Dear one,

Before I started guiding writers to the completion of their books, I lived a couple of other lives professionally. I was an English teacher (for 8 years) and a family therapist (for two decades). I also went through some personal sh!t–as all interesting writers must, of course.

The ONE thing I have learned, both in my own life and in working with therapy AND writing clients is that if we live long enough, we will have to reinvent ourselves a couple of times.

I’m VERY excited to announce something that has been a passion project on the back burner for me for a couple of years as I’ve been building The Narrative Project into THE go-to program to give writers everything they need to get their books done.

That’s right, I’m FINALLY offering a virtual women’s weekend of Phoenix Lessons and I want to let you, my writerly friends, know about this venture because our personal narratives are NOT just stories on the page; they are the stories we LIVE. Keep reading….

You may or may or may not know that in 2015 my life became a pile of ashes. I left a marriage and faced a remaking of my entire life at age 48.

Following the end of that marriage, I lost SEVEN close loved ones as they passed from this life. Back-to-back-to-back. I could not have imagined life would burn me to the ground with so much death and loss in such a short period of time. The whole foundation of my identity and my stability was crushed, and I could barely breathe.

My saving grace was that I had experienced near total losses TWO other times in my life (though never to this magnitude). So, I knew what to do. Through my work as a therapist, my life as a writer, my spiritual practices, and my commitment as a runner, I knew I would need to:

• Listen to my deep self for direction
• Access my Authentic Inner Champion for wisdom
• Relate to my inner critical voices with compassion
• Re-envision a new set of life goals and set myself on course to achieve them
• Determine a CLEAR personal “Bill of Rights” to live by
• Examine the faulty beliefs that had been MY contribution to the relationship pickle I’d gotten myself in in the first place
• Systematically replace those beliefs with TRUTHS I could live by from now on
• Manifest a new, supported life
• Build a thriving livelihood that would contribute to the lives of others
• Fill my life with love

In only four years after my life burned to ashes:

• I went from making $4000 a year to having a thriving, vibrant business that supports me AND does the meaningful work of helping writers tell their transformational stories
• I put out several new anthologies featuring powerful stories that MUST be told
• I lost the weight I’d gained in my depression.
• I bought a new home and…
• A yurt to put on my late grandparent’s property where I go for quiet, writing, and sanctuary
• I gained renewed vitality for life
• I crafted a fresh vision for who I could be and what I could accomplish

The thing is… the Phoenix periodically burns herself up and rises again from her own ashes. I wish THE BURNING wasn’t necessary for THE RISING to happen. But it is.

However… the BURNING doesn’t have to be as dramatic for you as it was for me. It can be undertaken consciously, in a considered way.

We will ALL face the need to re-evaluate and pivot our direction in life plenty of times in the course of a long existence. And at this moment in time, world-wide events are necessitating changes we didn’t necessarily bank on or want.

Besides my own crashing, burning, and reinventing, I’ve worked for decades now with therapy and writing clients who have faced the necessity of rising from the ashes of a life burned down. I know it’s possible to refurbish, rebuild, and shine brighter than ever before.

If you are craving/needing/undergoing a BURNING or your life has already burned and you’re in need of a RISING or REINVENTION, I’d like to invite you to:

A weekend of Phoenix Lessons.

Over these past years I’ve developed a series of practices that ENSURE a rising whenever the burning happens. Because don’t you know, some of our burnings are big and some are small but they are all significant.

Please join me for a transformational weekend of PHOENIX LESSONS!!

I will show you:

• My three spiritual practices that ALWAYS provide me with guidance and clarity.
• How to CONSCIOUSLY burn what needs to burn.
• How to identify and determine EXACTLY which beliefs about self, others, and the world are keeping you small.
• To craft a personal Bill of Rights you can live by.
• How to forge a relationship with your Inner Critic that puts YOU in charge.
• How to tap into the DEEP WISDOM of your INNER CHAMPION.
• How to get a clear roadmap to your next steps in life.
• How to GENUINELY BELIEVE you are a badass Goddess and how to walk about this world as such.

This is an intimate virtual weekend, so you’ll want to find a sacred space to close out the world for the weekend. Better yet, go get yourself a cozy room with a view somewhere.

I can’t wait to spend the weekend with you. (BTW, if this isn’t right for you at this time, please feel free to pass this post along)

When: October 29 and 30

Where: Zoom (details to follow your registration)

Investment: $597

What you need to bring: A journal, two colors of pens, 10 index cards (or slips of paper)

To sign up, use this link.