iCoach Issue 15: INTUITION

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IN THIS ISSUE... COVER STORY: Listening To The Voice of Your Intuition ... Sonia Choquette

Tuning In To Your Inner Guidance System And Higher Calling ... Marilyn Rodriguez

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Intuition And The Plus Side of Character Assassination ... Christy Harden

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The Art Of Intuition ... Karen Davis

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Dancing With My Intuition ... Akinyi McMenamin

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Your Shoes Are Not Your Problem ... Amir Karkouti

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Intuition In A Box ... Stacy Nelson

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A couple of FYI’s... Yes, it’s the small print! First off - none of the articles in this magazine, including the cover, were paid for. This is not and will never be a Pay-To-Pay because I am dedicated to supporting our membership first by promoting their awesomeness and to our readership second by delivering the best content we can. The advertisements on the other hand are either paid for by our sponsors or are affiliate links that will help offset the expense of publishing this monthly Magazine so we can keep it as free and easily distributable. If you have any comments or concerns, please contact our team at Info@iCoachNetwork.com


Knowing Together Intuition was the first topic that we decided on during our brainstorming session. Karen blurted it out before I think I’d finished answering the question of what topics we’d like to highlight this year, with Marilyn agreeing immediately. And honestly, Amir’s always up for a deep dive of just about anything. All people have the ability to lean into their intuition, it’s a direct line to our highest good. It’s something that as coaches we’ve developed and enhanced, as a necessary ingredient for the deeper work we are called to do. Interestingly though, we all reach into it differently, some through feeling into our bodies, some through mental exercises like journaling, some through meditation. For me, I reach into it by simply taking a breath to clear out the cobwebs. Reaching higher levels of intuitive mastery is what Sonia really promotes, in her coursework and books so we were thrilled when she said yes to gracing our cover. We went through a list of people we’d love to have but each of us concluded that Sonia was it. I’ve been following Sonia for years... so many I’ve lost count. For me, her ability to break down intuition into simple energetic terms has been a powerful model of being practical and spiritual (and personally, I love her Soul Oracle Cards). So as you dive in this month and read through these articles, start seeing where you can reach further in your path of development, where some of these lessons and stories hit home for you. We don’t write with the intention of you reading some lovely words on the screen, We write with the intention that you will go out into the world and experiment... go play with your intuition. With Love & Light

Stacy Nelson, Founder iCoachNetwork.com

www.iCoachNetwork.com

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“A life where we believe that we aren’t making a meaningful contribution feels like a life wasted.”

LISTENING TO THE VOICE OF YOUR INTUITION “Listening to the voice of your intuition...will bring about, over time, a deep-seated, unwavering sense of profound integrity, and grounded soul purpose.”

Thankfully, these days more and more people are committed to living a spiritually empowered, authentically grounded, intuitively guided, positive, and peaceful life. We’re generally becoming much more willing to accept the idea that we are spiritual beings who create our own reality and aren’t simply victims of circumstance, as evidenced by a huge surge of interest in such things as quantum physics and mind-body medicine. We’re more willing to explore and discuss our rich inner lives and our everexpanding intuitive experiences. And yet, in spite of these encouraging signs, we’re still suffering with, and causing some of, the worst personal and worldwide violence and earthly destruction that humankind has ever known. Incidents of suicide and drug addiction have spiraled out of control, for example. The environment is under siege. Our relationships with each other (and among nations) are blasting apart, sometimes tragically with guns and weapons. So even though the idea of spiritual awakening and personal empowerment sounds appealing and even possible, the actual shift in con3


sciousness most of us need to make in order to go from victim of circumstance to Divine cocreator has yet to occur for most of us. We all must take a big step forward—if not an actual leap—to jump-start the transformation that everyone speaks of and desires . . . and the world so desperately needs. Our inner peace contributes to the world’s peace. A life where we believe that we aren’t making a meaningful contribution feels like a life wasted. People in this state tend to find negative ways to distract themselves and deaden the emptiness they experience. Whether this leads to destructive behaviors or emotions, frequent accidents or illnesses, career stalls or chronic unemployment, or outbursts of rage or social withdrawal, soon the problem becomes other peoples’ problem as well. All paths are interwoven—we are connected to one another, and one person’s misery eventually affects everyone else. Therefore, not only is tuning in to our inner guidance an essential personal need, it’s also a profoundly important familial and social need. Listening to the voice of your intuition—instead of the voice of your fears and other peoples’ wishes and instructions—will bring about, over time, a deep-seated, unwavering sense of profound integrity, creative inspiration, and grounded soul purpose. Tuning in to and following your intuition relaxes your mind, puts your body at ease, and opens your heart because you eliminate inner conflict as you become more at one with your Spirit, your true Self. Following your Spirit brings about an inner sense of peace, eliminates distraction, and helps you be more open. With such a big load off your shoulders, you can begin to fine-tune your awareness and expand your creativity, gaining a more graceful, fulfilling, and pro-

ductive rhythm in your life. With your Spirit firmly at the helm, you flow with the deepest, most authentic truth of your being and experience each day as God designed and intended you to experience it: perfect, beautiful, connected, and filled with joy. Because you’re aligned with your true Self, you feel less and less compelled to seek approval or self-worth in how others view you. You stop feeling out of sync with yourself, and that’s a huge relief. In following your intuition and trusting your Spirit, not only do you feel uplifted, but you also uplift everyone you come in contact with. Because we are sentient beings and are affected by one another’s energy, others will sense your genuine ease and consequently relax more in your company. Many of the typical challenges you might expect, such as experiencing others as overly cautious or suspicious, will seem to suddenly ease, replaced with more heart-to-heart, creative, trusting, and positive connections. Guided by your intuition, your Spirit opens your eyes to new perspectives, reveals new opportunities, and showers you with synchronistic moments that bring a sense of certain magic into your life. Even those people who have been habitually difficult to deal with, such as set-in-their-ways family members or hardened bosses, won’t trouble you as much, as your intuition also often brings with it more objectivity, deeper insight, and better understanding of others. You become more compassionate, recognizing others’ negative behavior as a symptom of having lost touch with their inner voice, their Spirit, so it’s easier not to take their unpleasant or obnoxious behavior personally. In fact, often those who are not in the habit of being easygoing will change their behavior when in your company because your personal vibration is generally so positive they can’t help 4


but start to entrain with it. With your Spirit guiding, you will feel lighter and clearer, and your world will brighten up. You will start to really love yourself and your life, and that’s the best reward of all. Honoring our inner voice and allowing our Spirit to lead is the inevitable choice we must all eventually make if we hope to live together in peace. Choosing otherwise keeps us battling our own fears and battling others. This choice hurts us, each other, and our planet. Those who refuse for whatever reason to surrender to their intuition, their heart, and their Spirit will continue to suffer, to struggle, and to miss out on the joys of life. Like a battery running out of power, unless we stop fighting and start trusting our Spirit for guidance, our limited ego energy will dwindle and die. I feel confident that sooner rather than later we will all come to realize the limitations of the ego, and accept the power that lies within our Spirit because that is the purpose of our soul’s journey on Earth. Sonia Choquette is celebrated worldwide as an author, spiritual teacher, six-sensory consultant, and transformational visionary guide. An enchanting storyteller, Sonia is known for her delightful humor and adept skill in quickly shifting people out of psychological and spiritual difficulties, and into a healthier energy flow. She is the author of 19 internationally best-selling books about intuitive awakening, personal and creative growth, and the transformational leadership capabilities that reside within, most notably with the New York Times best-seller The Answer is Simple. Sonia is inspiring a global consciousness movement around her belief that, as human beings,

“We are divine beings endowed with six senses to guide us through life.” Sonia insists that we all must rely on our innate sixth senses in order to make the most authentic, well-informed, healthful, and soul-satisfying decisions possible. Sonia’s work has been published in over 40 countries, translated into 37 languages, making her one of the most widely read authors and experts in her field of work. Because of her unique gifts, Sonia’s expertise is sought throughout the world, helping both individuals and organizations dramatically improve their experience and abilities to perform at optimal levels through empowerment and transformation. Sonia’s extensive background in uplifting guidance began as early as 12 years of age; she established her unwavering integrity at this young age, and continued following along this guided path to help other people find their truest selves through intuition. Sonia’s legacy is continued by her two daughters, Sonia and Sabrina, who both have their own careers in spiritual coaching and guidance. Sonia’s philanthropic work has brought her to workshops in South Africa, through her publisher Hay House, which helped Sonia set up organizational collaborations with Nurturing Orphans with AIDS for Humanity (NOAH), in addition to charity work and fundraising throughout the United States. In 2012 Sonia was awarded the Leader of the Year by the Global Holistic Psychology Association and the award for Exceptional Human Serv-

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ice by the 1st Global Parliament of Human Spirituality in Hyderabad India. Sonia attended the University of Denver and the Sorbonne in Paris, and also holds a doctorate from the American Institute of Holistic Theology. She is a member of the Transformational Leadership Council, and is the host of her own weekly radio show, Six Sensory Living.

Paris, and spends time there every year! To learn more about Sonia, please visit www.soniachoquette.net.

When not on the road teaching, Sonia calls Chicago, IL, home. Sonia is an avid traveler and prides herself on her passionate pursuit of learning and growing every day. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, playing the piano, fashion, art and design, and practices yoga and Pilates to stay in shape. Sonia loves everything about

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“When you slow down your thinking, you create space for your intuition.”

TUNING IN TO YOUR INNER GUIDANCE SYSTEM AND HIGHEST CALLING “Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way.” - Florence Scovel Shinn

“Intuition isn’t here to keep you where you are in what you believe to be safe. Intuition is here to lead you to your absolute highest expression and impact on this planet.”

Many people struggle to hear their intuition. They try hard to pray and meditate and follow step-by-step systems that will lead them to their feminine inner guidance system. Intuition is a feminine energy. It is a voice of truth and knowingness that emerges from the soul. The problem is that many people are so busy that it becomes nearly impossible to hear their inner guidance system. And when they do, they doubt it or delay action on their intuitive hunch. Between social media, cell phones, tablets and the fast-forward pace of our society, there is very little room for intuition to emerge unless you intentionally carve out time for yourself. This means placing social media, work, tablets and cell phones secondary to 7


YOU. Instead of going online for a dose of inspiration, it would be wise to go within to discover your own truth and inner wisdom. I consistently guide my clients to go deep and access their inner knowing. If they ask me a question about money, health, relationships, life purpose, business or anything else, I turn it around and ask them the question they asked me. It inspires them to get quiet and find the answer. I have seen my clients find their answers 100% of the time when they go deep into their inner guidance system. When you slow down your thinking, you create space for your intuition. Your intuition cannot rise within you if you are busy doing, worrying and stressing, or dealing with deeper emotional issues that keep you from trusting yourself and following your inner guidance. If your mind is full, you will not be able to clearly feel and hear your own inner wisdom. I have had many experiences in my life where I ignored the loving and powerful voice of my intuition and by doing so I created a path of chaos and pain. Your intuition will never guide you astray. I always say that intuition is the shortcut to your divine life and highest calling. I am also aware of the struggle many face to follow intuitive guidance especially when some of the guidance seems to point us outside of our comfort zone. Intuition isn’t here to keep you where you are in what you believe to be safe. Intuition is here to lead you to your absolute highest expression and impact on this planet. I am most passionate about guiding you to use your intuition as the beacon of light that leads you to your dreams.

I am not going to give you a specific formula to finding your intuition because there is none. I will however, share here with you what I know to be true based on my personal experience, my client’s experiences and my personal research. I am not sharing steps or secret keys here with you and there is no particular order to what is coming through me right now. You will find what resonates with you. Listen to that. That is your intuition. !

Slow down.

If you feel like you are going a mile a minute, it is time to slow down. Going fast is like speeding on the interstate and missing a billboard ad that had something very interesting to you. You’ll miss it. Slowing down looks like turning the phone off daily for a certain amount of time, taking your time in the morning, staying in your pajamas for the day, going for a hike or camping. These are ideas. Where do you need to slow down?

Hire a personal coach.

There are powerful coaches who specialize in spirituality and intuitive work. They help you get to the truth of your soul and find your inner voice. They know there are no boundaries when it comes to your dreams and they want to see you find your own way. You are their agenda and they light up when you discover your inner truth and follow it. Those are the ones you want to hire. I have coaches and mentors and will continue to have one for the rest of my life.

Do what makes you happy.

When you free yourself from the idea that you have to do what others have defined for you, you open up space within you. Doing what makes

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you happy raises your vibration and when you are living in that higher vibe, you feel lighter, your mind is clear and stress begins to dissolve. What lights you up? Who are you when you are carefree? How would you describe this person and what would you do? Do what makes you happy. That is one of my personal rules.

Take extraordinary care of your body.

Your body is the temple to your SOUL and it is essential to care for it, exercise it and love it to its natural and healthy state of wholeness. You can do this by getting enough sleep, incorporating more raw foods into your diet, exercising in a way that lights you up (I run and belly dance) and doing what you feel called to do for the loving care of your body. When your physical body is in harmony, it becomes easier to hear your intuition.

Slow down so you can hear your inner guidance. Trust yourself to make choices for your highest good. Take risks that thrust you into your divine plan. Intuition is your inner guidance system that leads you to your golden path. Marilyn Rodriguez is your SOUL Mentor guiding influential and powerful leaders and visionaries to the truth of their soul. She has shared the virtual stage with Marianne Williamson, Lisa Nichols and Marci Shimoff as well as other spiritual leaders. A third generation healer, Marilyn discovered her gifts at an early age and continues to transform lives with her gifts. Marilyn is available for one-on-one transformational soul compass rose coaching by application, media interviews and speaking engagements. For more information, contact Marilyn Rodriguez at marilyn@themarilynrodriguez.com or 256-2589357.

I have spent years teaching about intuition and helping people create some kind of a system so they could hear their intuition. What I have discovered is that there is no system. Your intuition just is. It lives and breathes inside of you. It exists beyond the mind. It is the voice of your SOUL. Your intuition will guide you every step of the way in all areas of your life. Your intuition may prompt you to move, travel or create something you may not have considered creating before for the greater good of humanity. It may inspire you to make a phone call you would normally not make or take some kind of risk that will put you in the flow of your divine plan and highest calling. Your intuition will never hurt you or anyone else. Intuition is here to lift up humanity into a higher consciousness and it is our divine right responsibility to listen to it and act upon its guidance.

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INTUITION AND THE PLUS-SIDE OF CHARACTER ASSASSINATION

As Jim Morrison wisely pronounced, “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are.” How true. So when it comes down to it, why are many of us so unfree?

Because they keep us caged in repetitive and inauthentic ways of being.

Intuition, the voice of who we really are, is always spot-on. When we’re aware of that inner wisdom revealing what’s right for us and what isn’t, we’re in a fantastic position to move forward with choices that are in alignment with who we really are—we’re in striking distance of true freedom. Just at this critical juncture however, many of us find ourselves high-tailing it in the opposite direction! What gives?

Psychiatrist and psychotherapist Fritz Perls, in his 1969 book, Gestalt Therapy Verbatim, points out, “Once you have a character, you have developed a rigid system. Your behavior becomes petrified, predictable, and you lose your ability to cope freely with the world with all your resources.” In other words, adhering to an idea of what makes up one’s character often eliminates the possibility of dynamic response and inspired action, decimating authenticity and blocking our ability to just be ourselves in the moment.

One reason we may fear taking intuitive action is a perception that our character will be somehow questioned; that we’ll be judged unfavorably. Often this comes in the form of self-judgment. What labels do we hold as “truths” about ourselves? Nice Person? Intellectual? Generous? Selfless? Edgy? Trustworthy? Counter to what our emotions will have us believe, the sooner these character judgments are questioned and revealed for what they are (iterations of ego) the better. Why?

When we live our lives in fear of embarrassment, of sullying our reputation, of judgment of our character—we’re DOA. Cultivating the ability to act on intuition despite fear is critical to living an authentic life. If I’m pandering to my own or others’ approval, I stay in my cell. The only way to free ourselves from the prison of judgment is to follow our intuition and be willing to assassinate our own characters, whether in our own heads or “outside” in the world.

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The degree of pain a perceived negative judgment causes us is precisely proportionate to the degree of difficulty we will experience when attempting to follow our intuition and live a genuine existence. It’s not that our intuition tells us to do bad things, it’s that we tend to tailor our behavior to what is expected of us. Often what is right for us does not align with what others desire or with how we see ourselves. If I follow an intuition not to lend money to a friend, I may then find myself smack dab in the middle of an ego storm, experiencing an internal judgment that I am selfish, inconsiderate, a bad friend or worse, a bad person. How willing am I to stick with myself in this moment, see the ego storm for what it is, weather this storm and whatever results from it and move on? If we’re unwilling, we’re stuck and fear is winning. At the root of this unwillingness is a belief that blending in and keeping silent will do us some kind of good, that it will keep us safe. It won’t. It will destroy anything worth having.

So: cultivate willingness to do your own thing no matter what. Dance in public, say what you feel to say, decline the invitation, go roller skating; BE YOU. Do what you feel truly inspired to do, even and especially if that feels uncomfortable. We eventually find we can weather the discomfort and get over ourselves; we begin to notice that our self-concepts are merely fantasies. Not only are these fantasies not worth protecting, they are often what holds us back from being our true selves in the first place. And being our true selves is the most valuable thing we ever have to offer. Christy Harden infuses her writing and speaking with the intuition and authenticity that inform her daily life. Her work points to an awareness of the present moment as the basis for a genuine, adventurous life, and draws on her colorful experiences as a commercial actor, friend, poet, mother and speech pathologist.

In order to live your dreams, you first need to know what they are. Any number of books encourage you to “live the life of your dreams,” but what if you don’t know what those dreams are? Guided by Your Own Stars shows you, step by step, how to quiet the chaos and connect with your own intuitive knowing—the Inner Voice—to rediscover yourself and your dreams. Use the blueprint in Guided by Your Own Stars to reconnect with your true essence and live a life of authenticity and joy. This is your invitation to turn everything around, to get back to what matters to you, and to truly live your life. Pick up a copy of Christy’s book “Guided By Your Own Stars” on Amazon today! 11


“I consider intuition to indeed be an art that must be deliberately, and methodically practiced in order for one to ultimately reach mastery”

THE ART OF INTUITION

“By keeping our emotions clear, we become calmer and our internal chatter can be kept to a minimum so that our inner voice comes through more clearly.”

I recently had a coaching client say to me, “It seems like it only takes you 46 seconds to get to the heart of the matter.” We enjoyed a good laugh and I pointed out that it was actually more like 10 minutes. Time stands still when we are connecting and tapping into a greater source of consciousness than ourselves. One of the reasons I LOVE being a coach is because I can bring my gift of intuition into my coaching sessions. Some people consider this multi-sensory gift to be some type of super-power that is out of their reach – kind of like Superman being “faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive.” But I consider intuition to indeed be an art that must be deliberately, and methodically practiced in order for one to ultimately reach mastery. In George Leonard’s book on Mastery, he states, “To take the master’s journey, you have to practice diligently, striving to hone your skills, to attain new levels of competence. But while doing so – and this is the inexorable fact of the journey – you also have to be willing to spend most of your time on a pla-

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teau, to keep practicing even when you seem to be getting nowhere.” I have certainly found this plateau effect to be true for my intuition, however, I have learned that with patience and practice I always eventually break through and move towards a new level in which my multi-sensory capacity increases. How do you begin to hone your intuition? TRUST Trust those hunches, the gut feelings, those ‘hits’ that seem to come out of nowhere. It’s the advice Regis Philbin, the original host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, perpetually provided to hapless contestants who were struggling with the $200 question. “Go with your gut, it’s almost always right,” he would say. And Regis was right. There was a time not that long ago when I myself didn’t completely trust my intuition. I was in coach training school at Newfield Network. The founder of Ontological Coaching, Julio Olalla, led me to an insight in front of a room full of coaches that changed everything for me with regard to trusting my intuition – yes, a paradigm shift. Without going into the entire story, his final words were, “Karen, there is no right or wrong to your intuition.” Up until that point, I had spent a lifetime questioning my intuitive abilities. No longer. I now honor all the guidance I intuitively ‘receive’. I seek answers and I approach questions in life with a sense of faith and trust that there is a reason for all that is happening. EMOTIONAL CLARITY I have learned the importance of being disciplined in my daily approach to life. I meditate and exercise to ensure that I’m emotionally

cleansed and open for receiving information. By keeping our emotions clear, we become calmer and our internal chatter can be kept to a minimum so that our inner voice comes through more clearly. This practice opens your intuitive track because it allows you a clear sense of loving and clarity. This is not to say that I don’t ride on an emotional wave, quite the contrary – that’s how feminine women are wired. I consciously finish unfinished emotional business typically through journaling. I’ve also learned to honor my emotional currents of energy. GET PRESENT You can practice getting present by slowing down and listening in on your thoughts as if you were an observer. When your thoughts begin to wander bring them back to the present. This is a wonderful exercise to do while walking in nature. You’ll suddenly begin to notice wildflowers and trees blowing in the wind. You’ll hear and see wildlife. This is a great time to ask for inner guidance. I’ve attuned myself to listen to trains off in the distance, geese flying overhead and nothing keeps me up like listening to the rain hit my roof at night. Sometimes I get up to watch the sunrise and often I’ll sit and watch the sun set. Before every client coaching session, I take ten minutes to get deeply grounded and centered to ensure that I’m emotionally clear, attuned to deeply listening and completely open to whatever unfolds in the session. I imagine my heart opening and I prepare myself to feel, see and hear. Sometimes, I’ll synchronize my breathing with my client if I feel we are scattered.

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PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE Play games with your intuition. When you get a hunch or a hit – act on it immediately and see what happens. Practice solving magic tricks or riddles when you don’t have all the information. A game of roulette can be very financially rewarding. Watch a movie and figure out the ending before it happens. Think of a friend or a loved one with deep intention and wait for their call. Pick up the phone if you get a hit to call someone and listen to see if they say they were just thinking about you. Play! After years of practice, I have come to trust my own intuitive language for seeing, hearing and feeling. I openly share this information with my clients. When I’m coaching a new prospective client they will often stand at the end of a session and say to me, “This is not at all what I expected.” It is in that moment I know I have served

them at my highest level of being. And therein lies the art. Karen Davis is a certified Ontological Executive Coach working with clients nationally and internationally. She provides one-on-one deep coaching services with high-performing executives, entrepreneurs, business professionals, and coaches who are committed to their success, ready to uncover their hidden potential and make their own unique difference in the world. You can reach K a re n f o r a p o w e r f u l c o n v e r s a t i o n a t : 303.665.4301 or learn more by visiting, www.karendaviscoaching.com

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DANCING WITH MY INTUITION

I did not have my cell phone, so I stopped a woman who was walking past and asked her to call Emergency Services. But the Police, the firemen, and ambulance were arriving.

I would like to share with you a story that transformed my relationship with my Intuition and the impact this had on me as a coach. I have also included some reflective questions to support you in evaluating the role your Intuition currently plays in your life and the role you would like it to play. Enjoy. On November 14th 2009, I went for a meditative walk around a neighborhood park. I had the choice of using three different routes to the park; something compelled me to choose a route that went past an apartment complex with a car park. As I waited to cross a busy road, I noticed a puff of black smoke in a short distance away. I walked past an apartment complex to see that there was a man in his robe (it was only 7:30am) trying to put off a ball of fire; I asked myself, “Why is he burning something at this time of the morning?” It took me seconds to realize that the source of the black smoke was a burning human being. To my horror I saw the body’s feet move amidst the flames – shock!!!

As a witness to this horrible scene I was taken aside by a Police officer for questioning. Within a short time, we learned that the man had died. As I walked back home I could not believe what I had just witnessed. Over the next few days I kept asking, “Why did I see that?” At the time, I could not come up with an answer. Fast forward to the following Friday, I followed my Intuition and shared this story with a good friend of mine. He supportively listened as I recounted the unforgettable events of that morning. A couple of days later, I received an e-mail from the same friend, thanking me for sharing this story with him because it allowed him to mourn the death of his parent – a parent who had died the same way, over 22 years earlier. He had never mourned that loss or shared the story with friends. I was SHOCKED at how the event that I had witnessed came together with an important human need that my dear friend held for over two decades. The synchronicity was unmistakable. From that day forward, I decided to surrender to my Intuition. 15


This experience led me to appreciate my Intuition, its many layers, its connection to my Divine Power. The best way for me to describe that experience of my Intuition is like a dance routine that has been specifically choreographed for My Purpose in this world. Every part of my body feels the music, I hear and appreciate each instrument, and I easily flow as the tempo changes. As I access this dance, I slowly close my eyes, allow a conscious loving breath, and connect to whatever shows up within. My five senses are alert as my sixth sense (Intuition) moves to the foreground. My Intuition communicates with me using at least one of my five senses: sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound. My Intuition is that part of me that is connected to my Divine Power, Power that connects me to my Spirit, My Love, My Authentic Self, My Courage and My Uniqueness. I trust my Intuition and take full responsibility for it. I respect my Intuition with Grace and cherish it for what it is. I always share this intention to listen to and honor my Intuition with my coaching clients. My clients have been grateful for my Intuition and my commitment to share it. And there are times my Intuition does not resonate with my clients. I never give meaning to my Intuition, because it is what it is – period. It requires no interpretation or justification. Knowing it and speaking it is enough. But with my Loving Intent, my Intuition always adds a twist to the connection and the conversation. It is a rich resource in the coaching relationship. We never know the power with which these intuitive messages may provide insight or healing for another, as long as we have the courage to share them.

I listened to my intuition and chose that particular route to the park on that early morning walk. I listened to my intuition and chose to share the story of that experience with my friend. And incredible healing came from what could only be described as a shocking and serendipitous moment in time. My Intuition is a gift to others and to myself; it is a part of me that is very grounded, present and Divine. This is what I learned about my precious Intuition, now it’s your turn to reflect on your relationship with your Intuition – ask yourself the following questions: • How has my relationship with my Intuition evolved over time? • How has this impacted me as a coach? • When has my Intuition served my clients and myself? • How do I trust my Intuition? • How else can I surrender to my Intuition? • What uniqueness does my Intuition allow me to have as a coach? Akinyi McMenamin’s natural ability and skill to coach has enabled her to work with leaders in a wide range of industries, including the Energy industry and the Retail industry in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Akinyi is currently working on her Master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica and has a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics and a Master’s Degree in Economics – both qualifications have enhanced Akinyi’s ability to coach and support leaders and managers in Global Org a n i s a t i o n s . Yo u c a n re a c h A k i n y i a t : akinyi.mcmenamin@yahoo.com 16


“...you don’t have to look for the answers in the wrong place anymore and that you may just find the answer you’re looking for a bit quicker”

YOUR SHOES ARE NOT THE PROBLEM “Trust your own instinct. Your mistakes might as well be your own, instead of someone else’s.” ~Billy Wilder I had a coaching client who wanted to figure out how she would know when she met the right partner.

“The Law of Attraction is very simple. You feel it or you don’t. Any other response to the question is going to distract your body’s own ability to answer the question.”

I told her well, if there are two guys you met at a bar and you have chemistry with one and not the other, how would you know? She started to tell me all the reasons, then paused for a moment and said, “Actually, you just know.” I said perfect, there is your answer. That wasn’t good enough, so she told me that there is this guy she should really like because he is good to her, her family and friends, and he has a steady job and everything else, but there is no chemistry. She asked me what the problem was. So I told her: “If he were in a room with another guy and you wanted to find out if you had chemistry with one of them, how would you know?”

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I think she got the point. No matter how much we try to bullet-point good or bad things about our relationships, our family, business, and ourselves, our desires and internal understanding will always trump our knowledge. We can try to remove the desire, but you know desire always creeps back. Most of us will skirt desire out of the way by rationalizing it and giving it meaning. Desire is a desire, with or without your input.

What do you think could help this situation? What if she knew how gravity worked? Do you think this would help?

Does that mean that your intuition, feeling or desire is always right? Not necessarily, but it’s a great starting point to listen to its insights.

If she realizes that gravity pushes people down, no matter the shoe, she can go on with her life knowing what’s causing her fall. Matter of fact, her focusing on her shoes was distracting her from finding the real answer. She was looking in the wrong place!

If someone came to me and said, “I don’t know what my problem is, I keep falling and I’ve done so many things to help prevent it.” I would ask, what things? “Well, I changed my shoe size, I changed the color of my shoes and I even bought Hi-Tops. With all the changes, I still can’t keep myself from falling!” What if you’re looking in the wrong place? “I can’t be! I went to a shoe specialist who has written books on falling and he even recommended these special shoes that have a wide sole that help prevent people from falling. It worked for a few weeks, but last night, I didn’t see a curb and I tripped again! I’m going to his seminar to see if he has any new ideas about what shoes I need to get. I even have a shoe therapist I visit once a week who looks at my shoes and offers me advice on them. I become more aware of my steps, but I still fall from time to time.”

YES! You see, as soon as she sees that it’s not the shoe, its color, or its size; that it’s just the way the laws work, spending precious time on the shoes just becomes a pointless endeavor.

As long as we find the law that runs her problem, the answer is pretty easy to find. Most people create a shoe problem. The person asking how she will know when she has chemistry was creating a shoe problem. The law of attraction is very simple. You feel it or you don’t. Any other response to the question is going to distract your body’s own ability to answer the question. You’re essentially creating a shoe problem to find out why you are falling. Matter of fact, if you realize and listen to the law of chemistry, which starts as a feeling, an intuition, and an insight, it just may give you the answer you are looking for. Does that mean that once you know how gravity works, you’re not going to fall? Absolutely not! It just means that you don’t have to look for answers in the wrong place anymore!

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Does that mean that by listening to your intuition and really putting some trust in your intuition, it is always going to be right? Absolutely not! It just means that you don’t have to look for the answers in the wrong place anymore and that you may just find the answer you’re looking for a bit quicker.

glasses. He looks and looks and looks, and I show up and remind him that it’s been on his head the whole time. My job as a coach is to remind you how amazing, brilliant and special you are. At times we can feel like we’ve lost those qualities. I get the pleasure of reminding my clients that they’ve never lost their true idea of themselves and to stop searching for them.

Amir Karkouti realized that coaching is similar to what he does for his father at least twice a month. Every once in a while, Amir’s father spends at least 10 minutes looking for his

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“ I t ’s a l l a n i n t u i t i v e process when I show up with an open heart rather than acting like I have separate pieces of my soul.”

INTUITION IN A BOX

“The root of the problem was truly this need I had to compartmentalize myself, thus blocking the seeds of my intuition.”

We settle in for a deep conversation, the kind that scrapes the sides of our souls, that turns us inside out finding the root of the root of who we are. ‘What’s holding us back’ and ‘let’s let it out’ kind of conversation. The conversation of coaching. When I coach I tap fully into that deep intuitive space. I allow random words or images that pop up to percolate out into the room with complete trust that they will make the impact they are meant to make in this other person’s life. We go down unexpected roads for magnificent insights. There is a flow and ease to serving in this connected way, where there’s no separation between me, my client and Source. And then the sales piece enters the room. Or the marketing piece. Or the creating clients piece. Or the speaking piece or the writing piece. All these pieces that are business-based... and the second they enter the room I leave my intuition behind and hop right up into my brain to make the ‘serious‘ decisions on how to build my business or use the correct lines to close the deal.

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Or at least I used to. When I’d have blocks around asking people for money, it was when I was in my own head listening to the stories. When I’d put together terribly clever sales pages that listed the problems, the process and the potential solution found in my program, it was my head speaking. When I’d write a post announcing a new program with the pretty shiny word-quote thingy, totally my head. When I’d make goals or sign up for another class to help me learn to do x-y-z better, yep - my head. Listen I have a well above average cranial capacity and decades of business building experience. Why wouldn’t I rely on it for the oh-so-serious act of being a business person right? What was actually happening was a battle of two powerful forces - my inner game that sees only potential and purpose and my outer game that largely separated from the flow of the universe. So I’d be in this powerful space with a potential client, fully connected with source and energetically I’d pull it all back from the client, shut down the flow and go up into my head to propose a cleverly crafted coaching program. It’s the equivalent of asking someone to strip naked and then throwing ice water on them. See all of the techniques were never anything more than intuition blockers. I kept leaving the seat of my power in the moment when I needed to show up more powerfully.

The root of the problem was truly this need I had to compartmentalize myself, thus blocking off the seeds of my intuition. The need to control the flow of the Universe instead of weaving it into each “role” I played. It's amazing how much we all divide ourselves into 'appropriate' roles, buttoning up to show our 'good' side, the side that will be accepted and liked right? Acting the part that we have defined in our minds as ‘the way’. My first session with my spiritual coach revealed something I was all too familiar with - the many faces of Stacy, all neatly packaged into little labeled boxes. There was football/tennis mom Stacy, and wife Stacy, entrepreneur Stacy, coach Stacy, mother Stacy, daughter Stacy, a whole bunch of others and then at the very end hidden behind everyone else there was spiritual woo-woo Stacy. My intuition played varying parts within these roles, sometimes deeply connected and sometimes non-existent. My internal world looked like a Martha Stewart special on cleverly storing things... ways to adapt myself to fit any situation. See I learned very early in life that my spiritual self wasn't one to be worn loudly, that most people don't approve of guide-seeing, aura-reading, thought-reading, emotion-feeling little girls. It made me weird in school. Having gone to psychic fairs as a young girl with the barrage of energy in the room and those weird, weird, freaky weird people, made me want it even less. I shoved the Stacy who was Spiritual back in the recesses and only let her out with a sacred few who knew me well. She remained a silent partner in my life.

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After college I dove into jobs and work where Intuitive Stacy just didn’t have a place. When I became an entrepreneur, well, the image of a serious business person had nothing to do with spirituality. It had everything to do with number and perception and sales and marketing. As I dove deeper into coaching, as I let her out more and more in my sessions, the pain of putting her back into her little box became too great. She was still separate, as if I could control when and where I could be spiritual, packed away when I needed to be ‘businessey’ and allowed out in session. In order to heal AND in order to really grow my business, I had to literally dump the contents of each and every single one of these boxes onto the floor, smush them all around and put them in a box with amply air holes labeled "STACY". That's it.... just me, with all the parts of me together. My work with my coach helped me to lessen my control... to allow her not just to come out but to weave her way through each of my different aspects, to be just as comfortable talking about Source at a rugby match as in a session. It took practice but the more I let her out the harder it became to control her, to keep her separate from the rest.

That first step was to allow my intuition into each and every moment... from who I connect with on Facebook, to which road to drive down, to how I create offers to those I choose to work with. It’s ALL an intuitive process when I show up with an open heart rather than acting like I have separate pieces of my soul. It’s an act of releasing control. So how can you integrate who you are more? How can you bring your whole self to the table each and every time? Where are you controlling your own flow to show up as perfect? How can you release control? How can you run your business with your intuition fully woven into each decision, each conversation, each moment? Stacy Nelson is the Founder of iCoach Network, an International circle of life coaches coming together to support and inspire each other on a daily basis. Keeping with the theme of ‘As one rises, we lift each other up”, Stacy also publishes this monthly digital magazine for iCoach Network, highlighting the fabulous coaches within the network. Specifically she is a Coach & Trainer helping intuitive entrepreneurs to build their businesses with their hearts and tap into their authentic purpose.

Compartmentalizing ME was no longer an option. I still have control issues... it's still a work in progress, as I lean into the next level of expansion, but that first step was to show up as a unified front, whole and strong as 1 person rather than fragments of self.

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