Posts Tagged ‘women and power’

Have you heard about a type of ‘heart attack’ or ‘myocardial infarction (MI)’ called a ‘spontaneous coronary artery dissection or SACAD’?

It is literally the type of heart attack where the heart is broken!

I know because I have had one!

The month of February holds Valentines Day and is also Heart & Stroke Month in Canada. Did you know that Canadian women are more likely to die of heart attacks and stroke than anything else? Even though we are better informed about health and are generally healthier, there are still gaps in our understanding of heart disease.

Over the coming week, I want to tell you more about SACADs so that you will be aware of this type of heart attack as well as more well known types of heart disease.

Stay tuned!

In peace & mindfulness

namaste,

Zoey

 

“To live in accord with love is to set your heart on fire. In the crucible of such an inferno all convention burns away. What’s left is an entirely new kind of existence, one full of passion, presence, and infinite possibility.” - Raphael Cushnir

 

 

 

 

“Even the most exalted states and the most exceptionally spiritual accomplishments are unimportant if we cannot be happy in the most basic and ordinary ways, if we cannot touch one another and the life we have been given with our hearts.”

 

- Jack Kornfield from “A Path With Heart”

 

Happy Valentines Day and I hope that these quotes help to ‘set your heart on fire’ with love!

 

In peace & mindfulness,

namaste,

Zoey

 

 

 

 

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

| World Happy Day.

 

 

namaste,

Zoey

 

I’m starting my work day off with some meditation, what about you?

 

I find that if I spend a few moments at my desk, in quietness and meditation, my day flows forward in a smoother way.

Here are some tips:

- start with some grounding exercises, feeling your feet solidly on the floor.

- take 3 cleansing breaths

- clear your mind

- focus on your breath, in out, in out.

- notice the space between your thoughts, what does it feel like.

- finish with 3 deep breaths

- come back to your day.

 

Envision your day flowing smoothly with joy and ease!

 

namaste,

 

Zoey

 

coaching for your heart and soul

A beautiful thought for the day !

namaste

Living a Life With Heart: Values and Needs

During the next few weeks, the theme for posting will be ‘the heart’ in honour of Valentines Day and the spirit of love!

From my perspective as a life, leadership & executive coach, living a life with heart includes living a life anchored in clear and deeply held values and understanding how unmet needs might get in the way of this.

I want to share my process in this area of values and needs.  Prior to completing my coach training, I had a vague idea of all of this stuff.  I figured I was pretty clear on my values, sort of knew the meaning and difference between a value and a need and I have to say was pretty darn smug.  Through my coach training, which included a lot of introspection and journaling, what I learned about myself was actually shocking to me.  I learned that for basically my entire life, I had been operating my life from a place of unmet needs rather than from a place of clearly known and held values.  I had thought I was so clear on who I was and where I was going, that learning new information about myself was unsettling.  Now, from the perspective of time, I see that this was very important “unsettling”, it was like stirring up the bottom of a clear mountain lake and dislodging bits of garbage that had been caught on sunken tree branches.  Self-reflection and introspection, allowed the garbage to float to the surface to be skimmed off and thrown away.  Developing clarity around my crystal and rubber values and about my needs has allowed me to take control of my life and create my future to be in alignment with my deeply held crystal values.

So, to further set context and share  common language, I offer the following definitions and in doing this I have drawn from these resources: Webster’s dictionary, “The Portable Coach” by Thomas Leonard, “Co-Active Coaching” by Whitworth, Kimsey and House and the “Professional Foundations for Masterful Coaches” program by Jeanine Sandstrom and Lee Smith.

A Value: something intrinsically valuable or desirable, human rather than material.  Values are the essence of who you are.  Values are principles that you hold to be of worth in your life and are the activities, preferences or behaviours that you are naturally drawn to and that attract you.  Values are those things considered right, worthwhile and desirable-the basis for guiding principles and standards.  Values fulfill you.

A Need: implies a lack of something requisite, desirable or useful.  Needs are resources, people, feelings, situations, or environments you must have in order to be your best.  Meeting needs gives a sense of satisfaction and there is often a sense of urgency around needs.

Now, a couple more definitions in the area of values and I want to thank Betty Healey, a fellow coach with the Strategic Attraction Community for sharing this.

A crystal value: is a value that is so important to you that if it is not incorporated into your life, causes your life to shatter.  Think of what happens if you drop a crystal ball.  Taking the crystal ball imagery further, a crystal value calls you forward into your future.

A rubber value: is a value that is important but that can bounce away, out of your life and then back again, like a rubber ball with out you feeling dissonance.

What do you think your values and needs are?  If you would like some help with this, let me know!  That’s what a coach is for.

In peace & mindfulness,

namaste,

Zoey

coaching for your heart & soul

inspirational catalyst for personal development and leadership skills & development

What a wonderful time to think about fresh new beginnings and honour our creative energy as women!

Enjoy this quote:

“The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. To them… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create — so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off… They must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating.” - Pearl Buck

Enjoy your week and feel that spark of creativity!

In peace & mindfulness,

namaste,

Zoey

Women Health Life:  Words of Wisdom Heart of Wisdom – Integrity

“Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.”
—Janis Joplin
We tend, through life, to be confronted with many ethical dilemmas where we need to draw on our personal codes and guiding principles.  These dilemmas may feel small or large, depending on the circumstance.  Part of “life coaching” is helping women develop clarity about their personal guiding principles and values.  I often suggest that clients ask themselves the following question; “can you live with yourself, with your integrity intact, if you make that decision”?

I found the following definitions of the word “integrity” to be very interesting (from: http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/integrity)

1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility
2 : an unimpaired condition : soundness
3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness

Most folks I talk with are familiar with then first definition, however, it is the third definition that I find fascinating, especially if one applies this to people not cell membranes! In ancient traditions one often hears about each person’s aura or “egg” of energy.  In psychological and mind/body terms, one talks about “containment” and the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts.

What if we placed the emphasis on first “getting whole” and then making decisions; would that automatically mean we make integral decisions?

Now I know this discussion may seem ‘airy fairy’ to some, yet, it is a serious question.  If we design a practice and actions so that we have a “felt experience” of being whole, complete and contained, with all parts of us, mind, body, spirit and emotions connecting and integrated, then, I would say, we can’t help but function with integrity.

In our Western culture, we are encouraged to primarily use our mind in making decisions.  What if we also asked “what would my heart say about this”, or ”how does gut feel” with that decision?

In previous postings about being a sage or wise woman, I have discussed a variety of qualities from wisdom to power, from courage to gentleness; with incorporating the word “integrity” we add in both meanings of the word and draw on the concept of wholeness or completeness as well as a personal code of ethics.

So, you see, being a wise woman with integrity may encompass so much more than just being true to oneself.  Janis Joplin has half the equation!   Imagine a world where we all make decisions with both our head and our hearts for the purposes of deeper connection!

Luscious ladies, play around with the following questions
“Self-care Enchantments”:

1. 1. When have you experienced a challenge to your personal code of ethics?  How did you respond?
2. 2. Do you or how do you experience a sense of wholeness or containment?
3. 3. This week, when making a decision, run it through your head, your heart and your gut and see if the process feels different.

In peace & mindfulness,

namaste,

Zoey

Our world is changing, of that there is no doubt!  With hope, in the future, our children and grandchildren will be living in a world of peace, where a ‘partnership model’ rather than a ‘dominator model’ is in place.

Most women I know want to live a healthy lifestyle with purpose and passion.  From a place of  ’life in balance’,  they are the major decision makers in family health and kids health.  I know that as a working mother, I think often about what the future holds for myself, my family, my friends and my community.

We are seeing increasing numbers of women leaders in all areas.  Rather than replicate the mistakes of the past by using a dominator model, I urge all women, especially women in leadership to use a partnership model!

In considering these models and the future, it helps to review the key  ’organizing principles’ below:

• • command and control– think “military”.
• • competition – think “I win, you lose”.
• • cooperation – think “I scratch your back, you scratch mine”.
• • collaboration – think “win-win”.
• • co-creation – think “the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts”.

A ‘Dominator  Model’ utilizes the first two and sometimes the third and a ‘Partnership Model’ utilizes primarily the last two.

Consider all the systems in the world today, ie political, military, corporate, business, educational, health care, religion.  Most of these systems are based on a ‘command and control’ model where there is a leader (most often male) and a triangle of power and control flowing down from the leadership level.  It is the dismantling of this model and the shift to new, healthier organizing principles that the ‘Occupy Movement” is all about for example.

Traditionally women naturally  draw on their heart and soul wisdom and use co-creation, collaboration and cooperation in their lives. For centuries, women have sat in a circle around a fire, over a cup of tea, around the children playing, chatting and throwing out ideas for simplifying and improving their lives and the lives of their families.  These models tremendously help to improve women health, family health, emotional intelligence and mental health.  This is indicated with current scientific research and not just with feminists!

As the world allows women of all ages and particularly elder women to play a more prominent role in all areas, ‘Women Power’ will increase for the good of us all.  Will we actually live in a “femocracy” or in more of a ‘collective partnership’?  We don’t know yet, however, it is important to teach our children the beauty of sitting in circle together, of ‘win-win-win’ and collective co-creative thinking.

Women leaders, base your leadership style of the last two principles and use the partnership model!  This will lend creativity, inspiration, innovation to your organization!

I call this all ‘matrixed heart and soul’ wisdom!  Enjoy your wonderful day!

In peace and mindfulness.

namaste,

Zoey

Words of Wisdom for Women’s Health

I generally lead a pretty busy and active life as a working mother, engaged in my life & leadership coaching work, family and personal life  skills activities.  The last couple of days, I have felt slightly ‘under the weather’ and it has been trickier to live a life in balance!

This morning, I feel so blessed and appreciative of the very simple, yet caring gesture of being served a cup of delicious, hot steaming coffee in bed.  As a woman and mom who is responsible for lots of others, it is such a wonderful treat to be ‘taken care of’!  I am usually the one caring for our family health and wellness and it is such a treat to be on the receiving end!

I am reminded of how it is the simple things in life that often have the biggest impact on our heart and soul and I feel such gratitude for the goodness of people and my family!

Enjoy your day!

Namaste,

In peace and mindfulness,

Zoey

Zoey Ryan, BSc., PCC

Life & Leadership Coach for  Working Women

coaching to bring more heart & soul to a healthy life & work