Category Archives: Events

2018 Studio Memberships Now Open!

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You don’t have to do this alone!

Do you ever feel isolated — like you’re creating in a vacuum and longing for someone to engage with your work?

Are you craving connection with other women who are taking risks, thinking outside of the box and designing a creative lifestyle?

Have you been feeling like an impostor and need some accountability, support and motivation (i.e. swift kick in the pants) to boost your confidence and find your creative groove?

I have definitely experienced ALL of these feelings. It’s why I created the Chicago Women’s Creative Collective FIVE YEARS AGO (OMG) in 2012 and why I started The Creative Impostor in 2015. Because I was looking for connection, community, someone who really could understand what the #*!@ was going on in my entrepreneurial, overstimulated, artistic, impostor brain.

I didn’t want to hang out in bars (and blow all my financial resources with nothing to show for it), I didn’t want to self-segregate into one category (just yoga teachers or only podcasters or simply writers) to the exclusion of all my other creative passions.

I didn’t want to feel competitive, less than, or alone.

And in this growing community, I don’t.

I LOVE our Chicago members who have been attending a sprinkling of Idea Brunches, Artist Salons and Co-Working sessions, along with social outings to support each other, clothing swaps and more.

I am INSPIRED by our growing global community in the Facebook Group who have been showing up for Facebook Lives, listening to the podcast and sharing their online program offerings.

I HEAR you asking for more opportunities to connect. I hear our global community feeling jealous of our Chicago events.

And I am FEELING called to expand, yet again. And I want to do it while taking care of MYSELF (something I don’t always consider when creating something new.) I want to make sure I’m offering a sustainable model for building community that supports you and honors my own time and effort.

So I THINK I’ve got a good plan that you’re going to LOVE!

For a limited time, I am now offering 2018 Studio Memberships for The Creative Impostor (online only) and the Chicago Women’s Creative Collective (in Chicago with an online element.)

 

2018?! It feels so far away!!!!

Nope.

How are you going to complete that creative vision you’ve been dreaming of?
Who are you going to intentionally surround yourself with?
When are you going to dedicate time to your artistic process?
And why keep going when it gets tough or overwhelming or your impostor voice starts throwing an existential tantrum?

Now is the time to design your creative support plan. Are you ready to commit to yourself?

Get the details and reserve your membership here.

There are 4 different Studio Memberships available, 3 in Chicago and 1 online. Each membership has a limited number of spaces and priority registration for all of our Chicago Idea Brunch and Artist Gallery events will be given to Studio Members. Single tickets to these events will be sold if any spaces remain.

Check out the Chicago Women’s Creative Collective on Meetup here.

Join The Creative Impostor Facebook Group here.

 

 

030: Invoke the spark of transformation, Sara Zalek of Butoh Chicago

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“Whenever there’s a dare in my life, I say, “Oh yeah? You’re going to dare me? Then I’m going to show you that I can do it!” ~Sara Zalek, on creating the first Post-Butoh Festival in Chicago (after being told it could never work)

We are in a moment…

I discovered Sara Zalek’s work through my Edwin Ruiz (my audio engineer and founder of Mondo Machine) when he was producing video for Butoh Chicago and again during a multi-media experience of Expanded Cinema when he was collaborating with Full Spectrum Features.

Sara’s performance that night was the highlight of the evening. Edgy, uncomfortable, mysterious, beautiful –– she integrated a dance between rigid and fluid, slow and manic body movement along with a colorful analog video experiment projected behind her and electronic and acoustic music accompanying her highly improvisational experience that somehow was both coherent and evocative.

This was a collaborative piece called Still Life with Hanna Brock and Sara Goodman and, in fact, a lot of Sara’s work is collaborative and “in the moment,” exploring the life journey, full of ups and downs and dark and light.

She seeks to challenge or provoke her audience with the question: Are you going to embrace your whole self? Are you going to have memories and associations while watching this performance that have this potential for transforming your way of being and thinking in the world?

We can be anything at any time through our creative thought process. ~Sara Zalek

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

  • How Butoh dance practice exposes and celebrates our shadow side and challenges us to reveal our whole selves
  • Collaboration & improvisation as part of Sara’s process
  • The role of the arts in education and the importance of being a lifelong learner
  • How Sara didn’t believe she could be an artist when she was young

I didn’t believe that I could be an artist because to me artists existed in museums and they were dead. And they were these big epic things that I was obviously never going to be. ~Sara Zalek

  • Going back to get an MFA in Art in her 30s after studying business & marketing
  • Impostor syndrome & feeling like she would never perform again each time a performance didn’t go exactly right.
  • The role of failure in her art

No performance for me is ever the final finished work — it’s always just the process of my discovery. ~Sara Zalek

  • The role of risk in art and offering the gift of risk-taking with a positive outcome to your audience
  • How working in a business environment gave her a level of professionalism that many artists never get to experience
  • Creating Butoh Chicago and the Post-Butoh Festival
  • The web of income streams Sara generates to support her art and how she integrates it all into her daily practice
  • Business consulting for artists
  • Regional Dance Development Project through New England Foundation for the Arts and Chicago Dancemakers Lab Artist Award

An artist can never get too comfortable. If you’re too comfortable than you’re probably not pushing anymore and really then are you making art or are you just reproducing something that makes you comfortable? ~Sara Zalek

  • Embracing the shadow self and overcoming impostor syndrome by recognizing that self-doubt is a passing feeling — it’s “just me unsure in the world” — connect with the positive, remind yourself what IS working and just keep challenging yourself

To make work feel like it’s moving in a direction that’s forward, it has to be cultivated a little bit every day. ~Sara Zalek

  • How Sara discovered Butoh in the first place
  • Why Butoh is relevant right here and now and what emotional work it can bring up for you as an audience member or as a participant
  • The April 2017 Post-Butoh Fetival: Battles SS3 featuring:Mari Osanai (Aomori, Japan) is an independent dancer, choreographer, Noguchi Taiso teacher. She is based in Aomori, Japan. Her workshop focuses on Noguchi Taiso combined with the influences of her early training in Tai Chi, western dance methods, and traditional folk dance. Watch a bit about her here.Ken Mai (Helsinki, Finland) has been teaching, directing, and collaborating with acclaimed dancers, actors, musicians, sculptors and visual artists all over the world. His background includes Butoh with Kazuo Ohno and Tatsumi Hijikata, German expressionist dance styles, Noguchi gymnastics, martial arts, singing, zen, and philosophy of yoga sutras.Paul Michael Henry (Glasgow, Scotland) is a Butoh performer and organizer behind UNFIX, a Glasgow-based festival of live performance, dance, film, installation, workshop and debate that wants to unravel the knots in how we’re living.

Connect with Sara…

We are in a moment… How are we going to deal with all that battling? How are we going to still come together over some things rather than fight it out and have the winner and have the loser and all that rift and division? How are we going to change it? First we have to expose it and then talk about it… until we can really get beyond the idea that we can keep conflicting and keep inserting our opinions over listening to others. When are going to start really listening to each other? I feel Butoh creates  that kind of space and environment for all of those things to take place.

Resources, Links & more!

Sara Zalek

Artist At Large

I am an artist and social entrepreneur. Seeking great collaborators for community arts projects, performances, and events. I am specifically interested in bringing people together around transforming ecology and culture through art making. There is nothing I like better than making something really beautiful happen with a group of passionate people.

I am a performance artist, specifically interested in Butoh. I have been practicing and studying with many master level Butoh artists for over 12 years, now teaching and curating events to broaden the visibility of Butoh in Chicago, and to build more bridges internationally through Butoh Chicago: www.butohchicago.com

I am a marketing consultant and personal business trainer for artists. I strategically plan with my clients their business– via goal setting, website development, brands, logos, social media, promotional materials, etc. I have been working in this field for over 15 years.

Sponsored Partners

This episode is sponsored by Betsy Bash, a social media agency who can help make you the talk of the town (in a good way!)

betsy-bash-logo-copyCEO Lauren Ramsey is generously offering FREE 30min strategy consultations (for a limited time) for listeners of The Creative Impostor Podcast.

Book your call with Lauren here!

 

This episode was mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz of Mondo Machine.
The Creative Impostor theme music was created by JoVia Armstrong.

I’d love to hear from you!

If you’re listening in iTunes, PLEASE leave a review. It’s how iTunes decides which shows people find when they are searching for specific topics like this one.

 

 

027: Mindfulness & Impostor Syndrome

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“…and yet I don’t think the Past and Future are inherently evil dimensions to avoid visiting altogether.” ~Andrea Klunder

Be present. And mine the past and future for learning and possibility.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:
  • Anxiety when your mind spirals into the past or future – real life example from foray into teaching Digital Journalism to high school students
  • “Being present” and how this brings confidence, clarity and wipes out impostor feelings in the moment
  • Shifting your mindset to get wisdom, insight and imagination from past & future
  • Mindful authenticity online in your social media Betsy Bash
  • How to add mindfulness to your creative workflow
  • Podcast Envy — a resource for YOU if you’re dreaming of launching your own show

This episode is sponsored by Betsy Bash, a social media agency who can help make you the talk of the town (in a good way!)

CEO Lauren Ramsey is generously offering FREE 30min strategy consultations (for a limited time) for listeners of The Creative Impostor Podcast.

Book your call with Lauren here!

“Whoever you are offline should shine through with whoever you are online… but that doesn’t mean that you have to wake up and take a selfie and show the world what you look like when you haven’t even brushed your teeth yet!” ~Lauren Ramsey, Betsy Bash

Connect with Lauren on…

Facebook * Twitter * Online Book Club * Website

Resources & Links from Lauren

Resources & Links from Andrea

The Creative Impostor Retreat

VIP Registration is now open for our Retreat to one of my favorite cities in the whole world – New Orleans Louisiana! Get the inside scoop…

This episode was mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz of Mondo Machine.
The Creative Impostor theme music was created by JoVia Armstrong.

I’d love to hear from you!

If you’re listening in iTunes, PLEASE leave a review. It’s how iTunes decides which shows people find when they are searching for specific topics like this one.

 

 

025: Community Online & Off, Social Media Anxiety (and how to cure it)

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“…being creative all by yourself really just doesn’t work. It doesn’t! I mean, who are you creating for? If you’re writing, it’s meant to be read. If you’re playing music, it’s meant to be heard. If you’re taking photographs, they’re meant to be seen. If you’re creating a business, it’s meant to serve… someone.” ~Andrea Klunder

OH! ITS BEEN TOO LONG since our last episode.

September FLEW by but never fear, that can only mean that a LOT has been happening over here…  I started two new jobs, one of which is teaching podcasting & digital journalism to special needs high schoolers here in Chicago and THAT has been a huge challenge to wrap my creative brain around.

Find out how that’s going AND how to join our creative community for support in your visions, dreams, projects and lifestyle.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

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This episode is sponsored by Betsy Bash, a social media agency who can help make you the talk of the town (in a good way!)

betsy-bash-logo-copyCEO Lauren Ramsey is generously offering FREE 30min strategy consultations (for a limited time) for listeners of The Creative Impostor Podcast.

Book your call with Lauren here!

 

Connect with Lauren on…

Facebook * Twitter * Online Book Club * Website

“What DOES help is reminding myself that I do have something that I’m passionate about and that people have told me I’m good at.” ~Lauren Ramsey, Betsy Bash

Resources, Links & more!

Lauren Ramsey, CEO & Founder, Betsy Bash

Lauren Ramsey is a Social Story Teller. Throughout her life, she has lived in five countries and visited thirty countries across four continents. At a young age, she not only knew how to adapt to new environments, cultures and ways of life, but she did not see it as anything other than normal. Throughout her life and career, this unique skill set has complimented her analytical mind and helped her to adapt to new teams, understand problems from a different point of view and find new ways to tackle and solve any problem.

Lauren graduated from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX with a double major in Managment Information Systems and Business. In high school, her passion for technology led her to sign up for HTML and C++ courses, and her passion for story-telling compelled her to write a journal of her High School memories complete with trinkets, mementos, and photos that she passed around each week to her friends to help them re-live and remember their times together. You could say, it was her first blog, before blogs even existed. In her college years, she studied business, finance, marketing, and management as well as software design, data analysis, and coding. After graduating from college, she worked full time in IT Project Managment and part-time at Radio Disney. She has managed million dollar projects as well as learned branding and promotions from the best in the business.

Lauren has built a career around celebrating the creativity of others, while also measuring and analyzing the success of their creative pursuits, and being flexible enough to chase different answers if the current plan isn’t working. On a daily basis, she can be found creating social media strategies and posts for her clients at Betsy Bash, and content strategy, articles and podcast episodes for LaurenIgnited.com, an online magazine for music, food, travel and culture enthusiasts.

The Creative Impostor Retreat!

VIP Registration is now open for our Retreat to one of my favorite cities in the whole world – New Orleans Louisiana! Get the inside scoop…

This episode was mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz of Mondo Machine.
The Creative Impostor theme music was created by JoVia Armstrong.

I’d love to hear from you!

If you’re listening in iTunes, PLEASE leave a review. It’s how iTunes decides which shows people find when they are searching for specific topics like this one.

 

 

NEW! Online Master Class: Metta Meditation

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Do you ever feel isolated — like you’re living, working and creating inside a vacuum?
Do you get frustrated, angry, anxious, or disappointed with others or with yourself?
Have you tried meditation and just can’t get your mind to be quiet?

I know how it feels. I’ve been meditating since the late 90’s and teaching for over 10 years and my mind still runs away with me at times.

And yet…

Metta is a simple meditation technique that can be practiced anytime, anywhere to free you from these feelings of disconnection and decrease your stress levels by expanding your awareness of kindness and compassion in every day interactions.

It helps you fine tune your deep listening and perception skills so you can connect better with the people in your life and nurture a sense of community in your world.

It gives your busy mind ONE point of focus toward which you can direct your attention, rather than trying to “clear” your mind or simply stop thinking (which we know doesn’t really work anyway!)

And I have made it EASY for you to learn what to do, why it works, when it’s most effective and HOW on earth to integrate it into your full life schedule so you can drop in, get connected and be clear in any situation.

Monday, September 26th @ 8:00pm CST

Get the details & reserve your spot right here!

MASTER CLASS

Not convinced? Check out Episode 019 of the podcast to get the back story on Self-Compassion and the power of Metta.

 

024: Play Dress-Up – Darcie Purcell & Susan Marzano, Soul Love Fest

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“We believe in magic and possibility… and pixie dust. A year and a half ago, I would have never said those things out loud. I was too ‘professional’ and now I say them every day.” ~Darcie Purcell

Be careful what you wish for because you WILL get it!

Culinary event planners Darcie Purcell and Susan Marzano are following their intuition and serving up an “amuse bouche” of nourishment for your soul.

In this episode, we talk about:

*How Darcie & Susan discovered their powers of manifestation doing urban vision quests in Susan’s Chicago apartment

*The spooky side of the law of attraction

*How to get in touch with what you really want and the origin of Soul Love Fest

*Why Soul Love Fest is different from other yoga or spiritual festivals — from martial arts real-life ninja Izzy Arkin to Self-Love for Real People (unicorns & rainbows not included) with Josh Becker to Peace & Play Yoga Nidra for Creative Clarity with Andrea Klunder (ME!)

*The dangers of “compare & despair” and how to get yourself out of that spiral

*Why authenticity is the remedy for “impostor syndrome”

*The magic of friendship, humor, retreats, self-care and Rocky

*How to make bold life decisions and take action by playing “dress-up” and choosing your destiny out of a hat

Get THIS episode on iTunes here!

Website * Facebook * Twitter * SoundCloud Playlists 

“We were tired of food — it felt like work and we weren’t looking for that. We were looking for freedom.” ~Susan Marzano

About Darcie & Susan & Soul Love Fest

Darcie Purcell, Co-Founder of Soul Love Fest

Hi there,
If you have found your way here, we want to let you know right now that it is not by accident and we are so happy you are here! You might be wondering who we are, so here is a little background on the two of us.  Susan is from the South Side of Chicago while Darcie is from Hawaii. We couldn’t be more different on the surface but we are connected by our constant quest to live BIG lives. We have worked together professionally for over 10 years, planning events and building brands in the culinary world. All the while, we have had deep conversations about life and asking all of those big questions that come up as we grow up. We jokingly refer to ourselves as the “tribe of two”. We have weekly accountability calls, created homemade “urban vision quests”, and we have had many MANY starts, stops, detours and missteps along the way.

The journey has lead us to soul LOVE.

We believe there are more of us out there and wanted to create a space to pause, reconnect and nourish the soul and meet people wherever they are on their journey. Thank you for being a part of bringing our dream to life. Here’s to BIG lives, being scared and doing it anyway. We see you. ~Darcie and Susan

Andrea SoulLove Fest promo20% off with Promo Code: ANDREALOVE

Peace & Play Yoga Nidra is at 10:00am on Saturday!

“You have to start somewhere… it’s never going to be perfect, but then you take that step and you see where you are.” ~Darcie Purcell

Creative Space Retreat to New Orleans

NOLA Jazz

NOLA Jazz!

Our first retreat to one of my favorite cities in the whole world is in the works for March 2017! Get the inside scoop…

This episode was mixed by Edwin R. Ruiz of Mondo Machine.

The Creative Impostor theme music was created by JoVia Armstrong.

 

I’d love to hear from you!

If you’re listening in iTunes, PLEASE leave a review. It’s how iTunes decides which shows people find when they are searching for specific topics like this one.

Also send me a message! 

Who do you know whose story or business fits into the themes of mindfulness, creating community, and a more holistic, feminine approach to business that supports your creative lifestyle?

Summer Solstice, Unexpected Beginnings

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Wow! This week. New moon Tuesday and Summer Solstice on Sunday. 

New moon = new beginnings, an opportunity for reflection, time to connect with your true purpose, ideal for planting the seeds of intention for what you want to manifest

Summer Solstice = the longest day of the year, the most sunlight, a turning of the seasons, the end of one cycle — the beginning of the next

unsplash summer wheat field editWhile I’m not an astrologer (though maybe one day I’d like to be), this week seems to have a crackly, sparkly sort of energy to it that is completely different than what I was feeling last week. I thought it was just me — I asked around and it turns out, it might just be me… or maybe it’s all in the stars. I don’t know. Do you feel it?

Here’s what I mean…

The last few weeks for me have felt like an all-time low point in my financial sector (or one of several over the last few years), which is always a crushing blow to my self-confidence. I was at a point of desperation, with expenses piling up and income dwindling, I literally was contemplating letting go of my apartment and either sleeping on someone’s couch indefinitely or asking my parents to move in with them until I could improve my cash flow.

Hours of writing resumes and cover letters to apply for part-time, full-time, anytime, contract, temporary work consumed my days and yielded little hope. I was beginning to wonder why I couldn’t even land a part-time retail job for $9/hour. I whined about this to a friend who had been unemployed for about a year following graduation from her master’s program (and is now happily employed) and she said, “come talk to me when you’ve applied for 100+ jobs.”

Harsh. But true in this “job” market. (And also why I subscribe to Seth Godin’s theory that our economy is shifting away from an emphasis on employment/jobs/hourly pay and toward an emphasis on freelance/entrepreneurship/contractors.)

Daunting.

I was on the verge of tears at any given moment during the last couple weeks with a huge dose of the “I can’t do this” blues.

But THIS week is different. I DID start a new part-time job to help pick up the slack. And it’s super fun! The company and my co-workers are amazingly kind and creative. The environment is nurturing and energizing. AND this part-time position has already opened several professional doors for me — almost like a chain reaction of new possibilitie that all started with that one connection.

OPPORTUNITY #1: TEACHING CHILDREN’S YOGA TO A GROUP OF KIDS BETWEEN AGE 4-6, WHICH IS LIKE DISCOVERING THE MOST AMAZING THING FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.

These kids are open to learning and trying everything – open to failing, open to succeeding.

One girl, after our very first exercise at summer camp, raised her hand and called out “Excuse me! Excuse me! I couldn’t do that last thing.”

I thought, “Oh no, she’s devastated. How could I have put something so hard right in the beginning of class?”

I said, “Well that’s okay because we’re just playing and you’ll be able to do the next thing.”

And she did. And she forgot about the first thing. No big deal. No ruminating about the thing she couldn’t do for hours, days… just moving on.

OPPORTUNITY #2: TEACHING NEW CORPORATE MEDITATION CLASSES, WHICH IS LIKE DISCOVERING A COMPLETELY NEW LANGUAGE. 

The recruiter for this position and I were discussing how yoga is different in corporate class setting vs a yoga studio — minimizing weird Sanskrit terminology, avoiding talking about anything spiritual, no touching your students for hands-on adjustments, using props or chanting mantras!

She said it’s thrown well-seasoned teachers for a loop in the past. I have experience with this (and yes, the first time I read all these restrictions in a corporate yoga contract as a new teacher, I kinda freaked out. I mean take out all the juicy bits and what’s left?) 

Ultimately what it comes down to is drawing from the vastly rich and diverse tradition of yoga practices to authentically serve the students within the context that’s provided.

Sat Nam downstairs studioI later showed up to teach my weekly yoga studio class at Sat Nam Yoga, which is at least 50% chanting mantras and talking about spirit and energy and elephant-headed Hindu deities!

Two students came and both said “Not to be rude, but there is a special solstice class starting 15min before yours ends in the other room. We want to take both. Is that possible to sneak out early?”

My ego thought, “But if you both want to leave class early, that means ending my class early. How can I possibly do asana (physical practice) and mantras (chanting & singing) in just 35 minutes? I wonder if I’ll get paid my full rate if I only teach half my class?”

And then I reminded myself, my job is to authentically serve the students who have shown up to receive within the context that’s provided. And so I taught the best 35min class, fully expressed with movement, meditation, mantras & even a 2-minute savasana (relaxation) at the end.

Some are calling this particular solstice (in Cancer) “a powerful moment of personal illumination”, recommending we spend time listening to our hearts and journaling about what we find. Some recommend looking outward to for opportunities to connect with others and seize opportunities for expressing our hearts’ desires!

My question to you is: how will you make use of this special energetic window to become more fully expressed from the deepest places of your heart?

Some are calling this particular solstice (in Cancer) “a powerful moment of personal illumination”, recommending we spend time listening to our hearts and journaling about what we find. Some recommend looking outward to for opportunities to connect with others and seize opportunities for expressing our hearts’ desires!

Who REALLY likes networking anyway?

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Have you ever had an experience where seemingly unrelated chapters of your life magically blend together in a moment of perfect clarity? 

A cartoon lightbulb clicks on over your head and the sound “ah-ha…” slowly escapes your lips as you nod your head and smile.

Final-Women-in-Travel-Summit-small-copy1Today I’m in Boston, gearing up for the 2nd annual Women in Travel Summit. I’m thinking about “networking”… where’s the best place to put my brand spankin’ new business cards, which outfit will make people want to talk to me, and whether or not I actually need to bring my laptop downtown, how long my iPhone battery will last…

And when I focus in on all those details, I kinda dread going. I actually start to feel sleepy (one of my favorite avoidance tactics when I don’t want to think about something.)

That feeling of dread is what inspired my good friend and stellar life coach Katy Flatau of Mindful-U and I (assisted by media producer Edwin R. Ruiz) to create two video quickies for the conference attendees. Summit Founder Beth Santos had asked us to put together a training that would bridge the conference experience with continued connection, engagement and momentum for the community.

We brainstormed about how to reach the most conference goers and suddenly this vision dawned on me like a message from heaven.

It made perfect sense because all the ingredients were there:

  • Mindfulness & meditation training
  • Public speaking experience
  • Our mutual insatiable love for travel
  • My video production degree (that I often wonder what to do with)

Harmonious Loft Video StudioAnd so we turned my loft into a production studio for the day, invited Beth over, hired my sister to be our stylist, brought in our crew and made these!

Our mission is to eliminate the shadows of impostor syndrome by addressing how to prepare for and follow up after the weekend (and any conference or networking event) in a way that taps into your personal authenticity, passion, and purpose.

AND I can see a vision of how the myriad fragments of my past experiences and fields of study are assembling themselves into a valuable service that I can confidently offer to the world! Now that makes me excited to attend the summit.

Mindful-U’s Guide to the Women in Travel Summit 2015 from BigROBOTmedia on Vimeo.

What do I know about branding?

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A virtual conference — I’m presenting at a virtual conference! It’s my first one and I am super nervous-excited. (Yes, nervous-excited — they’re the same thing anyway aren’t they?)

Friday and Saturday, yogipreneur Yogipreneur Conferencemaven Racheal Cook is presenting Branding from the Inside Out as part of the From Yogi to Yogipreneur Virtual Conference series. My workshop is on Finding Confidence in Your Voice, or how to develop your niche a teacher, healer and entrepreneur so you can have a successful, profitable business and career.

When I originally applied to present, I wasn’t very confident my proposal would be accepted. After all, what do I know about branding and marketing a yoga business?

I’ve applied to present at many many conferences, workshops, and events in the past year, only to hear “thanks but no thanks, not this time. We’ve just received so many amazing applications this year. It was hard to choose.”  

Besides, I’ve been teaching yoga for 8 years now, and left my full-time office job to open my own studio in 2008, only to close it 5 years later in 2013, tens of thousands of dollars in debt and completely unsure of what to do next. When I was asked to be a part of this conference, I immediately thought “oh no… what if they find out I failed as a yoga studio owner?!”

I had to make some tea, take a few deep breaths, sit my brain down and remind it that we’ve been over this before. 5 years in business is not a failure — it’s more like 5 years of real life business school. My debt is nothing different than student loan debt.

Furthermore — here’s the ah-ha — I could USE this “failure” story as the jumping off point of this training to help other aspiring yogipreneurs be more strategically, mentally and emotionally prepared and avoid some of the same “rose colored glasses” mistakes I made early on.

Never have I needed to heed my own advice “find confidence in your voice,” more. Even the verb “find” points to a process, a challenge, a quest, obstacles and in the end, hopefully, success!

Learn more about the conference here! Registration closes Thursday 3/11/15 at midnight.

Learn more about my story and how you can differentiate yourself in the marketplace (regardless of what industry you’re in) in my guest blog post at The Yogipreneur!