Guest Blogger Julie Wolk // Being a Business Coach – Top 10 Things I am Grateful For

Julie and I met whilst we were both living at the same place, during a magical time in Kauai.  It was just after the new year and we were both in our own transition time, integrating the intense wisdom and healing powers of the islands and our own inner processes.  She brought with her a strong sense of adventure. She had just left the big island of Hawaii where she had been exploring the creations of Pele, the volcanoes, which was very exciting to talk about! We shared in conversation and I learned that we had common interests and passions in travel, wild nature, astrology, the Bay Area and yoga!  I enjoyed our conversations and sharing time “on the mat” at Metamorphose Yoga studio and at one of my favorite places on planet Earth, the beach! Julie is a tremendous human resource for entrepreneurs and I am thrilled to share her inspirations with you here.  Thank you Julie!

1. I get to weave my passions into my work. I’m nature obsessed. I want everyone to slow down. I am passionate about people nourishing themselves first (please put your own oxygen mask on before assisting others!). This is reflected in the way I run my business and the way I teach and coach others how to run theirs. It feels amazing to do it my way.
2. I get to create my own schedule. I don’t work before 10AM! Mornings are for self-care. I clump all my clients together so that I have large chunks of time to focus on other kinds of work or simply to get outside and have fun. I can often schedule my work around my vacations instead of scheduling my vacations around my work.
3. I get to choose my strategy and tactics. I don’t have to do things I don’t like. I do work hard, but it’s toward a vision that I have created that feels authentically me and aligned with my purpose. I get to be myself in my business, not put on airs or shows, nor use weird or sleazy marketing tactics. I know that being me is the best way to attract the kinds of clients I actually want to work with, not trying to be someone or something else.
4. I get to sit on my comfy couch and look out over the beautiful bay and the redwoods while I’m on the phone with my clients. And I get to wear whatever I want while I’m doing this. And cook healthy food for myself at lunchtime.
5. I get to work with ridiculously inspiring people. My clients are doing such beautiful work in the world, with so much integrity. They are an inspiration to me and call me to task too… I am constantly learning and improving my own skills so I can serve them and their visions better.
6. My business evolves as I evolve. I see business as cyclical, not linear. We travel around the wheel many times, and we learn and grow with each pass. As I change, my business changes with me… my mission is not set in stone, I get to take whatever classes I want and welcome their influence on the way I work, the messages I send, and the impact I have. My business is so different from when it started, and I know it will continue to evolve as I do.
7. It’s great fodder for personal growth. I get to be at my edge, constantly. Truthfully, this is not always fun. Things are sometimes up and down in the life of a business, and it requires a lot of trust, courage and self-compassion. I’m working on it with all my clients, and working on it in myself too. There is a continual balancing act in my life and business, and I am regularly faced with my fears, insecurities, and areas where I need to grow.
8. I can help friends out in the middle of the day. That was pretty hard when I had a “job job.” But now, if a friend needs a ride to the airport at 2PM, there’s a chance I can actually do it! More broadly speaking, I have more time to support and connect with the people I care about and love the most. Yay!
9. I get to create my dream retreat and then invite cool women to it. If I want to mix business strategy with hot tubs and seasonal foods and chocolate and red wine in the redwoods in winter, then that’s what I get to do! Wanna come??
10. I get to live out my purpose… Helping other people create all of this for themselves! I love putting structure around a vision, in fact, I pretty much do it in my sleep. It’s such a deep pleasure to be able to support others using the gifts that come so naturally to me. I feel most on purpose when I am supporting others to be on their purpose, and making the money they need to support their lives, their families, and their dreams.

Julie Wolk helps mission-driven entrepreneurs (teachers, consultants, coaches, healers, and other service professionals) who are excellent at their craft, really rock the business side, so they can thrive. She developed the Natural Business Cycle, a unique and overwhelm-reducing business development model based on the natural world. She co-founded and for many years co-directed a thriving nonprofit organization (Wilderness Torah) and worked for 10 years prior to that in environmental advocacy and public relations. Julie is a certified professional coach and spends a lot of time wandering in the East Bay hills.

Learn more at: http://www.juliewolkcoaching.com/

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Gettin’ Real with Gender (E)quality in the Art World

My poster for (en)Gendered (in)Equity or “Gallery Tally”

“Shiva and Shakti, Twin Flames” by recubejim, used under CC BY – Text added to original, 24X36 inches ©LE Art & Design

I am a Soul first, in a female body second.  I am an artist.  I am a female artist.  Did you know that even today, that the statistics of commercial gallery representation is imbalanced?  It’s about 71% male and 29% female in commercial galleries nationwide.  Wow!  Really?  As a working professional artist, I personally represent myself, show in galleries that invite me as well as other “non” art gallery alternative spaces.

Poster maker and Poster at For Your Art Gallery

The more I learn about the gender equity facts in the art world, and consequently, across the board in relation to the existing art world and the world at large, the more I feel inspired to share this data simply to raise awareness.   This is not the ’70’s, this is 2014 and we in the Western world are seeing inequality in so many areas.  Here is an fabulous website that I enjoy getting real with.  Feminist Magazine.  A few fun facts from this website:

Source: Guerrilla Girls

• The number of professionally trained artists and art historians in the U.S. – Males 52%, Females 48%
• Percentage of artists at major institutions:
• National Gallery of Art — 98% male, 99.9% white
• National Portrait Gallery — 93% male, 99% white
• Hirshhorn Museum – modern and contemporary art — 95% male, 94% white
• Exhibition opportunities: Juried (artists unknown to juror) – Males 52%, Females 48%
• Exhibitions opportunities: Invited (artists known to juror) – Males 80%, Females 20%
• Gender distribution of visual artists in art texts – Males 90%, Females 10%
• Of the over 100 Tonys awarded since 1947 for theater direction, only 2-5% have been to women Directors; only 2-6% to African American Directors.

So, what am I doing about this, what’s in my hands?  I am still making my art, still showing art and have joined a grass roots collaborative project to raise awareness about the gender ration called (en)Gendered (in)Equity or “Gallery Tally”.  It is a crowd-sourced, social engagement art project in which over 500 artists from around the world have joined the effort to collect and visualize statistical data regarding ratios of male and female artists in contemporary art galleries.  My project poster is shown above.   Here is the article in Artillary Magazine that got my attention about this vital project.

Micol Hebron, Photo by Safi Alia Shabaik, 2013

For this inspired poster project, I chose the New York City commercial gallery Cheryl Pelavin because I appreciate her gender values and the history of her gallery is unique.  Check it out!

My poster along with 250 others are a part of Los Angeles-based artist Micol Hebron’s collaborative poster project and will be on display in  LA at ForYourArt, the show is called: (en)Gendered (in)Equity: The Gallery Tally Poster Project.  Timed to open during Women’s History Month, the exhibition will feature over 250 posters, each created by a different artist, representing the gender ratios at Los Angeles and New York art galleries.

Having started in Los Angeles, the project is now in its second phase, focusing on galleries in New York. Subsequent visualizations will include Berlin, London, Chicago, Santa Fe, Portland, Pittsburg, San Francisco and other cities.  To see the posters, gallerytally.tumblr.com. 

Here’s the Facebook Invite: All are welcome!

(en)Gendered (in)Equity: The Gallery Tally Poster Project

ForYourArt at 6020 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles

March 29­–April 25
Opening: Saturday, March 29 – 6 to 9pm
Discussion: 6:30pm

Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and connections and would love to hear from you via this blog, my face book page, or emaillorien@lorieneck.com.

In love, gratitude and beauty…

www.LorienEck.com

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Pray, Love, Eat-Part IV

Earthscape I ©LE Art & Design

Beauty triumphs over the suffering inherent in life.

Nietzsche

Autumn Greetings!

Trusting that all is well in your worlds…. My theme for this month’s musing is the Body Beautiful– some Body LOVE! Do you feel at home in your Body Beautiful?  If not, why not?  How are you feeling these days? For myself, the body is talking and I must listen!  Changes in my sensual sensitivities in general,but specifically a heightened sense of awareness of what I can and cannot put into the body anymore is serious. And, with an important election year at our doorstep in a few weeks in the US and in CA, the food supply issue is at the forefront.

The fact that as we evolve as beings, our bodies are becoming more sensitive, even those of us who eat pretty close to the earth and simple are really needing to pay closer attention.  With the whole GMO issue, it’s now time more than ever to take action not only to eat local, organic and from the farmer’s market, but to seriously look into growing our own food!  Just do your best to eat what feels life-giving, healthy, nourishing….and if in the US, get out to VOTE on November 6 to get the labeling of non-GMO Prop 37 passed.  We are all in this together, right?

In addition to making little adjustments almost every day on what I choose to feed the Body Beautiful, I am finding that my inner happiness/health rests in part on the quality and awareness of my breath.  A deep breathing practice, not rigid, but daily, has been such a wonder and “game changer” when feeling any stress, tension, and especially to move me right back into the present moment. Ahhhhhhh…..

Next, movement of the Body Beautiful on a daily basis. Anything will do! What do you love to do to get moving?  I love tennis with friends, walking either in solitude or with friends on long stretches of beaches or hiking up in the hills and woods…. Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, running, roller blading, ecstatic dance, Nia dance, 5 Rhythms, anything to get the body moving!  I’ve tried em’ all and love em’ all, but when it comes down to it these days, simple and easy is what I’m drawn to…What are you drawn to?

Mother Nature calls and the bottom line is, I love being under the big sky and touching the earth, it’s grounding and just feels good. Putting on a pair of shoes and just walking… breathing in clean O2, feeling the gratitude and joy of being alive on this glorious planet at this glorious time.

Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and connections and would love to hear from you via this blog, my face book page, or email lorien@lorieneck.com.

Until Next time…

Much BODY love and beauty,

Recommended Resources

Louise Hay

(anything by her!) but especially the classic

You Can Heal Your Life*

*The book is a must have for your book shelf!

Loving without the Pressure of Perfection

Wabi Sabi Love

Om Times

Great Online Zine

Health and Healing

Deep Breathing

A simple guide outlining a few nice breathing practices.

Nia

An amazing and simple full-body sensory movement modality…..

~~~

“If you do not take care of your body, where will you live?”

~Anonymous

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Pray, Love, Eat-Part III

The beauty and mystery of the unknown, calling…..

“This time is utterly about surrendering to the unknown and letting go of what we essentially have no control over.”

~Jessica of New Paradigm Astrology

Have you ever wondered about what happens when you take the leap?  When the prayers, the endless “self-help addict” musings get tired, and when you just do it, feel the fear and do it anyway?  (It’s difficult to get away from these darn book titles!)  Well, I can certainly say that it’s not all a garden of roses, meaning, the moment of surrender does not give instant ripe fruit!

Since I have left my familiar shore, and ventured out not just on a fancy feast for the eyes in Italy, but to start the next chapters and era of my both professional and artistic life, I have discovered that I have only just really begun the adventure and that my dreams will take some time to manifest.  Believe me, I did not expect that the moment I turned in my paperwork, all of my larger dreams would be delivered on a silver platter, rewarding me for my courage to step out of my fear.  However, I do want things to move more quickly than they are, and yet there is necessary process that one must undertake.

And, so, my journey since returning back from the Italian sojourn, fresh and brimming with inspiration, creativity, and ideas, has been almost “sidetracked” by all sorts of inner work, processes of inner refinement about what it is I really do want, and a deepening of the truth of who I am that has needed to be cultivated by writing, meditating, and some honest self-reflection.  The daily practice of gratitude and the power of thank you, for every detail that I can feel deep appreciation for has been my boat on the sea of life. I cannot express in words how profound this practice can be when done with sincerity and feeling.

The journey towards wholeness and readiness has taken over for now…. I am emerging though, from yet another thicker cocoon, and know that I will become the beautiful butterfly that I am born to be.  And, I am truly grateful.

As I am writing this, August 16, my Happy Hints was focused on the theme of Patience.  And, to quote:

“Patience leads to… wisdom.  There is can be no appreciation of wisdom’s bounty if you are not prepared to wait for her fruits to ripen.  Everything takes time.  There is a process to change and growth that must be respected.  Once we honor that process all that we seek comes to or door.  So don’t sit impatiently waiting for positive outcomes, just do the right thing according to your capacity and even the unimagined will come and find you.”

To be continued…

Recommended Resources

Happy Hints

(life-changing app)

The Reach Approach

Choury DeVelle Bsc, CHt., NLP
Quantum Meditation and Transformation

Until Next time

Much love and beauty,

Lórien

www.lorieneck.com

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Pray, Love, Eat-Part II

This moth image was “captured” at the Museo di Storia Naturale La Specola, Florence, Italy ©All Rights Reserved, no reproduction or use without written consent of the artist. Thank you.

“A thousand miles begins with one step…” Lao Tzu

So, where did I leave off?  I was in studying drawing and painting in Florence, Italy for 3- weeks, as well as traveling around a bit throughout Italy, and visiting friends on a beautiful island called Sardinia.  The beauty of this stage of Eat, like I mentioned in last month’s entry, is that it is sooo easy to accomplish that in the land of great espresso, vino, pizza, and gelato!  But, I am not simply talking about food and libations per se, nor consuming it all at once or personally ingesting it all.  What I am referring to by Eat, is to partake of all that life on earth has to offer with a refined, patient, and conscious awareness.  This may sound cliché, but I am in essence speaking of living this one and precious life fully, without fear, without trepidation, in FULL living color, sights, sounds, smells, textures, and tastes…

My month in Italy showed me just how luscious, how sensual, how aesthetically beautiful each detail and moment can be.  The sheer volume and plethora of (as a friend calls it) “bright, shiny, objects” is truly remarkable, in addition to the architectural, artistic, and culinary environment that Italy provides.  As I moved through each days of endless “NOW” moments, I was in a constant state of awe and reverence for all of this beauty that I speak of.  To breathe in and be fully satisfied in the NOW and the next NOW, is where I feel the meaning of my life is taking me.

What I want to emphasize here, is that it was enough to look at and experience through the senses, but not imperative for me to “own” through the compulsive consumption that being enculturated in the states has instilled in so many of us unconsciously and yet leaves us dissatisfied and always wanting more, bigger, better!  So, as an experiment, I relied on my mantra, “just looking” and chose to keep this strong muscle in check and staying as present in the NOW as possible.  No easy feat in a place like that!  However,  I chose instead, especially during the Drawing and Painting intensive class in Florence, to sketch, take “creative” pictures, and simply keep paying attention to the knee-jerk reflex to “consume”.  Part of this self-control was by default, as I had to keep my luggage under 15kg, as I was moving around so much! ( I highly recommend doing this as a safe guard against unconscious “collecting”!)

So, where did I move around to so much and what did I see… Venice, Florence, Assisi, Verona and Alghero, Sardinia…  All sublime and offering so much natural and genius-inspired beauty.

These pics are just a few of the highlights of the eye candy and musings that I speak of…

Opening to the Next Dimension, Firenze, Italia

Ponte Vecchio Over the Arno, Firenze, Italia

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Firenze, Italia

The Grand Canal, Venizia, Italia

The Ponte Pietra over the Adige river, Verona, Italia

Basilica Papale di San Francesco, Assisi, Italia

Sunset Over the Harbor, Alghero, Sardinia

Chapter 1 is complete and now I step into Chapter 2.  And, as I segue into this new chapter of the book that is my life, I leave you with a quote and a practice that I have found to be both beautiful and practical.

“Transformation can be difficult to see, as we mourn a release of our past, to allow the birth of something new to arrive. We cannot always see what is really happening with our eyes, but we can Know with our Hearts that a new beginning is about to take place.”

~Carolyn M Greenleaf

Breath of your Heart
“Taking time to create a deep connection within you is paramount right now. For many, having a physical action that can be repeated will provide a connection that transcends mind, body and spirit. When the mind is frantic, bringing your hands to your heart and breathing into the warmth of your palms can begin a process known in physics as entrainment.

Spiritually you are attuning your entire being to the beat of your heart, which connects you deeply to God’s Love. As you slow your breaths, you begin to balance your heartbeats and your breath. This rhythmic breathing pattern will begin to calm your mind, and bring a sense of harmony to your body in a short amount of time when it becomes a familiar ritual.”

~Archangel Gabriel via Shanta Gabriel

Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and connections and would love to hear from you via this blog, my face book page, or email lorien@lorieneck.com.

Until Next time

Much love,

Lórien

To be continued…

Recommended Resources

O’Connor Mortuary

New Paradigm Astrology

www.lorieneck.com

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Pray, Love, Eat-Part I

©LE Art & Design

India, Los Angeles, Italia! I may not have written the book by a similar title, but my personal journey certainly has similarities in universal themes expressed in the book. I am excited to share with you a new series of blogs that shine light on the insights into my life as an austere yogi, turned self-love junkie, and sensuous lover of life!

My aim and objective is to share key themes and life lessons from my story, but in a concise manner. So, I will start with the current life choices that I have made of late and weave in the past with the present and future. Right now, I am currently immersed in an intensive drawing and painting course in Firenze, Italia for the summer. This study abroad program is on the curtails of starting my voluntary sabbatical from teaching art full time in the public education system in Los Angeles for the past ten years.

These decisions were not made overnight, noooooooo. These decisions were grounded in a cycle of meditations, musings, supportive coaching, creative processes, and love from my community. Many days and hours have been spent planning, ditching plans, deciding to stay, deciding to go, and around again. I am happy to say that at this date and time of publishing, I have said goodbye to the familiar shores of a life that I knew so well, almost too well. The daily ritual of the morning commute on the 10 Freeway East to downtown LA (yikes!), the daily bike rides that I loved so much on the Pacific coastline bike path (to balance out the AM commute!), and the well-worn track of my life in LA, are all a part of my past and my story.  I am grateful for every moment, but the pull of my heart has won and I am now in between the trapeze bars, flying in mid air and feeling free and like I’m a child again, trusting all steps on the journey… It’s a joy and intense and beautiful and amazing.

So, I guess that you could say that I am EATing now. The days of fasting and purification in this cycle are behind me for now and I am allowing myself to partake, to indulge, and to experience the diverse, robust flavors and sensuous textures that a new chapter of life offers.

To be continued…

Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and connections and would love to hear from you via this blog, my face book page, or email lorien@lorieneck.com.

Much love,

Lórien

Recommended Resources

Lee Harris Energy

Centre for Peace and Empowerment

www.lorieneck.com

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