new and amazing.

I have moments of longing when I see others be “bigger” than me.

I occasionally find myself thinking, “That was my idea, so pissed she got there first.”

(I also love to win Scrabble and Boggle and any kind of race).

I am competitive. And actually, most people are.

There are some people who don’t have competition in their bones (my husband, for example, before meeting him I wouldn’t have even believed this type of person existed), but for the most part, competition is part of human nature.

And get this: it’s not a bad thing.

Yes, you read that correctly. Don’t listen to the folks out there that say competition is “wrong”. Don’t hate yourself for your competitive nature. Or feel ashamed. Or like you’re not “spiritual” enough because of it.

Actually, competition can be an amazing thing and used for immense good in the world and in your business. In its highest form, competition is a sacred energy.

Competition happens naturally in the animal world all the time (think: competing for food or shelter or a mate), and humans are animals, so it’s natural for us as well.

At its best, the sacred energy of competition can be a vehicle for creativity, productivity, transformation, positive change in the world, self-love and love for others. Don’t believe me? Think about how motivating it can be when you watch someone else who is doing well.

However, there are useful and then not-so-useful ways of handling your competitive streak. We do need to take a close look at that, or else you will find yourself feeling anxious, constantly comparing yourself to others, jealous, feeling bad about yourself, bitchy, and unable to play nice with joint venture partners or feel good about other people’s wins.

Those are the lowest expressions of competition, and they arise when you aren’t using this sacred energy consciously and wisely.

Jealousy, in particular, can rear its ugly head when competition goes wrong, and we all know how horrible that can feel.

So how do you manage your competitive nature and make it work for you and everyone else?

Step 1: Acknowledge it: Anything that you sweep under the rug just wants to get bigger and louder and nasty. Acknowledging your competitive feelings to yourself will immediately bring it out of hiding and blind spot and into the light where you can control it instead of it controlling you.

Step 2: Embrace it: Anything that you hate or reject wants to get bigger and louder and nasty, too (internally or externally). When you notice your competitive feelings come up, love yourself for them. Know that they don’t say anything negative about you, and that they are present to help you unleash your creativity and productivity.

Step 3: Let the sacred energy of competition be expressed in a safe container: Competition – like love or anger – is first experienced as an energy that wants to move through the body and be expressed. Allow this sacred energy to move through you. In a safe, private place, dance to music that will help you express your predatory impulses, or scream out loud, or write a nasty letter to whoever you feel competitive with. You can even move your body to pretend squashing the other person or punching them out.

Remember, it’s not that you want to do this in real life or would ever do this in real life. It’s just about letting the energy run its natural course through your body so that it doesn’t get stuck inside of you and fester into jealousy, hatred or self-judgment.

Step 4: Get Inspired and Creative: It’s incredible how free and open you will feel in your body when you let the sacred energy of competition flow. (When I lead clients through this process, their new energy is palpable, buoyant and empowered). After doing this, consciously connect in to yourself and sit down to write or take a walk and brainstorm on your next idea. You will be amazed at what comes through when you are this connected, open channel.

Step 5: Consider Collaborating: I get a little ticked off when teachers espouse “collaboration, not competition” if they are denying and shaming you for your competitive nature. But once you’ve harnessed the sacred energy of competition, then you actually want to collaborate with others. It feels good and aligned and you find possibilities that you haven’t seen before. The act of collaborating from this total self-love and love-of-others place allows you to have even more control over your competitive nature and receive even more grace and good from it.

Bottom Line: Don’t ever deny or hate on a part of yourself. Don’t be ashamed of competitive feelings. Love all of yourself and embrace it all. This is what I’ve found most helpful on my entrepreneurial path and my path in life. The more you can own your feelings and impulses, the more you can harness them in productive and loving ways.

If you want an entrepreneurial journey that honors ALL of who you are, and to market effectively while loving yourself deeply, then you are in the right place. Get in touch for a complimentary session (my gift to you), and we’ll go deep into finding where you can embrace yourself more fully, where you can market more effectively, and how to do so.

With love,
Joanna

One Of My Favorite “Growth” Tools

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7-3-14journalsI’ve kept a journal since I’ve been 6 years old.

My first journal had a cover with a red and white floral design, and it had a lock and key. The pages were lined, and I wrote (with lots of miss-spellings and really bad grammar) about my first day of school, the girls I was friends with, the bully in the class, my parents’ refusal to give me an allowance, my beloved grandfather who passed away that year and how I felt about all these things.

I remember so clearly the absolute delight I took in sharing my secrets and myself in those pages. The book – which was small in size – felt to me like a sacred and magical tool. My 6-year-old self believed it had the power to make my life better.

I still have that journal, and the 45+ others that I’ve filled since then.

The writing in those journals has evolved from small words written in print letters to more sophisticated thoughts written in cursive or sometimes drawn with pastels.

The stories told in those journals have seen me get my period for the first time, fall in love with (& get heartbroken by) my first crush, realize my parents weren’t perfect, get rejected from my college of choice, graduate college and grad school, deal with my mother’s illness, travel across the world, get and recover from Bell’s palsy, quit my job to start my own business, get married, birth two children, and everything in between.

And my 38-year-old-self can say without a doubt that journaling does have the power to make your life better, richer, and happier.

Throughout the years, my journal has helped me:

  • connect deeply to myself and my desires
  • tap into my inner wisdom and uncover my intuition
  • create clarity out of confusion
  • express my anger in safe and really productive ways
  • release pain and frustration and disappointment
  • connect to Spirit
  • make better decisions
  • cultivate hope
  • cultivate self-love and confidence
  • and so much more

Over the last decade, I have also used my journal to support me in every single aspect of my business, from my confidence level & ability to value myself, to my marketing and operations plans.

Journaling has helped me grow into a successful, soul-centered entrepreneur who (for the most part) knows herself and her desires really well, has the insight and clarity to make good decisions about offerings, marketing, rates, team and systems, and has the courage to take risks and make out-the-box moves.

Here are some of my "best practices" for successful journaling:

  • Be consistent: There are periods of time when I journal every day, and then periods of time where I journal only every other week. Of course, when I am more consistent, I receive so much more from my journaling practice – each journal entry builds on the next and deep, deep insights are revealed over time. But even when I just check in for a few minutes, writing just for me has the power to transform my mood, provide me with hope and trust, and give me insight on next steps.
  • Write fast: I have found that the faster I write when I journal, the easier it is to get past all of my mental gobbelty-gook and obstacles and go to a much deeper place inside of myself that holds the real wisdom. There’s something about writing as fast as you can that eliminates your filter and gets you to your truth.
  • Write for yourself: In order to really allow your truth and wisdom to flow, it’s vital that you journal for yourself only, and not with the thought that someone else may read your writing. When you write with the knowledge that it’s just for you, you have permission to express any emotion that wants to be expressed, any idea no matter how silly it seems, and any big goal without being judged.
  • Mix it Up: I personally get a little bored with writing from the same voice in every journal entry. I get stale that way. What has really helped me continually find deeper and deeper places inside myself is to mix it up – write from different points of view, sometimes draw, sometimes write in silence and other times with music playing, write letters, make charts, make lists, etc.

Not only have I used my journal for over three decades for my own self-growth and learning, but I regularly give my clients and students journaling assignments to support them and their businesses. It has been utterly amazing to watch my clients grow on the inner and outer levels through their self-discovery and through their journaling.

And this is what I want for you, too.

That is why I am thrilled beyond thrilled to share with you the Deep Insights Business Journaling Intensive:

Next week (starting Monday, July 7th), I will send you a journaling assignment each morning. For five days in a row, you’ll receive a specially-designed journaling assignment from me to help you gain clarity, wisdom and confidence about your business. Each assignment can take as long as a half-hour, but in order for it to be effective, you don’t need to write for more than 5 minutes. You are going to get so much from your writing, and then even more by participating in our Facebook group where I’ll be doing additional teaching and coaching each day.

You don’t need to register for the Journaling Intensive – as a member of the Soulful Coaching community, you’ll get it in your inbox automatically each day-my gift to you.

What you should do right away is join our Journaling Intensive Facebook group so that you can introduce yourself to the other women in the community and get ready to share your insights from the journaling assignments. I’ll be on the Facebook group a LOT next week to share my own insights with you and coach you! Here’s the link to join:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/801350099917050/

Can’t wait!