Spirited Woman 2014 Directory: A Collection of Stories & Resources for an Inspired Life!

Every Woman Visionaries Changing the World One Spirited Woman Step at a Time

READ INSPIRED STORIES FIND FANTASTIC RESOURCES GET GREAT TIPS

All Rights Reserved, The Spirited Woman Š 2012-2014 Directory

Publisher’s Introduction

by Nancy Mills, Founder of The Spirited Woman

Fantabulous! This is our third annual Spirited Woman Directory!

We continue to bring women together from around the world in an exciting and compelling new way.

As the founder, publisher and creator of Spirited Woman, a leading (and ever-expanding) global women's empowerment community, founded in 2001, it is my mission and the mission of Spirited Woman to deeply support all “women inspiring women.”

More so than ever before, women have the opportunity to make a difference, shake it up, wake it up, and step into their unstoppable power.

We are the Every Woman Visionaries, changing the world one Spirited Woman step at a time.

It is through our minds, our hearts, and our actions that the world is changing.

That is why I am beyond thrilled to publish our third edition of the Spirited Woman Directory: A Collection of Stories & Resources for an Inspired Life!

The purpose of the Directory is to reach and inspire millions of women globally. Recognizing that the time is NOW for women, and that the technology and social media elements are in place to make a HUGE IMPACT - we embarked on a journey to create a Directory that would make history! And that's what we've done and continue to do!

Innovative. Informative. Uplifting. We've created a magazine-style page-turning Directory, where women worldwide can share their inspirational stories, resources, and links - in one place together! A Directory which can be embedded on your websites and shared with your friends through social media.

Since our first Directory in 2012, more than 200 women from seven countries and over 30 states have participated in this project. From the beginning, these Every Woman Visionaries deeply resonated with the Directory's revolutionary concept and committed to its vision - to inspire and bring women together from around the world and to connect with like-minded souls.

This Directory is a salute to you - the Every Woman Visionary - and your spirit!

May the force be with us all! And may there be many more Spirited Woman Directories to come.

Nancy Mills

Table of Contents Publisher’s Introduction

04

Directory Presenters

07

Karen DeMeco - Real Estate & Business

08

Susan Newton - Authors & Speakers

11

Cat Williford - Coaching & Wisdom

14

DaKara Kies - Healers

17

Jeannine Wiest - Creative Transformation

20

Dr. Margaret Aranda - Health & Wellness

23

Val Heart - Communications

26

Deborah Roth - Spirited

29

Olga Cohen - Inspired Feminine Products

32

Vicki Dobbs - Sacred Arts & Teaching

35

Michele Neff Hernandez - Non-Profits for Women

38

Featured Profiles

41

Barbara Krauss

42

Debora McLaughlin

44

Donna L. Friess, Ph.D.

46

Karen Olson

48

Andrea Chilcote

50

Jane Keene

52

Mary Johnson

54

Diane Turner

56

Table of Contents Featured Profiles (continued) Toni Morales

58

Patricia Houghton Clarke

60

Betsy Karp

62

Tabor Butler

64

Mare Cromwell

66

Karen Keilt

68

Pamela Hale

70

Barbara Eisele, PCC

72

Audrey Pellicano

74

Ann Ullrich

76

Althea Bogomolova

78

Sheila Bender

80

P.A. Staes

82

Jeanne Peters, RD

84

Jean Berry

86

Rev. Sandra Bearden

88

Nancy Strother

90

Kathie Neff

92

Resources & Listings Find Out How To Be in 2014 Directory

94 135

Directory Presenters Karen DeMeco - Real Estate & Business Susan Newton - Authors & Speakers Cat Williford - Coaching & Wisdom DaKara Kies - Healers Jeannine Wiest - Creative Transformation Dr. Margaret Aranda - Health & Wellness Val Heart - Communications Deborah Roth - Spirited Olga Cohen - Inspired Feminine Products Vicki Dobbs - Sacred Arts & Teaching Michele Neff Hernandez - Non-Profits for Women

Real Estate & Business Presented by

Karen DeMeco Rainmaker

Bringing People Together is My Passion

by Karen DeMeco

Do you think money grows on trees? How I hated to hear those words from my father. When I was 12, the same theme reared its head when my mom left and her parting advice to me was to be independent and never be in a position to have to ask for money. I became an OVER ACHIEVER. I took on the responsibility of my siblings, my dad, our show-dog and a household. I did everything from selling holiday cards to making the National Honor Society. I was going to be the next Erica Kane, from All My Children - a successful, independent, NYC business woman only nicer. At a young age, I discovered I had an innate ability and passion for meeting people and connecting them to others.

In college, I specialized in fashion merchandising and international marketing, which led to a highpowered career in a major cosmetics company. Destiny took over, and to my good fortune, for the next 20 years, my boss was my friend, my mentor and one of the most respected men in business.

Corporate titans, politicians and friends alike sought his wisdom and counsel. And I was his right hand, his confidante and liaison.

My world came to a screeching halt when my dear friend, mentor and boss passed away unexpectedly. Suddenly, I found myself free falling.

Who was I without this man who represented the foundation and stability I had known for half my life?

It was at this juncture that I had to look within and to acknowledge that somewhere deep down it was time for me to step into my true spirit and make it on my own.

I remember walking a sacred labyrinth. As I walked the path, I received two messages - the first was to go back to my dancing; the second, was to go back to my goddess nature.

The dancing part I completely got - I had competed in Latin ballroom competitions around the world. But Goddess nature - what the hell was that? I shared this experience with a friend, who invited me to join the priestess process. It was here that my goddess nature unfolded.

Still searching for a new career, I decided to take a real estate course. No sooner did I finish, I was invited to work on a real estate project in Hawaii. Before I knew it, I was asked to sell a palazzo in Rome, a vacation home in Bali and a villa in Spain.

While I was familiar with the workings of deal-making in the corporate world, I had to learn the real estate world from the ground up. Within the first year as a real estate broker, I began winning awards and most recently closed on a $ 7.8 million dollar deal.

With a new sense of awareness and confidence, I am proud to say I am creating this on my own. I now guide my clients with an energy and passion in finding their dream home. And as a Feng Shui consultant, I can even bring harmony and balance into their lives. www.karendemeco.elliman.com

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Authors & Speakers Presented by

Susan Newton Empowerment Mentor

Living in the Light

by Susan Newton

My “story" is actually what I am inspired to speak to and write about. It wasn't until I was in my 40's, had journeyed through cancer and a MS diagnosis, raised a family of four kids (two with extreme health issues), finally found my biological mother at the age of 40, was married four times, became a single mom on and off, established my own successful design business – that I was finally able to change my life. And walk the talk of what I know to be true.

I feel the purpose of my life (or anyone else's) is to accept that every experience is a part of us. That life's "reasons and seasons" are not happening to us, but are opportunities for peace and joy. And that is what creates empowerment.

It is our internal Divine power that allows our essence to flow and shift and blossom on this earth.

Even though part of me knows that the divine source comes from above, I've personally come to know that it actually flows from within.

Eight years ago there was a huge turning point in my life - I discovered that what I thought was intuition and coincidence was actually much more - it was synchronicity and Divine guidance. I was introduced to a higher perspective through a collective from the spiritual realm referred to as "Electra and Friends" - a group of angels, masters, star-beings, ancestors, spirits and spirit guides. I literally felt that I had been reconnected to those I already knew, and from there my purpose became clear and abundant.

I integrated their profound energy into my work, my family, all of my relationships, and I started seeing "signs" everywhere. A bird would magically appear. Communication through music, signs, license plates. It was all too synchronistic for it to just be coincidence. I knew more and more each day that I was a vessel for something greater than myself - and that if truth be told - everyone is.

As their everyday wisdom poured through me, I started speaking and writing the teachings that I was channeling. Here I was a single mom in Columbus, Ohio and I was being invited into homes all over the city, the United States, and internationally as well. Eventually in 2011, I published by own book, "Living in The Light, A Divine Perspective and Guide to Living a Peaceful Life."

To say that I envisioned being a channeler, author, medium, radio show host, empowerment mentor, and speaker in this arena when I was a young girl growing up would be ridiculous. It was something I would have never anticipated or imagined. But the fun part about it, looking back, I can now see how the puzzle pieces came together in a tapestry of light. No matter how difficult the situation, I always came from the place of a loving heart.

Always remember, we are all born connectors, each with a unique gift of light. I welcome my light connecting with yours. www.Blessingsfromspirit.com

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Coaching & Wisdom Presented by

Cat Williford Modern Goddess Founder

Second Chances, and Then Some

by Cat Williford, MCC

I came to coaching because I believed I killed my father.

He was on dialysis and in kidney failure, and my kidney was a “perfect” match.

At 25, I was enthralled by the notion of perfect. I built an internal story that told me I alone had been given the rare opportunity to save my father’s life, and donating my kidney to him was the most worthwhile – the most perfect – reason to be on earth I could imagine.

My perfect mission didn’t work out the way my whole family envisioned.

Oh, the transplant was successful. But everything else that could have gone wrong after a successful transplant – emergency appendicitis, debilitating stroke, coma, pneumonia, a malpractice-worthy rehab center – went wrong. Six months after the transplant, my father died in the hospital where I was born.

Unequipped to handle such loss, I spiraled into a world I didn’t understand – a world of depression, self-loathing, exhaustion, illness and shame. I collapsed the failure of my ultimate goal – saving my father’s life – into the paralyzing notion that I was a failure. I could not separate the facts from the end result.

The question tormented me: “If I couldn’t save my daddy’s life, then what the hell am I here for?”

My body took the brunt of my inner torture: near starvation, alcohol overload, sleep deprivation, and too many rounds of antibiotics for too many bladder infections.

After two years of grief and mounting illness, and another spent detoxing my body of systemic Candida caused by all the antibiotics, I met a coach, one of the founding partners of The Coaches Training Institute.

When I heard him say: “We all have a life purpose that enhances our lives, and a gremlin voice inside that makes us feel like crap about ourselves,” my natural optimism awakened upon hearing the truth.

I relaxed completely into the life purpose visualization he led.

“Know the light of love is inside you; Share it!” was my immediate (and out loud!) knowing.

I emerged from the visualization tasting a longed-for second chance. I wanted to help people feel the aliveness, possibility and inner fire I felt when I blurted my life purpose! I knew becoming a coach was my next rare opportunity, chock-full of the worthwhile, and the light of love.

Twenty years later, my Light-of-Love Coaching specialty is guiding women to heal their relationship with their precious bodies. The result? Authentic confidence, invigorated energy, crystal-clear access to inner-wisdom and … self-love.

Complementing the work I do with individuals, my Modern Goddess workshops, retreats and ceremonies energize groups of women to shed old skins of “can’t” and integrate the full scope of their goddess - fabulosity!

I’m thriving proof that every day offers a second chance, and I’ve championed thousands of women to live into theirs.

Whether you are longing for your first or one-hundredth second chance …

Now is the time to be your own thriving proof … with a little support from a coach. www.themoderngoddess.com

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Healers Presented by

DaKara Kies Master Energy Healer

Follow Your Heart, It Always Knows

by DaKara Kies

As a young child I recall talking to the faeries and playing with them on the soft sweet grass in the yard. I also had a recurring dream up until my mid-teens of going to faerie land at night. I entered a small play house in our yard and stepped into faerie realm via a trap door in the floor. Fun and magic was experienced during each visit. That imaginary self has always stayed with me.

I was a rebel in many ways growing up, I never really felt like I fit in. At around 11-years-old, I was at Bible camp. I found myself in what I would call now, a non-ordinary space. My knee was very swollen from several mosquito bites, which didn't allow me to participate in many of the activities. Here is where the big shift happened for me at this young age. I was standing in the back of the chapel, observing the other kids running up to the altar and literally throwing themselves down. What I felt in my heart was this deep level of falseness, something very inauthentic. It felt that many were doing this because it was expected. I went home and told my mom I was done with organized religion. Thankfully she allowed my choice. This was a turning point in my life. I had listened to my heart and when I shared that, I was heard.

Astrology, numerology and tarot were of interest to me during my late teens. In my early 20's, I felt my heart guiding me to more information, classes and events. I observed how when I followed my heart, things just started lining up and connecting.

I love music and sound. One day a friend and I drove up to the mountains to spend some time in nature and had a conversation about toning. Neither knew much about it at the time. During the drive we saw in bright green letters painted on the stones of a tunnel, the word "tone." We spent the afternoon sitting on rocks in the middle of the river, asking our guides to bring forth whatever tones where right and perfect for us and the planet. This too was a magical moment in my life. Even though I had no clue, I trusted and the wisdom came.

Through a health crisis in my late 20's, with my desire to follow my heart and heal my body, I attracted healers, teachers and wisdom sharers. These connections and assistance allowed me to be more fully present within my body, mind and heart. I started studying the healing arts and even though I felt resistance at times, I trusted and moved forward. By my mid 30's I was a Reiki master and continued to train to become the master healer I am today.

My true joy is assisting others on their path, connecting them to their hearts and clearing the blocks and energies that are holding them back from their greatness. www.HPTHealing.com

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Creative Transformation Presented by

Jeannine Wiest Craniosacral Therapist

Creating An Alchemical Life by Healing Your Mojo

by Jeannine Wiest

My way of embracing change in my life has been to bravely re-purpose my life goals. Not once, not twice but at least three times. While the changes didn’t seem to knit together as each occurred, I’ve pulled and woven the connective threads and have fashioned a colorful life for myself.

At age 10, I wanted to be a detective – first Harriet the Spy, then later Emma Peel from the British show "The Avengers."

But, rather than becoming Harriet or Emma, I wound up dancing on Broadway.

After moving to Los Angeles, I created a successful design firm, designing one-of-a-kind clothes from discarded vintage textiles for boutiques around the world. In yet another self-repurposing, I costumed on a British television show, fabricating materials not meant to be clothing into wearable art. As I went on to work on several other television shows, earning an Emmy nomination, I discovered more and more my ability to make connections between things that are not immediately obvious.

Perhaps, I started to think, I was after all a detective. An inner detective.

But throughout these years, I was ill. Twice diagnosed as having cancer, I knew the diagnosis wasn’t right, and ultimately, after enduring years of pain, I learned I had endometriosis.

In seeking alternative treatments, I discovered craniosacral therapy. It was only then, as I began the elegant work of listening to my own body, that I healed. Pain free and impressed by the power of this treatment, I went into training to become a craniosacral therapist.

One afternoon during an Upledger Institute dissection class, after dissecting a cadaver, I was holding a heart in my hands - the tubular attachments shining like underwater coral - when I “heard” a divine download. My ultimate life purpose was not so dramatic a change; the human body was, I understood, simply another kind of fabric.

Thus the detective and the artist inside me joined forces.

For the past decade I’ve honed my CranialAlchemy Healing System and Heal Your Mojo Programs, showing my clients, in a sensory way, how to find those cellular stories in their bodies that no longer serve them. Those stories that don’t belong to us, that might be ancestral. By transforming or releasing them as I have done myself, you can weave a magical, metaphorical life.

I’ve worked with myriad clients, from celebrities and billionaires to corporate escapees and handicapped children in Bali. In every case I’ve witnessed the wonder in my clients’ eyes as they learn to listen to their bodies, utilizing the tools now available in my upcoming book, "Shhh,Your Body is Listening" and by also utilizing my creative healing workshops and the magical one-on-one VIP retreat days at my home in Sherman Oaks, California.

While I relish the quotes of Rumi, my favorite is from Buddha, “Suffering is optional." http://cranialalchemy.com

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Health & Wellness Presented by

Dr. Margaret Aranda Survivor

No More Tears

by Dr. Margaret Aranda

Growing up, I chased the wind, laughing and playing with my six Mexican American siblings. Never did I dream that one day, I would be a doctor.

When I was 12, my mother took a few of us to Gilroy, CA and we picked garlic with the migrant farm workers. It was hot and sticky, even with a straw hat on, but I earned my own money.

In 1976, our family was broken and my father got custody of all seven children. Since I was the second-oldest, I spent my weekends making 35 sandwiches, doing laundry and dusting. I even taught some of my younger sisters how to put in their first tampons. I knew how to run a house. My friends made fun of me for being a “little Martha Stewart,” but I didn’t care. By 16, I thought I knew everything. I got kicked out of Catholic school for misconduct, took the Proficiency Exam that same year, and graduated high school. Then I ran away.

I was proud of my achievements, and later that extended to getting straight A's, and receiving college research and honors awards. That work ethic would eventually get me into first USC and then Stanford School of Medicine.

Finally Board Certified in Anesthesiology and Critical Care, one day will forever be imprinted in my mind: My life went around in circles, just like my car, my baby daughter, and my brain inside my head. I went from a practicing doctor to full time patient - because a lady pressed the gas instead of the brakes, hitting us at an estimated 90 mph.

My daughter, who is now 11, escaped without a scratch.

I struggled through six years of being bed-ridden, spending over three years on an IV pump, and learning how to walk and talk again. I started in a wheelchair, then moved to a walker, then a cane, then to walking alone. I did it. I got up when I could, and I persevered. I was finally able to write of my journey in my memoir, "No More Tears: A Physician Turned Patient Inspires Recovery."

Each day I am stronger. My newest book, "Archives of the Vagina, A Journey through Time," empowers girls and women to understand a variety of subjects from puberty to aging. Women are so eager to nurture others, but we have to learn to nurture ourselves.

My message to you is this: we are our own health and wellness experts, and we are our own advocates. We have to be unstoppable, and take charge of our lives. Don’t take “no” for an answer. If your doctor can’t find your diagnosis, then find another doctor. Even if your illness is invisible and no one knows what you have (yet), you can still persevere. I visited 27 different doctors before someone knew someone who ‘might’ know something. And if one person can look at me now, and say, “If she can do it, then I can do it,” then it was all worth it.

Please visit me at www.arandamd.com, where you'll find a wealth of information. Now go ahead. Believe in yourself. I believe in you!

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Communications Presented by

Val Heart Leading Animal Expert

Animal Wisdom Saved My Life

by Val Heart

I grew up a lonely, highly sensitive child in an isolated rural area outside Austin, Texas. Fortunately I had a wide variety of amazing animals in my life because it took a village - a village of animals - to help me survive what was to come.

Pushed to excel in my schoolwork, music lessons and athletics, I could never do good enough even though I was a very high achiever.

Suffering many injuries and accidents, I almost broke my neck three times.

Molested when I was a young girl, I became seriously depressed. Trying to cope with chronic pain, no one understood what I was going through.

When I turned 15, I decided to commit suicide through drugs and drinking.

In my darkest moments, I would go throw my arms around my mare Maisie’s neck. Safe with her, I received the comfort, guidance and strength I needed by listening to her voice of wisdom. And I survived another day.

Looking back, it’s very clear that my almost miraculous, magical way with animals had everything to do with the sensitivity and telepathic gifts I was born with. My journey drove me into a deep spiritual connection and bonding with them.

In my 20’s, I began learning about healing, self improvement, meditation, counseling and other therapies. They helped me master my intuitive gifts as I worked to heal myself.

In my 30’s, I found myself trapped in a bad marriage. Old demons of hopelessness and despair drove me to again become suicidal. But I didn’t want to go before I could fulfill my true purpose.

I wanted to make a difference, to be of ultimate service to others in pain. Praying for guidance, I discovered the one thing that consistently brought me joy and peace - being the voice for animals.

My life changed forever the day my heart and mind opened while I ‘listened’ to a horse share her traumatic memories. We watched, astonished, as her fist sized hip wound healed while she shared

her story with me! That experience opened a whole new world of communication with animals, and illuminated the endless possibilities inherent with my gift.

After more than 20 years of working with thousands of animals and the people who love them, I realized that animals reflect their owner’s pain, wounds and poor communication skills. It is part of their extraordinary gift!

Awed by their immense love, often at the expense of their own health, I dedicated myself to changing the world one animal lover at a time.

I’ve unlocked the secret to more than just communicating with animals but also acting to solve health, behavioral and performance issues. My proprietary, 5 step H.E.A.R.T. System™ teaches you how to listen and partner up with animals - developing an ever more meaningful spiritual connection and bonding.

For most of my life, I didn’t have a dream … it wasn’t safe to dream. It was all I could do to survive.

I have a dream now. I envision one million animal lovers experiencing talking with animals, hearing their wisdom and being better humans. Together we can make the world a better place a more humane place - a world of compassion and respect for all species. www.valheart.com

Spirited Presented by

Deborah Roth Creatrix of Spirited Living

Living a Spirited Life…Without Apology

by Deborah Roth

It’s amazing to me that those life-changing, pivotal moments in our lives can happen anywhere, anytime, out of left field. One of my big ones was in the mid-90's, when I was talking with a group of parents at a potluck dinner for our kids’ soccer team. The conversation inevitably came around to, “So, what do you do?” It was such an innocuous question, but one I’d been struggling to answer for the past five years since I’d left the corporate world.

I took a deep breath and tried my latest version. “Well, I’m about to start a master’s degree program, exploring the power of symbols in astrology, tarot and women’s ritual. I’ll be researching Jung’s work on archetypes, feminist psychology, the early goddess-worshipping civilizations and starting to facilitate women’s spirituality circles as part of my master’s thesis.”

Silence, as they took that in. I watched as most of the group, looking a little perplexed, drifted away so that just a handful of women remained. They peppered me with questions wanting to know more, or offered, “Oh, my sister just got me a tarot deck!” or “Tell me about the women’s circles.” And something big shifted inside me.

For the first time ever, instead of obsessing about what everyone who left the group was thinking about me, I simply enjoyed the conversation with the remaining women who were, quite simply, my spirit-sisters.

You see, up to that point, I was trying very hard not to be too different or “woo-woo,” especially as it related to my spirituality … goddess-forbid that I should make someone feel uncomfortable or worse, that they would dismiss me as a flake! Typically, when I tried to explain my new non-traditional theology, I’d be very self-deprecating, rolling my eyes and calling it the “weird stuff.” But for some reason, that night at the soccer dinner, I found myself describing what I was doing without apology, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. And I’ve been doing that ever since.

I’m proud to say that nowadays, I embrace my spiritual quirkiness. I’ve been facilitating those New Moon SisterCircles for 17 years now and also lead a monthly Full Moon Tele-Meditation. I became ordained as an interfaith minister specifically to help couples design unique, non-traditional wedding ceremonies like the one my husband and I created 32 years ago for ourselves. For 10 years, I

facilitated a year-long WomanSpirit Journey for women who, like me, were searching to re-connect with their inner “spirited woman” on their own terms, and I continue that work in groups and privately.

But one of the most fabulous ways I’ve been able to unapologetically express my spirited self is through organizing benefit productions of Eve Ensler’s "The Vagina Monologues" for the last five years, raising over $65,000 for VDay to end violence against women and girls globally. What a joyous, empowering activation of WomanSpirit energy that has been.

How about you? I’d love to hear how you’re unabashedly living your spirited life! www.SpiritedLiving.com

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Inspired Feminine Products Presented by

Olga Cohen Visionary, Women's Advocate

Women Helping Women

by Olga Cohen

I am the one to help when one needs an outfit put together for a party or what make-up she should be using. I was and still am the fashionista for my friends. As a child, I designed all my clothes and my grandmother would create the pattern and then sew the garment to perfection.

Years later, still using my knowledge of fashion, I started my own cosmetic manufacturing company which allowed me to continue creating products that I knew women would use to make them look and feel better.

After struggling with difficult menopause at an early age, which caused terrible vaginal dryness, I went on a mission to find a solution to help eliminate this condition without taking hormones. I wanted a "natural solution."

Fortunately, I had worked with natural ingredients, and was determined to help other women like myself get through this.

I had to find the perfect solution, so I turned to Dr. Leo Galland, an integrated medical doctor. With his help and expertise, and a database filled with important information, we combined a group of five natural oils and vitamins, in a complex; each one working together to create a healthy and strong vagina. My gynecologist, Dr. Miriam Greene, was so astounded at how healthy my vagina looked, she became involved in my mission by endorsing this wonderful product. With the support of my family and other professionals, "Olga's little secret" became the basis and the beginning of Vaginal Renewal Complex.

It was important to make the product comfortable and easy to use, since it is used as a continuous program. Just like moisturizing your outer body, one must do the same for your inner body. So, we created an applicator that would comfortably insert into the vagina, prefilled and sterilized.

I also created Vaginal Wash, to cleanse and effectively help with the irritation and itchiness associated with vaginal dryness. It is soapless, and contains evening primrose oil and tea tree oil, an antibacterial, to keep your personal area clean and refreshed.

I have always been a woman whose natural inclination is to help other women; that is the make-up of my DNA. I have come to realize that this is a subject not discussed easily by women. Many think that it is embarrassing, so they suffer in silence. But now that I have brought this topic to the forefront, I find myself speaking with women all week long. Their stories are so personal and so very powerful.

Vaginal dryness is painful, debilitating and inhibiting when attempting sexual intercourse. I know my products work, because I hear women's success stories all the time.

I welcome your support and I have made it my personal mission to bring Vaginal Renewal Complex to the market and help women look and feel healthy.

Along the way, I have met the most remarkable women in health and wellness who also share my mission to bring their expertise to others. Our goal: WOMEN HELPING WOMEN. www.olgassecret.com

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Sacred Arts & Teaching Presented by

Vicki Dobbs Workshop Leader

Ignite Your Heart’s Desire with Your Soul’s Fire

by Vicki Dobbs

Scream joy, laugh out loud incessantly…

Envious?

Brain dead day dreamer, Scare yourself awake!

The DREAM awaits your open eyes, YOUR Heart songs unfolding.

Life changing events put each and every one of us at a crossroads many times in our lives. The paths you choose, the decisions you make or don’t, make up the whole of your life. Traumatic events are life's gateways where you choose to go on or not. I was at one of those gateways when I lost my son and this work – these ancient teachings, the lessons that brought me to me – saved my life. I chose to go on, and it is my fondest desire to open doors, walk through these gateways with you and share the wonder and magic of these teachings combining ancient wisdom ways with modern techniques and modalities. I want to show you how you can empower yourself and find the voice of your authentic truth.

I was born into a small family, one sister, no first cousins. Mom told me I could be whatever I wanted to be, but the underlying message I got every day from her said differently. My dad was a dreamer though I didn’t know it at the time. My two grandmothers gave me confusing messages too. Grandma Wolf, my dad's mom, was my hippie artist grandma. Grandmother Z was just the opposite: a straight-laced, "women don’t wear pants, everything in its place kind of woman." I grew up wanting to be a boy since they could climb trees and play ball. They had all the power. No wonder I never figured out me?

Husbands and kids should come with a rule book. What to do now? How do I give them everything and set them free to be all they want to be? No one told me “don’t lose you” in the process but then again, I didn’t know "me" existed. Boundaries, really? What are those? Walk on me, I’m easy… thought it was a joke. Not! I buried me beneath all I did.

Creativity saved my soul, kept the embers alive deep inside that space of me, and saved my sanity.

“Who are you?” someone asked and I joyfully sang out all I had accomplished… first to graduate college, first women in valley ag-education, top winning show dogs, top producing realtor, kids both college bound, champions in their chosen sports/extra-curricular fields. “No!” I heard emphatically,

"Not what do you do or have you done … I asked WHO ARE YOU?” I was stumped and speechless. Blank-stare confusion set in. Me? ME? Gifted the book “Medicine Woman,” a new door opened for me and I choose to walk through it. Here I stand today on the precipice of my passion; teaching and sharing the magic and mystery that are within the grasp of each and every person ready to say YES to themselves and an awakened life of joy, creativity, truth, beauty and wisdom. Join me and let the adventures begin. www.sacredwisdomworkshops.com

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Non-Profits for Women Presented by

Michele Neff Hernandez Community Builder

Hope Matters: Discovering the Power of Community

by Michele Neff Hernandez

On August 31st of 2005, my 39-year-old husband, Phillip, headed out the door for a bicycle ride, planting a quick kiss on my head on his way out the door. An hour and a half later, I was sitting in an emergency room processing the shocking news that Phil was killed in a cycling accident.

Life as I knew it changed that day. The transition from wife to widow was a trial by fire. I was 35 years old, and I didn’t have a clue how to be a widow. My head rang with questions about my new, unwanted role. I felt alone in my everyday life, not because I was without support, but because I didn’t know anyone else who was widowed. My questions couldn’t be answered by a concerned friend or family member; I needed someone whose husband was also dead with whom to discuss my endless questions. So, I set out to find other widows.

My journey took me around the country from my home town of Simi Valley, California to as far as Gustavus, Alaska. In one year, I visited ten different states, and interviewed 30 other widows. My goal was to write a book about my journey, but at the end of my interviewing quest instead of the text for a manuscript I came away with a community.

Suddenly, I wasn’t alone anymore. I wasn’t the only widow I knew. Each time another widow shared her story with me, I felt a surge of hope that I could not only survive the loss of my Phil, but that I could still live a full and happy life. My accidental widowed community helped me see that Phil’s loss will always be a part of my life, but that losing him didn’t have to keep me from living my own next chapter.

After discovering the power of being understood by someone whose life experience mirrored my own, I created Soaring Spirits International so that widowed people would have access to a community of peers willing to walk with them through their darkest days into the sunshine of an unexpected tomorrow. The road is long, but having company along the way makes all the difference.

For the past five years, Soaring Spirits has provided both online and in-person programs that have touched more than a million widowed people around the world. Our Camp Widow® program is a

unique and incredible weekend that provides both practical tools and relevant resources for widowed persons rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of the death of a spouse or life partner, all in an atmosphere infused with understanding, camaraderie, and hope for the future. Every Soaring Spirits program is secular, inclusive, and welcoming.

Supporting widowed people through their own trial by fire is a privilege; I hold the hope of a beautiful future for every widowed person I meet until they are able to hold that hope for themselves. Hope truly matters. www.soaringspirits.org

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Fantabulous Features Barbara Krauss - Saying "Yes!" To My Life Debora McLaughlin - How I Became a Renegade Leader Donna L. Friess, Ph.D. - Happiness is a Choice Karen Olson - No Matter What the Journey, Hold onto the Dream Andrea Chilcote - Freedom's Just Another Word Jane Keene - Giving Birth to Creativity Mary Johnson - To Love and To Be Loved Diane Turner - Born To Live In Possibility Toni Morales - The End is Always the Beginning Patricia Houghton Clarke - The Lens of What Is Betsy Karp - The Colours of Our Lives Tabor Butler - Wealth As a Way of Life Mare Cromwell - Surrendering to Spirit Karen Keilt - Turning Darkness Into Light Pamela Hale - See Your Life Through a Different Lens Barbara Eisele, PCC - It’s Never Too Late Audrey Pellicano - Giving Grief a Voice Ann Ullrich - Symbols & Signs Althea Bogomolova - The Magic of Intention Sheila Bender - Our Dreams Choose Us P.A. Staes - I Found My Refuge in Storytelling Jeanne Peters, RD - Living a Vital Life Jean Berry - Where the Spirit Leads Me Rev. Sandra Bearden - Finding My Way Among the Men Nancy Strother - Spreading My Wings Kathie Neff - A Dream Unfolding

Saying "Yes!" To My Life

by Barbara Krauss

Growing up I was always drawn to the expressive arts ‌ theatre, art, dance, writing. I remember how alive and vibrant I felt when enraptured by the flow and freedom I experienced when immersed in my creative expressions. But as I grew older, the flame of that effervescence was slowly dowsed by my belief (born from parental subliminal "wisdom") that I was not good enough and my success would not come from performing on the stage or painting pretty pictures.

So, I traveled down the road of business and marketing in college (although, I did get to study art), which led me into the world of corporate life. Here I was able to build my worth and successes around climbing up the corporate ladder and by the amount of money I made.

Throughout my career I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in many industries, meet incredible people and dive into some very interesting projects. But I never felt the same vibrant aliveness I had when I was younger. Yet, I continued on and endured within environments that were toxic to my body, mind and spirit until I was stopped in my tracks by paralyzing anxiety. My entire existence was inviting me to look deep inside myself and figure out what I had been hiding from for so many years.

Mine was a long, uncomfortable, deeply transformational journey as I plunged head first into the illuminating body of work of Kore Evolution, where I had to face a lot of demons and dark shadows. I was determined to change my beliefs, to make different choices, and to take different actions that would move me forward through my pain and into the light.

I believe I am part of a generation of women who have been bombarded with change and confronted with having to constantly reinvent ourselves. And through this chaos we have forgotten who we are and how to love ourselves. My work was to reclaim what was mine as a young girl and step out from the protective layers that hid my true essence. It was time for me to be truly seen. What I learned is that who I am has always been with me. I can open my heart again and light my spirit within. I got to say YES to myself and my life!

During my journey I was birthing the essence of my work of getting to taste life through the magic of metaphorical recipes called YES-i-pes and The Centre for Organic YESipes!™ I discovered a new coaching methodology that explores the delicious discovery of remembering who we already are and

embracing who we are becoming. I share this work all over the world, supporting women in creating extraordinary shifts in their lives and helping them remember what once made their heart sing.

I welcome you to The Centre for Organic YESipes! YES, you get to taste your life! www.barbarakrauss.com

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How I Became a Renegade Leader

by Debora McLaughlin

Renegades do what others won’t to get the results others don’t.

I learned early in my life what it means to be a renegade.

At age 14, my mother and I packed our belongings in two small bags and walked to the bus station together to start over and leave my controlling and commanding stepfather behind. My mother and I were on our way to our new and better lives. We’d started over, my mother leading the charge.

While my confidence and optimism swelled the further we got from home, my mother’s doubt grew insurmountable. Nearly steps away from our escape, she turned around, looked at me and said, “We’re going back.”

The renegade leader inside of me emerged the day we almost left my stepfather’s world. I realized I had a choice – I could stay in a family in which I wasn’t a fit, where I couldn’t be myself, where my big life was very small. Or, I could make a change.

A year or so later, I came home from school, gathered what belongings I could and packed them into my best friend’s car. I moved in with her family and became an emancipated minor. I didn’t know what was going to happen I just knew I wanted the life I deserved.

Seven years later I found myself putting on my power shoes in New York City where I began my career in corporate sales in the highly competitive information technology industry.

Standing on the steps of Bankers Trust I paused to remove my fast walking sneakers to slide into my high heels. I was a pint sized 21-year-old woman from a small upstate town, who didn’t understand business or the language of leaders, calling on the executive giants on the top floors of a multibillion dollar company. Feeling fear in the pit of my stomach I asked myself, “Am I enough? Do I belong here?”

The click of my heels across the marble lobby reminded me that I deserved to be seen, heard and noticed. It is the power of moving forward that gets you from where you are to where you want to be.

Today, I do the work I do because I believe companies are families. I combine my success in corporate sales, my expertise as a licensed psychologist and my earliest life lessons to help CEO's, leaders and business owners create in their working family what I didn’t have in my family: harmony, peace, collaboration and validation, so they can succeed, both as leaders and in business.

Consider this your permission slip to move forward. If you’ve ever found yourself playing a smaller game that you are capable of, I’m here to tell you it’s time to play full out. It’s time to pack your bags and change your mental zip code to a neighborhood that best serves you. To stand tall in your truth and ignite your renegade spirit, because you are a renegade too. www.TheRenegadeLeader.com

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Happiness is A Choice

by Donna L. Friess, Ph.D.

My life is my story and it reflects how I have consistently chosen happiness in the wake of a most devastating childhood. It did not look too bad on the outside until my father started a family with the babysitter while he lived at home with my mother, my sister and me.

The part that did not show was an entire childhood of molestation. I kept my terrible secret to myself as I did my best to survive.

Somewhere along the road, after being turned into a "real woman” when I was nine, I began to construct a get-away plan. I worked hard on my grades, received a scholarship to USC and began my new life. I felt free of my controlling, abusive father. I married my teen heartthrob the week after graduation. We settled down to having babies and enjoying our careers. I was a full time college teacher and he taught and became active in local politics. It was all going well. My horrendous childhood was long in the past, I thought.

That is until I was in my mid 40's and learned that daddy had not stopped; he was molesting his four-year-old granddaughter. Risking violence, scandal, and my marriage, I was forced to take action to stop him. It was agony having to come clean to my husband and children about my secret.

Thus, a 15-month long legal battle was begun. We won our case, protected our youngest family member, and helped to get some important laws changed.

During the trial, the detective told us that in his 20 years of investigating sex crimes, he had never encountered such an insidious case, covering so many victims, and so many generations. He encouraged me to write my story. I did. "Cry the Darkness: One Woman’s Triumph over the Tragedy of Incest" is the gripping account of that nightmare. It brought me and our case to international attention. My book was published in seven different languages and I became a spokesperson for children, appearing on such shows as The Oprah Winfrey Show and others. As a spokesperson for children, I was frequently asked, "How can it be that you are so positive and joyful?" "Cherish the Light: One Woman’s Journey from Darkness to Light" is the sequel to "Cry the Darkness," and reflects the choices which have allowed me to flourish.

Two years ago, I finally retired after 45 years as a college professor. Now I work as a life coach, professional speaker, and children’s rights advocate while enjoying my noisy family filled with 11 grandchildren and lots of pets. I believe our lives are too precious to waste even a minute, that we have the power to choose happiness and to thrive. More than ever I believe with all my heart that it is our time now!

My books, including my relationship workbook, "Circle of Love: Guide to Successful Relationships" are available through my websites: www.yourtimenow.org and www.drdonnafriess.com. "Cherish the Light" and "Cry the Darkness" are both available as print books through Amazon.com as well as Kindle Publishing ebooks.

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No Matter What the Journey, Hold onto the Dream

by Karen Olson

Ever since I was a child I had a dream to live on a beautiful palm-fringed island, swimming with the dolphins and relaxing and sunning on a white sand beach ... you know the dream ... but then life happened. A bit of a detour for the first 40 years, but I've got to believe that everything I went through was absolutely perfect and led me right to where I am now.

I was married, living, and working as a realtor in Southern California with two small boys. However, the marriage was failing and I knew I needed to distance myself and my children from their father, who had developed bi-polar disorder and refused to get help for his condition. When the situation became physically abusive and my soon-to-be ex-husband made an attempt on my life, I knew I had to leave immediately.

That's when the dream kicked in and my sons and I moved to Hanalei Bay, Kauai for my 40th birthday in 1995. I took a huge risk by just "up and leaving," but I knew I could be a successful realtor in Kauai just as easily as I was in California. I surrendered to what felt like a higher calling and I allowed my inner guide to show me the way.

I believe we are exactly where we are meant to be in this cosmic journey through space and time, and every experience is purposeful in bringing you to that realization. Knowing that makes all the "bad stuff" bearable and helps you to realize we have a choice about how we choose to accept what happens. We never intentionally get divorced, or raped, or experience unexpected deaths of loved ones, or expect a child to be falsely imprisoned for a crime they didn't commit, or go through a bankruptcy.

These are all things that I have endured since moving to Kauai. However, these experiences have made me the stronger person I am today. Through each and every trial or tribulation I've had a choice. Will I be reactionary or pro-active? I have found that your "attitude" is the one thing you're in control of and the best attitude, or the one that's served me best, is one of gratitude - for both the good and the bad. In fact, don't label it. It's all just experience, the sum total of which helps us answer the big questions like, "Why am I here?" and "Who am I?" My purpose is to realize my true self; to know that I am a soul, first and foremost; and then to behave with love and caring kindness to others, because we're all on a similar journey finding our way home. I truly feel blessed to have arrived on Kauai and I embrace the aloha spirit in daily life and encourage others to do so as well.

If you're ever feeling the urge to move here, I can help you. Give me a call and together we can find your perfect place in paradise! www.KauaiAlohaProperties.com

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Freedom's Just Another Word

by Andrea Chilcote

Are we a product of our circumstances or a product of our choices? Both.

My life today is the result of the history I've lived and the history I've made. My work was born through a desire to help others find meaning and purpose in their lives, and it has been nurtured alongside my own journey to seek my purpose ‌ and my freedom.

I was raised with high desire for my success, coupled with low expectations. While I had parents who, in their hearts, wanted the best for me, I was kept on a very short leash and discouraged from thinking too big or feeling too much. I was never trusted, even though I didn't act in an untrustworthy manner.

At a very young age, I made two unconscious choices. One was to find freedom from restriction. My unspoken mantra was: "Just watch me succeed. And I'll do it my way." Oddly, I wanted to be 29 from the time I can remember.

The second choice, sealed at age 16 with the death of my best friend, was to lock my feelings inside an impenetrable shell. I was told I was too sensitive. So be it.

By college age, I had formed beliefs. I knew I was smart, and had the chutzpah to accomplish whatever I set out to do. I didn't think I needed anyone's help, especially not emotional support. And, I was in a hurry.

Age 29 loomed large.

A straight-A student, I majored in biology and chemistry, bound for medical school. While I was attracted to the intensity, a powerful internship with an ER doctor brought me to a life-changing realization. I didn't want to make decisions about patients' very lives and deaths.

I grew into a driven, pragmatic and tough adult with an insatiable desire for achievement. The problem was, I had no idea what I was trying to achieve. What looked like strength and resilience on the outside was a powder keg on the inside, awaiting a spark.

I believe we make our success, and I believe in grace. My first gift of grace was my beloved husband, Arthur, whom I met, paradoxically, after deciding that a husband was another thing I didn't need. The second was finding my precious dog, Erik, whose life, chronicled in my book "Erik's Hope," slowly thawed my heart.

Near the age of 29, I married Arthur, adopted Erik, and started the business that is my work today. As a leadership development consultant and coach, I grew in selfawareness while dedicating myself to helping clients learn and grow. But no one was ever allowed to know me.

Ten years later, everything changed. Erik died, too soon as dogs must. I surrendered, as death requires, to a newfound vulnerability. By being present to grief for the first time ever, I regained the ability to feel. This capacity became the creative force for the life I enjoy today - one of beauty, passion, magic - and most importantly, connection. www.morningstarventures.com "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Janis Joplin

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Giving Birth to Creativity

by Jane Keene

Today I was sitting in my garden, watching the bees lazily pollinating the flowers and thinking about this article. I pondered what to tell you, other than the fact that I have purple hair. "Why?" you might ask. Well, I love the color purple. It's fun and a great conversation starter. Also as I age sometimes I felt invisible. After adding the color, not any more!

Thinking about how to define my story, I found myself deep in meditation. I asked myself, “Who am I?” over and over. As I drilled down, I realized in this life everyone has a talent or a gift, and we spend so much time trying to find it and agonizing over our life’s purpose. It took me awhile to really get to the essence of what I wanted to share. I am a friend, a supporter, cheerleader, and a coach.

The need for connections is so simple, so profound, and so important – something everyone wants and needs.

It is my passion to work with women who are walking through the gateway into menopause, the second half of life. I remember so clearly how that was for me, 50 years old, going through a divorce and all that it entails. I wanted to make a fresh start. For me it was time to take stock, sit in silence and rediscover myself. It was also a time that I needed all my friends, supporters and coaches.

As time passed, and I got back on my feet, I knew I wanted to help other women. Women who needed help to make this menopausal transition. One day I was sitting on a plane wondering how to bring forth this dream of helping other women, and I heard a voice in my head that said, “You will be a sacred midwife to creativity.” I heard the phrase as clearly as if it had come over the plane's PA system. By the time I got to my destination Magnificent Thru Menopause was born!

In our society as women age, the message they get is that their value diminishes, their beauty changes, and they feel a decrease in their sexuality and usefulness in the world. The message from the media is very clear: Youth is king. Wrinkles however hard-earned need to be erased, and our bodies should be hard and firm. No room for the lovely grandmother laps that used to be so comfortable.

My joy is to work with these women to help them see that this wonderful gateway into menopause makes them feel free to become the person they were born to be. It is time to grow and dance, to

write the book they were created to write, paint, give service, plan the business they dreamed of, find the time to discover one's spirituality, and see that the beauty that shines within them is magnificent. www.Magnificentthrumenopause.com

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To Love and To Be Loved

by Mary Johnson

I was a senior in high school when I spotted Mother Teresa’s eyes on the cover of Time magazine. As I read her story, the way she cared for Calcutta’s poor moved me as nothing before ever had. Shortly after my nineteenth birthday, I left Texas for the South Bronx, determined to learn the lessons of love by becoming a nun in Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity.

For the next 20 years, I often lived with Mother Teresa for weeks at a time. I came to know and love this determined, self-sacrificing woman and slowly discovered some of the frustrations and desires beneath the image the media had created for her.

At the same time, I struggled with my own needs and desires. Even as I continued to serve with devotion, I surprised myself by falling in love with a sister, then with a priest.

When I heard Mother Teresa repeat, as she often did, “God has made us to love and to be loved,” I knew she was distilling the essence of what both she and I most desired. But Mother’s words could also be disturbing. She forbade hugging or any touch beyond that necessitated in times of sickness. She often told us, “Love, to be real, has to hurt.” Slowly, I realized that the religious faith that motivated Mother Teresa also restricted her and was suffocating me.

The day I told her of my plans to leave the Missionaries of Charity, Mother’s eyes—so full of pain—searched my face. She told me, “Mother could believe this about anyone, but she cannot believe it about you.”

Finding my way after 20 years in the convent wasn’t easy. I sold clocks, ironed clothes, taught Italian, and worked as a receptionist in a doctor’s office. I completed an undergraduate, then a graduate, degree and founded an inter-religious discussion group. I fell in love with a great guy and we married.

In 2000, as I began to write my story, I met a wonderful woman who committed to supporting my writing; together Darlene Chandler Bassett and I launched A Room of Her Own Foundation to help women writers. Today I serve as Creative Director of AROHO Retreats. My work with women writers

has taught me that telling our stories without fear or shame brings freedom and connection. As we stand in our truths, we grow in power and beauty.

I finished my memoir, An Unquenchable Thirst, and have been privileged to share my story on the Oprah Network, CNN, NPR, and MSNBC. I’ve written for The New York Times, USA Today, The Huffington Post, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, and The Washington Post.

I continue to find joy in helping others, and I still believe that loving and being loved is central to who we are as human beings. My love has grown deeper and stronger as I’ve learned to live more honestly and with greater freedom, leaving the restrictions of religious faith behind. Life is such a wonderful surprise these days! www.maryjohnson.co

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Born To Live In Possibility

by Diane Turner

I grew up in the South at a time when everything seemed to be coming apart. Race riots, anti-semitism, the Vietnam war and the sexual revolution all provided a backdrop of change and chaos. Passions were ignited and the fear of the 50’s could not prevent the expansion of our culture. This energy seemed to be a metaphor for my life and what I have come to know.

My father died when I was 21, and my husband died when I was just turning 50. They were both in their early 50’s and the experience of loss and grief cast a shadow reminding me to live life fully and with intention. I gave birth to and raised two children, both of whom have significant differences - one with learning disabilities and the other with pervasive developmental delay. Those experiences taught me about the illusion of control and finding the joy.

Turning adversity into opportunity has become my specialty. Connecting to the resources surrounding me, reminds me to focus on possibility rather than on scarcity. I learned about the power of ritual, a practice of stillness, and the energy of the natural world. I learned that even as one door closes, another one opens. I am passionate about life, about teaching and experiencing the power of connection. I firmly believe it is never too late and we are never too old. I feel it is my responsibility to practice living fully and with an open heart.

One of my most pivotal experiences was learning a practice of selfacceptance, stepping away from self-judgment, self-criticism and from longheld beliefs that separated me from myself. The power of self-acceptance and self-acknowledgment propels me forward in my teaching, in what I write and in how I try to live. It continues to be a guiding principle in my work and serves as the basis for greater expansion and personal growth.

Growing up with a backdrop of fear and change, I understand that it is merely contrast. I also believe that for me, there is more. I am curious, a spiritual seeker who strives to understand and to know, but mostly to have faith that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable circumstances, there is always something to learn that can contribute to greater resilience and ease. I have explored different perspectives, including shamanism and energetic healing practices. I am not a person who stands still.

I gravitate towards new experiences and yet, I have also learned that being grounded in my core values provides me with a compass that I use as a guide. This is one of the reasons I chose psychotherapy and later coaching as a profession. I believe I can be a guide for others. I am able to offer a perspective my clients might never have considered and be with them as they step into unknown territory. This is my gift and what I offer to others as we explore new possibilities for a more ease-filled life. www.dianesturner.com

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The End is Always the Beginning

by Toni Morales

August 18, 2008, I read a simple text message exchange that saved my life.

My Husband: “I will be there at 12:30 is that ok?” Other Woman: “I can't wait baby.”

I had known for years that my husband’s excuses of “working late” were not normal or healthy for our marriage. Denial about the man (or serial cheater) I had married and how I was accepting such treatment had kept the excuses flowing in my head just long enough to make it through each day.

Deep in my mind I knew I wanted freedom from this relationship, yet I was not prepared for the darkness and loneliness that came with the aftermath. For months I cried, I slept, I starved myself, and I would lie in bed staring at the ceiling. I had nothing left inside of me. My heart and soul had flatlined. Who had I become?

I didn’t realize at the time, that the agony of the end would be the beginning of a happier, healthier life for me.

One morning, I decided I was simply tired of being tired. The relationship was over. I had to get better.

Emotionally, mentally, financially - I was bankrupt. Somewhere buried deep within me, there was a soulful revolution occurring.

“You Rise Above” became my daily mantra. Even on the days I didn’t believe things would get better, I kept the intention running through my mind.

There had to be a way to change. I knew I had to honor and deal with the feelings I ignored for a lifetime. Even though I was making six figures a year coaching, training, speaking and developing people into leaders and teaching them how to sell things, I was burnt out. While my career was at its peak, I quit my job.

I had already shed every aspect of my former life; it was time to live in truth about my work as well.

Using my retirement savings early, I set the new conditions of my life into motion. I could leave a piece of me in this world by giving back what I had learned from my healing. I could show others the mistakes I had made and why. At minimum, I could remind them that they are not alone in the world.

A few years ago, I began You Rise Above in the Chicago area. I wanted to coach and lead women to a new awareness. I wanted them to know there was a way to get through difficult times. Now, I lead workshops, seminars, and retreats to facilitate change, transformation, and to create a new life if you so desire.

You can come back even better than you were before.

You Rise Above became my message of hope, my message of self-empowerment. We have a right to redefine and renegotiate the terms of our lives. No more fear!

Like the legend of the mystical phoenix, we can all have new beginnings. The strength to renew lies within us all. www.youriseabove.com

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The Lens of What Is

by Patricia Houghton Clarke

I began my lifetime of intimate observation at an early age. The middle child of eight daughters in an Irish Catholic family, I found peace in the midst of chaos by noticing the smallest details of life around me. I chose to “be” – and be – myself, a daunting challenge as “Number 5” in a freckle-faced, blue-eyed clan lineup.

I created my first studio space in our basement when I was 13, by then playing guitar (badly), painting rudimentary works of art, and writing poetry that was heartfelt in its adolescent fervor. In 1971, I left home at midnight on my 18th birthday to live with my boyfriend. To my family this was an act of rebellion. For me it was simply following the guidance inside me that told me to be true to myself and my purpose in life.

For the next 25 years I made a home with that creative and passionate young man. During that time, I gave birth to, and raised, two extraordinary children, traveled and lived around the world for two multiyear stints, co-founded an award-winning affordable housing non-profit, and always found time for multiple artistic pursuits. While my kids were in their teens, tragedy struck our family, and I found myself single for the first time since I was 16. Now nearly 20 years later, I have discovered things about myself and about life that I could never have imagined. I have spent the past decade devoted to speaking with my photographic voice, and have found extraordinary audiences around the world.

Travel and observation is always in my mind and heart, whether down the street or across the planet.

My journeys as a solo traveler have taken me on logging-clogged rivers in Borneo to visit a tribe of headhunters; remote Italian villages where the elders still speak ancient Greek; into the depths of winter in former East Berlin; to ancient cities in Eastern Europe; and finally, back to my home town of Santa Barbara. A near-fatal bout of typhoid in Asia forced me to stop, look, and listen to my familiar world through the lens of a traveler, with fresh eyes. At that point I was given the opportunity to photograph and become friends with a unique culture in Santa Barbara, the underground world of our Drag Queen community. For three years I photographed them, creating an award-winning series titled, "Erasing Lines."

I see the planet changing in ways we could bemoan, wishing for times past. As a photographer I choose to see these dramatic changes as what is, and try not judge what I observe. We are creating a world that is new, where skin tones blend, traditions and cultures merge, and many seek to balance their male and female aspects. My images reflect my desire to understand how humanity is attempting to erase lines that separate us ethnically, culturally, by gender or religion. The only way is to move forward, with wonder, into the new world. www.patriciahoughtonclarke.com

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The Colours of Our Lives

by Betsy Karp

I took a huge bite into a juicy, delicious and sweet orange. As I peeled the layers of the orange, I felt like I was peeling back layers of my soul. As I was taking each bite, I was reflecting back on the years of my colorful life, and how color has had such an impact on who I am and what I do.

I’m an artist, painter, fashion designer, chef, certified health counselor, and now speaker, blogger and author. I believe it’s my calling to help women transform their inner and outer lives by the powerful use of color. We make choices every day with color: the colors we eat, the colors we wear, and the colors we surround ourselves with.

Orange has always had such a big impact on me because orange is the color of courage, creativity, positivity and hope. I find that when I surround myself with the color orange, everything shifts in my world. I feel happier and more grounded.

I bought a card just for ME, which was odd and funny, but felt great.

This gorgeous, hand-painted, orange card says, “Courage (small steps, big heart)” on the outside. On the inside it says, “As you move forward, know that I am here for you.”

I inscribed it, “To Betsy, I believe in all of you, just as you are,” and I signed my name. I read it when I’m feeling alone, frustrated and wanting answers. It helps me to just be and appreciate who I am in the present moment. It was an act of love for myself. It makes me smile every time. My wish is for more women to understand the influence color can have on transforming their lives.

I have created a wonderful Color Your Life Program, which supports women to heal unresolved issues and tap into their passions on what they are meant to do in the universe. Color has an effect on us physically, spiritually and emotionally. It’s a tool to make you the best that you can be.

I am now launching my first product line, which I am so proud of. Mini Mantras are your daily dose of self-love. They are colorful buttons that help women to create rituals and connect with their chakras. They are reminders to wrap and surround yourself in beautiful and uplifting color,

and to adore yourself every day. Aren't you ready to explore how to get in touch with color, connect with it, and use it to express the real you?

What color are you going to be today? www.iadoreme.com

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Wealth As a Way of Life

by Tabor Butler

Wealth, from the middle English, is about well-being. My business is bringing well-being into the lives of clients through financial literacy and better investments. Typical are a couple whose properly managed assets allowed for the purchase of a bigger home; an entrepreneur who found she could borrow from her IRA to jump-start her website; and a single retirement-age woman who was able to build the kitchen of her dreams because her investments exceeded expectations.

I was always in the business world. A consistent theme has been the well-being of clients ... early on as client liaison for a major international bank, then as a non-profit advisor to small businessmen. In my 30’s, I headed to advertising and marketing, joining some of America’s top corporate firms. I loved the stimulation of right-brain/left-brain challenges and working with teams to interpret client needs and provide solutions. Our daily blend of numbers and creativity generated product ideas worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the marketplace.

But nothing about life is idealized happiness. As for many of us, there were heart-wrenching losses in store. Mine were the death of a child; divorce; uncomfortable reorganizations at work; and seven years of chronic fatigue syndrome while a single mom. I look now on these challenging times as a gift - one I wouldn’t have asked for of course. But negotiating my 40‘s allowed me to find my own bottom line and emerge richer in soul, stronger, and more compassionate. Like Judy Collins I can say: “I’ve looked at life from both sides now, up and down...."

When I got a call to go to work at Merrill Lynch I was ready to embrace a new adventure. I decided to jump in 1000%. The move meant I would be starting at the bottom but I was excited because I knew so many smart women like myself who felt inadequate around finances. I thought it would be just fabulous if I could succeed and interpret the world of money for others.

The week I joined Merrill Lynch I also started an evening meditation class that led to eight years of weekend study and a spiritual counseling practice. In 2003, I decided to integrate my two practices of material-spiritual in a more open way. I left Merrill Lynch and started my own investment firm, The Butler Group LLC, RIA. This has allowed me to embrace finance the way I love. As a wealth manager I invest client portfolios into the market; and as a money coach I advise clients on their relationship with money to maximize their wealth. Owning The Butler Group means I can bring the wisdom of all my knowledge to the

financial solution. It means I can teach and live my mantra of “wealth as a way of life" – available to us all. I’m Tabor at www.thebutlergroup.biz

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Surrendering to Spirit

by Mare Cromwell

Life is an adventure. You may think you know your plans but then Spirit comes along and knocks you in a whole other direction. And it’s all good.

I grew up as a tomboy with lots of brothers in a Catholic family.

The last thing I wanted was to be feminine. I eventually left the Catholic church in my early 20's, became a park ranger doing guy-type stuff in Alaska for several years, but continued to be fascinated by God and Spirit. I went on to international environmental work but then left it to become a writer and gardener, committed to a pursuit of spirituality.

For seven years, I sought out a broad variety of people when I posed the question: “If I gave you God’s phone number, what would you do with it?” The book, "If I gave you God’s phone number….

Searching for Spirituality in America" came out in 2002.

During the book’s research phase, I discovered Native American teachers, and their powerful wisdom of Earth Mother and the sacredness of our earth. That turned my worldview completely around. I have not turned back.

In 2011, I was diagnosed with enlarged lymph nodes/lymphoma in my womb area and much to the frustration of the doctor, was determined to heal through alternative methods. I realized that while I had been learning about the Sacred Feminine through the lens of Earth Mother, I had been in denial of my own powerful inner Sacred Feminine. This suppression had led to my illness.

A year into my diagnosis, while writing a book about my healing journey, a gifted medicine man asked me to join him in a ceremony for Earth Mother in a forest in New England. It was just the two of us and shortly after the ceremony, Spirit broadsided me and told me to put aside my manuscript. Instead I was instructed to listen and write the messages that began coming through. The guidance was very clear that the book would be called "Messages from Mother…. Earth Mother." It was complete in five weeks and went to print in the fall of 2012. More messages have come in since the book went to print. I’m pleased that both of my books have won awards.

Essentially, I have surrendered and serve Spirit. And through this journey, I have healed. Reviewers have commented that I’m one of the “great listeners.” I’m a messenger. It is time for the Sacred Feminine to come into balance with the Divine Masculine and for us to heal our relationship with this sacred planet we call home. The Great Mother is calling us and her love for us is beyond words. She wants us to come back into balance and heal not only ourselves but our long-lost connection with her.

She is there for everyone.

With great humility, I’ve become a conduit of Mother’s love through my writing, talks and the healing work I offer. It’s all rather amazing. Come join in! www.marecromwell.com

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Turning Darkness Into Light

by Karen Keilt

Though I lived a fairytale life in a beautiful home, surrounded by wonderful things and doting people, the sounds of violence, anger and fear often permeated my childhood. As far back as I can remember there were “dark” moments.

I was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. My mother, a beautiful outgoing New Yorker, married a brooding Brazilian. Like all South American men, my father ruled the roost and I understood if Daddy was happy, everything was wonderful.

When I was 10, Brazil went through a revolution, and the little I could understand as a child left an indelible stain of violence and crime. My family moved to New York to avoid the real threat of kidnapping for ransom or worse. We returned two years later and life as I knew it resumed.

Dating was taboo in my father’s eyes and most often met with dire consequences. But love conquers all, and when I was 23 I married the man of my dreams in a fairytale wedding.

Three short months later the fairytale became a nightmare. Abducted from our bed in the dead of night, by gun-wielding police officers, my husband and I were a target of corruption.

We were imprisoned for 45 days. During that time my husband and I were beaten and tortured on a device called a "parrot’s perch" and I was raped repeatedly. We were starved and forced to exist in vile conditions.

The police demanded a bribe for our release. We were never charged with any crime but they falsely accused us of being drug dealers.

I didn’t understand then that the strength I had gained from my abusive father had actually helped me to survive.

Eventually our family paid $400,000 and on July 4, 1976, we were released. Several days later I attempted suicide. At that time, speaking about those events was also taboo and I was told by my father to buck up and get over it. Three months later I discovered I was pregnant. Sadly, my marriage did not survive.

In 1979, Brazil passed a law giving amnesty from prosecution to its government torturers. I could no longer live there. I fled my home of 27 years. Unsupported and alone, I began a new life in California.

Though deeply wounded, I had to be outwardly strong and a nurturing mother. When my son was five, I met a wonderful man and we have been happily married since.

Something, though, was still missing in my life. In 2010, I began to practice yoga with great intensity. I heard my teacher say, “Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that your past could ever be different.� Those words unlocked my soul.

It was time to speak out and become a human rights activist. I could use my story of horror to become the change agent for others - especially women. I turned to speaking and I wrote my story in my book, "The Parrot's Perch," in hopes of raising awareness and passion.

No matter what your cause, it’s time for women to find their own inner strength and become catalysts of change, turning darkness into light. www.theparrotsperch.com

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See Your Life Through a Different Lens

by Pamela Hale

Old tapestries were woven from the back, so weavers had to turn them over to see their creation. At 70, my tapestry reveals stunning colors, terrible mistakes and abundant blessings - like the impulse to continually create beauty, no matter what.

I grew up in California, where during my birth, my mother had a postpartum breakdown. When I was 21 months, my pilot father was killed in World War II. Mom and I moved in with her parents, and my grandfather died when I was three. A rough beginning. My imaginary friends helped, and my active imagination has been a vehicle for “seeing through a different lens” ever since.

My mother re-married a new Daddy who gave me his stability, a fine education and the message that I could be anything. Since I longed to heal my troubled mother, I imagined a scanner that could diagnose mysterious illnesses. It later manifested in the energy work I do today.

While raising two magnificent daughters, my struggle with fear and self-doubt led me to photography my tool for finding beauty and meaning in the ordinary. I created art, designed photography curricula, and wrote and spoke about the therapeutic photography movement.

A divorce forced change, leading to a decade of professional fundraising. When a Stanford University campaign took me to Arizona, I re-met a classmate after 23 years who became my husband. A lifelong pilot, Jon helped me realize my dream of earning my pilot’s license - at 57.

A year after becoming a pilot, I photographed forms and figures in the sand that served as spirit helpers for me when I was diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks later. In 2002, I published them as my Sand Spirits Insight Cards, now a tool for activating your intuition and wisdom.

My tapestry shows scars on my body (including a double mastectomy and a recurrence in 2004), but not my spirit. My healing journey led me to training in shamanism, to spiritual mentoring, and to a surprise: Who knew that in my late 50's, I’d be starting a whole new career as a soul-tender, healer and teacher? Or that I’d become a grandmother of five?

For a decade, I wove the piloting lessons I had learned (which helped me with my cancer journey) with my aerial photos from our flights around the west. The resulting book, "Flying Lessons: How to Be the Pilot of Your Own Life," won an IPPY gold medal for best self-help book of 2012.

Every challenge became an important thread in my tapestry – the adventurous project of creating a colorful life of beauty and meaning.

I invite you to turn your tapestry over and to honor every thread. Please visit www.ThroughADifferentLens.com to see how my ancient and contemporary tools for healing and transformation can help you see your self, your life and your possibilities “though a different lens.” You can say “yes” to all of your journey and love yourself for being the heroine.

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It’s Never Too Late

by Barbara Eisele, PCC

I have always been a cheerleader for women, but not always a good one for myself. One of my favorite sayings when things go wrong is, “if you want to see God laugh, tell Her your plans.” It brings lightness to a situation. However, in the fall of 2012, I was not amused. I was despondent. We were in the midst of foreclosure on our beautiful dream home. I didn’t see a life worth living.

I was raised to fulfill all my commitments, including my mortgage. I prided myself on being responsible for my choices, but this? I thought I had moved beyond my identity resting with my home, my belongings, etc. However, the humiliation and shame I experienced on that dark morning spoke to a very different emotional reality. I was in a deep hole of despair asking “who am I” and “how can I pull my life together again.”

My faith in a loving, prosperous Universe was shaken at my soul level.

My tendency to keep my negative emotions to myself and not ask for help wasn’t working. With great trepidation I finally opened up to three dear friends who proved to be a lifeline for me. My fear of being alone and rejected was met instead with love, compassion and more than a little kick butt wisdom, exactly what I needed. There was a faint light at the end of the tunnel and it wasn’t a train.

What I experienced personally was such a contradiction to my passion and mission that we as women have the ability to overcome obstacles and limiting self beliefs. It is such a strong belief of mine. No matter what chapter of my life I was in, whether it was as an OB nurse, a health educator, a counselor, or now as a certified coach, I have always supported women. This is at the essence of my core.

But I have to say, now looking back, that my home heartache helped me become a much better coach and put me on my authentic path to be a catalyst for women to step into their Authentic Self. It is my privilege to walk beside women and heartcentered men on the discovery to find their Authentic Brilliance, who they really are and see them light up and say, "Yes, this is me."

I know the journey may not be easy - it may start with the chaos of a life transition, large or small - or, it may be a whisper in your ear, a nagging in your belly, or a persistent dream that shows up time after time. Together though we will work through it.

In my life, I've always believed it is never too late. I earned my master's degree at 54, became a certified coach at 60, and at 69, I became an international bestselling author. My first book, a collaboration with 21 very wise and courageous women, is titled, "Hot Mama in High Heels; Daily Lessons to Rock a Woman’s World." My second book, "Bold is Beautiful," another anthology, will be available this winter.

I’m not sure what’s next for me but I know it’s never too late to reach for your dreams. And to build another house! www.lifetransformationsnow.com

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Giving Grief a Voice

by Audrey Pellicano

My story starts in June of 1983, but my grief journey began seven months later. Joe, the love of my life, and I married on June 19, 1983.

It was a dream come true. I was 30 and Joe was 42. We had plans not unlike any newly married couple. Then, our world was shaken when Joe was diagnosed with CML, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia.

Even though I was a nurse and Joe a physician, we never spoke of Joe's prognosis knowing that he might only have a few years left in life. We ignored the statistics, and feared going to that place of no hope. We had four wonderful children and built a home in between visits to doctors.

It was easy to ignore the inevitable until the inevitable happened. Joe died on December 21, 1990. What followed were emotions that I never knew existed. Pain I had never experienced and no one to tell me that this was grief and that it was normal. What I did hear from family and friends was, "Be strong for the children,� and “It takes time." Neither of those statements helped to heal my broken heart.

Reading everything I could on death and dying, I searched for help. Support groups consisted of widows more than twice my age. What I heard was, "Sorry for your loss; it must be so difficult with small children." Again a true fact, but my wound wouldn't heal.

Six months after Joe's death, I made the fateful decision to move. In my new neighborhood, I began to receive calls from those who had heard of other women newly widowed and I was asked to reach out to them. Having those newly widowed women over for coffee, I listened to their stories of pain and loss. That was my turning point. I decided I would help other widows because no one should grieve alone. But first, I had to continue to heal my own heart.

At the age of 42. I returned to graduate school earning my degree in Health Science. I believe that educating women on healthy living is one of the keys to feeling better and moving forward through devastating loss. While attending school, I found the book that transformed my grief and gave me the answers I had been searching for, "The Grief Recovery Method." I trained with the authors and earned my certification as a Grief Recovery Specialist.

I now proudly help widows, working virtually with my seven-week program, to transform their grief and move forward in their lives. I am an advocate for raising awareness on what are natural events in life, death and grief. In New York City, I launched the first Death Café and have been featured in The New York Times for my work and hold the quotation of the day for June 16, 2013.

“Death and grief are topics avoided at all costs in our society.

If we talk about them, maybe we won’t fear them as much.”

Audrey Pellicano, R.N. Grief Recovery Specialist, www.wisewidow.com

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Symbols & Signs

by Ann Ullrich

"Its tea time, come and tidy up, love," Nana called in her musical voice at precisely 4:00 p.m. every Sunday afternoon. After washing my hands, I hurried to the parlor where a delightful petite lady with white hair and sparkling blue eyes waited with great enthusiasm to begin her Sunday ritual. I remember receiving lavender-scented hugs and sitting down at a tea table, a true visual delight of lace, fresh cut flowers, hand-painted bone china and an abundant array of teacakes.

My weekly visits to Nana's lovely old red brick house in Northern England was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with tea drinking and tealeaf reading. I am a fourth-generation tealeaf reader, raised in a family of psychic women. I listened to myths, legends and fairy tales on those lovely Sunday afternoons, and when Nana thought I was ready, she began to teach me her craft.

I continue this family tradition of "reading the leaves" for family, friends and clients and have taught classes in the art of tassography. I have two published books on the subject of tea, "What's in a Cup? a Guide to Divining Tealeaves," and "Fairy Tea," a children's picture book.

Tealeaves are a point of concentration for me and I do actually see pictures in and around the cup. I look at the symbols in the cup and they unlock a part of my mind that sees in pictures, very much like a freeze-frame picture. I love reading the leaves because I see a new story each time I pick up a cup! I am always surprised by what I see, and delight in telling the story.

Symbols are my passion and this led me to educate myself in all things connected with the mind and how it works: psychology, mythology, hypnosis, behavioral therapy, the metaphysical, healing and spiritual realms. All of this led me to become an ordained minister with a Th.D. in theology, a board certified clinical hypnotherapist, certified dream tender, behavioral therapist, Reiki master and spiritual/intuitive counselor. For the past 30 years, I have enjoyed teaching, lecturing, performing ritual ceremonies and presenting workshops and seminars.

In 1983 I held my first women’s event, a spring equinox celebration. Ever since that first one, each year at the change of seasons, a group of amazing women - young and old and everything in between - gather to celebrate their lives and each other. My ministry is to help and assist women to be ALL they can be and fall in love with themselves and the Goddess Within.

I have enjoyed 30 years of ritual, ceremony and the celebration of the Divine Feminine in all of us, and plan on celebrating 30 more! www.symbollinking.com

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The Magic of Intention

by Althea Bogomolova

In my childhood, I always felt a presence of that playful and lighthearted inner person who permanently asked all types of questions and loved experimenting with things. I will bet that my parents had difficulties at times with my upbringing, due to the fact that silent obedience was not a strong trait of mine. They could not ever predict my next step. My mom was often saying, "Smart people learn from mistakes of other people. Why do you need to learn from your own mistakes?"

When I was about seven, mom asked me to grind some coffee beans. I loved that small grinder, but from my point of view, it had a major drawback. Its lid was nontransparent. I could not watch the process of grinding. Finally, I had a chance to figure it out. Once I had the grinder under my control, I pushed a button, waited a little bit and opened the lid. To my surprise, all of the beans scattered all over the kitchen. It was so cool (so I thought) but my mom did not think so. She got angry, and I was punished.

If only she could have understood that my "inner child" had to learn something that day. Maybe then she would have had a different reaction.

I became busy doing "more important" things in my life. I connected to my inner child through my dreams, but I chose to ignore the messages because I lacked knowledge, comprehension, and trust.

My world changed when my 18-year marriage was over. I was diagnosed with uterine cancer a couple of months later. I was forced to submit to the situation, but was scared to leave my only son.

My strong intention was to find the answers to the question, "Why did it all happen to me?" I opened my heart, restored communication with my inner child, and I found a way to hear my Higher Self. I had come back home.

A few months later, my doctor apologized for the mistake and confirmed that I was, in fact, healthy!

Imagine my surprise! To this day, I do not know whether it was a mistake or a miracle cure, but it does not matter. More important is that I learned how powerful the intention is. I also learned how to stop worrying about the future, how to live in the moment, and how to be happy "now."

The process of seeking answers also helped me to re-discover who I am as a soul and my purpose of this lifetime. Through communication with the subtle world, I developed other skills, such as healing and reading Akashic Records. When I decided to open my business last year, the name of it, “Magic of Intention,� came very easily to me because I know that our intentions can do magic.

Now I work with people and help them to trust that love and spirit are always ready to be discovered within us. www.magicofintention.com With love, Althea

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Our Dreams Choose Us

by Sheila Bender

...if you do not turn your attention around and look within, you will wander from home with a hidden treasure. – Bokuzan, 13th C Zen Scholar When I brought my infant daughter home from the hospital, I looked into her eyes and asked, "Who are you, Emily?" I heard back, "Who are you, Mom?" I was a poet who wasn't allowing herself to write – a woman raised to believe that real writers wrote best sellers, a woman whose Cold War era teachers stressed sciences and physical education; writing poetry seemed frivolous. I put away my desires and followed a blueprint for my adulthood more like ones commonly laid out for women of my generation.

Two years after my daughter's birth, I had another baby. Mothering two young ones while working as a daycare center director and parent educator made life busy. But I'd promised myself I'd begin a writing life. When they turned five and three, I enrolled as a non-matriculating student at the University of Washington to study with distinguished poets, and soon entered graduate school in Creative Writing. A closet became a writing nook with a skylight. Nights, I wrote under the stars and daytimes, under Seattle's mist and rain. My daughter's dream of a fairy slicing her open and then she could fly, my son's pockets full of garden snails and twigs, a lover's garden – all found their way into my poems.

The dreams choose us.

If we fit right and breathe, they carry us for the ride.

I penned that from the pleasure of living my dream. With a master's degree in Creative Writing, I began teaching at colleges, combining what I'd learned from poets about listening to words' cadences for unearthing emotional logic with what I knew about facilitating learning. In 1994, a "manuscripts-wanted" listing circulated for essays about dream jobs. I wrote about hanging a "Resident Poet" shingle outside my house. People in need of guidance would tell me their dilemmas, and I'd select a poem from my library for us to read aloud. I'd make copies for

them to take home to memorize, whisper at night, belt out under the sun or the clouds, recite while driving.

In 2002, I created a shingle related to the one I had imagined by founding WritingItReal.com. My mission: to facilitate others in the craft of writing and help them use it to experience awe of who they are, who they might become.

William Stafford's words in "When I Met My Muse" are a guiding light: ..."I am your own way of looking at things," she said. "When you allow me to live with you, every glance at the world around you will be a sort of salvation."

Although personal writing might be planted in the soil of anger, hate, irritation, loneliness and grief, a finished work bursts through that soil and flowers, providing the intimacy with ourselves and with others necessary for healing and for growth. I know to my core that writing provides the right food and the right stuff for finding what lights our souls, what it is we have to offer others. www.WritingItReal.com

I Found My Refuge in Storytelling

by P.A. Staes

When I see photos of mothers reading stories to their children, I wonder what that would have been like.

My early childhood with an embittered, depressed and raging father involved no sweet bedtime stories. Bedtime was often the most terrifying because the sound of his heavy feet on the staircase meant we would be whipped. And we were beaten, my brother, sister and I. I saw my mother, who had been valedictorian of her class, well read and an excellent piano player, disappear into the quiet zone necessary to keep my father (a mechanic and electrician) happy.

I was told by my father that I was stupid and a “bubble head” and just a “silly girl”. Weekly family dinners with our extended family frequently ended with my cousins, aunts and uncles seeing me slapped across the face by a drunken father. No one spoke. No one moved.

The story I told myself was this: there has been a terrible mistake. I do not belong here. Surely someone will rescue me. Surely someone will speak up.

No one spoke up and there was no rescue. I lost myself in schoolwork and generally received straight A’s. I volunteered at school so that I wouldn’t have to go home. There was no dating because a date would see my father in a drunken rage.

I hid where I was most comfortable, in books. Whenever and wherever I could get them I read books of all kinds. In books there was always a resolution or people died. Neither - resolution or death – was available to me.

I decided my rescue would come through education. I also concluded I would rescue others. I became a nurse with a master’s degree and did my best to rescue my patients. It was a heavy task.

With the help of a supportive husband, wonderful friends, and those who recognized that I was not stupid, (in fact, I was a gifted student) I began to find my own voice.

In adulthood, I have found the help I needed to recover from the emotional terrorism of my youth. I learned a painful lesson: you can only rescue yourself.

I adopted two children, one who was an addict for 10 years and one who is mentally ill. The challenges never stopped and I had to resign as a rescuer and just try to be a mother under horrific circumstances.

Once again my salvation came in books. After a 40-year career in nursing, I decided to write my first novel, "The Bruges Tapestry." Set in Bruges, Belgium, the book allows the characters to rescue themselves. It is the story of two women who meet, and a tapestry connects them in a tale of the abuse of power.

My future books will each feature a textile. For thousands of years women have expressed themselves through their textiles.

It is my mission as a storyteller to write about the adventures of fictional women who demonstrate their resilience while enduring famine, disease, birth and triumph. I want to celebrate women's handiwork that is seldom seen in our museums, but is truly possible in real life. www.thebrugestapestry.com

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Living a Vital Life

by Jeanne Peters, RD

“We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us become more than who we are.” – Adelle Davis This quote by 70's nutrition guru, Adelle Davis, inspired a passion for learning about the healing potential of whole foods and our unique vital energy. I credit my hippie parents who valued garden fresh food and a fitness based lifestyle long before organic food and Nike’s were popular.

Active in all sports, I became obsessed with learning how food could optimize my performance and health. For example, at age 12, I was creating “energy” smoothies using exotic “new foods” like yogurt, wheat germ and … Brewer’s Yeast. I laugh now when I think how bad Brewer’s Yeast can make a smoothie taste! Yet, I convinced the neighborhood swim team to drink up the healing benefits and forged my path as a future nutritionist and energy expert. I KNEW at this young age that I would make a difference in helping people improve their energy and well-being using whole foods.

Fast forward 10 years. Despite a strong family foundation and an excellent five-year education in clinical nutrition, I was living a paradox. Juggling school, full time work, athletics and internship led to poor eating choices and hormonal imbalance. How I was living my life paralleled how I was eating. I was using food to satisfy unmet emotional needs for rest and pleasure. Looking back, my RD degree really stood for Rest Deprived! The fatigue, insomnia, PMS and 20+ pounds I gained were clear signs of how out of touch I was with my physical and spiritual self-care needs.

Marriage, Mothering and a Mission: In the early 80’s, physicians had no clue how to treat a young mother with chronic fatigue. Preventive medicine was in its infancy. I had to draw on another stream of inner wisdom – my right brain, a yoga practice, healing whole foods and plenty of intensive, personal work. I eventually healed myself from exhaustion and emotional eating, dropped 20+ pounds, and restored my precious well-spring of energy. Through marriage, mothering three boys and growing my private practice, I attracted women who didn’t want “yet another food plan to follow.” Instead, they wanted a more personalized and comprehensive approach to their health and well-being.

Eventually, this led to co-creating the Nourishing Wellness Medical Center with my husband, a preventive physician. As two wounded healers, our mission is to share how women and men can restore their deep energy and hormonal reserves for an optimal life. We named our business Nourishing Wellness to emphasize personalized healing food and lifestyle prescriptions, instead of medications. We offer in-office support and online programs to help women discover the connections between the quality of selfcare, sleep, sunshine, spirituality, wholesome foods, key nutrients and ways these practical suggestions can make major improvements in your health.

It’s time to boost your vital energy and become more of who you are! www.nourishingwellness.com

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Where the Spirit Leads Me

by Jean Berry

When I was 10 years old, my family took a vacation to Washington DC. While walking through the National Museum of Art, I paused in the Modern Art Gallery. Gazing at an expressionistic painting, the bright colors and broad brushstrokes spoke to me and I was inspired to tell my mom, “I’m going to do that."

While learning to paint, I discovered an unusual way of approaching the world. The paint and colors energized me and I heard the wisdom of the ages being spoken. But in high school I stopped listening to that guidance, started comparing myself to others and stopped painting.

My life path took me into business, back to art school for furniture design, and finally to running a wellness & healing center.

While in art school, I met my best friend, Lynn. She had breast cancer and together we went on a journey to discover who heals and why. We traveled the country and met with gurus. I became reacquainted with my childhood gift of intuition. Although the disease eventually took Lynn, the miracles that we received during our quest launched me in a new direction.

To deal with her loss, I turned to painting and an amazing thing happened. One afternoon I had a strong prompting to paint blue. While placing blue paint on the canvas, to my surprise, three figures emerged in the swirls of paint. By listening, adding colors and defining the figures, I was deeply inspired by the final painting. I had been guided to a new way to paint.

In the past, I was taught to wait for inspiration, decide what to paint, and place all the colors on the palette.

With brush in hand, I would define objects. It seemed there was a way a painting “should” look. Now I am free to listen for guidance and paint! When starting a painting, one to three colors are shown to me and when those colors are complete, I mix the remaining paint into new colors. The figures, animals and icons as well as the paint thickness and color vibration are metaphors that give meaning and support to living. The process of not only listening, but believing my guidance enough to actually take action, alters my being. The guidance is always available, always right and always doable … that is where the Spirit leads me.

One woman who purchased the painting, “I’m Tickled Pink,” said it this way: "I collect art from all over the world, but this one speaks to me. It causes feelings of peace and love and puts a smile on my face. That’s a great way to start each day.”

Since painting this way, I have sold paintings and traveled the world teaching soul connection. I streamlined the process and launched True Spirit Works to share the paintings and soul work one on one and through workshops. I invite you to come with me on this journey to where the Spirit may lead you. www.truespiritworks.com

Finding My Way Among the Men

by Rev. Sandra Bearden

I was born in San Antonio, Texas, into a military family. I was born into a house of men, and although I have a sister who is 10 years older than myself, she left soon after I turned six. As a teenager, I hung out with my four brothers and my dad – riding horses, attending rodeos, and generally being a tomboy. When I grew up and moved away, I joined the military and again was in a world full of men. When I retired from the military, my dad whispered in my ear, “I am so proud of you, son!” I guess I had finally joined the penis club! A military career was the one thing my father and I had in common, since my brothers didn’t serve in the military.

When I left the military, I started to complete my education. I was forced to take a look back on my life in a women’s study class when the instructor assigned the class three questions: What did I want to be when I grew up? What did my parents want me to be? And what am I doing now? The first question was easy: I had always wanted to be a singer. The second question was more difficult as I had no idea what my parents wanted me to be; they had always said, “You can do anything!” The final question was not too difficult. I had become a singer and although I wasn’t singing anymore, I had sung with the 702 Air Force Band and loved it.

The one special thing about this exercise was that I had to call my dad and ask him the second question since my mom had already passed away. When I got up the courage to make the call, it was amazing. He told me, “I always thought you would be a nurse, because you are so noble and you like to help people.” That shocked me. Nobody uses the word “noble” in today’s world! This simple exercise and phone call changed my life forever. The most important thing it did was strengthen my relationship with my father, and it also strengthened my belief in myself.

Now nearly 20 years later, my dad has passed and I am doing my “noble” thing. I completed my MS at Johns Hopkins University. I combined the organizational skills learned in the military with my ability to speak in public without being nervous, and created an officiant business marrying couples.

Every week I have the privilege of joining two lives together in unique and special ways. It fills me with joy! I treasure being able to share in these magical moments when the love of two people brings a bit of peace, calm, and love to the world.

I am still with the men, by the way. I hang out with them until the bride is ready to walk down the aisle. www.weddingsbysandy.com

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Spreading My Wings

by Nancy Strother

Growing up with a mother who was very artistically talented has shaped me in more ways than I ever realized. She could do anything she put her mind to, and I’m just like her in many ways. Marrying young and raising my three children became my first priority. I just accepted my destiny was to be a wife and a mother - not that I didn’t pursue many hobbies along the way.

For many years I just kept my creativity at home in my little world, never branching out beyond that. I often wonder why do we do that as women - wait a good portion of our life to do what's calling inside us.

After my kids had grown and left the nest I took the leap and opened a delightful little rubber stamp shop in Grass Valley, California and called it Birdnest Design. The name was really representative of my need to create a nest, a place of comfort for myself and others. Women often said they could hang out there all day! They would talk to me about their life, health, children, marriage, and relationships. I would listen and offer some insight of my own. I made some incredible new friendships from this little shop. It was a very happy and fulfilling time in my life. I got to make beautiful greeting cards, art, jewelry and share my passion with other women.

That was my first awakening to the gift I had to share with others.

Then, as life would have it, I was facing divorce. So with a heavy heart I sold my shop. I moved forward to a new town and a “real” job. Pulling back from everyone while I repaired my heart and soul. I was still creating many kinds of art along the way and jewelry was becoming a real passion. I always dreamed of it becoming bigger so I could really do what I loved. That passion has never left me, even though it took a few breaks along the way. I never gave up on my dreams. I had always wanted to learn how to work with metal: it sounded challenging and fun.

I had never made jewelry like this but it was calling me. I taught myself how to cut, hammer, solder, stamp, emboss and rivet metal. I was hooked!

So here I sit in my little studio at home (my nest ) surrounded by all my precious reminders of the many years creating art has called me to this happy place. New opportunities are opening up for me

every day and things are starting to soar. I do believe I’m ready to fly ‌ if I close my eyes .... I can feel my wings spreading. www.birdnestdesign.net

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A Dream Unfolding

by Kathie Neff

“How might your life have been different if there had been a place for you, a place of women? How might your life be different?” Judith Duerk, "Circle of Stones" The year 2013 marks the unfolding of a two-layered dream. The seeds of the first layer emerged from my motherless childhood and the wounding that resulted from years of neglect. Gratefully, these shadows from my childhood continued into adulthood and led me to a good therapist who pointed me toward my source of healing: healthy women. In a circle of women, I learned what psychoanalyst Erich Fromm proposed: a person's main task in life is to give birth to oneself.

Giving birth to myself took many years. It was life-changing.

The second layer of my dream showed up in 1995 at the birth of my daughter’s first-born son where I served as her coach. After the birth, the nurse took me aside and said, “You should really consider becoming a midwife.” Her words surprised me, yet something resonated within.

For the next 14 years, in addition to continuing to birth myself through women’s circles, I served as a birth coach for family and friends and decided to formalize my work by attending doula training in January of 2009. The word “doula” comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" which clearly described the work I was doing with mothers informally. A few weeks after the training, I knew that in addition to assisting mothers in birthing their children I would create sacred spaces where women could give birth to themselves. The two-fold dream came alive with the creation of my business: Seasons Within.

In the fall of 2012, I shared the dream of Seasons Within with eight other whole-hearted women who were interested in personal growth as well as professional doula work. Together we became Seasons Within Doula Group.

We began serving women before, during and after birth, with a special emphasis on honoring the woman’s personal growth – inviting her to look within as she moved through the phases of birth and motherhood.

With my colleagues, I initiated Preggie-Mama Self Care Days as a way to encourage self-care during the birthing year. I received training and offered Birth Story Listening Circles to help mothers to heal previous birth trauma. We created Mother Blessing Ceremonies to invite pregnant mothers to

mindfully tend to their inner spirit as a way to prepare for birth. Through the Red Tent concept, we instituted a vehicle for creating safe, women-centered circles based on respectful listening.

One year later, the birthing of myself expands as I explore my new role of small business owner. And the dream continues to unfold. www.myseasonswithin.com

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Resources & Listings Authors & Speakers Books & CDs Coaching & Wisdom Communications Creative Arts Creative Transformation Fashion & Beauty Healers Health & Wellness Inspired Products & Services Lifestyle & Travel/Retreats Non-Profits for Women Radio & TV Shows Real Estate & Business Sacred Arts & Teaching Spirited

LISTINGS - Authors & Speakers

Sheila Bender Writing It Real Sheila is an established author (memoir, poetry and instructional writing) and a coach, teacher and speaker. Do you write from loss, from transition, for selfdiscovery, or to understand experiences and share knowledge? Visit Sheila’s website to learn about online classes and individual instruction; you will enjoy getting to know her.

E-Mail: sbender@writingitreal.com Phone: (360) 385-7839 Website: http://www.writingitreal.com http://www.facebook.com/writingitreal http://pinterest.com/sheilabender/the-writing-life/pins http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sheila-bender/5/b2b/387 http://twitter.com/writingitreal

Andrea Chilcote President, Morningstar Ventures Inc. Author Andrea Chilcote has a keen ability to facilitate transformational change in individuals, and her writing offers this opportunity to readers. "Erik's Hope: The Leash That Led Me to Freedom," is based on her life memoir, and "This Very Moment," is a collection of essays centering on relationship and connection.

E-Mail: andrea@morningstarventures.com Phone: (480) 575-8533 Website: http://morningstarventures.com https://facebook.com/erikshope https://www.pinterest.com/erikshope/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreachilcote https://twitter.com/erikshope http://www.youtube.com/user/EriksHope?feature=watch

LISTINGS - Authors & Speakers

Mare Cromwell Author & Speaker Mare Cromwell is an award-winning author and speaker, plant intuitive, sacred gardener, and healer. She has studied for 17 years with Native American medicine people and sits on the World Council for Wisdom Gatherings. Her books are: “Messages from Mother…. Earth Mother” and “If I gave you God’s phone number….”

E-Mail: mcrom@safe-mail.net Phone: (301) 882-7660 Website: http://www.marecromwell.com http://www.facebook.com/mare.cromwell http://pinterest.com/spiritwink http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mare-cromwell/3/6b7/b2a http://twitter.com/EarthMotherMsgs

Donna Freiss, Ph.D. President, Your Time Now Communications Donna L. Freiss, Ph.D. is a life coach and inspirational speaker. She is an activist for children’s rights. She's authored seven books, including the internationally acclaimed "Cry the Darkness: One Woman’s Triumph over the Tragedy of Incest." She speaks globally on healing from child sexual abuse.

E-Mail: donna@yourtimenow.org Phone: (949) 489-0046 Website: http://www.yourtimenow.org http://www.facebook.com/donna.friess http://www.linkedin.com/in/donnafriess http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfFUlGP414M

LISTINGS - Authors & Speakers

Pamela Hale Founder, Through A Different Lens Pam is a “soul-tender” who offers ancient and contemporary creative tools for healing, transformation and restoring the sacred. She is creator of the Sand Spirits Insight Cards and trainings, author of the award-winning "Flying Lessons: How to Be the Pilot of Your Own Life" and blogs for www.theSpiritedWoman.com.

E-Mail: pam@ThroughADifferentLens.com Phone: (520) 825-5463 Website: http://www.ThroughADifferentLens.com http://www.Facebook.com/PamelaHale9 http://www.Pinterest.com/prhale http://www.linkedin.com/in/PamelaHale http://www.twitter.com/PamelaHale1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuW_cslTxZM

Val Heart Leading Animal Communication Expert, Val Heart & Friends LLC Bestselling author, Val has unlocked the spiritual secret to more than just communicating with animals but also acting on that communication to overcome health, behavioral and performance issues. Founder of the 5 step H.E.A.R.T. System™, learn how to listen from your heart, work with your pet in partnership to solve problems together.

E-Mail: ContactVal@valheart.com Phone: (210) 863-7928 Website: http://www.valheart.com http://www.facebook.com/ValHeart.AnimalTalk http://www.pinterest.com/heart0077 http://twitter.com/Val_Heart

LISTINGS - Authors & Speakers

Mary Johnson Passionate Advocate for Civil Discussion about Life's Big Questions When I wrote An Unquenchable Thirst, the story of my 20 years as a nun with Mother Teresa, I included all the embarrassing parts. Love, honesty, and vulnerability draw us together and help us grow. My workshops provide women the tools to speak our truths with grace and power.

E-Mail: mary@maryjohnson.co Website: http://www.maryjohnson.co http://www.facebook.com/authorMaryJohnson http://www.pinterest.com/unquenchableme http://www.linkedin.com/in/theunquenchablemaryjohnson http://twitter.com/_MaryJohnson http://www.youtube.com/user/MaryJohnsonUTube

Karen Keilt Human Rights Activist Karen is an author and speaker. Her acclaimed book "The Parrot's Perch" is based on her own experiences and currently is in feature film development. Part of a global paradigm shift inspired by women, Karen dreams of days when Human Rights Violations will only be heard of in history books.

E-Mail: fada.br@mac.com Website: http://www.theparrotsperch.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Parrots-Perch/221193074585427 http://www.linkedin.com/pub/karen-keilt/2a/ba3/b39 http://www.twitter.com/Keilt http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdycdwSJd9_bi9iRPxljk-g

LISTINGS - Authors & Speakers

Debora McLaughlin Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Coach - The Renegade Leader Coaching & Consulting Group Best Selling Author of "The Renegade Leader" and "Running in High Heels," McLaughlin helps leaders step out of the drama of leadership, elevate their career success and step into your authentic self. Learn why The Renegade Leader went to the Emmy Awards and read top tips from CEO’s in Heels!

E-Mail: Debora@therenegadeleader.com Phone: (603) 324-7171 Website: http://amazon.com/author/deboramclaughlin https://www.facebook.com/DeboraMcLaughlinFan http://www.pinterest.com/renegadeleader1 http://www.linkedin.com/in/deboramclaughlin https://twitter.com/debmclaughlin http://www.youtube.com/user/RenegadeLeaders

Susan Newton Owner, Blesssing From Spirit Would you like to feel more confident, peaceful and joyous in all areas of your life?

Susan Newton, author, speaker, medium, channel and self-empowerment mentor will share with you how to accomplish this very present way of life. Call to schedule an appointment, group or event NOW! E-Mail: scatlin20@aol.com Phone: (614) 214-8574 Website: http://www.Blessingsfromspirit.com https://www.facebook.com/susan.newton.509 http://pinterest.com/sfccab64/pins/ http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=48652876&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile https://twitter.com/sfccab64 http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoyaYxcAXfamVOsyOzrEedQ

LISTINGS - Authors & Speakers

Rev. Marilee Ann Snyder-Nieciak Transformational Author Internationally recognized shamanic practitioner and transformational author sharing ancient wisdom for NOW with shamanic journeys and drum circles. Marilee has written two books, "Ancient Wisdom for Now - Crystals" and the "13 Crystal Skulls and Pebbles in the Pond." Her books are available on her website.

E-Mail: marilee@sagespiritterra.org Phone: (219) 210-9016 Website: http://www.marileeasnyder.com https://www.facebook.com/marilee.snydernieciak http://www.pinterest.com/marileesnyderni http://www.linkedin.com/in/marileeasnyder http://twitter.com/sagespiritterra

T.A. Powell CEO/Author, Brownstone Literary Works LLC T.A. Powell is the CEO/Owner of Brownstone Literary Works, LLC Publishing and is a true crime author who works with active and retired law enforcement, and psychic mediums to solve cold case murders. She has a degree in investigative forensics from UMUC and is listed as expert for C.C.I.R.I. in Atlanta.

E-Mail: brownstonelit@aol.com Phone: (706) 714-6516 Website: http://brownstoneliteraryworks.com http://www.linkedin.com/pub/t-a-powell/46/497/49a/

LISTINGS - Authors & Speakers

Diane Turner Psychotherapist & Certified Life Coach, Imagine That Coaching LLC Creating lives of greater ease, expansion and possibility while connecting clients to their passion - opens the door to an authentic life. Diane is an engaging speaker, guiding participants through journeys of discovery and transformation. Diane is the author of "Heart Wisdom, A Concise Companion for Creating a Life of Possibility."

E-Mail: imaginethatcoaching@gmail.com Phone: (847) 404-4363 Website: http://www.dianesturner.com http://facebook.com/imaginethatcoaching http://linkedin.com/pub/diane-turner/8/6aa/852 https://twitter.com/DianeSTurner1

Jeannine Wiest Craniosacral Therapist, Cranial Alchemy - Heal Your Mojo Jeannine Wiest's workshops, talks and radio interviews mirror her mission: to help women create their life on purpose. Author of the forthcoming book,"Shhh, Your Body is Listening," her short story entitled "Early Woman, Always a Choice," was selected for the Upledger Institute's compilation book, "Working Wonders" due Spring 2014.

E-mail: Jeannine@cranialalchemy.com Phone: (818) 990-5260 Website: http://www.cranialalchemy.com http://www.facebook.com/cranialalchemy http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jeannine-wiest/11/338/213 http://www.twitter.com/gypsynycla https://www.youtube.com/user/J960008?feature=guide

LISTINGS - Authors & Speakers

Cat Williford, MCC, CPCC Founder, The Modern Goddess Cat Williford’s workshops, keynotes, and T.V. appearances align with her Modern Goddess mission: Bridging Spirit into Everyday. Her special magic is helping women heal their relationship with their body. Cat’s memoir, "The Ovarian Chronicles," details how she did just that to survive a diagnosis and dwindling fertility dreams (Summer, 2014).

E-Mail: cat@themoderngoddess.com Phone: (818) 266-9020 Website: http://themoderngoddess.com https://www.facebook.com/cat.williford http://www.pinterest.com/catwilliford https://www.linkedin.com/pub/cat-williford/16/380/618/ https://twitter.com/CatWilliford

LISTINGS - Books & CDs

The Lotus Project: The Art of Being a Woman

by Lyn Hicks Author Lyn Hicks paints a beautiful collage of our modern femininity and the power of women, offering a new way to look at our roles as women in our community, home and workplace. Inspiring us to use our creativity and artistry as we move through the tasks of life.

E-Mail: lyn@harmonyhillgardens.com Website: http://www.lotusprojectbook.com https://www.facebook.com/lotusprojectbook http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lyn-hicks/10/b03/335/ https://twitter.com/lynhicks https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC22aodgaALAEBgbGtJNW_Fg

Breathing Blue, Giving My life To Spirit And Spirit To My Life

by Kathleen O'Dwyer McDonald “Follow your bliss,” they say, but read the fine print: the Universe doesn’t hand you a blissful life on a silver platter. You have to work for it! In "Breathing Blue," Kathleen O’Dwyer shares her two year leap of faith, at the age of 56, to a blissful, successful life.

E-Mail: ko131922@gmail.com Phone: (520) 840-9766 Website: http://www.breathofblue.com/ https://www.facebook.com/BreathingBlueBook

LISTINGS - Books & CDs

The Bruges Tapestry

by P.A. Staes Uncovering a 500-year-old mystery surrounding a Flemish tapestry involves two stories. That of the tapestry maker's daughter in 1520 and of the detective who finds the work. In joined tales - art, love, betrayal, revenge and renewal are woven together, as in the warp and weft of the tapestry itself.

E-Mail: patriciastaes@gmail.com Phone: (949) 230-2648 Website: http://www.thebrugestapestry.com https://www.facebook.com/patricia.staes http://www.pinterest.com/pastaes

The Snowman Maker

by Barbara Briggs Ward With the children grown and Ben's evasiveness, Ellie wishes the holidays were over.

But it's Christmas - anything can happen - especially when going back to a wondrous place one winter's night in an old sleigh - the very sleigh that carried a little boy on a Christmas Eve journey so long ago.

E-Mail: maggieosheacompany@yahoo.com Website: http://www.barbarabriggsward.com https://www.facebook.com/barbara.briggsward http://www.pinterest.com/barbarabward http://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-ward/11/392/a30/ http://www.twitter.com/reindeerkeeper

LISTINGS - Coaching & Wisdom

Julie Barnes Performance Anxiety Coach Julie Barnes is an expert in performance anxiety issues. She can teach you powerful tools so you can easily share your business at the next networking event or give that presentation at the office. Stop the stress/pain/fear of getting in front of people NOW! E-Mail: julie@juliebarneslive.com Phone: (707) 514-3774 Web: http://www.juliebarneslive.com http://www.pinterest.com/juliebarneslive https://twitter.com/juliebarneslive

Andrea Chilcote President, Morningstar Ventures Inc. Andrea Chilcote, executive coach, leadership development consultant, entrepreneur and author, holds more than two decades of experience in the organizational development coaching and consulting field. A recognized, trusted partner who gets results, Andrea focuses on client relationships, evidenced by her track-record of longevity and sustainability in client connections.

E-Mail: andrea@morningstarventures.com Phone: (480) 575-8533 Website: http://morningstarventures.com https://facebook.com/erikshope https://www.pinterest.com/erikshope/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreachilcote https://twitter.com/erikshope http://www.youtube.com/user/EriksHope?feature=watch

LISTINGS - Coaching & Wisdom

Julie Daigle Customized Coaching Program for Caregivers “I begin each day connecting with the joy in my heart, and my day unfolds from there.” Through my Chaos to Compassion coaching program I get to watch peoples' entire being transform from fear, pain, and suffering, to acceptance, a sense of freedom and love.”

E-Mail: juliedaigle50@gmail.com Phone: (209) 662-5462 http://www.linkedin.com/in/juliedaigle

Barbara Eisele, MC, NCC, PCC Chief Transformations Officer, Life Transformations, Now! I am a transformational coach. I have experienced the journey to discover the many layers of my Authentic Brilliance. Evolving through three professional careers I am a catalyst for women to bring forth their gifts and live from the “sweet spot” of their Authentic Self.

E-Mail: barb@lifetransformationsnow.com Phone: (520) 977-0562 Website: http://www.lifetransformationsnow.com https://www.facebook.com/beisele https://pinterest.com/barbaraeisele http://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-eisele/11/693/242 https://twitter.com/barbeisele

LISTINGS - Coaching & Wisdom

Pamela Hale Founder, Through A Different Lens Pam is a “soul-tender� who offers ancient and contemporary creative tools for healing, transformation and restoring the sacred. She is creator of the Sand Spirits Insight Cards and trainings, author of the award-winning "Flying Lessons: How to Be the Pilot of Your Own Life" and blogs for www.theSpiritedWoman.com.

E-Mail: pam@ThroughADifferentLens.com Phone: (520) 825-5463 Website: http://www.ThroughADifferentLens.com http://www.Facebook.com/PamelaHale9 http://www.Pinterest.com/prhale http://www.linkedin.com/in/PamelaHale http://www.twitter.com/PamelaHale1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuW_cslTxZM

Jane Keene Owner, Magnificent Thru Menopause Jane is a native of England. She has an MS degree from the University of San Francisco and is a shaman. As the owner of Magnificent Thru Menopause, Jane's extensive tool box - including interpersonal skills, dream work, peer to peer counseling, and skillful intuition - are available to her clients.

E-Mail: magnificentthrumenopause@gmail.com Phone: (925) 980-0866 Website: http://www.magnificentthrumenopause.com http://www.facebook.com/magnificentthrumenopause http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jane-keene/42/744/926/

LISTINGS - Coaching & Wisdom

Steffi Jo Kern Founder and Essence Coach, Express Your Essence LLC Are you ready to move past what is holding you back? By understanding one’s personality and how it supports your desires and triggers your fears; you can make profound changes in your life. Steffi Jo helps you to undress your fears and dress your desires in order to Express Your Essence, Your Way! E-Mail: steffijo@expressyouressence.com Phone: (480) 993-8291 Website: http://www.expressyouressence.com http://www.facebook.com/expressyouressence http://www.pinterest.com/steffijokern http://www.linkedin.com/in/steffijo http://www.twitter.com/essencecoach

Barbara Krauss Steward of Creative Inquiry, The Centre for Organic YESipes I help guide women through a powerfully creative and playful process that enables them to experience and embrace extraordinary shifts in their lives by remembering and reclaiming what once made them feel alive. They get to taste their life again and say YES! E-Mail: barbara@barbarakrauss.com Phone: (206) 371-0196 Website: http://www.barbarakrauss.com http://www.facebook.com/barbara.krauss.90?fref=ts http://www.pinterest.com/barbara1831/ http://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-krauss/0/b68/1b1/

LISTINGS - Coaching & Wisdom

Debora McLaughlin Executive, Business & Leadership Coach - The Renegade Leader Coaching & Consulting Group PCC Certified coach, leadership expert and best-selling author Debora McLaughlin works with Executives, CEO’s and business owners to maximize your leadership success, create high-performing teams, grow business and increase profits through executive coaching, assessments, leadership development, business coaching and organizational consulting. Get your free gift at http://www.therenegadeleader.com E-Mail: Debora@therenegadeleader.com Phone: (603) 324-7171 Website: http://www.TheRenegadeLeader.com https://www.facebook.com/DeboraMcLaughlinFan http://www.pinterest.com/renegadeleader1 http://www.linkedin.com/in/deboramclaughlin https://twitter.com/debmclaughlin http://www.youtube.com/user/RenegadeLeaders

Kathie Neff Doula, Founder, Seasons Within Seasons Within was formed to celebrate and support women in life's transitions. We provide compassionate, professional services to birthing mothers and their families.

We provide transitional ceremonies for women during pregnancy and at the threshold of other important life changes for the maiden, mother, matriarch and more.

E-Mail: kathieneff@gmail.com Phone: (951) 203-9560 Website: http://www.myseasonswithin.com/ https://www.facebook.com/SeasonsWithinDoulaGroup http://pinterest.com/seasonswithin/ http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kathie-neff/26/a48/816 https://twitter.com/BirthWithUs http://www.youtube.com/user/birthandmore2011

LISTINGS - Coaching & Wisdom

Diane Ness CEO, Diane Ness Leadership LLC After 30 years in corporate and government, I decided to follow my passion to become a leadership coach. Women are natural leaders but get ignored. My passion is to help young women find their strength to become the leaders that will change the world.

E-Mail: dianeness12@yahoo.com Phone: (202) 770-8541 Website: http://www.dianeness.com https://www.facebook.com/diane.ness?ref=profile http://www.pinterest.com/dianeness http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=14745678 https://twitter.com/DiLeader

Diane Turner Psychotherapist & Certified Life Coach, Imagine That Coaching LLC Creating lives of greater ease, expansion and possibility while connecting clients to their passion - opens the door to an authentic life. Diane is a compassionate teacher, guiding clients through journeys of discovery and transformation. Diane is the author of "Heart Wisdom, A Concise Companion for Creating a Life of Possibility."

E-Mail: imaginethatcoaching@gmail.com Phone: (847) 404-4363 Website: http://www.dianesturner.com http://facebook.com/imaginethatcoaching http://linkedin.com/pub/diane-turner/8/6aa/852 https://twitter.com/DianeSTurner1

LISTINGS - Coaching & Wisdom

Cat Williford, Master Certified Coach Founder, The Modern Goddess Do you long to experience more confidence, courage, authentic expression, selfcare, body-love and even self-love? Cat’s clients report all of these results and you can, too! Cat received one of the first six coaching certifications in the U.S. in 1994.

Her specialty? Blending coaching, spirituality and ceremony for unprecedented results.

E-Mail: cat@themoderngoddess.com Phone: (818) 266-9020 Website: http://themoderngoddess.com https://www.facebook.com/cat.williford http://www.pinterest.com/catwilliford https://www.linkedin.com/pub/cat-williford/16/380/618/ https://twitter.com/CatWilliford

LISTINGS - Communications

Val Heart Leading Animal Communication Expert, Val Heart & Friends LLC Bestselling author, Val has unlocked the spiritual secret to more than just communicating with animals but also acting on that communication to overcome health, behavioral and performance issues. Founder of the 5 step H.E.A.R.T. System™, learn how to listen from your heart, work with your pet in partnership to solve problems together.

E-Mail: ContactVal@valheart.com Phone: (210) 863-7928 Website: http://www.valheart.com http://www.facebook.com/ValHeart.AnimalTalk http://www.pinterest.com/heart0077 http://twitter.com/Val_Heart

Robin Kellogg President, Robin Kellogg Associates I create and coordinate communications and marketing materials for small to midsize companies. By providing content for their websites, brochures, press releases, flyers, etc., I can ensure all their materials have the same messaging. In addition, I have developed a workshop for aspiring authors, and speak about business communications.

E-Mail: robin@yourwritingresource.com Phone: (818) 993-5468 Website: http://www.yourwritingresource.com http://www.facebook.com/robinkelloggassociates

LISTINGS - Communications

Catherine McSharry Owner, Sweet Spot Video "Catherine McSharry is a video goddess ... most importantly she TELLS A STORY through her video subjects. Their story. Now, that is a gift and a very special talent." – Nancy Mills, Founder, The Spirited Woman. Enjoy two of my videos in this directory.

See Vicki Dobbs and Jane Keene. Gratefully, Catherine E-Mail: sweetspotvideoproductions@gmail.com Phone: (707) 980-4299 Website: http://www.catherinemcsharry.com http://www.facebook.com/sweetspotvideo http://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinemcsharry http://www.youtube.com/user/sweetspotvideos

LISTINGS - Creative Arts

Jean Berry Intuitive, Artist & Guide, True Spirit Works As an intuitive artist, I create expressionistic paintings that fill your heart with joy every time you view them. As a guide, I support holistic business owners in aligning their business with their “Soul Advisory Guidance System.” Free course on my website: “3 Keys to Connecting with your Soul’s Guidance System.”

E-Mail: jean@truespiritworks.com Phone: (612) 810-5556 Website: http://www.truespiritworks.com https://www.facebook.com/truespiritworks http://pinterest.com/truespiritworks/ http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=9321837&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile https://www.twitter.com/Passionpays

Suzanne Caesar Choreographer, Special Events Speaker, Rhythm For Life™ Considered an innovator in prenatal dance and founder of the maternal dance movement, Suzanne Caesar, MA, performs/shares the ritual of dance, engaging audiences with message and movement at corporate events and retreats. Suzanne is currently choreographing, “Fall To Grace,” a show to empower, support and celebrate women.

E-Mail: suzanne@rhythmforlife.info Phone: (917) 907-2025 Website: http://www.rhythmforlife.info http://www.facebook.com/rhythmforlife http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=46791103&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic https://twitter.com/suzannecaesar http://www.youtube.com/user/maternaldance

LISTINGS - Creative Arts

Patricia Houghton Clarke Owner/Photographer, Patricia Houghton Clarke Photography We occupy a world where skin tones blend, cultures merge, issues of gender have come to the fore. Photographically I seek to understand how humanity is attempting to erase the lines that separate us. The only way is forward, with wonder, into the new world.

E-Mail: pcphotog@gmail.com Website: http://www.patriciahoughtonclarke.com http://www.facebook.com/patriciahoughtonclarke.photography http://pinterest.com/houghtonclarke http://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciahclarke http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS1wcbhCDZCR2qy-NGbQzgg

Janet Cristenfeld Artist/Jewelry Designer, Souligraphy™ My love of making art and practicing spiritual healing blended together when I began receiving visions of the mystical Souligraphy Symbols, from which I have created jewelry, paintings and drawings. I believe art heals by touching us and helping us communicate, and is a beautiful means of expanding our awareness.

E-Mail: info@souligraphy.com Website: http://www.souligraphy.com https://www.facebook.com/souligraphy http://www.linkedin.com/in/janetcristenfeld https://twitter.com/souligraphy

LISTINGS - Creative Arts

Tamara Cucchiara Succulent Floral Designer, Flower Me Pretty Design succulents with the "Succulent Diva." Tamara uses vintage and recycled vessels for her succulents. Designing is a form of meditation, self-expression and connection to a global community of gardeners. Tamara donates designs for fundraisers, teachers' workshops and sells her designs at local shops.

E-Mail: tas8286@yahoo.com Phone: (510) 978-8588 https://www.facebook.com/myhomeismygarden http://www.pinterest.com/tamaracucchiara

Vicki Dobbs Owner, Falling Feather Creations Integrating ancient traditions from the past with modern techniques today, my goal is to create sacred art and tools that will compliment the journey of others. Acquiring a new sacred tool may open a gateway for you to a deeper connection to your life of creativity, joy, truth, beauty and wisdom.

E-Mail: fallingfeathercreations@yahoo.com Phone: (559) 269-7653 Website: http://www.fallingfeathercreations.com

LISTINGS - Creative Arts

Beth Kurtz Founder, B Woman Magazine On a mission to reconnect women, B Woman Magazine is a women's lifestyle magazine that is all about sharing experiences, giving advice and keeping women connected. Every woman has something to give and gain from B Woman Magazine.

B passionate, B inspired and most importantly - B Woman!

E-Mail: info@BWomanMagazine.com Phone: (443) 278-3823 Website: http://www.BWomanMagazine.com https://www.facebook.com/BWomanMagazine http://www.linkedin.com/pub/elizabeth-kurtz/4b/419/1b0 https://twitter.com/BWomanMagazine

LISTINGS - Creative Transformation

Jeannine Wiest Craniosacral Therapist, Cranial Alchemy - Heal Your Mojo I help people transform the energy trapped in their body so they can reconnect to their creative power. I use my own four-part system based on principles of craniosacral therapy - an educated, specific, non-invasive light touch therapy, plus creative Gestalt-based coaching support and accountability to Heal Your Mojo.

E-Mail: Jeannine@cranialalchemy.com Phone: (818) 990-5260 Website: http://www.cranialalchemy.com http://www.facebook.com/cranialalchemy http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jeannine-wiest/11/338/213 http://www.twitter.com/gypsynycla https://www.youtube.com/user/J960008?feature=guide

LISTINGS - Fashion & Beauty Susan Sommers President/Founder, Dresszing How can you receive the respect, power and rewards you deserve if you don’t look like you merit them? Susan Sommers, a globe-trotting stylist and speaker and former fashion editor, helps you translate your perception of your best self into your dress and visual presentation.

E-Mail: susan@dresszing.com Phone: (212) 877-4963 Website: http://www.dresszing.com https://www.facebook.com/susansommers.stylecoach http://www.linkedin.com/in/susansommers/ https://twitter.com/susansommersnyc http://www.youtube.com/user/dresszing

Nancy Strother Owner, Birdnest Design Artistic pieces of jewelry lovingly designed and handcrafted. I use solid brass, copper and sterling silver. Paints, patinas, embossing and layering of metals complete the finished look. Many designs to reflect how you feel at that moment - earthy, warm, colorful, modern or slightly vintage.

E-Mail: birdnestdesign@yahoo.com Phone: (916) 759-2731 Website: http://www.birdnestdesign.net http://www.facebook.com/birdnestdesign http://www.pinterest.com/birdnestdesign

LISTINGS - Healers Althea Bogomolova Owner, Magic Of Intention Althea is a light worker who discovered her ability to heal people and Earth through the Akashic Records. Currently, she is a practitioner, a channel of the Divine Energy, and a spiritual teacher who guides and initiates change into people's hearts.

E-Maill: magicofintention@gmail.com Phone: (718) 954-0770 Website: http://www.magicofintention.com https://www.facebook.com/althea.bogomolova.98 http://www.pinterest.com/magicofintentio http://www.twitter.com/Magicointention http://youtube.com/user/MagicOfIntention

Dolores J Gozzi Owner, Healing Thru Bodywork & Nature's Cycles Dolores Gozzi is passionate about women and their journey through life. A healer, bodyworker, and holistic facilitator, Dolores' mission is to help and support women reconnect with their inner-strength and to offer her spiritual knowledge of nature's seasonal changes and abundance to enhance their inner gifts and talents.

E-Maill: healingthrubodywork@embarqmail.com Phone: (239) 826-6960 Website: http://www.naturescycles.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/Natures-Cycles-Healing-Thru-Bodywork/205882946096902 https://pinterest.com/dgozzi http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dolores-gozzi/8/77a/806 https://twitter.com/dgozzi http://www.youtube.com/user/scentedaromatics

LISTINGS - Healers Nukhet Hendricks Intuitive Services, Angel Communicator I work with individuals who are seeking spiritual guidance for issues they are facing in their personal and professional lives. As their bridge to the divine, I channel the answers from the archangels; I connect them to their inner wisdom so that they can live their most authentic life.

E-Maill: nhendricks@nukhets.com Phone: (701) 238-7227 Website: http://www.nukhets.com https://www.facebook.com/NukhetAC http://www.pinterest.com/Nukhet http://www.linkedin.com/in/nukhetangelcommunicator https://twitter.com/NukhetH

DaKara Kies Master Energy Healer, Goddess in Charge DaKara Kies is a gifted intuitive healer, specializing in clearing core issues and blocks that hold you back from stepping into your true power, passion and purpose.

Working with the inner child to bless, heal and nurture that most sacred part of ourselves. Shifting and relinquishing stuck energies.

E-Mail: dakara@dakara.com Phone: (425) 267-9738 Website: http://www.HPTHealing.com https://www.facebook.com/dakarakies http://www.pinterest.com/dakara http://www.linkedin.com/in/dakarakies https://twitter.com/dakarakies http://www.youtube.com/user/dakara9

LISTINGS - Health & Wellness

Dr. Margaret Aranda President and CEO, Aranda MD Enterprises Physician-turned-patient from a tragic car accident, the doctors were stumped. I learned to “Speak Up!” for myself. Women need to be empowered to persevere for good health, especially during the last third of life - menopause. I’m here to educate, inspire and motivate you to obtain your best quality of life!

E-Mail: drm@arandamd.com Phone: (818) 584-9331 Website: http://www.arandamd.com https://www.facebook.com/margaret.aranda.1 http://www.pinterest.com/margaretferrant http://www.linkedin.com/pub/margaret-aranda-md/a/bba/377 https://twitter.com/MediBasket http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Blshb2RVMk

Audrey Pellicano CEO, Wise Widow Audrey Pellicano is a grief recovery specialist, working with clients to gain clarity during their grief and help them move beyond what's keeping them stuck – to gaining back their zest for life. Audrey’s own experience of loss propelled her into grief work believing that no one should silently grieve.

E-Mail: audrey@wisewidow.com Phone: (914) 703-2688 Website: http://www.wisewidow.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/Audrey-Pellicano-Grief-Recovery-Specialist-RN-MS/187553444672410 http://www.pinterest.com/wisewidow http://www.linkedin.com/pub/audrey-pellicano/b/a74/746/ http://www.twitter.com/audreypellicano http://www.linkedin.com/pub/audrey-pellicano/b/a74/746/

LISTINGS - Health & Wellness

Jeanne Peters, RD Nutrition Director, Nourishing Wellness Medical Center Want to eat better? Suffering from hormone related issues? They're connected!

Discover how to restore your vital energy, naturally. I’ve created an online program to help you create a personalized food & nutrient plan along with the support to integrate it into your busy lifestyle. Start with my complementary energy meal plan.

Email: jp@nourishingwellness.com Phone: (310) 373-7830 Website: http://nourishingwellness.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nourishing-Wellness-Medical-Center/291133424315103 http://www.pinterest.com/jeannepeters https://twitter.com/NourishingWell https://www.youtube.com/user/jeannepetersrd/videos

Carey Waters Consultant, DoTerra Essential Oils Changing lives one drop at a time ... essential oils are nature's solution for body, mind and soul and the problems we face that chemicals, poor nutrition and stress add to our lives. They reconnect us back with nature's design by putting the power of wellness back in our hands by lifting our spirits and opening our hearts.

E-Mail: carey.waters@ymail.com Website: http://mydoterra.com/careywaters

LISTINGS - Health & Wellness

Lisa Young Independent Business Owner, Q Sciences Do you suffer from depression, stress, ADHD or anxiety? Quintessential Biosciences (Q Sciences) began with the founding principle that if we did the right things for the right reasons, we could create a great Company. Our products: Empowerplus Q96, QBiotics, Vitamin D spray, B 12 Spray, Q Ssentials and Q Pets.

E-Mail: lisayoung@myqxlife.com Phone: (425) 615-9299 Website: http://helpwithq.com http://www.facebook.com/thehopechest http://www.pinterest.com/lyfwithlisa http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lisa-young/1b/799/979/ https://twitter.com/LYFWITHLISA

LISTINGS - Inspired Products & Services

Olga Cohen CEO/President, Grohen Technologies Ltd. Vaginal Renewal Complex: A combination of 5 natural oils and vitamins to help eliminate vaginal dryness. Inserted directly into the vagina, helps to rebuild the vaginal wall and add suppleness and health to the vaginal area. Contains NO estrogen, hormones, or parabens.

E-Mail: Grohentech@gmail.com Phone: (800) 564-2160 Website: http://www.olgassecret.com https://www.facebook.com/olgassecret http://www.pinterest.com/olgasecret/ http://www.linkedin.com/pub/olga-cohen/14/547/b7 https://twitter.com/olgassecret https://www.youtube.com/user/InnerIntimates

Marylou Falstreau Artist/Owner, Woman and The Hourglass速 series of prints and cards Marylou Falstreau is an artist, poet and creator of the "Women and the Hourglass" series of art prints and cards. This lovely series is designed to open hearts and minds and speak to women everywhere. Now is the time to wake up to our own magnificence!

E-Mail: marylou@mfalstreau.com Phone: (805) 771-0183 Website: http://www.mfalstreau.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marylou-Falstreau/85585711332 http://pinterest.com/mfalstreau http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marylou-falstreau/5/73/555 https://twitter.com/MFalstreau

LISTINGS - Lifestyle & Travel/Retreats

Betsy Karp Lifestyle Colour Visionary/Owner, i adore me Betsy Karp is a lifestyle colour visionary, helping you to get in touch with how color can transform your life, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Betsy’s mission in life is for women all over the globe to learn, feel and say with true authenticity “i adore me” from the inside out.

E-Mail: betsy@iadoreme.com Phone: (212) 724-3884 Website: http://www.iadoreme.com http://www.facebook.com/iadoremee http://www.pinterest.com/betsykarp/ http://www.linkedin.com/pub/betsy-karp/4/340/a9b/ https://twitter.com/Betsy_iadoreme http://www.youtube.com/user/iadoremebetsy

Toni Morales Founder/Director, You Rise Above You Rise Above - workshops, seminars, and retreats for healing, transformation, and the evolution of your spirit. Helping others to heal self doubt, create renewed awareness, take risks and live abundantly in their own power. The time to live, laugh, and experience joy is NOW. We can all Rise Above…Learn, Live, Love, Evolve.

E-Mail: TMorales@YouRiseAbove.com Phone: (847) 899-9168 Website: http://www.YouRiseAbove.com https://www.facebook.com/youriseaboveforwomen http://www.linkedin.com/pub/toni-morales/79/984/b78/ https://twitter.com/YouRiseAbove

LISTINGS - Non-Profits for Women

Michele Neff Hernandez Founder and Executive Director, Soaring Spirits International Soaring Spirits builds community. We create and maintain, innovative peer-based grief support programs for widowed people that serve a worldwide population. We are positive and forward thinking, while offering our members the tools and resources they need to rebuild their lives after the death of a spouse or life partner.

E-Mail: micheleh@sslf.org Phone: (877) 671-4071 Website: http://www.soaringspirits.org https://www.facebook.com/soaringspirits http://www.pinterest.com/robinfmoore/camp-widow/ http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michele-neff-hernandez/b/56/8a9/ https://twitter.com/soaringspirits http://www.youtube.com/user/widowsvoice

LISTINGS - Radio & TV Shows

The Nancy Ferrari Show - W4CY Radio & iHeartRadio Nancy Ferrari, Radio Host/Personality The Nancy Ferrari Show airs live every Monday and Tuesday on W4CY Radio within The Intertainment Network. Nancy features experts who make a difference and share their expertise from their experiences. The show also focuses on innovative lifestyles, shared within empowered conversations between host, Nancy Ferrari, and her guests.

E-Mail: nancy.t.ferrari@gmail.com Phone: (714) 469-1782 Website: http://www.nancyferrari.com https://www.facebook.com/nancy.t.ferrari http://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyferrari https://twitter.com/NancyFerrari24

LISTINGS - Real Estate & Business

Tabor Butler Wealth Manager/Owner, The Butler Group LLC, RIA We all want investments to grow. And we want to feel competent handling expenses and budgets. As a financial advisor my joy is working with women to enhance financial literacy and well-being. No concern is too big, no question too small for having "wealth as a way of life."

E-Mail: tabor@thebutlergroup.biz Phone: (212) 706-7992 Website: http://www.thebutlergroup.biz http://www.thebutlergroup.biz http://www.linkedin.com/in/taborbutler

Karen DeMeco Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, Douglas Elliman Karen DeMeco brings years of experience in intricate negotiating and a commitment to helping clients get the best possible deal. Her success as a confidante, liaison and facilitator to top business leaders is a testament to her dedication and keen attention to detail she provides to every client she represents.

E-Mail: karen.demeco@elliman.com Phone: (212) 891-7204 Website: http://www.karendemeco.elliman.com http://www.facebook.com/karendemeco

LISTINGS - Real Estate & Business

Karen Olson Realtor/Broker/Owner, Kauai Aloha Properties If you are looking to buy or sell property on the island of Kauai, or want a referral to another realtor on one of the other islands, then give me a call! I will help you with integrity, professionalism and the Aloha Spirit!

E-Mail: karenolson@outlook.com Phone: (808) 639-1308 Website: http://www.KauaiAlohaProperties.com http://www.facebook.com/karen.olson.9822?fref=ts http://www.pinterest.com/karen6746/boards/

LISTINGS - Sacred Art & Teaching

Vicki Dobbs Owner, Sacred Wisdom Workshops Vicki Dobbs, teacher, writer, drum maker, artist ... sitting in small intimate circles, we connect the heart’s desire for change with the soul’s fire for movement. I present collaborative workshops and classes integrating ancient wisdom, techniques and tools with modern modalities in an environment of experiential learning.

E-Mail: vicki@sacredwisdomworkshops.com Phone: (559) 269-7653 Website: http://www.sacredwisdomworkshops.com

LISTINGS - Spirited

Sandra Bearden Officiant, Weddings by Sandy Sandra Bearden, a wedding officiant who officiates weddings in the Mid-Atlantic region is owner of Weddings by Sandy, creator of the Perfect Officiant an officiant training website, author of, “You CAN have the Perfect Wedding Ceremony,� and cohost of Officiants Chat! Ms. Bearden, retired military, lives in Frederick, Maryland.

Email: sandy@weddingsbysandy.com Website: http://weddingsbysandy.com http://www.facebook.com/weddingsbysandy http://www.pinterest.com/RevSandy2004 http://twitter.com/SandraBearden http://youtube.com/weddingsbysandy

Aleya Dao Founder, Cups of Consciousness Aleya Dao is a sound healer, energetic practitioner, and a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. She has been an alternative healer for 20 years. Aleya tunes into the energetic weather everyday and shares a 7-minute audio meditation via email to help you balance for the day.

E-Mail: http://aleyadao.com/mystical-sounds/contact.php Website: http://www.cupsofconsciousness.com http://www.facebook.com/MeditationTransformation http://pinterest.com/aleyadao http://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyadao https://twitter.com/aleyadao http://www.youtube.com/user/aleyadao11/videos

LISTINGS - Spirited Nancy Mills Publisher/Founder/Creator, Spirited Woman A global women's empowerment community founded by Nancy Mills, the Creator of the Spirited Woman Approach to Life. Known for Spirited Woman Blogger Team, the Spirited Woman Directory: A Collection of Stories & Resources for an Inspired Life! and the Sisterhood of the Sacred Scarves. Mills is a frequent radio/TV guest and speaker on women's empowerment and the Every Woman Visionary.

E-Mail: NancyMills@TheSpiritedWoman.com Phone: (805) 698-3555 Website: http://www.thespiritedwoman.com https://www.facebook.com/thespiritedwoman https://pinterest.com/spiritedwoman http://www.linkedin.com/in/thespiritedwoman http://twitter.com/spiritedwoman http://www.youtube.com/thespiritedwoman

Deborah Roth Founder, Spirited Living™ Deborah Roth, MA loves working with overwhelmed, under-nurtured women, cocreating practical and magical strategies to help them re-claim clarity and joy in their lives, work and relationships. She offers monthly Full Moon TeleMeditations, New Moon SisterCircles and a yearlong WomenSpirit Journey Program. Her book, "Circle of One," captures it all!

E-Mail: deborah@spiritedliving.com Phone: (212) 665-9660 Website: http://www.spiritedliving.com http://www.facebook.com/SpiritedLivingwithDeborahRoth http://www.pinterest.com/dsrothny http://www.linkedin.com/pub/deborah-roth/6/485/187 https://twitter.com/coachdebroth https://www.youtube.com/user/goddessofone1

LISTINGS - Spirited

Annie Ullrich, T.h.D. The Symbol Linking Dr. Annie is an ordained minister, a Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, a dream tender and a fourth-generation tealeaf reader/intuitive counselor. She works equally well with individuals, couples, groups and businesses. She is available for classes, lectures or seminars, and certification training in spiritual hypnosis.

E-Mail: docannie@socal.rr.com Phone: (818) 773-8826 Website: http://www.symbollinking.com https://www.facebook.com/tealeavestarot

Find Out How to Be in the 2015 Directory!

Since our first Directory in 2012, more than 200 Every Woman Visionaries from seven countries and over 30 states have participated in this project.

Averaging about 75 women per Directory.

Our goal for our 2015 Directory (which will be the 4th edition of our Directory) is to EXPAND IT. We’d like to offer more categories and listings.

Have more women involved from more countries and more states. Expand our reach and have an abundance of new profiles, resources and listings.

What makes this Directory special?

It is a by-invitation-by-referral-only Directory. There is no publication ANYWHERE (online or off) where women from around the world have come together like this.

What are the BENEFITS for you to be in the Directory?

- Greatly expanded awareness of what you do.

- Sharing your story, so that you can inspire other women.

- Networking and connecting with like-minded women of vision.

- Maximizing your use of social media.

- A grass roots, "non-hard-sell" marketing tool.

- PR opportunities - such as radio/blog tours/TV interviews.

- A FREE informational "gift" to give to your customers/followers.

- Working directly with Nancy Mills, the founder of Spirited Woman.

What's the COST to be in the 2015 Directory?

We are pleased to offer our SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY RATES through March 15, 2014. Effective thereafter, our 2015 rates will go into effect. The 2015 Directory will be released in December 2014.

To be considered for the Directory, please go to www.TheSpiritedWoman.com/directory and fill out our Directory form application.

You are also welcome to contact Nancy Mills directly at NancyMills@TheSpiritedWoman.com or call her at 805-698-3555.

Testimonials From the Heart

"We all need inspiration - and I find it in the Spirited Woman Directory. I'm thrilled to be part of this truly innovative collection of resources to help us all grow toward fuller, more inspired lives.”

Mary Johnson, Author, An Unquenchable Thirst

“What drew me to this Directory was the richness and spiritedness of like-minded women. I am honored to be amongst this amazing community of truly talented and gifted women and to call you my Goddess Sisters!”

Karen DeMeco, Real Estate Broker

“The Spirited Woman Directory is a beautiful place for meeting like-minded friends; sharing services.

Most importantly it is a powerful resource for bringing enlightened skill and wisdom into the world.”

Tabor Butler, Wealth Manager

“As a Spirited Woman I have been sharing my story and helping others from difficult childhoods to become their own spirited women. I am honored to be in this Directory.”

Donna Freiss, Author/Speaker/Coach

“I am so honored to be part of this delicious endeavor to bring together a collective of women who live their lives through spirit. To be recognized, along with my sisters, to be a change agent in the world is a privilege. I hold all of our wisdom in my heart that is filled with deep gratitude.”

Barbara Krauss, Steward of Creative Inquiry

Thanks!

I’d like to thank all the women who participated in this Directory.

You are a spirited visionary with a heart.

And you eagerly shared the power of your wisdom with women worldwide.

I’d like to thank all the women who will be participating in next year’s Directory and in future ones. You are helping to inspire other women and to make a difference.

A BIG THANK YOU goes to Bev Barnett for helping with the marketing and behind-the-scenes support of this project.

And to you - the Every Woman Visionary - you are changing the world one Spirited Woman step at a time.

And I say, “May the force be with you.”

My heartfelt thanks, Nancy Mills, Publisher