SPARK Empowerment Coaching

11/13/2018

Stumbled upon this poignant quote from the co-founder of Habitat for Humanity:

"...it’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than to think your way into a new way of acting".

Pretty simple, sometimes...

10/13/2018

Picked up a book I've not looked at for a few years, it's a fantastic read - a Stanford design school approach for successfully manifesting a life/career pivot...5 requirements to get where you want to go, but don't know how/where to start:

~ Curiosity
~ Bias to Action
~ Reframing
~ Awareness
~ Radical Collaboration

The book: "Designing Your Life - how to build a well-lived, joyful life" by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans - Have fun!

08/27/2018

So now I know why I named my company SPARK Empowerment Coaching..

"Exercise is the single most powerful tool to optimize your brain function." John Ratey MD, Spark, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

08/23/2018

~ saw (and LOVED) this blog post from one of my favorite coaches, Tara Mohr:

"YOU are the instrument of your work... When I’m teaching, writing, coaching – that’s time when that instrument is being played. I want to have some concentrated periods of that every week. But every week I also need to take time – ample time – to tune the instrument, to change the person that the music is coming through.

I tune the instrument of me when I move my body, pray and meditate, process my life and my feelings, and also simply when I do the things that bring me joy. Some of the tuning is about releasing what I need to release.

Some is about absorbing new ideas. Some is about steeping in joy, about upliftment.

Yes, this is all self-care, but it is not only self-care. It is also the responsible preparation needed to do good work.”

04/11/2018

One of my new client companies hired me to help them to reimagine their work environment; multiple people are reporting feeling SO SLUGGISH, even in the late morning. Obvious causes ruled out. Early diagnoses includes poor ventilation, among other things. Solution: Fresh air! ..
Just think about how productive you and your teams could be if your GOT OUTSIDE together, on a regular basis? I just saw an REI ad that says Americans spend 95% of their time INDOORS. In my coaching practice, more and more I am highlighting time outdoors as a key component of ANY ACTION PLAN. ..
As spring is finally here - in most regions here in USA - where will you and your team meet, outside, for a major boost in team creativity and bonding? Check in with me if you need more data to support your plan.

A better ventilation system doesn’t have to break the bank.

03/04/2018

At Wisdom 2.0 SAn Francisco last week, heard many important messages from modern day sages...the one that still blares is from Buddhist Frank Ostaseski - “don’t wait”. We have been talking about moving to slow down, lengthen the days, leave our rarified roosts (Tahoe, Tiburon..) and live in a less congested, less complicated, outdoors loving community. So, here we are. Almost 1 week later, close to owning a home just outside of Bend - in Sisters, Oregon. Not waiting. Got a sweet river running through the backyard. NOT WAITING.

12/30/2017

Thanks Patty James for this:
New Year’s represents for many a time of hope and renewal. Sloughing off old habits that don’t suit us and bringing in the new! Your body, however, thinks every day is New Years. Most people think of their body as a fairly permanent structure, but most of it is in a state of constant renewal as old cells are discarded and new ones generated in their place. Red blood cells live approximately 120 days, skin cells 28-35 days, the liver 300-500 days, the entire human skeleton is thought to be replaced every 10 years or so and the stomach lining cells last only about 5 days. New research suggests that even the brain and heart muscle generates new cells.
We have an opportunity to create a new version of ourselves every day. How great is that?! Here's to a healthier New Year!

12/16/2017

From my cousin, Holly.. Love this prescription.. no side effects!

PRESCRIPTION FOR THE DISILLUSIONED
By Rebecca del Rio

Come new to this
day. Remove the rigid
overcoat of experience,
the notion of knowing,
the beliefs that cloud your vision.

Leave behind the stories
of your life. Spit out the
sour taste of unmet expectation.
Let the stale scent of what-ifs
waft back into the swamp
of your useless fears.

Arrive curious, without the armor
of certainty, the plans and planned
results of the life you've imagined.
Live the life that chooses you, new
every breath, every blink of
your astonished eyes

12/07/2017

https://www.inc.com/matthew-jones/superior-emotional-intelligence-comes-from-this-1-practice-that-nobody-wants-to-do.html

If you truly want higher self awareness, do this practice and you'll get it.

11/14/2017

"Mindlessness is the application of yesterday's business solutions to today's problems; Mindfulness is attunement to today's demands to avoid tomorrow's difficulties."

Seems so simple yet so often we default to mindlessness in most areas of our lives. Heard this on a podcast with mindfulness pioneer Ellen Langer of Harvard. Langer's theory has been applied to a wide number of fields, including health, business, aging, prejudice, and learning.

10/18/2017

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great."
- Zig Ziglar - still relevant.

Coming off of a very uplifting weekend at the in Mill Valley, "women's second annual entrepreneur lab". Timing is everything. If you have a business idea or a "move" in mind, let's get started. It's our time to make it happen. Thanks Grace for a very uplifting and informative weekend.

09/17/2017

LOVE Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center.. try this powerful exercise, and report back if you wish ❤️

Foster optimism by imagining a positive future.