Empowering Women Articles

Become the Chairperson of Your Children’s Board of Directors. For immediate release: By: Sandra Mills

Have you always been a caregiver in your family? Many women live this role of caregiver from a very young age. That was certainly my story, and I have no blame or upset with my parents for how this played out in my life, however I am aware of the impact of my falling into this role since I was 3 years old. Now, as I ...

What is your relationship with money? There's a good chance it has a somewhat sordid tinge to it. Most of us are a bit ashamed to talk about how we really feel about it. We'd rather talk about details of our sexual intimacies, than our real relationship with money. Our deep, intimate relationship with money is really just like any other relationship. And, it is spiritual.

Oftentimes we get to a point in life where we feel stuck. No matter what we do or think we are doing or have done, we can’t seem to move forward or things are not changing for us. Now if you are really stuck, as a life and business coach, I can help you get unstuck by helping you create a plan – action steps you must take to achieve your goal. But today I want to talk with you about those times in your life when it feels like you are stuck but you are not stuck. I recently

Can you believe it? This year is already half over. Wasn’t I just in Chicago, at my daughter’s graduation? Now summer is almost here. We all feel it. Time moves so quickly, we become absorbed in the routine of our busy lives, and some things fall through the cracks. Do you remember what your business goals were that you set for yourself at the beginning of the year? Even a few weeks ago? If you intended to grow your business, amp up your career, make more money and attract more clients, how is that going?

Excuses can be sneaky. Sometimes, even when you’re in the process of using one, you know it’s just an excuse. Sometimes, though, you deeply believe them and let them run the show. For example, let’s say you’re planning to exercise. “But I’m so tired tonight,” you say. “I’ll rest up tonight and exercise tomorrow.” Is this because tomorrow night you won’t be tired? Or because right now it’s easier to just say you’re tired and not exercise? Imagine that one of your goals is get

This time of year is a great opportunity for us to take stock of ourselves, and to try to create for ourselves something “different,” something “bigger” in the months and years ahead. Here are three simple steps that will help you to not only achieve your goals, but live an inspired and fulfilling life, too. - Set a goal and go for it! More often than not, the resolutions we make can take all the “juice” out of the journey—that’s why I’m not into “resolutions.” It’s a more

The 5 Ps to Peace, Passion and Pleasurer By Betty Louiser September 20, 2011 How many Ps can you find in this article? Penelope Piper Paused, Pondered, Planned, Prospected and Popped so that she could bring her Peaceful, Passionate and Pleasured self out into the world. And so it goes in the world of organic and ...

Have you ever experienced an encounter with the opposite sex where you felt like you were communicating so precisely, in direct language, and your intentions were completely misconstrued? Okay...it is a rhetorical question. How can we learn to understand and honor our differences with love, compassion and an open ...

As women, we are moms, wives, daughters, sisters, aunts, step moms, career women. That's a lot of hats to ware. It's very easy to do for others and forget about ourselves, or keep putting ourselves off "Until We Have More Time" but them we forget and fill our time with other responsibilities. Guess what... If you turn ...

I read an article today about the famous UCLA Anderson School of Management. The article was featured in Businessweek and takes an uncomfortable look at the difficulties women face to get to the top and be compensated fairly. Sure, that’s nothing new.

So, this is sort of my mini, juicy manifesto on love. Dig in. Did you know that you can actually cultivate more love within yourself? Love is not something that happens to you, it is something that is in you. Remember my constant refrain to always be aware of your thoughts because they create your emotions? Well, your thoughts can generate love within you. Love is something within you; it is the condition of your heart. You can "recondition" your heart by thinking loving thoughts and by having the awareness of love.

Nietzsche referred to the wind as the ‘very stuff of human freedom.” In ancient cultures it has been named as “the power of the spirit”, the messenger of the gods.” In modern times, the wind is the manifestation of energy, rising from the center of power. It brings regeneration. Our power to change depends on our internal wind flow and our willingness to work with the current of energy within.

You are asking the million-dollar question. All the blood, sweat, tears, doubts, and tons of time and money—and for what? It took me 13 years to become “an overnight success” but when I finally did, the rewards were extraordinary. The popular TV show Shark Tank gives entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their business ideas, and one of the sharks said it generally takes 10 to 15 years to turn the corner! In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talks about the 10,000 Hour Rule, proposing it takes 10,000 hours of practice before one can master a task.

One of my most valuable teachers has been my seat belt.

This week’s Step Up Leader Tip comes from an extraordinary young Rwandan female leader. Sandrine Umuhoza, student at The Akilah Institute for Women in Rwanda and President of the Student Council, recently visited Tampa as an ambassador for her school and country. Sandrine exemplifies the dynamic potential of Akilah’s students; young women who bring economic empowerment to east Africa. While at my home yesterday, I interviewed Sandrine. She spoke about what has influenced her

This week I have been in what I call the quiet observer mood; some kind of personal retreat when I just listen and try to get connected to everything around me. So I limit my time online and try not to get into the public flow of local or worldwide news. This, as I've confirmed, is an almost impossible task. Everywhere I go, in some way, people are talking about some common topics; immigration law, the civil war in Syria or the catastrophic weather the nation is experiencing. It seems there is no safe haven to hear something positive that would lift us up.

All these years later, I still think about what kind of mother I used to rnbe. It took me three years to become a real one after the birth of my rndaughter. Motherhood is much harder than most will tell you or admit rnto. I couldn’t understand why people said that it was so worth it. I was 32, broke, divorced, my small business in shambles, and the fight for rnmy own survival made being a good mother very difficult. I loved my daughter, of course. Gina was sweet and feisty, a natural performer who liked to sing and dance around the apartment.

The Top 5 Traits Every Entrepreneur Must Have Lea 5 strategies you must have to be an extraordinarily successful executive. PERSPECTIVE & HUMOR - A balanced perspective is essential as you balance your life and collaborate your personal; your business; and your spirit. This collaboration is essential to your business success and will work to maintain your mind on an even keel. As you seek success, it is important that you have clarity about your reality.

Have you ever started out on a path going in one direction only to find yourself, hours later, mindlessly ending up somewhere else? You planned to check your Facebook page but somehow you ended up on Twitter. You intended to have a dialogue in one of your LinkedIn Groups, but two hours later you find yourself down a rabbit hole reviewing interesting but irrelevant information and you have no idea how you got there.

It can be so easy, in the course of day-to-day life, to get swept along. Sometimes you just go with the flow, almost on automatic pilot. Sometimes those decisions are brilliant. Sometimes – not so much. When you look back at your actions, do you ever find yourself saying, “I had no choice”? Do you ever find yourself blaming someone else for your behaviour? Maybe it was how you responded in a moment of pure frustration. You could have forced yourself to pause and take a brea

Here’s a quick and easy quiz, based on my own experiences of leading – myself, my family, team members and others, as well as working with hundreds of other business leaders and managers over recent years. Leadership is particularly appropriate in the current climate, when so many people are actually abdicating responsibility for themselves, and many political and business leaders are not trusted!

Over the years we have been living in a culture of me. Blame industrialization? We have become a “me- centered” society which only in turbulent times seem to come together. Isn't it tragic that only tragedy can bring us together? We have forgotten the basis of what brought us here in the first place; community and belonging. Instead we strive for more, more of everything but what really matters. We have all been victims of that sickness that has turned us into lonely beings in search of something we can’t seem to figure out.

You have great plans to take your business to the next level, but how do you implement them? By Beate Chelette Your plan is in place. You’ve clearly defined your goals and now it’s time to go from here to there. How can you finally take action and implement your plans and goals? You have the best intentions and feel pumped about taking your business to the next level.

You might think that sounds crazy. It's hard to wrap your mind around the idea that we actually resist pleasure. Don't we want to feel good? How could this really be true? I have three theories of why we resist pleasure, and three suggestions for how we can practice embracing pleasure.

This sentence rings the bell with me and with many women I’ve worked with: “I don’t know who I am anymore!” The question is: “Have you ever known who you really are?” We live in a society that puts high pressure on young girls and women to fit certain standards of intelligence and beauty. This makes it harder and harder for many women to feel liked, included and accepted.

Saying Goodbye to Yesterday By Linda H. Williams

The idea came to me after watching the Golden Globes. Morgan Freeman declared that he had never worked a day in his life for the last 40 years because to him his job is not work, it is his passion.

The vast majority of working women today want a more realistic way to achieve success. They are currently America’s most famous female executives. Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s CEO and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg are today's biggest role models on juggling business and family. Both are wives and mothers of young children and competing for their attention is nothing less than leadership of two of the biggest tech companies in the world.

Where Is Your Focus By Linda H. Williams

For women in medicine there are many things we have to accomplish each day before we encounter our first patient. That means we spend most of our time reacting to what’s happening instead of being intentional. This is not the goal for doctors, nurse practitioners, or nurses who want to avoid stress, worry, frustration and feeling out of control. When you are intentional, you decide in advance the qualities you desire for your day. My clients understand the importance of stagi

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. -- Joseph Campbell When I was very young, if I was I was learning something new and didn't catch on right away, I always pronounced my dislike for that thing right away. If it didn't come easily, I wasn't interested. I was a pretty bright kid, and I enjoyed the praise of adults when I did something competently. But struggling to learn, failing at first attempts, making newbie mistakes were events that I just couldn't to

Almost every Life & Relationship Coach who has any credibility worth their weight in gold has some article on their website discussing stress and how to manage it. Top 10 Ways To Master Your Stress. How to Cope With Stress. Manage Your Stress: Manage Your Life. etc Not to be outdone by others, let me add my top ten ways to manage stress list to the fray. Before doing that, I just need to add one simple premise: In order to truly manage your stress, you have to come to terms with a basic principle:

So, I’ve been going along, loving my life, loving my work. Spirit has been whispering in my ear, “Psst. Hey.” I listen, hear a little something, do a little tweaking, and continue right on with what I am doing. Some time goes by, and I get a stronger clunk on the head. Spirit says, “YO! I’m talking to you!” Okay, I listen closer and I begin to get new ideas, see things a little differently, take some action, but still I don’t quite act decisively.

Are You A Doer Or A Talker? Four steps to help you get past the roadblocks in your life. By Beate Cheletternr

by Michelle Collier | on February 5, 2013 How in the world did I get to the point that I stopped believing in myself? Did it begin when I hit a brick wall on my job? I remember spending the last day on my job sitting at the welfare office crying because the welfare worker told me I made $200 over the maximum income amount to qualify for Foodstamps. I remember crying to my supervisor because I was too messed up to get back to work that day. I remember feeling so overwhelmed because I came face to face that I was not able to literally put food on the table for my daughter.

Except for the baby stroller her nine-month-old daughter Jessica was in when she was on her daily run, my friend, Joanne, lost everything she owned in the Oakland hills fire 25 years ago, on October 20. When she was able to get access to her home, several days after the fire began, all was gone. Everything. The house, her clothes, Jessica’s toys, her photos, her books, all her furniture, her dishes and pots. Everything. There was nothing that could be saved or salvaged. Not

There can be a lot of advice coming to you this time of year about coping with the multiple stresses of the Holiday Season. If ever there was a time of the year that we can feel bombarded by the demands of the outside world; this time of year is it. My advice is keeping it simple. Pressures from the outside world can come in two major forms: 1) The Hollywood hype that is created by the movies, which indirectly tell us how we SHOULD behave and interact at this time of year.

Have you ever noticed that some people make friends super easily; however, they don’t do much to keep the relationship going? Our girlfriends are a wellspring of support. You need them and they need you. However, if you are like most working moms the demands of life can creep up on you, and before you know it, your friends get shoved off the calendar. With motherhood, there are always a million things to do, minor emergencies to tend to, and challenges to face. It’s not always easy to find the energy or the time to invest in friends.

By Beate Chelette The recent Atlantic cover story on whether or not women can “have it all” has certainly hit a national nerve. The week after the article came out it had received more than 1.1 million online views. Women and men all around the country are registering their objection or approval of author, mother of two and former State Department official Anne-Marie Slaughter’s premise that the 70s feminist mantra of “having it all” is, in reality, not so easy—and maybe not even possible unless women push for changes in society.

We've all heard of the importance of positive thinking, affirmations, visualizations, and having dreams. But often these goals feel somehow so amorphous, that sometimes it feels a little like"hoo ha", doesn't it? Here's the key: if you make it just a mental exercise, it is ineffective. It's not hoo ha, it just doesn't work as powerfully as when you go beyond the mental.

It is a fact; stress is a part of our lives and contributes to 90% of all illness. And, unfortunately, working moms tend to experience it more often and from my many different angles. They feel stressed when they wake up a they are scurrying around, trying to get as much done as they can before leaving for work. They are stressed at work with never enough time to accomplish all that they had intended for the day.

[Part Two] By Beate Chelette In my last article, I talked about the reasons why women don’t get promoted more often. My experience as a career coach and long-time entrepreneur has enabled me to witness, first hand, why men tend to get promoted at a higher rate than women. Here’s a link to Part One of the article in case you missed it. http://goo.gl/FWEwa Now I’d like to talk about the bright side, which is your ability to improve your chances of being promoted by following some key strategies: Groom Your Successorrnr

How often have you wondered why someone came into your life? How about a negative situation or predicament that had developed? What's trust got to do with it? A good friend of mine explored the former conundrum with me a few years ago. We became fast friends, being open and transparent with one another, in which immediate trust was placed at the forefront of our relationship. During this exploration it was concluded that we needed each other in a capacity unbeknownst and undisclosed to either of us at the time.

We’ve all heard the divorce rate in the US hovers around 50%, but did you know the number of single parent households has tripled since 1960? Statistics show that 25% of households in the US are spearheaded by single moms, and that number has been steadily increasing. The Atlantic refers to this as the mysterious and alarming rise of single-parenthood.

This equation is actually really simple, yet many of us persist in making it complicated. ‘We only change when the cost of changing is less than the cost of staying where we are.’ Now this makes perfect sense at an intellectual level, but at an emotional level we just don’t seem to get it. We play tricks on ourselves. We deny or ignore the current costs by telling ourselves ‘it’s really not that bad,’ ‘other people have it much worse than me’ or ‘it’s not really costing me much.’

Last night Alice had another strange dream; it could, however, be almost categorized as a nightmare. A situation occurred involving an old friend of hers; Patty was in the hospital with a condition that was very grave. In the dream, Alice remembers Patty in the white bed, head raised a bit, dressed in dark clothing. The walls were close and had a medium-colored paneling on them (not unlike her home!). Alice had been talking with Patty when Patty's husband, Klue, walked in. Inaudible words were exchanged.

First, let's get the definitions out of the way: Entitlement: the fact of having a right to something or, belief that one is deserving or entitled to certain privileges. Deservedness: something rightfully earned because of something done or qualities show; merited.

I conduct classes with the title, Shining Your Light, because I believe so strongly in this message: You are a light being and have a light that is unique to you. When you stay buried under all the details of life, your light dims, and eventually, is not even distinguishable in the existence you’ve carved out. Truth is, at times it feels more like “existence” than living. It is understandable that, because your life is teeming with duties and tasks, you don’t realize that you have forgotten to tend to the oil lamp and really live the life you want.

Recently, Fortune 500 giants Yahoo and Best Buy became targets of heated criticism after they dropped a bombshell: their employees would no longer be allowed to work from home. You could almost hear the shrieks of shocked telecommuters who would now have to return to the office—or find new jobs, and the news has triggered a fresh debate: is telecommuting best for employer or employee? And does it help or hurt a woman’s career?