What Would Jesus Do?

Throughout my life, as I’ve worked with people in so many different capacities, one of my weaknesses is that I always want more for people…see more in them than they do.

Tony Robbins tells a story about a young person who joins the coast guard. He’s just graduated from the coast guard academy, and he’s headed out to his first rescue. A boat has capsized.

He has a sense of excitement…it’s the first action he’s seen…but there’s also this heavy sense of responsibility that he’s experiencing…life and death is in his hands.

As the helicopter closes in on the scene, he sees that there are more people in the water than seats in the rescue chopper.

Sir…we have a problem. There are more people in the water than we have seats.

Son…what you need to understand is that we can’t save all of them. There are two groups.

The first group is panicked. They will be screaming, splashing in the water, hurting one another. They want someone to come save them but are so panicked that they can’t move from that spot.

The second group will start swimming toward the helicopter as it approaches. Those people will be calm enough to get on the chopper. Those are the people we can save.

When I first heard that story, my heart broke for the first group. I want to save everyone…

But what I’ve realized…about myself and other people…is two things.

First of all, it’s not fair to me to try to save everyone. The saying hurt people hurt people is very true. If someone is not ready for healing…for the life of their dreams, I can’t make them want it. I can’t heal them. Even Jesus couldn’t.

Don’t believe me about Jesus? Go read the Bible. Every time someone asked Jesus for healing, they had to be specific and they had to take action. Stretch out your withered hand. Spit into the mud and put it on your blind eyes.

And there were people who needed healing who didn’t ask…who didn’t take action…and Jesus walked right by them.

The people who needed the healing the most…the Pharisees…were the ones who were the cruelest to Jesus and the disciples. Jesus wanted to save them…but they were so blinded by their bitterness that they wouldn’t allow it.

Let’s talk about Paul…he was the biggest persecutor of Christians…he was proud of it. It wasn’t until he had that moment on the road of Damascus that he changed his ways and went on to perform miracles, write 2/3 of the New Testament and become the man that we all admire and quote.

Secondly…it’s not fair to the person who doesn’t want the healing for me to try to make it happen…to force it.

Over the last 46 years, my biggest lessons…my biggest transformations came not when someone told me what I needed…but when I leaned into the pain of my situation…looked my ugly, festering wound in the face, leaned into the pain and did the work.

My proudest accomplishments were not handed to me…they were earned.

I don’t write this to tell you that it has to be hard…because it doesn’t have to be hard. Someone can conceivably wake up, decide to make the changes and BAM they are a new person.

But…since my ultimate guide for life isn’t a guru…it’s the Bible…I have to understand that there is a process, a framework for healing a success.

Yes…it can be easy…heck…I’d posit that God WANTS it to be easy…but at the end of the day, success and healing require two things…a decision…asking specifically for what you want…and personal action.

So…my question is this…are you willing to only work with people who are swimming toward the boat?

Are you willing to dial in and be specific about what you want?

And finally…are you willing to take action?

Stay Open to Possibility

About a month and a half ago, I was asked to be interviewed on a podcast.

It was the first time that anyone wanted to interview me…I mean…I interview people on a podcast.

The person who asked interview me was my mindset coach…I was honored and freaked out at the same time.

In the interview, I had the opportunity to talk about how much my life has changed since I did a scary thing…investing in myself.

Now…investing in myself isn’t frightening…it’s something that I know that I need to do in order to move the dial forward at a much quicker pace. The benefit is obvious in retrospect…when you work with someone who has overcome something you’re struggling with, you learn from their experience and therefore learn what they did to work through those things and expedite the process, in my case, of healing things that I ignored for years.

I’ve found that making that investment has helped me with what I do now…because a false belief that people in the entertainment space have is that they don’t have to invest in themselves to be successful.

If I hadn’t worked with Megan, I wouldn’t have worked through a LOT of shit before my mom passed. Honestly, if I were carrying all of that baggage, I don’t know that I would’ve survived my mom’s death. If I hadn’t worked with Megan, I don’t know that I would be able to recover so well from some of the *things* that are tossed at me on a daily basis.

If I hadn’t worked with Megan, I wouldn’t be able to coach people the way that I do today.

I’d love for you to take a listen to the podcast that Megan and I did…subscribe to her podcast and show her some love.

And make sure that you follow along here as well…because I’m going to be sharing a lot more…

If You’re Not Lazarus, MOVE

Today I had a conversation that was a gut punch…which is a fantastic thing…because it brought me back home.

You may be wondering where I’ve been…and that’s a great question that I will address…but not in this post.

Life takes us on all kinds of journeys…so many paths to follow. I truly believe that all paths lead toward your ultimate destination…that one thing that God placed you here on Earth to be for him. Some of those paths feel like a vacation…and some of those paths feel like you’re scaling the tallest mountain in the world with no safety equipment.

The past year has been both for me.

It was the best of times and it was the worst of times.

Back to that conversation.

Years ago I had something traumatic happen to me. I shan’t go into details…but ever since that moment I’ve been hiding my femininity.

I thought I had dealt with it…I did some deep mindset work…but today I realized that the little girl that was hurt is still sitting in a corner cowering, hiding in hoodies and jeans, not allowing herself to embrace the beauty that is her femininity.

How many of us do that? We hide our true selves from those who love us…pretending that it’s not there, believing that if we ignore it it will manifest the way we truly desire it to?

As I sit here in the want sun ensconced by the cool autumn air, sipping my coffee, looking inward I realize just how tired I am of hiding.

It’s exhausting.

Do you know what I mean? Maybe you have a dream of acting, modeling, being an entrepreneur…but every day you put on your 9-5 mask, hoping that today’s the day that it changes.

I have news for you.

It’s not going to happen until YOU TAKE ACTION.

Every miracle that God performed in the Bible required action on the part of the recipient. Except Lazarus. He was dead.

So…today…if you’re reading this…stop hiding in the cloak of normalcy. Embrace your magic.

TAKE ACTION.

If this resonates at all with you…drop me a comment. I’d love to continue the conversation with you!

Mirrors

Have you ever had someone say something to you that was meant to slice you into little pieces?

Something so cruel that, at first, you took pause to consider if it was actually *true?*

I’ve been in that situation.

I’ve doubted my competency.

I’ve doubted my growth.

I’ve doubted my worth.

When I first graduated from college, I moved to Boston with the hope of grand things. I was going to take the world by storm.

I was going to show the world who I was.

I landed a job that felt so…cool. I was working at a publishing company one block off the Common. I would lunch on the same bench that Robin Williams and Matt Damon sat on in Good Will Hunting.

I would go to Harvard Square and eat dinner in this small hole in the wall that made me feel so bloody smart.

Then I would walk into the office and my boss would tell me and my coworkers horrible things…how stupid and disappointing we were.

I didn’t last long there…I had no reason to stay and my family needed me to go back home.

Before that, I had extricated myself from a cult where I was emotionally beaten down because I refuted their heretical teachings before most people’s eyes were opened to the truth.

Can you say nervous breakdown?

What I learned from that time is that I am so much stronger than I know.

What I learned is that God has a plan for my life that most people don’t understand.

What I learned is that I have a core group of people in my life who love and understand me and who are there for me no matter what.

Sometimes, as I’m going through life, I forget that. I’m so busy helping and serving and doing that my Martha mantle blinds me to the need to be Mary…the need to sit at Jesus feet, to allow my tears to wash his feet as he holds me and heals my wounds.

As I write this, I’m listening to Breathe by Vineyard Worship. A song that I worshipped to when I made the most difficult decision of my life…to leave the cult that had been my life.

Why am I reliving this?

I was recently saw Tony Robbins live, and at the end of that night, I had a moment. God cleaned a lot of junk out of me that needed to be removed.

It was like a giant scab being removed from my heart. So my heart is free and raw all at the same time.

If you’re reading this…do the work that is required.

Look in the mirror.

Face yourself.

Face those parts of yourself that you love and you fear and you loathe.

Learn to love all of them.

And only then will you be free from the shackles of what others say to you.

I give you permission to be free.

Tough Experiences Yield the Most Fruitful Lessons

I guess you can say I’m a fixer. Whenever something happens that causes others stress or grief, I immediately got into militant mode.

I take over.

I go into action.

What I realized today is that my coping mechanism for grief can come off as lacking compassion; as too intense.

That broke my heart. Which was already bleeding.

Over the past few weeks, I have spent a lot of time with my friends’ dogs. The dogs and I have been a wolfpack, as my friends have been traveling.

The last two weeks were very intense as one of the dogs was very ill. I did everything I could…followed all the rules…even slept with the dogs (which if you know me, I am NOT a fan of) because I wanted the sick one to feel comforted.

Yesterday, it got to the point where he was disoriented. He was walking into walls. He wasn’t able to control his bodily functions.

We took him to the vet and ultimately learned that the only humane thing to do for him was to aid him in crossing the rainbow bridge.

Truth be told, I had known for a few weeks that the time was coming. I thought I was prepared.

But how can you be prepared to say goodbye to a being that you had worked so hard to keep alive?

I did one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I held him as he took his last breath.

And I sobbed. I apologized to him for swearing at him as I cleaned up his messes. I promised him that I would take care of his sister and his parents.

And the vet and I had a few laughs because one of my coping mechanisms is laughter.

When we got home, I went into a mode that I can only describe as extreme Martha. I did all of the things that needed to be done. And I continued to do so this morning.

Then I was told that I needed to lighten up.

It was a kick to the gut.

But it was the reality check that I needed.

You see…in extreme circumstances, I rely too heavily on my masculine energy. I’m not used to having someone who wants to…needs to take care of me. I’ve been a lone wolf for most of my life. I hate asking for help. I hate not being able to do all the things.

What works for me in my family doesn’t work for me in a relationship.

That was an eye-opener for me. Sounds silly–I know–but when you’ve lived on your own for around a decade, things have to change when you’re no longer alone.

One of the tenets by which I live my life is that life doesn’t happen to you…it happens for you.

I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned that I have the capacity to love an animal and to allow animals to love me.

I learned that I am stronger than I ever knew.

I learned that it is okay to need someone to support me.

I learned that I need to find a way to connect with my feminine energy.

I’m sad that the dog passed…but our last moments broke open a piece of my heart that has been locked for a long time.

What tough experience have you gone through recently that yielded an aha moment? Talk to me.

You Can’t Have a Plan B. This Has To Be The ONLY Plan.

On Monday, I had the opportunity to interview Bob Leone on the VIP Ignite podcast, who is a music legend. He is known as a star maker.

How did I get this opportunity? Let’s start from the beginning.

Two weeks ago, Michael Fomkin was in Los Angeles for a celebrity reading of the play, The Bench, A Homeless Love Story that VIP Ignite sponsored/produced. He sent me a picture of a business card–Bob’s business card–and told me that he had a meeting with him.

Being who I am, I had to google Bob. When I did my cursory search, my jaw dropped. I may have emitted a squeal as well.

I immediately texted him back, “YOU’RE HAVING A MEETING WITH THE MAN WHO DISCOVERED LADY GAGA?!?!?!?!”

They had their meeting, and the next thing I know, I’m getting on the phone with Bob Leone doing a pre-interview for the podcast.

So many things stand out from my conversations with him.

You can’t have a Plan B. This has to be your Plan A and your Plan B. It has to be the only plan.

When you are pursuing a career in the music industry, you have to eat, breathe and live music. It has to be the thing that wakes you up in the morning and that you dream about whilst you sleep.

I can tell you, firsthand from my conversations with Bob, that he practices what he preaches. When he talks about music and the talent that he works with, you almost feel a jolt of electricity come through the phone.

When he talks about discovering and grooming Stefani Germanotta (Lady Gaga) he sounds like a painter creating a masterpiece. When he talks about how he wouldn’t let Lizzy Grant (Lana Del Rey) quit music, he beams with pride.

When he talks about songwriting, about the new talent that he is cultivating, about the state of the music industry, you know why he is so successful. It’s not only about him having the right connections–his first producer when he was in the band The Flame was Jimmy Iovine who worked with the biggest names in the music industry such as John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Tom Petty to name a few–it is because he only works with people who can match his passion, his love, his work ethic.

Do you have that passion and drive for music?

If you do, make sure that you follow my blog. I’m going to be doing a series based on my conversation with Bob.

Please check out our website to get registered for our next open call. We have some amazing opportunities coming up for people trying to get into the music industry!

If We Don’t Talk About It

We can’t eradicate it.

Today, I had the opportunity of a lifetime.

Back before it was a popular buzzword, I was learning about human trafficking.

What shocks me, truthfully, is that more people are not aware of what is going on in plain sight.

It was an intimate group of powerhouses.

People who are in the trenches, loving on people who have been victimized by other people for money.

One of the women is a survivor of human trafficking. If you saw her…you never would’ve guessed that she was a victim.

She doesn’t fit the bill.

She doesn’t look like a victim.

The woman who arranged it, Monica Watkins, got her start as a model. She went on a trip to Haiti and encountered a young girl who was ensnared in human trafficking after the earthquake that ravaged the island and claimed her family.

Now, the organization that she runs, Beauty for Freedom, has impacted the lives of over 2000 human trafficking survivors and at risk youth.

All it takes is one encounter.

All it takes is one person to start.

All it takes is one action.

What struck me the most about the whole day is the role that art is playing in the healing of survivors. Sometimes you don’t have the words…but you can create art that speaks louder than words.

What feels like a lifetime ago, my friend and I went into Philadelphia when President Bush was really starting to raise awareness on human trafficking and on helping non-profits get grants. I may have almost followed Franklin Graham into the bathroom…but that’s a story for a different time.

That day, again, I went because I thought it would be cool to hear the president and Franklin Graham speak. I had no clue that today I would be at an intimate panel in the NY Times building with people who were holding major corporations and brands accountable to doing their part in stopping the trafficking of human beings.

Why the hell are we having that conversation in 2019 still?

Because there are people who are still willing to BUY another human being.

There are people who make billions of dollars selling human beings.

Keep your eyes open. You know someone who is a slave. They may not have metal shackles on their ankles or chains on their arm, but you have encountered someone who is enslaved.

If you suspect that someone you encounter is there against their will, call the hotline. 888-373-7888.

Silence is complicity.

Have you ever been fully present in a moment…

And felt like you had to pinch yourself to make sure it was really happening?

I had a moment like that a few nights ago. I was sitting at dinner after a long day, and as I took an inventory of the day, I found myself laughing incredulously.

You see, a few months ago, I was working a job that I honestly hated. It was a job that I had taken out of fear…and though it was good for what it was, it wasn’t something that was good for me.

Can you relate?

Now, here I am, nearly three months removed, and I’m having conversations that are unreal. Conversations that kids dream of…but that never appealed to me.

When I was in sixth grade, my best friend was obsessed with one thing: Hollywood. She made me watch every award show, every red carpet event…I obliged her because it made her happy…but it was never my cup of tea.

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Hollywood for a huge networking event with VIP Ignite.

When we arrived, we ate lunch at the diner where a few of the scenes from Pulp Fiction were shot.

Then we went to the Walk of Fame and saw all the sights there.

Then we saw the Hollywood sign.

And I turned into a complete fan girl.

All of a sudden, I understood.

Fast forward to the other night.

I was sitting down at dinner after a long day, and everything that I’ve experienced in the past few months hit me. And even more than that, the conversation that I was having really struck me.

You see, a few months ago, my conversations were about how to keep a hygiene schedule full; how to get people signed up for Invisalign; how to get my staff to show up on time to greet patients.

Now, my conversations revolve around household names; around funding for projects; around things that a year ago were interesting to me, but not passion projects.

I have conversations with people who have the power to make or break careers; with people who are changing the face of how human trafficking victims are rehabilitated; who are going to change the face of social consciousness.

I jokingly said that the other day I lived an entire lifetime in one day…I did things that others dream about. I was told that I should start journaling it…so here I am, taking that advice.

I’m going to be sharing this journey with you.

If you’ve been with me for a while–even during the drought of writing, I hope that you stick with me. I know that this is a turn from how the blog started…but you’ll see how everything I’ve written before has led to this moment.

Are you ready to take the journey with me? Over the next few days, leading up to some huge interviews I have lined up, I’m going to be filling in the blanks that led up to this moment.

Make sure you subscribe to my blog…I promise you that as you ride along with me, you’ll be inspired to say YES to your dreams as well!

Models, Murder and Human Trafficking

Have I told you guys that I host a podcast? I’ve been doing it for about a year now. I have had the opportunity to interview some of the coolest people in the entertainment industry. Actors. Models. Musicians. It’s a pretty sweet gig.

How did I land this gig? Well, I got connected with a company called VIP Ignite. We connect actors, models and musicians with casting directors, agents…you know…we get to help people make their dreams come true.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of nefarious people who prey on people who are willing to do anything to achieve their dreams…so we’re doing a 10 part series talking about companies who at best misrepresent what they can do for talent.

Just like everything else in life, you get what you pay for.

Last night, I had Alycia Kaback, the CEO of VIP Ignite, on the podcast…and we talked about a popular free website called Model Mayhem. If you’re a model, you probably know about them.

It seems like a good way to get some experience…I mean, every model needs more photos and looks…but it’s also a good way to come into contact with human traffickers.

And the website can’t even be held responsible. Think I’m joking? Listen to the podcast. If we were on video, you would’ve seen my jaw on the floor.

http://bit.ly/AlyciaTalksModelMayhem

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think after you check out the podcast! If you like what you heard–find the VIP Ignite Live podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and hit subscribe!

Breaking patterns of repeatability

January has been health month. Annual checkup with the doctor. Mammogram. Annual gyn exam. You know, living my best life.

We are all so programmed to make sure our physical health is in check…but how often do we check in with our mindset health? Our career health? Our mental health? Or relational health?

We’re almost through the first month of the year…and though my physical health is pretty good…this weekend will be a time to examine the harder parts of my life.

I kicked off the year journaling, meditating, doing my devotions…but life happened. I’ve been dabbling in those things but not actively taking care of me.

Why?

Well…I can give you the excuses. Busy and short staffed at the 9-5. Burning both ends of the candle with the side hustle. But that would be me lying to you and to myself.

Somewhere inside, there is this angsty little girl who believes that I have to take care of everyone else first…then accept crumbs for me. She and I have been battling since I first determined that to be loved is to sacrifice yourself for others.

I have been consistently rewarded emotionally for putting myself last. I come from a codependent family where you’re made to feel guilty for not putting the family first. I am attracted to codependent relationships where I am expected to wait and sacrifice while getting very little in return.

So much honestly for a Friday morning.

In order for me to do all of the things that I am meant to do, I have to hang out with the little girl inside of me so that we can come to terms with how my life is going to work.

What does that mean? I am going to express gratitude for where my life is and has been. I am going to examine the root of why I still, despite having worked on this before, fall into the same patterns. Obviously I’m getting an emotional payoff of some sort or I would have broken the pattern.

After that, I am going to sit down and visualize, dream, write what my life looks like without those patterns. How it feels. The emotional payoff of doing the work.

Why am I oversharing? I’ve worked with a few Mindset coaches who have given me the tools I need to get to this point. A coach isn’t a cheerleader, as Rachel Hollis likes to say. A cheerleader is a yes man. A coach calls you on your bullshit.

If you need to break patterns in your life, you need a coach…not a psychologist, not a book. I’m developing a program that can benefit you if any of this resonates with you. Shoot me a message and let’s talk!