Have you heard of the concept of car sharing? This is an idea that was born in Europe in the 1970s and has finally made its way to North America.

Car sharing works a lot like having a library card (to quote the Cooperative Auto Network’s web site). When you have a library card you have access to a large number of books and have a deadline for when you need to return the books you’ve borrowed. With car sharing you have access to a fleet of cars and a deadline for when you need to return the car you’ve borrowed.

And just like the library, car sharing does a number of great things for the environment. Those who car share drive between 5000 and 10,000 fewer kilometres each year. This reduces carbon emissions and improves air quality for everyone. Fewer cars on the roads means less dependence on oil and safer, quieter and less crowded streets.

Car sharing has lots of personal benefits for its participants as well. One of our employees here at Shakti Sage belongs to a car sharing network, and she finds that not owning her own car encourages her to walk more and to make an effort to car pool when she is using a car. She reports that at first it made her a little nervous to think of letting go of her car, but now that she’s done it and has joined a car sharing network, she loves it. She’s saving money (several hundred dollars a month!), doing her part for the environment and getting to know her neighbors a little better because she has slowed down to walk to the shops in her area.

Learn more about car sharing here.

Namaste,

Zoey – founding hippy at hippy grandma

Zoey Ryan
life, business & leadership coach for women
inspiration * clarity * wisdom * enchantment
www.shaktisage.com
604-323-3700

“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”

Are you a heart-centered and “soulful shopper”? Know of a new baby arriving? Keep the heart, soul & hippy love flowing for generations with purchases from Hippy Grandma: an Eco-Boutique selling fair trade, earth friendly treasures.

Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul sisters. www.hippygrandma.com

Did you know that many businesses do extremely well during a time of

“an “economic re-balancing”?  Why do you think this is? 

 

Business & life coaches love discussions about economic downturns as it opens up the conversation to deeply investigate personal attitudes, expectations and beliefs.  With this type of an exploration, we start to “re-light the fire of burning desire” and ignite those powerful and dynamic internal forces that are the signature characteristics of extraordinary entrepreneurs who truly run sustainable superstar businesses.  This doesn’t mean that it is a comfortable or easy process, in fact, it is often quite the reverse, it can be scary, uncomfortable and edgy.  In retrospect though, women entrepreneurs often look back and also say that it was exhilarating!

 

Entrepreneurs who are competitive and like challenges often respond to an economic downturn by making a “game of it”, saying things like “I am not going to let this get to me”, “I’m going to prove this thing wrong” etc.  Their attitude and pattern of responding to a challenge often kick starts them into massive action, which generates huge business momentum.  Pam talks about this in her article, in www.thesuperstarblog.com ,how during a recession, businesses clean house and often actually re-invent themselves, resulting in a revitalized business.

 

Just knowing that many businesses flourish in times of a re-balancing, expands expectations of what is possible in business.  Rather than expect that there will be negative results, ask yourself how you and your business can leverage this natural part of an economic cycle.  You may find that by asking questions about how you can make this work for you, creative and innovative ideas pop in.  Yes, it is a cliché, however, remember that “what goes down, must come up.”  How can you position your self and your business to tap into the upswing?

 

A really powerful shift can happen for many women entrepreneurs when they allow themselves to use an economic downturn as a “gateway” or catalyst to explore their dominant belief patterns.  I highly expect that as a business woman, faced with the possibility of a “recession” your personal “limiting beliefs” will be very easy to access.  I experience this myself.  As well, any “dominant cultural limiting beliefs” will be accessible and you may feel the strong pull towards a downward spiral of negativity.  You can halt this downward spiral and use this is an amazing opportunity to work on changing your beliefs and your internal self-talk. 

 

Warren Buffett apparently loves economic down turns and I love Warren Buffett.  I love Warren Buffett because from what I read about him, he is an amazing and brilliant person who in spite of being incredibly wealthy, continues to drive an old model vehicle, live in his “normal house” and it sounds like, has instilled solid values in his children.  I love Warren Buffett because he seems to value the amazing people who manage under capitalized businesses.  I love Warren Buffett because he understands that it is the power of the people in an organization that makes the organization strong and dynamic.  My guess is that Warren Buffett has a pretty clear set of wonderful “enabling and prospering beliefs”.

 

An economic downturn is the best time to change your “limiting beliefs” to “enabling and prospering beliefs”.  I never underestimate the power of the human spirit, when pushed to the edge with a recession to create, innovate, inspire, collaborate, re-design, re-vitalize, experiment and in fact “leap frog” into something new and amazing.  I love the following quote, although I can’t remember where I first heard it…“Whether you believe you can, or whether you believe you can’t, you are right!”  Changing belief systems is an intense exploration and often requires the support of a skilled life & business coach or other professional as it is very easy to get stuck in the process.

 

Yes, these are platitudes and yes, these are true, however, remember… the power of positive belief and expectation, you can do it if you believe you can and never, ever, ever give up!  You have the power within you to shift your beliefs, make this economic situation work for you and we believe in you too!

 

 

namaste,

 

Zoey

 

Zoey Ryan

coach . catalyst . shakti sage

life & business coach for women

"Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business"

www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com

www.entrepreneurialsuperstars.com

604-323-3700

Support fair trade, eco-friendly gift giving at Hippy Grandma: hippy love for generations - earth friendly treasures for your grandbabies, their mamas and you! www.hippygrandma.com

 

 

 

If your childhood was anything like mine, you grew up believing that “rich people are greedy”, “money is the root of all evil” and that the dad in the house is the main “bread winner”. 

 

In my work as a life & business coach for women, I often work with clients for whom “money issues” are like grungy coloured threads knotted up in their otherwise beautiful tapestry of life.  For many women, money and being wealthy is all tied up with a sense of unworthiness, un-deservedness and shame.  Particularly, it seems with women on a spiritual path, poverty can be directly attached to “purity” and being wealthy is viewed as somewhat shameful and taking money away from those who need it more.  It is confusing and convoluted and this knot of threads can take courage, commitment and gentle resolve to untangle.

 

Lynne Twist, in her excellent book “The Soul of Money” page 223, says “we all have life sentences embedded in our beliefs and our worldview” (about money).   She reminds us that “It is possible to rewrite them and consciously re-script our responses to include the inspiration we need to ground ourselves around money.” Read through the following guidelines that she shares and spend a few moments right now appreciating and blessing the money and prosperity in your life:

 

Money is like water.  It can be a conduit for commitment, a currency of love.

 

Money moving in the direction of our highest commitments nourishes our world and ourselves.

 

What you appreciate appreciates.

 

When you make a difference with what you have, it expands.

 

Collaboration creates prosperity.

 

True abundance flows from enough, never from more.

 

Money carries our intention.  If we use it with integrity, then it carries integrity forward.

 

Know the flow – take responsibility for the way your money moves in the world.

 

Let your soul inform your money and your money express your soul.

 

Access your assets – not only money but also your own character and capabilities, your relationships and other non-money resources.

 

Aren’t those beautiful statements?  Imagine untangling your knot of “money issues” and weaving in these beautiful and brilliantly coloured phrases instead!  What a amazing tapestry you would create!

 

“May your life be like a wildflower, growing freely in beauty and joy each day.” – Native American Proverb

 

namaste,

 

Zoey

 

Zoey Ryan

coach . catalyst . shakti sage

life & business coach for women

“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”

www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com

www.entrepreneurialsuperstars.com

604-323-3700

 

I still wear a favorite t-shirt from the Body Shop even though it is raggedy and has quite a few holes.  I still wear it for one reason and that is the bold, bright and beautiful quote on the back of the shirt.  This quote is by Walt Whitman and reads:

 

“Re-examine all you have been told…Dismiss what insults you soul”.

 

This quote and the other values that Anita Roddick and The Body Shop exemplified have long served as inspirations for my life. 

 

I had the great pleasure of hearing Anita Roddick speak in Vancouver in the late 90’s.  She walked on stage, wearing a funky understated outfit and totally captivated the audience of over 2000 women.  She modeled her personal values and essence to me by standing fully in her powerful presence.  It was clear to me then as it has been in the ensuing years that she “wore her skin well”, that she knew who she was and what she stood for and that this “knowing” informed all of her actions.

 

I attempt to live my life and operate my business in the same way; from a sense of knowing who I am; from a foundation of a clear vision and the values of integrity, authenticity, freedom and respect; from understanding that one’s heart and soul need to be nourished through their life and work as well as their work meeting the needs of their clients; from an understanding that one’s uniqueness  is an attribute to be brought forward and exalted, not hidden.  I love the quote by Anita Roddick’s mother (page 33, “Business As Unusual”), “And my mother taught me how important personalities are in business.  She made me realize that you can’t be a nondescript person or you will have a nondescript product.  Be special she would always say.  Be anything but mediocre.”

 

So, my encouragement to you as a woman entrepreneur is to go forward boldly and courageously in your life and business and be special, be anything but mediocre!  If you would like to explore these teachings further, join us at the Westin, Whistler BC, October 17-19^th, 2008 for “Fire, Ice & Lipstick: THE Business Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs”.  Attend and you can also participate in the Starlight Soiree & Awards Dinner, honouring socially conscious women entrepreneurs who embody the spirit of Anita Roddick in their life and work. For more info click on:

 http://www.entrepreneurialsuperstars.com/fire-ice-lipstick-retreat08.htm

 

namaste,

 

Zoey

 

Zoey Ryan

coach . catalyst . shakti sage

life & business coach for women

"Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business"

www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com

www.entrepreneurialsuperstars.com

604-323-3700

 

 

“My vision, my hope is simply this: that many business leaders will come to see a primary role of business as incubators of the human spirit, rather than factories for the production of more material goods and services.” - Anita Roddick, Founder, “The Body Shop”

Life Success, Business Success or Both aka Can You Have It All?

“To follow without halt, one aim; there is the secret of success. And success? What is it? I do not find it in the applause of the theater; it lies rather in the satisfaction of accomplishment.” – Anna Pavlova

As a working woman, is it possible to “have it all”; the career, a family, travel, financial security, flexibility, life balance?  Can you have both a successful life and a successful business?

Whether the term is “mompreneur”, “lifestylepreneur”, “socially responsible” entrepreneur using the triple bottom line or “culturally creative woman entrepreneur”, there is one key distinguishing element: maintaining a successful life, not just a successful business!

Historically, businesses existed for two reasons only, growth and profit!  In the past few years, there has been a movement to broaden the range of business models, designs and the “reason for being”.  The shift is from “working for your business” to “having your business work for you” so that you can live an incredible life!

Mompreneurs, or women who work from home, often chose this way of working as it allows them to be home with their children and grow a business.  Profit is sometimes secondary to life balance and flexibility.

Lifestylepreneurs design businesses that provide an income to allow them freedom, flexibility and life balance.

The “socially responsible entrepreneur using a triple bottom line” pays attention to: profit, the planet and the people impacted by their business.

“Culturally creative women entrepreneurs” employ the triple bottom line and have a strong orientation towards personal growth, spirituality and exploring their inner life.  These women tend to integrate business with their life purpose and design businesses that “do well by doing good”.  Their business tends to be their “self-actualization” and brings a deeper sense of meaning and fulfillment into their lives.

About 8 years ago as I was transitioning out of health care and into coaching, doing my coach training with Corporate Coach U, one of our assignments was to write a 1-2 sentence definition of living a “successful life”.  Here is what I wrote: ‘Living a successful life means spending time with my family and having health, time and money for travel, yoga and reading, working from home three days a week while the kids are at school.’

From this description it is clear that time, family and travel are what I valued and my work supported this.  I was in the “mompreneur” category.  My definition of a successful life has changed somewhat over the years as our family and I have gotten older and my current definition goes like this: ‘Living a successful life means doing what I love, while spending time with those I love so that I can give back to the community and planet that I love’!  I would now put myself in the “culturally creative women entrepreneur” category!

How would you define a successful life for yourself?  What about a successful business?  Can you combine the two?  Give it a try.  Start with writing out a paragraph and then try to distill your definition to 1-2 sentences.  As you progress through this exercise and gain clarity, it will serve as a touch stone for you and your business and give you an anchor from which to make business decisions.  And, guess what, this is part of your business planning!

Success
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
- Bessie Stanley

namaste,

Zoey

Zoey Ryan, PCC

coach . catalyst . shakti sage
life & business coach for women
“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”
www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com
www.entrepreneurialsuperstars.com
604-323-3700

“13 Trends That Will Transform Your Business
Whether You Want Them To Or Not”

I love thinking, reading and surfing ideas about the future and admit that I have been imprinted and influenced by Faith Popcorn.  I also love and recommend “Megatrends 2010:  The Rise Of Conscious Capitalism – Seven Trends That Will Transform How You Work, Live and Invest” by Patricia Aburdene and absolutely any thing by or with Barbara Marx Hubbard (www.evolve.org ).  It is not my intention to “channel” these authors, rather I wish to acknowledge their original ideas and words and build on these concepts.  While the majority of the ideas presented are focused on trends in North America, some can be applied more widely.

Here is my compilation of 13 important trends and new ideas that will transform your business and life!

1.  Brain Dough aka brain plasticity:

Yes, you can “teach an old dog new tricks”, our brains are actually malleable or flexible.    This concept is referred to as brain plasticity.  What is brain plasticity? Does it mean that our brains are made of plastic? Of course not. Plasticity, or neuroplasticity, is the lifelong ability of the brain to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences. As we learn, we acquire new knowledge and skills through instruction or experience. In order to learn or memorize a fact or skill, there must be persistent functional changes in the brain that represent the new knowledge.  The ability of the brain to change with learning is what is know as neuroplasticity.

Source: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/plast.html

2.  Grandma Power:

Elder women are becoming an increasingly powerful and large group as the boomers age.  Think hip, happy, and hippie grandmas rather than blue rinses and fraility!

3.  Squeeze More In(n):

Community living takes on a new meaning as more extended families chose to remain living together.  This is a new idea for many North Americans and will require skilled and open communication and attention to compromise and consensus.

4. Values Redux:

Increasingly large numbers of consumers will make purchasing decisions based on their strongly held personal values.

5. Glass Houses:

With amazing technology and the internet, all we do and say will be visible, this is an opportunity to be uber transparent and ethical in life & work.  There will be no place to hide.

6. Big Hearts:

The emotions and qualities of love, loving-kindness and compassion from a big soft, warm melted open heart will be increasingly integrated into business practices through meditation, lovingkindness retreats and prayer.

7. C3 – Circles, Collaboration & Co-Creation:

All organizations, families and groups are moving towards and squishing down into wonderful, resonant, concentric circles around a big heart center.  The dominant forces will be: life, creativity, win/win and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

8. Saffron, Sage and Soul:

As India and China increasingly take over the global production of goods, our interest in and our reliance on these countries will increase.  We will continue to integrate both eastern and western spiritual traditions, adding in a dash of “conscious evolution”  producing a spicy, rich and deeply satisfying new meta-spiritual tradition.

9. Bugs R Us:

Everything will be about whole systems and models based on nature.

10.    Flowers In Your Hair and Everywhere:

Integrating the “big heart” concept, there will be growing appreciation of art & beauty and a laid back lifestyle as forces for social change and business re-vitalization.

11.    Re-Calibration Back to a Lunar Calendar:

It only makes sense!

12.    Science Fictionary:

Life expectancy will continue to increase and concepts that were only science fiction will be part of every day life.  More and more folks will choose to vacation at home through holograms and other multisensory innovations.

13.  The Concept of Paradox:

We will be challenged to live a life of increasing paradox and complexity and time will seem to speed up! Folks will be curious about the concept of “nothingness”.

namaste,

Zoey

Zoey Ryan
coach . catalyst . shakti sage
life & business coach for women
“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”
www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com
604-323-3700

Are Your Business Values in Sync With Your Personal Values?

“Values” are the essence of who we are.  Values are principles that you hold to be of worth in your life.  Values are those things considered right, worthwhile, and desirable- the basis of guiding principles and standards.  “Crystal values” are those values that are so important that if not present in your life will cause your life to shatter.  Think of what would happen if you dropped a crystal ball.  “Rubber values” are those values that you can drop for awhile with no problem and will come bouncing back when necessary.  Think of what happens when you drop a rubber ball.

Getting really clear on the values that are most important to you personally and in your business will give you a framework for making decisions, taking forward movement and assessing dissonance in your life.  Let me tell you about a client of mine.  Carol had identified that she held “social responsibility” and “respect for nature” as very strong values.  She found out that the company she was working for was pumping toxic waste into the local watershed.  She decided that she could no longer work for that company and in fact, felt she needed to report the company for the poor environmental business practices.  In spite of the fact that being unemployed was not attractive, Carol stayed true to her values and resigned.  While she had to deal with some short- term financial issues, this decision was worth it to her as she gained so much in the areas of self-honoring and self respect.

Is your business in sync with your personal values?  If it is, you likely feel great about the work that you do and love your business.  If you started your business without consideration of your personal values, and your personal and business values are out of sync, you may feel unfulfilled, dissatisfied and unhappy in your work.

In our current business environment, it is vitally important that you, the business owner knows what your personal values are, what your business values are and has a marketing program consistent with those values in every way.

Clarity, transparency and communication with your clients around personal and business values leads to a happy and fulfilling life and business and a powerfully positive business reputation!

Do you know what your business values are?  What about your personal values?   What about your crystal values and your rubber values?  Are you in sync with your values? Are you working from a single bottom line or a triple bottom line? Working with a life & business coach to support you to gain clarity on your values may be beneficial to both you and your business.

“My vision, my hope, is simply this: that many business leaders will come to see a primary role of business as incubators of the human spirit, rather than factories for the production of more material goods and services.” – Anita Roddick Founder, The Body Shop

namaste,

Zoey

Zoey Ryan, BSc., PCC
professional certified coach
life & business coach for women
“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”
www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com
604-323-3700

Since reading the book, “The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World” by Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson, I have been fascinated by the potential for this socio-eco-cultural group to change the world.

Superimpose what I see as my personal “life mission” to support women to lead meaningful, rich, deep and fulfilling lives and you get:

Positively Outrageous Women (www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com: an oasis for culturally creative women. It’s about nourishment, connection, community, co-creation and transformation)

I am in the midst of redesigning the above site as a community/social networking site for culturally creative women and I need your help!

I will be posing a series of questions and starting the discussion on a series of topics and I would love your input.  I will be doing this on a wiki site, so it truly will be a co-creative effort!

I wish to acknowledge the authors of the book, “The Cultural Creatives” (www.culturalcreatives.org ) as well as Jim Garrison from “Wisdom University” (www.wisdomuniversity.org) and it is my intention to link in and co-create in alignment with their work.

Please join in!

Zoey Ryan
coach . catalyst . shakti sage
life & business coach for women
www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com
www.zoeyryan.com
zoey@telus.net
604-323-3700

“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”!