Archive for March 2013
Women Branching Out: Mindy Crary
So happy to have Mindy Crary of Creative Money on the blog today.
Mindy is a financial coach. Her site provides a ton of super practical, heart-centered, personal, and funny money advice. Read 5 Ways that T-Rex and Yoga Eliminate Money Angst, for example.
Her 7-week program, Conscious Money, starts April 9th. You can learn more about it here.
Here’s Mindy …
Tell us about Creative Money. What do you do? Who do you love to help?
Creative Money is my financial coaching practice where I help people with the practical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of their money. This might be as simple as helping someone get out of debt (I know, I am the only one who thinks that is simple!) to more complex issues, like helping someone see how her thinking — not just around money, around everything — affects her current level of financial success.
What experiences have shaped your approach to financial coaching?
I started my career in the traditional financial services industry, and after a few years I could see that I thought differently than my colleagues — that advice and product should be separate, and that we weren’t there to make people more afraid of their money. It was tough to leave that security that I had built for myself, but by then I knew that I needed to find a different way. That decision led to several strange financial experiences — like the buyer of my practice deciding he wasn’t going to pay me, just take my practice (which is crazy) — that really forced me to become completely conscious about how I thought about money and decide how I wanted it to interact in my life.
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What are some of the biggest myths about money and financial planning that you help your clients bust?
“Perfect” seems to be the biggest myth. I think there are a lot of people out there waiting to pay off debt, or reach a certain level of income to work with someone like me. But perfect doesn’t exist. You have to start imperfectly.
I also think it’s a myth that comparison is productive. People look around and assume that their financial lives don’t measure up. This is shaming, and once you start to feel shame about your financial life, it’s really hard to move forward to create your best financial reality.
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What do you love most about working with small businesses and entrepreneurs?
I love the possibility. Just recently I met with someone who obviously needed to double her rates, and I inspired her to do that by helping her think differently! How much is her life going to change by helping her do that?!
I really love all aspects of business; I love to understand how entrepreneurs decide which market to serve, what their pricing strategy is, their growth strategies, etc. I have a masters in business, so it’s a little bit of my MBA-geekiness that loves listening to an entrepreneur talk about production processes, organizational leadership, product line expansion, etc. We all tend to focus on marketing, but a good business is the sum of all its parts.
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How has running your own business empowered you?
I’ve been working for myself since 1998, and what I think has been the most empowering thing is realizing that there is no such thing as failure. During that time, my business changed and evolved, and each time I made a choice to stop offering something, it felt scary. Just by virtue of NOT QUITTING — even when things got really tough — I have created a life where I can have and do whatever I want. I am no longer afraid to let things go when it’s time to move onto new ideas.
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What did 7-year-old Mindy says she wanted to be when she grew up?
A cake decorator, isn’t that funny? My mom used to tease me about that all the time. The first one I personally remember is wanting to be a veterinarian because I love animals so much. Even though I feel like I am on a clear life path, I like to play a game I call What Would You Be If You Had To Go Into Witness Protection? I think being an aesthetician would be fun.
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Finish this sentence. I believe…
I believe we can live in world where money doesn’t have to be a struggle, and where it’s a source of stability in our lives, instead of something we have to stabilize.
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Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
The amount of financial success in my life has been tied directly to my personal and spiritual growth. It’s something I discussed in a free call I did recently (for a program I offer starting April 9th), and more than anything, I believe this connection has the power to change your life, IF you’re willing to take the growth. Saying yes is the first step.
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Mindy Crary (MBA, CFP® practitioner and financial coach) helps you become a lot more educated (never inundated) about not just your money — but the whackjob behind it. Mindy helps both your money AND you succeed, bridging the gap between the energetic, spiritual and practical financial services industry, but doing it with a creative twist. Go to Creative Money to get access to free call recordings, ebooks and video trainings. For information on the Conscious Money program starting April 9th, click here. You can find Mindy on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Comment below: How are your thoughts impacting your financial picture? What shifts could you make to change your financial course?
Women Branching Out: Gretchen Cawthon
Excited to have Gretchen Cawthon on the blog today.
Gretchen’s company, Girls Can’t WHAT?, develops products (apparel, cups, key chains, hats, magnets, etc) to inspire girls of all ages to follow their dreams.
Gretchen learned to draw, use Photoshop and Illustrator, and much more to bring her company vision to life. But, as you’ll see, she’s no stranger to learning new things and accepting challenges.
Here’s Gretchen …
Tell us about Girls Can’t WHAT? What does your company do? What is your role in the company?
Girls Can’t WHAT? was created in 2005 after a business partner told me women can’t do web design. Shortly after leaving that job, I decided I would build my own business, starting with a web site, of course. I checked out books from the library, watched videos and asked for help in forums until I felt comfortable with my skills. A couple of months later I built the entire site myself. I also followed that same format to teach myself how to draw the designs I use on my site. Knowledge is power.
The purpose of the Girls Can’t WHAT? company is to inspire girls to take on their dreams no matter what the rest of the world thinks they can or can’t do. The Girls Can’t WHAT? designs reflect an empowering message that “yes, girls can!”. We also use 20% of every purchase to help other women entrepreneurs reach their dreams. It’s a great feeling to be able to help others help themselves.
My role is quite diversified at the moment. I am the CEO, the secretary, the artist, the janitor and much more. I’ve been a one-woman show up until this year when I hired a friend to help me with product development so I could keep up with demand. Ultimately I would like to be at the place where all I do is work on Girls Can’t WHAT? design creation and delegate the rest. I have a plan mapped out to reach that goal and it’s a process I’m actively working towards. Currently, my time is very limited and I also use my web development skills to help others build their sites. It’s sort of an off-shoot business that developed after building the Girls Can’t WHAT? site. My time is usually divided between the 2 businesses. I guess girls can be web developers after all.
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What experiences influenced the creation of Girls Can’t WHAT?
Clearly, my former business partner’s comment was the kick-starter, but it shouldn’t have surprised me, based on my childhood experiences. I grew up in a neighborhood of mostly boys. We played football, shot BB guns, and rode dirt bikes on a daily basis. I’ve never been a “girly girl” and if given the choice between things like baking or shopping versus playing sports or fixing stuff, I’d be outside with my ball bat and glove in a heartbeat. I was always trying to work my way into what might have been considered “boys clubs” because that’s what interested me. Girls sports weren’t nearly as popular or accessible when I was younger, so I joined Little League and made the boys basketball team so I could do the things I wanted to do.
Since my interests were so “uncommon” for a girl, I’ve lived through my fair share of firsts or being the only girl on a team. I was always the only girl on the Little League team. I was one of two girls to make the previously all-boys basketball team in the 6th grade and I was the only girl in the percussion department in college my Freshman year. The list goes on. I guess I’ve always had an attitude of “Girls Can’t WHAT?” which pushed me to ignore gender barriers and just go after the things I loved.
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Your designs are often inspired by people you know. What are your favorite Girls Can’t WHAT designs so far?
My favorite is the drummer. It’s on my tote bag, my t-shirts, my travel mug, my laptop bag, and my iPhone case. It represents me and was one of the very first designs I created so it will always be special.
The veterinarian design was created for my sister when she received her veterinarian degree. The pug in the design was my dog, Quest, and the German shepherd and cat represented her pets.
I have fun creating them all so it’s really hard to pick favorites, but I also really like the firefighter, police officer, hockey player, bass guitar player and the snow skier.
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What skills did you have to learn to get your business up and running?
A lot of my skill set comes from my natural interests in computers and creating things. I’ve been programming since the 7th grade so building a web site wasn’t that difficult for me to learn. I also love to build things and create systems. A business is a system in itself, so I had a natural desire to learn more about building a business.
Although I have a college degree in music business, I am mostly self-taught when it comes to computers and programming. I like to immerse myself in a topic by collecting resources from the library and the Internet and studying until I feel I have reached an appropriate level of learning for that topic or skill.
To get started, I had to learn how to draw. I’ve always been involved art to a degree but never on a computer. I had to teach myself how to draw cartoons on a computer screen and learn to use Photoshop and Illustrator to prep them for printing. It was quite a process, but I enjoyed learning and improving my skills. My first attempts at drawing were pretty hideous.
Even though I love the challenge of learning new skills, I don’t try to do it all. I have recently hired someone to help me with design development and marketing, and as the business grows I anticipate hiring additional help.
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You have a great blog post about Finding Your Super Power. What’s your super power?
In that post, I talk a lot about passion. Essentially your super power is a combination of your passion and what you like to do. My passion is helping people break through gender stereotypes. I also like to challenge people to think for themselves and discover their own path. When you combine those things, my super power turns out to be “challenging women to break through gender barriers to achieve their dreams.” And that is exactly what the Girls Can’t WHAT? theme is all about.
What do you love to do outside of your business?
I have two teenage daughters who are both into sports. I love watching them play and cheering for their teams. I also love taking long walks with my rescued Boston Terrier, Lola, and playing drums in my band Four Wall Flight.
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How has creating your own business empowered you?
Creating my own business has put me in the driver’s seat. There is no limit to how I have to spend my time, how much money I can make or what levels I achieve with my business. It gives me the freedom to be me and do the things I love to do and get paid for it in the process.
But beyond all that, it has empowered me to help other people. For every purchase of Girls Can’t WHAT? gear, 20% is given to help empower women entrepreneurs through the KIVA micro-lending program. It’s immensely satisfying to know that my artwork has a greater purpose than selling a t-shirt. Girls Can’t WHAT? is able to change lives. That’s why I use the tagline “Empower a girl… change the world”. That’s my mission.
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You can find Gretchen Cawthon at her website: Girls Can’t What? and on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
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Comment below: Has anyone ever told you that you can’t do something because of your gender? What was it and how did you prove them wrong?
Women Branching Out: Michele Lisenbury Christensen
So excited to have Michele Lisenbury Christensen of The Hot Love Revolution on the blog today.
Michele is a coach, love doctor, mama, entrepreneur, author, and more, and she’s on a mission to help happy, well-loved women save the world.
Michele serves up steamy advice to help couples communicate better, make more love, and discover and explore monogamy as the hottest place on earth.
Here’s Michele …
Tell us about you and your business. Where are you located in the world? What do you do and who do you love to serve?
I’m Michele Lisenbury Christensen, and I love love. My Hot Love Revolution is a community where I offer provocation – starting with the name itself – for women and their partners to create the aliveness they really want, in the relationship they’ve already got.
The people I coach and teach in my classes are more likely to wear funky boots or clogs than stilettos, but they don’t want to go through life without feeling turned-on and deeply connected. I really love working with sassy women and the nice guys who adore them… because we (Kurt and I are like that!) have some unique challenges and opportunities that are a lot of fun to unpack.
Oh… and I live in Seattle in the 1942 cottage my husband and I renovated into a Craftsman with the covered front porch and meditation room that I’d seen in my dreams.
Why do you think it’s so important for women (and men) to be turned on in their relationships?
Happy women are the heart of the positive changes our world needs. When a woman is depleted – when her heart isn’t overflowing – she doesn’t have the oomph to make the difference she otherwise could. Women’s pleasure pleases everyone. I want to do something about climate change, about human trafficking, about the quality of our schools, about food security… and helping women be nourished is my answer to all of those.
The same goes for men, too… but I speak more about the women for two reasons: 1) a man being happy doesn’t automatically make his wife happy in quite the same way. A happy woman makes a happy home. End of story. 2) because women are so oriented toward taking care of other people and looking after themselves LAST, if we don’t focus on women learning to be nourished, turned-on, and juicy, it won’t happen.
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What is one myth about monogamy that you’re helping bust?
The myth of either-or: either you can have security or you can have sensuality. This myth tells us that the hottest sex is with a “bad boy” or a stranger or some unnamed partner in your future… Not with the husband you have.
This myth says familiarity removes the mystery, and the turn-on along with it. And it says that when you turn up the turn-on, the security goes out the window, because libido is a wild and dangerous thing, like a fire hydrant that just sprays all over the place.
All of that is untrue. Our libidos thrive when we focus them at home and bring back to our partners the desires and curiosity the rest of the world might pique in us. Security can be verrrry sexy. And you can ENTIRELY rewrite the sensual, romantic, emotional, and communication scripts you’ve been reading from with your partner, and create a very dynamic NEW relationship with the same ol’ partner.
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How has your own experience with marriage changed your perception of monogamy?
There was a time between our 5th and 10th anniversary when we were practically celibate and I thought to myself, “I CANNOT go the rest of my life without turn-on, without feeling that aliveness and excitement of anticipation and energy and feeling so intensely desired and desirous.”
At that time, I thought time together and the build-up of resentments and differences and shared drudgery that are naturally a part of just about every marriage were the culprits, and that this process was natural. I was afraid I’d have to divorce Kurt to get what I wanted. I contemplated “opening” our marriage so I could be with other people, but he was not (as so many people – especially men – are not) open to that at all. Understandably. I’m all for customizing our relationships, but playing with multiple partners requires a ton of skill and is a meaningful risk, not to be undertaken lightly, especially when children are involved.
My perception today – having buckled down and said, “No, I will NOT go the rest of my life without that excitement… NOR will I give up on this marriage” is that marriage is a very powerful crucible for personal growth if you make those two commitments. I’ve walked through that fire, and continue to do so.
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What’s one we can all do today to strengthen our connections with those who are most important to us?
Behold them. We can get sidetracked by our to-do list, by comparing our partners and other loved ones to other people, by our own agenda of what we want them to do or become. But when we really stop and just SEE the magnificence of who they are (even though there are many magnificent things they are NOT), we’re awed, and we are also more available to whatever goodness and intimacy are there in the moment.
You’ll see your partner’s humor. Or kindness. Or methodical brilliance. You’ll see your daughter’s originality. Or independence. Or vulnerability. Or joy. Each of those things is a gift and begin with them – especially if you can then articulate what you see – deepens connection immediately.
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How has running your own business empowered you?
2013 is my 17th year in business. Business itself is an art form, and I am an artist of business. That knowledge is empowering. I have recreated my business many times over the past 17 years and I may recreate it again in the future.
I feel so empowered to have a career track that doesn’t require someone else’s permission or hire or promotion to go do what I want to do next. I’ve also geared up and back down again, taking my income to 6-figures plus and down to $50,000 last year when I had a baby. It’s totally mine to do with as I please and THAT is real freedom.
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What excites you most about the woman you’ve grown up to be and the life you live?
This sounds wacky to me, but the answer that comes up is the way that I’m softer and messier, in this grown-up, almost-40 version of me, than I ever was in my fantasies. I thought I’d be on this direct upward trajectory (a perfect 45′ angle!): more money, more fitness, more great boots (well, I do have more great boots!), the house, the kids… And it didn’t work that way.
My marriage was awful and I was miserable for a few years. We healed that and had a baby and were so happy. Then I lost a baby at 13 weeks gestation. Both my parents almost died in the same year. My business partnership fell apart. We’ve had money worries in a way we’d never had.
Life has put me through the wringer. And the result? I’m more tender, more compassionate, more vulnerable, more wide-open to the pain and the pleasure of life than I could’ve imagined 10 years ago. My ego’s aspirations were grand, but the reality of my life is even better.
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Michele Lisenbury Christensen instigates everyday sensuality using yoga, brain science, and candid tales of personal trials and triumphs. In the past 15 years, she’s co-crafted a playful smokin’ 12+ year marriage, had two happy kids, and been a trusted advisor to more than 2000 couples, business owners, and high-level corporate leaders around the world. Toe-curling pleasure on a daily basis gives Michele the rocket-fuel to serve and scintillate her clients and her readers at The Hot Love Revolution. She delivers daily instigations to more aliveness via Twitter and Facebook. She posts her favorite latest beauty on Pinterest, too.
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