Posts Tagged ‘The Artists Way’

Do People Really Get Results From Teleclasses and Online Coaching?

Monday, January 14th, 2013

Do you ever take a moment to think about how much change has occurred in the past few years? One of the changes you may have been part of is the emergence of teleclasses, group coaching calls, social media support groups, digital audios and YouTube videos. Five years ago if someone would have told me that this would be THE area where coaching clients would be having some amazing successes, I would have quickly volunteered my skepticism. I am a face-to-face person and I like being with real people. I wondered if people would experience the self-care practices and tips with the same intensity as they do in my office or live seminar settings. Fortunately, I am also open minded and was willing to give it a try.

Now that I have facilitated several hundred teleclasses and group calls and well and even more phone coaching sessions, I know these distance-coaching format works just as well as the in-person events. I know that because I have testimonials from live and virtual formats on identical content that I have facilitated during the same time period. A few details might be different from the delivery style, but the results came through and the same! If you are on the fence about enrolling in an online format with me, I also put doubts to rest by offering a guarantee that you will be satisfied.

The Obvious Benefits:
* Group programs serve more people per hour
* No expensive gasoline, winter driving or travel time is involved
* Digital recordings allow participants to get the information at the most convenient time
* Technology for teleclasses and digital coaching services are easy to use, reliable and low cost (sometimes even free!)
* A low per person investment for a high value offering so that everybody gets more for less time, effort and money

Want more proof?
It delights me to share just a few of the most recent comments that came through from participants in my December 2012 Waist Management Virtual Coaching Support Group, which included weekly live calls:

“The variety of support was a key piece for me. Email, Facebook, U Tube, phone conferencing, recorded calls for later play. All at MY convenience. Thank you.”

“The Waist Management program was a fun, supportive and informative program that helped me to be mindful of what I truly wanted to do over a very difficult food season, Christmas. Thank you.”

“I was very committed to this program because of the quality of Betsy’s work, sharing, suggestions and teaching tools that she used to help us achieve a better understanding of health and waist management. I will continue on with everything I’ve learned.”

“This program gave wonderful group support without leaving the comfort of my home. Interacting with others on Facebook and during the live calls was valuable for me. Tapping proved to be vital to my success for this month. A December without Christmas cookies? This is a first. Success is a direct result of a tapping exercise, my desires changed!”

“This was a great program. I loved it. The seed has definitely been planted for me to start fresh in January. If the program continues or there is another one, I want to be included.”

“You always do a great job being a facilitator, you are uplifting and fun with your classes and teleseminars.”

“Betsy’s humor, compassion, and optimism helped me to stay the course. Her program was affordable and offered the structure and daily reminders I needed to stay on my weight reduction plan. I lost 4 pounds in 25 days and have kept that weight off during the holidays.”

“Betsy has the uncanny ability to put her finger right on the issue at hand. With her gentle and kind approach, you feel like you can conquer any problem no matter how big or how small.”

“I found the advice to be practical, down to earth and easy to follow. There was no eccentric eating plans or changes to my lifestyle.”

“It is helpful to me when you mention your own struggles and how you work through them. This program helped though the holidays. I did not stay on track perfectly but to enjoy all the temptations of the holidays within reason was my goal. I liked the drink video. I decided to skip the wine at my next party for a few more cookies!”

“Although Betsy was leading the group, she was going through it & participating in the same way everyone else was. As a participant it is always more comforting to me to know that Betsy really understands our concerns & has shared them. She really lives what she is teaching us.”

Want to be in one of my upcoming groups so that you can enjoy support, coaching, new friends, EFT, live calls and more? I would love to serve you. Our Waist Management 6 Week Program starts up on Jan. 17, 2013. Learn more and enroll at http://2013waistmanagement.eventbrite.com/#

There is also a FREE introductory live call (with digital recording available) to the very popular – Awaken Your Creativity with EFT and The Artist’s Way which will be held Jan. 23, 2013 at 3PM EST. You can enroll for the FREE CALL at http://www.theindigoconnection.com/classreg.htm

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Posted in conscious business, Goals and Resolutions, Health & Wellness, Reflections on Life's Challenges, Uncategorized | Comments Off

My Gift to You – Energy Makeover Book Club Call Recordings

Sunday, December 4th, 2011

It was great having so many of the first readers participating on the Energy Makeover Book Club Calls this week. I really do appreciate your questions and feedback. Since our topics were good ones and many weren’t able to particpate for the live calls, I am placing the audio links here so you can enjoy listening at your convenience.

Recording for the Nov. 28 Call – Topic: Holiday Tips for your Energy Makeover

Recording for the Dec. 1 Call – Topic: Using a Journal to Monitor Your Energy Makeover

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I Am Indigo!

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

Over the weekend I was busy pulling together my PowerPoint presentation and handouts for the workshop I will be presenting at the 2010 ACEP Conference in San Diego. The workshop is about creativity, a topic very dear to me.

To organize my thoughts, I spent several hours in my sunroom going through all the notes and journal entries I have compiled while facilitating 8 different Artist’s Way with EFT Groups. It was fun to re-live each experience and to remember each group member who taught me so much as we shared, healed and grew as creators. Each one of them will be part of the workshop I’ll deliver on June 6 – “Release the Awesome Creator”.

I was particularly moved by something I wrote months ago in response to an exercise that require us to describe ourselves as a color. Of course I chose Indigo!

Allow me to share the paragraph with you:

I am Indigo -the consciousness that translates the light and energy of God into the practical physical world of human daily life. I am gentle as the night sky and as deep as the sea. A rare color in nature, possessed by only a few flowers and living creatures. Ushering in a new age of being and consciousness.

Choosing to integrate the color and the word Indigo into my business name happened rather easily back in 2005, long before I wrote this paragraph.

Indigo is a beautiful blue color that I wear often and look great in.

Indigo represents the 3rd eye chakra – intuition. My work as a coach, healer and helping professional relies on intuition more and more each day.

Indigo has within it “Indi” that brings to mind “independence” which was certainly the case when I chose to become an entrepreneur. It also contains the word “go” suggesting motion and forward movement. Those of you who know me will agree that I rarely sit still for any length of time.

Finally, I am fascinated with the stories about the Indigo children – these special little ones who have a sense of deep spirituality beyond their years.

Am I an Indigo in that sense too? Perhaps. I tend to think there’s some Indigo in all of us waiting to be activated. A series of strange coincidences, people and experiences activated the Indigo in me, yet I think my understanding and identification with this force was always there lying dormant, beneath the surface.

Thoughts and ideas exist before they emerge into physical reality too . Creativity is like that – a birthing of something that already exists. Our job as creators is to catch the divine download and bring it into reality.

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Getting Away to Find Yourself (with audio link)

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

On March 22, 2010 I hosted a coaching call titled “Getting Away to Find Yourself”. I experienced some technical difficulty accessing my own call. If you had trouble participating, please accept my sincere apologies. I recorded our call for your enjoyment and thank Lynn for participating with me.

I have personally found that removing myself from my routines and giving myself some time and space to enjoy quiet moments in beautiful spaces has a way of opening up my creative flow and the highest and best version of myself. I learned it at a young age from my mom who loved a slow nature “creep” in the woods and from my dad who adored fishing in lakes, ponds and streams for hours, even when nothing was biting. These quiet places and open spaces made way for insights, intuitive guidance and a nice slice of peace. When we give ourselves this gift, the whole planet shifts in a good way. Imagine what would happen if more of us did it more often!

Over the years I have enjoyed countless getaways with Girl Scouts, summer camps, church retreats, weekends with my best friends, artist’s dates, family vacations and the Lakeside Retreats I organize each year as a favorite part of my business. Getaways have fueled so much of the joy I experience and continue to know in my daily life. I treasure them more than physical posessions.

Tonight’s call will tell you a bit about the upcoming Indigo Connection retreat in Lakeside Ohio May 14-16. There’s a special discount if you enroll before April 1. You can download a brochure at http://www.theindigoconnection.com/pdfs/2010lakesideretreat.pdf

You can also learn more about the Maui Passage I will be leading October 17-23 at http://www.thepeacefulwoman.com

Here’s the recording of tonight’s call for your enjoyment. The meditation at the end will take you away to a perfect chair on a beautiful front porch.
http://www.audioacrobat.com/play/W6rl5Dc4

Perhaps you’ve been praying that a tax refund will be coming your way. Wouldn’t that be great! Think about investing in a getaway experience instead of physical stuff when the check arrives. Research has shown that greater lasting happiness comes from experiences. Ask to be guided to the perfect place. Your heart will know.

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Revisiting Forgotten Joys

Sunday, July 12th, 2009

Today I was guided to remember a forgotten joy in a whole new way.  It happened quite by accident, which I now recognize is a lesson that I needed to know and most certainly must share.

Today was one of those rare Sundays when there was absolutely nothing on the calendar.  Nowhere to go, no expectations and nothing needing to be urgently done.  My husband and I talked about going out to breakfast, but when we stepped outside and saw what a comfortable, sunny and pleasant day it was, we immediately decided to stay home and enjoy our own patio.  I prepared a delicious breakfast for us including eggs, toast, bacon, orange juice in frosty glasses and fresh berries from the farm market.  I brewed Italian Roast coffee and filled cups with steaming milk for perfect latte.  We munched and read the paper on our patio surrounded by beautiful containers of flowers.  Absolute heaven!  I was reminded that I love breakfast, the paper, my flowers and having time to just be.  What a gift.

As the day continued and breakfast dishes were cleared away, I decided to begin reading a new book – purely for pleasure.   I chose Julie and Julia by Julie Powel, the memoir about a young woman who decides to reclaim her life through cooking every one of Julia Child’s  recipes in the classic Mastering The Art of French Cooking.    It didn’t take long for me to fall into this book and to realize how it contains so many of the same lovely truths I help people come to know through individual coaching and leading groups with EFT and The Artist’s Way. The story is filled with examples of pain, persistence and passion.  Just as I love coaching people to find what they love and fall in love with themselves,  I also love reading about how others find their true north,  just as Julie does in this true story.

As I came to about the middle of the book, I was suddenly overcome with the urge to cook — and cook I did!  Realizing that I had a garden full of fresh herbs and a fridge loaded with goodies from the farmer’s market, there was no excuse.

First I decided to make a simple, yet very elegant potato salad.  I made up my own recipe after reading a few cook books for ideas.  My salad included fingerling potatos, calamata olives, sweet onions, celery, olive oil, wine vinegar, sea salt, fresh dill/parsley and ground pepper.  It was beautiful and very tasty.

I was on a roll now.  I decided to make fresh pesto next.  I loosely referred to a recipe, then freed myself to throw a few things together – fresh garlic, basil, parsley, parmesian cheese, walnuts, olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar.  Soon my little blender was full of the bright green concoction.

From there, I decided my husband George and I needed a snack, so I prepared some tiny pizzas with biscuit dough, fresh pesto, tomatos and cheese on my baking stone.   They were perfect as I slipped back outside to continue reading.  Today was like one huge Artist Date and I was loving every bit.

My book continued to hold my interest for the next several hours.  Suddenly I had the urge to cook dinner.  I discovered some plump shrimp in the freezer and made a marinade for grilled shrimp kabobs using my new pesto, fresh lemon juice, garlic and olive oil.   As I heated up the grill, I put some sweet corn on, tossed  up a green salad and brought out the chilled potato salad I made earlier.  The shrimp sizzled up nicely on the grill and we enjoyed yet another amazing meal on the patio.   I felt my joy meter go up another notch!

Perhaps this all seems a bit silly to you, but I realize as I write this that I have looked at cooking as an annoying chore these last few weeks.  I had forgotten how great really fresh, deliberately prepared food can taste.  I had not taken the time or made the effort.  The book and the availability of open time creating a chance for me to revisit the joy I have for being in the kitchen and creating food that is delicious in every sense of the word.  I only regret that I have no photos to share because it was as pretty as it was tasty, yet it was simple  and healthy too.  I celebrate that I have plenty of culinary experience, a pretty good sense to trust myself  to create  a recipe and have the gadgets and ingredients to pull it off too.

So here’s to Julie Powell and her ability to inspire me to come back to my true essence in the kitchen.  Is there something you love and have stuffed away for “later”?  Consider scheduling a day with a book about your forgotten love or even better, just do it.  You may find yourself too in the process.

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Clues for Identity and Purpose – Turning Troubles into Triump

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

As a coach and healer, I am frequently  allowed a very sacred glimpse into the lives and pain of others.  When I was new to coaching , I was astounded by how much tragedy existed in the lives of otherwise successful looking people.  Clients came to me wanting more success in their lives, yet felt that there was something holding them back.   Unresolved  “pain” kept beneath the surface, stuffed-away and denied WAS silently holding them back.   Once behind a closed door, the unloading begins, knowing that they are safe and that I am a healer, not a judge.   They have heard that Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and Energy Coaching can help quickly.  They are hopeful and open.  They leave lighter, clearer and in better touch with who they are.

Identity is a fragile and important part of the healing and personal development process.  Julia Cameron’s classic The Artists Way reminds us that self-definition is a major part of creative recovery.  Stripping away the ego and distilling down the true essence of the “higher self” is the key to creating a satisfying, comfortable and joyful life.

Yet we continue to resist who we really are! When we deny our true selves, we actually invite more suffering.  I know this to be true in my own life.  A disappointment or a lost opportunity will put me into a funk until I face up to it, accept it, see the lesson and choose to feel better.    I will often develop physical pain or discomfort to get my attention, steer me a new direction or to slow me down when I need to face the truth.  Stuffing away emotions with food or alcohol is another way that resisting the truth can do real harm to physical health.

Resisting your best self can be very painful all by itself.  Even if you don’t have a clue what you are resisting,  I suggest surrendering to that notion and using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT  www.emofree.com), another favorite self-care treatment or positive affirmations to return to a better state of balance.

Allow me to recommend some effective questions to help you get in touch with your identity and higher purpose in a slightly different way:

1.  Think about something painful that you experienced recently.  If there was a life lesson connected to this pain, what might it be?

2.  List your top 10 most difficult or painful experiences so far in this life.  After each one of these indicate why it hurt and what emotion was connected.  Do you notice any common patterns?  Is the pain an integral part of your identity?  Take time to treat these pains with EFT self-care or by working with a competent practitioner.  You need not carry this burden through the remaining years of your life.

3.  Important  lessons  must often be repeated many times before we “get it”.    Are there some major themes to your lessons?  List them.

4.  If your life was trying to give you clues about your life purpose, what are some of those clues?

5.  How could others be served by the lessons you have already learned and conquered?  Give this some serious thought.  Your response will bring you closer to understanding why you are alive today and what purpose you are here to fulfill.

6.  What is still troubling you?  Create an affirmation statement reflecting triumph over this problem.  Repeat this statement daily while doing heart massage or EFT tapping to help integrate the new thought into your awareness.

Below are a few examples transforming troubles into triumphs:

Trouble:  I will never be good enough.  There is nothing special about me.

Triumph: I recognize the value of every person.    I accept myself and know I am valuable to the world.

Trouble:  I am lonely and may never find a partner to share life with me.

Triumph:  I am drawn to places where my partner is waiting for me.  As I seach for him/her, I am rewarded with other new and positive relationships.  I am always in good company.

Trouble:  I never have enough money.  Financial worries weigh me down

Triumph:  Money, gifts and freebies are flowing easily to me.  I am responsible and joyful as I earn, spend, save and share.  I am grateful for this blessing.

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Synchronicity Happens

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

Synchronity happens all the time.  Are you catching your fair share of it?

Just today I was looking for something to inspire me for the day.   I remembered that my mom had given me a daily Lenten devotional booklet from her church, and decided to take a look to see what had been written for April 2.  To my surprise, my mom’s story – “14 Rainbows” appeared as the entry!  Funny how that booklet had been sitting on my desk for 30 days and I decided to pick it up and turn to her page for my inspiration!  It was no accident.  I know there’s some powerful force that sets me up for these encounters.

Here’s another synchronity — as part of leading chapter 4 of The Artists Way study group, we are instructed to take a week of “reading deprivation” as a way to explore switching our habits.  I totally forgot to not read the newspaper this morning, because this is a habit that is deeply etched into my routine.  Imagine my delight when I saw that my dog Gracie’s photo and profile was featured as the “Pet of the Week” in our local paper.  I would have missed it had I been abiding with reading deprivation.  I quickly realized that I better stop reading the paper, but my conclusion is that fate made sure I didn’t miss this little bright spot for the day.  I am certainly grateful and my whole family got a nice laugh.img_0455

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Moving On…. Instead of Shutting Down

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

I am always astounded by the things that start happening in my life when I teach The Artists Way Book Study Groups how to integrate EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) into their creative process. The Artists Way, by Julia Cameron is a classic book for anyone who wants to open themself up to prosperity, deliberate living and a loving relationship with themselves.  If I had unlimited funds I would place this book in the hands of every 12 year old on the planet as part of their journey to adult life.  It’s not about art – but rather the art of living and creating a life you love.

I have been running into many professionals  in transition lately.  People who have recently lost jobs due to layoff, downsizing or economic decline.  These people come from fields as diverse as IT, manufacturing, HR  and retail. One phrase that keeps coming up in these conversations is “I need to reinvent myself for this new economy, but I don’t know where to turn.”   I would love to just blurt out, “Read The Artist’ Way!”, but somehow I don’t think most of them are ready yet.  They are shut down and need some tender loving care to feel safe enough to explore the positive possibilities.  There are lots of employed people who are scared and shutting down too.  You can help them.

How do we encourage and assist people who are shutting down?  Perhaps you are the one shutting down?  Each of the points below can be offered as self-care OR as a formula for assisting others in your life who need help moving on.

1.  Accept them for where they are.  See them as significant and worthy of attention.

2.  Listen to them without judgment.  Let them share their story.  Ask questions to bring them out.

3.  Ask about what they love.   This will open up even the quietest ones.

4.Urge them to use this transition time to do things that make them feel great  like hobbies, art, reading, physical fitness or outdoor activities.  Give them recognition for the healthy support systems and activities they may already may have in place.

5.  Introduce them to your networks.  Invite them to attend networking or social events you are already involved in.  Keep them in circulation.  You can also invite them to join you for online networks like Facebook and Linkedin.  Every connection offers potential.

6. Offer them discounts, extras or sliding scale rates on your services.  If there was ever somebody needing a break, it is someone between jobs.

7.  Encourage them to ask for discounts with other vendors too.  Sometimes all it takes is to ask.

8.  Help them see what’s going well in their lives beyond unemployment (or fear)  and remind  them to experience true gratitude.

9.  Provide resources and recommend good books.   Links to inspirational stuff like this video by Ken Robinson on TedTalks are excellent.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

10.  Repeat from the list above as needed.  That’s what compassionate people do.

Feel free to share The Artists Way too and invite them to read and discuss the book with you.

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