Posts Tagged ‘women and leadership’

 

Celebrate World Happy Day with a special screening of the movie “Happy” at the link below!

| World Happy Day.

 

 

namaste,

Zoey

From: the Unconditional Love Group on Facebook

To help you design & live your life like this, I would like to gift you with a free download of  the ‘Topaz Lotus Life Crafter 2012‘

 

In peace & mindfulness

namaste,

Zoey

wisdom coaching to set your heart on fire and soothe your soul

 

 

Lifestyle Design: The Top 3 Daily Success Habits of Empowered Women of Wisdom

“Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the action stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.” ~ Anais Nin

Use these tips for personal development, effective leadership and inner wisdom.

1. Get up early: and spend time every morning with yoga, mediation, dreaming, inspirational reading and journaling.

2. Focus forward with action: have a healthy holistic mindset and body, be ‘flexible’ and gentle moving forward in life with a positive attitude, learning and growing.

3. Be a spirited woman, be uniquely you: don’t be afraid to have a unique personality, live life with passion, grace and purpose. You are the only ‘you’ on the planet!

I would love to hear about your experience with these success tips and habits. Please feel free to contact me personally if this resonates with you.

Namaste

In peace & mindfulness,

Zoey

wisdom coaching for your heart & soul

Zoey Ryan BSc., PCC

Professional Certified Coach with the ICF

Topaz Lotus Lifestyle & Leadership Coaching

Life ~ Leadership ~ Executive Coaching for Women Leaders and Mentor Coaching for Women Coaches

inspiration | innovation | clarity | wisdom

“Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen Hard.
Practice wellness.
Play with abandon.
Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Appreciate your friends.
Continue to learn.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.”

~ Mary Anne Radmacher

I love thinking, reading and surfing ideas about the future and admit that I have been imprinted and influenced by Faith Popcorn.  Although this may sound outdated, I also love and recommend “Megatrends 2010:  The Rise Of Conscious Capitalism – Seven Trends That Will Transform How You Work, Live and Invest” by Patricia Aburdene and absolutely any thing by or with Barbara Marx Hubbard (www.evolve.org ).  It is not my intention to “channel” these authors, rather I wish to acknowledge their original ideas and words and build on these concepts.  While the majority of the ideas presented are focused on trends in North America, some can be applied more widely.

Here is my compilation of 13 important trends and new ideas that will transform your work and life!

1.  Brain Dough aka brain plasticity:

Yes, you can “teach an old dog new tricks”, our brains are actually malleable or flexible.    This concept is referred to as brain plasticity.  What is brain plasticity? Does it mean that our brains are made of plastic? Of course not. Plasticity, or neuroplasticity, is the lifelong ability of the brain to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences. As we learn, we acquire new knowledge and skills through instruction or experience. In order to learn or memorize a fact or skill, there must be persistent functional changes in the brain that represent the new knowledge.  The ability of the brain to change with learning is what is know as neuroplasticity.

Source: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/plast.html

2.  Grandma Power:

Elder women are becoming an increasingly powerful and large group as the boomers age.  Think hip, happy, and hippie grandmas rather than blue rinses and fraility!

3.  Squeeze More In(n):

Community living takes on a new meaning as more extended families chose to remain living together.  This is a new idea for many North Americans and will require skilled and open communication and attention to compromise and consensus.

4. Values Redux:

Increasingly large numbers of consumers will make purchasing decisions based on their strongly held personal values.

5. Glass Houses:

With amazing technology and the internet, all we do and say will be visible, this is an opportunity to be uber transparent and ethical in life & work.  There will be no place to hide.

6. Big Hearts:

The emotions and qualities of love, loving-kindness and compassion from a big soft, warm melted open heart will be increasingly integrated into business practices through meditation, lovingkindness retreats and prayer.

7. C3 – Circles, Collaboration & Co-Creation:

All organizations, families and groups are moving towards and squishing down into wonderful, resonant, concentric circles around a big heart center.  The dominant forces will be: life, creativity, win/win and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

8. Saffron, Sage and Soul:

As India and China increasingly take over the global production of goods, our interest in and our reliance on these countries will increase.  We will continue to integrate both eastern and western spiritual traditions, adding in a dash of “conscious evolution”  producing a spicy, rich and deeply satisfying new meta-spiritual tradition.

9. Bugs R Us:

Everything will be about whole systems and models based on nature.

10.            Flowers In Your Hair and Everywhere:

Integrating the “big heart” concept, there will be growing appreciation of art & beauty and a laid back lifestyle as forces for social change and business re-vitalization.

11.            Re-Calibration Back to a Lunar Calendar:

It only makes sense for women!

12.            Science Fictionary:

Life expectancy will continue to increase and concepts that were only science fiction will be part of every day life.  More and more folks will choose to vacation at home through holograms and other multisensory innovations.

13.  The Concept of Paradox:

We will be challenged to live a life of increasing paradox and complexity and time will seem to speed up! Folks will be curious about the concept of “nothingness”.

Enjoy this “trendspotting” and let us know how you and your life & work are affected by these trends at by adding your comments to the blog!

In peace & mindfulness,

Zoey

coaching for your heart & soul

Zoey Ryan BSc., PCC

Professional Certified Coach with the ICF

Life ~ Leadership ~ Executive Coaching for Women Leaders and Mentor Coaching for Women Coaches

inspiration | innovation | wisdom

“What we have not known is how to begin from our own centre, how to begin from our own experience, how to make ourselves as women the subjects of the act of knowing”

-       Dorothy Smith (A Canadian Sociologist, known for her work with feminist theory and women’s studies)

This quote is a wonderful reminder that each of us women, has a center point, a still point, an internal place of equilibrium, of power and energy that can fuel us, feed us and inspire us.  Inspire us to get to know ourselves intimately and to get to know each other intimately.

I have long admired Anita Roddick.  I had the great pleasure of hearing Anita Roddick speak in Vancouver in the late 90’s.  She walked on stage, wearing a funky understated outfit and totally captivated the audience of over 2000 women.  She modeled her essence to me by standing fully in her powerful presence.  It was clear to me then as it has been in the ensuing years that she “wore her skin well”, that she knew who she was and what she stood for and that this “knowing” informed all of her actions.  She exuded  a powerful leadership style!

Personal Development Life Coaching Question:

How can you, as a woman leader become your own “subject of the act of knowing” and how can this personal reflection inform your leadership skills and effectiveness?

In peace & mindfulness,

Zoey

coaching for your heart & soul

Zoey Ryan BSc., PCC

Professional Certified Coach with the ICF

Life ~ Leadership ~ Executive Coaching for Women Leaders and Mentor Coaching for Women Coaches

inspiration | innovation | wisdom

Abundance: Living a Mindful Balanced Life With Heart & Money!

“Women and money” is a “hot” topic.  With the explosion in women starting new business and female-preneurship as well as the current socio-economic conditions and situations around the world, women seem to be re-evaluating their relationship to money. A question I hear a lot in my work as a life, leadership , business & mentor coach is “how do I combine my wish and desire to make more money with my deeply held beliefs about helping other people and living a spiritually conscious life” aka “is it possible to live a life with heart and money”?

This question supports three broad principles:

1. For many women, it is about “relationships” ie women have a relationship with their money that is often a reflection of their relationship with themselves.
2. There may be a “disconnect” for many women between being wealthy and prosperous and being spiritually attuned.  The (limiting) belief here is that having a lot of money is not “spiritually pure”.
3. Women have unfulfilled desires around money.

I have been very curious about this for many years and have read voraciously on the topic.  I have read books on money, on prosperity & abundance, on the spirit and energy of money and on financial freedom.  What seems to make the most sense for me is seeing money as a “representation and enabling” symbol.  Actual physical money represents many things: love, quality of life, happiness, freedom, for example.  To be able to live a life of love and complete freedom enabled by prosperity, is one of the “highest” aspirations for many women I know, as this would allow them to help others by giving of their time, talent or “treasures”.

A wonderful visualization that I first read about in “The Abundance Book” by John Randolph Price is to imagine ones self as a continuously flowing fountain of abundance, fed by a heart-centered universal source and then visualizing this flowing abundance & prosperity spreading outwards to one’s friends, family, community and world and then see it flowing back to ones self in big waves.  There is something very powerful resonating with this visual when I see the abundance and prosperity being filtered through an open, warm and melted heart.  What I trust is that each of us women has the ability to be financially free and as we funnel our prosperity “through our hearts”, we will use our money in authentic and integral ways for the betterment of our lives and those around us.

My answer to this question is yes, it is possible, in fact, I believe that it is our right and responsibility to live a life with heart and money.

In peace & mindfulness,

Zoey

coaching for your heart & soul

Zoey Ryan BSc., PCC

Professional Certified Coach

Life ~ Leadership ~ Executive Coaching for Women Leaders and Mentor Coaching for Women Coaches

inspiration | innovation | wisdom

I recently found myself in the very interesting position of ‘walking my talk’! As a life, leadership and executive coach for women leaders and also doing life coach coaching, my work is to support others with their personal development to develop healthy, fulfilling, balanced, successful and happy lives. I am passionate about my work and I usually feel I do a good job with my own life too but I had lost touch with my own work life balance program and personal life balance.

After a recent wonderful and energizing conference, I felt health-wise, the best I have felt in years. Imagine my surprise when I ‘crashed’ a couple of days after I got home. I was so pumped from the conference, I started to over commit and then, whamo, I got sick! The message I clearly received is that I needed to slow down. In terms of time management and commitments in my life, I was starting to get into a feeling similar to that “pre-Christmas frenzy”. Do you ever feel like this? How many women leaders do you know who over commit? How many women leaders do you know who want help with time management?

In the midst of the positive chaos and high energy, I had lost touch with my life balance and personal center! I had been taking care of the pets, the kids, employees, my work, supporting my clients and had forgotten to take care of myself! Sound familiar? If this resonates with you, check out the following ideas for re-connecting with your ‘center’ and taking care of you!

7 Self-Care Tips for Women Leaders
1. Daily, check in and ask yourself, what message is my body giving me? What activities/food/beverages/exercise does my body need more of? What does my body need less of? Listen to and act on the messages.
2. Develop your own self-care routine. Ask yourself, what do I need to do for myself on a daily, weekly, monthly, bi-annual and annual basis to really take care of myself.
3. Play hooky for a day! Give yourself a surprise day off and luxuriate in the freedom.
4. Plan a retreat day or weekend and craft your ideal self-nourishing time.
5. Make a list of all the areas in your life that are energy drains and start eliminating the energy leaks.
6. Decide which people in your life energize you and which people drain you and spend most of your time with the energizers.
7. Spend time every day in solitude, doing nothing, no reading, no music. Sit and appreciate your life and acknowledge yourself for all the great parts of you!

In solitude we give passionate attention to our lives, to our memories, to the details around us.
- Virginia Woolf

Enjoy your day and weekend! By taking great care of yourself, you can bring your best self to your life and work!

peace & namaste,

Zoey

coaching for your heart & soul

Zoey Ryan BSc., PCC

Professional Certified Coach

Life ~ Leadership ~ Executive Coaching for Women Leaders and Women Coaches

inspiration | innovation | wisdom

In my personal & professional life, working and raising three daughters I have benefitted, as have many of my clients from these three simple, yet powerful, work life balance tips.

1. Delegate domestic duties!

This might mean hiring someone to do your cleaning; engaging kids to shop, cook, clean; having important discussions with life partners ie husbands about roles and responsibilities.

2. Start and or finish your day with ‘you time’ and remember to ‘breathe’!

Some women start their day with meditation, others with exercise, others with quiet spiritual reading, still others with organization activities. Even 10 minutes at the end of the day mindfully reflecting and re-engaging with your body can do wonders for both your mind and your body! You deserve time and self-care and you will be a better leader for it!

3. Work with a certified professional coach.

And no, this is not shameless self-promotion. The research overwhelming indicates that the best thing executives and women leaders can do for themselves and their organizations is to work with a coach. Let’s face it, it can be ‘lonely at the top’ and women leaders often feel they have no one to talk to! I have been there! Professional coaches, who act as ‘partners and champions of you’ can help with topics like: work life balance, time management, leadership development, leadership skills development, personal life balance and decision making. If working with a coach interests you, check out the International Coach Federation for more information or contact me.

peace & namaste,

Zoey

coaching for your heart & soul

Zoey Ryan BSc., PCC

Professional Certified Coach

Life ~ Leadership ~ Executive Coaching for Women Leaders

inspiration | innovation | wisdom

When I am coaching women, a question I often ask is, “what is the one thing, that if you did it consistently, would have the greatest positive impact on your life”? I hear answers like exercise more, drink less coffee, lose weight. While all of these activities no doubt will be positive, I’m reminded, as women how we are so busy, “doing”, feeling like we need to change ourselves and seldom stop to just be more of who we are.

I recently had occasion to ponder “the question” and my “year in review”. I sank into the stillness of my home and began listing what I was thankful for. What I realized was that it is the very small, simple things in life that bring me the greatest joy and sense of fulfillment, not tasks and certainly not “self-improvement projects. I get a sense of fulfillment from things like hearing my children laughing, the mist over the water, the depth and comfort of a longstanding friendship.

As I sat that early morning, I was reminded that the positive impact was a result, not of ‘doing’ but of ‘being’, of allowing myself reflective time to sink into the “beingness” of me and open to the power of thanksgiving, gratitude and blessings. For me, using gratitude and blessing brings a feeling of putting on the “rose coloured glasses”, a feeling of objectivity, a sense of expansiveness.

I was challenged recently in my commitment to this belief when faced with an unexpected and painful loss in my personal life. I found myself slipping into a place of hurt, blame and criticism. The word “blessing” popped into my mind and I quickly said a blessing for the situation. It went something like this; “blessings on this situation as I know that it is all for the best and that through the pain and sadness, a greater good will come.” By saying those words I was able to set aside the “righteous victim voice” of “poor me” and had the sense of an easing and softening of my emotions.

So, ask yourself, the earlier question, “what is the one thing if integrated into your life regularly, would have the greatest positive impact”? Experiment with using blessings, gratitude and thanksgiving and feel yourself open into a deeper sense of your “beingness”. Start by making a list of at least 20 things that you are thankful for. Every day, give yourself time to sink into your “beingness” and feel gratitude. Send out blessings to your friends, family, all people and situations and imagine the world taking on a rosy glow!

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

- Melody Beattie, Author

peace & namaste,

Zoey

coaching for your heart & soul

Zoey Ryan BSc., PCC

Professional Certified Coach

Life ~ Leadership ~ Executive Coaching for Women

inspiration | innovation | wisdom