Taking A LEAP

I am just back from an incredible retreat in Deer Valley, Utah.  It was called LEAP which stands for Liberation, Equanimity, Alignment, Power.

When we learn to release negative patterns, old ways of doing things that cause us suffering, we are no longer STUCK.  We are operating from a place of calm.  Balance through alignment and connection is so powerful.  Martha Beck and Boyd Varney lovingly and compassionately guided those who felt compelled to "tell their stories."  For all the participants, each on his/her own journey and at different places on their paths to peace, found a take away.

For me, I have been in the process of merging my two businesses.  My passion is design, but I think my calling is as a healer (of sorts).  There are always questions.  Am I doing the right thing?  Will anyone be interested in this message?  Do people care?  Etc, etc.  We fill our heads with thoughts that more often than not stop us in our tracks.  We unconsciously go back to old trauma patterns that sabotage the very thing we have made our goal.

Through storytelling we heard of magical synchronicities and began to understand surprising similarities to tracking animals in the wild and tracking self defeating patterns in our own lives that keep us from our best selves.

Living Beauty~ FULLY encompasses not only finding your path to inner peace, but making your surroundings as beautiful as possible to ensure the experience is the best it can be.

The Stein Erikson Lodge was the perfect place to peel back layers and look at our core beliefs.  We learned how they can get in the way of living that best life.  When we live in balance and alignment we can heal and let go of what does not serve us.  I for one do it better in a place where I feel comfortably supported, design wise.

The million dollar view was almost the only thing I saw!  Because I am all about our living space mirroring our inner space, having gotten a gorgeous suite did not hurt!  My experience was made all the better by that gorgeous view and a fireplace in the bedroom.  A hot tub on the adjacent balcony made for relaxing dreamy evenings.  I almost felt guilty with all the space to myself.  Almost.  The level of thoughtfulness that the Stein Erikson Lodge staff demonstrated was impressive.

 I was stunned when I saw the ribbon around my phone cord.  What nice touch!  Details matter! The nightly chocolates didn't hurt either.

Turtle steps towards taking a big LEAP into the unknown can be hard and scary, but there does seem to be MAGIC on the other side and not surprisingly ~ magic within as well!




Do you want to experience magic in your everyday life?  Drop me a line, let's talk.

Spring Awakening

You may or may not know that I have been in training to pursue certification as a life coach.  Design will always be a passionate pursuit, but I felt a calling to this work as well.  I feel like I am having a full circle moment because I was a psych major in college, but fashion and design were my true callings; my North Star, as the very wise Martha Beck calls it.  It's Martha's program that most resonated with me when I was researching under whom I wanted to train.  Three degrees from Harvard and the backing of Oprah can't be wrong!

My thoughts were causing me pain over the past couple years and I felt the need to "retrain" my brain; to accept the things I cannot change (no it's not a 12 step program), but it may become a religion once I understand how to dissolve self defeating thoughts and live by the work.  And by The Work I mean Byron Katie's work.  It's all about turnarounds and just shifting one's perspective.  It's so powerful, I decided why not share it?  So, while I got into it "for me," the desire to share it and incorporate it, is an endeavor I will figure out how to do in the coming months.

What is a life coach you ask?  Life coaches, unlike therapists help take you from preforming to high performing.  We don't deal in the past, we don't deal with deep trauma, we help you reach desired goals.  It's collaborative, goal oriented, focused on solutions, and it's fascinating!

I had a huge AHA moment recently!  It really rocked me.  It's like the clouds parted, heaven opened up, and the angels sang!

Photo capture from WestEdge Design Fair when I was in CA.
with BlogtourCali & Modenus

Unlike the fleeting blossom of the Cherry tree, enlightenment lasts and forever changes you.



 "TRANSFORMATION HAPPENS WHEN YOU DARE TO BE AWAKENED TO GREATER HEIGHTS.  WHEN YOU STAY OPEN NO MATTER WHAT, LETTING EACH EXPERIENCE, ESPECIALLY THE TOUGH ONES, STRENGTHEN YOU, AND ADD DEPTH AND WISDOM."
                                                                          ~ Oprah

Roots of Reinvention Taking Shape

Another holiday season is behind us and we are deep into resolutions, reminders to be grateful, mantras, mindfulness to reach goals set for the coming year no matter how big or small.  This is a time to reset, recharge, recommit.   We may repeat ourselves year after year, maybe never quite reaching those goals set, but we keep trying and that's the important thing.  Remember, it's the journey that counts, not always the destination!


Last year I did a post at this time ~ Making Choices ~ It holds true as much now as it did then.

You know I love my Year in Review posts!  My Top 5 most popular posts of this past year~


An Empty Nest  ~ (this is more sentimental than anything else)

Feng Shui Your way to Abundance ~ Who doesn't want more abundance?

A Headboard Alternative ~ We are always looking for ideas for "how to" do something differently.

My Icon Apartment Showcase Apartment ~ This was a wonderful opportunity and I was so pleased with the outcome.

Walk with me: Coconut Grove ~ many of you said you felt like you were there.

I am THRILLED to announce that in addition to my design practice, for which I will always be wholly passionate about and this blog, which has enriched my life in ways I could have never imagined, I will be working towards certification as a life coach this coming year.  It is a big commitment but I know it will enhance my life and hopefully others, as I begin this new journey and figure out how the pieces will all fit together.  I am on a Stargazer's journey as Martha Beck  puts it (which is who I will be training under) and once you "find your own North Star," there is no turning back!

Simply, we all get stuck; stuck in our self sabotaging thoughts, stuck in negativity, stuck in patterns that no longer serve us.  My purpose is to learn how to "re~train" my brain in an effort to accept the things I cannot change and put me on a path of more positivity that has thus far eluded me to a certain extent. I will learn tools to help me live my best life ~ then hopefully, help others to do the same.

I am excited, nervous, exhilarated, anxious to see where this new path leads and how I will incorporate it into my life by design.     Join Me.