The Magic of Jenny Bones (or why I partnered with a witch)

Posted on May 1, 2012August 27, 2012 by Sandi Amorim 20 Conversations

When I think of Jenny Bones I think. . .

funny
whipsmart
full hearted
wise, witchy woman

I am blessed to call her friend, colleague and partner in crime (of the s’mores variety!)

It was a few weeks ago that Jenny picked up the phone and began the conversation that has turned into our upcoming S’mores Summer Camp for Solopreneurs.

In those few weeks we’ve laughed, gotten shit done and created something of value without succumbing to the perfectionist lure of someday.

I love that she’s got the geniusy writing sass goin’ on right alongside the tarot card woo woo vibe. Doesn’t that make you want to find out more about her?

It’s extraordinary to work with someone who has both the creative ideas and the get-it-done energy. It takes huevos of a particular kind to throw your metaphorical hat over the wall and then go after it without a moment’s hesitation.

Jenny does that better than anyone I’ve ever worked with.

Jenny’s brand of shining is magical (not kidding about her being a witch!) and I’m thrilled that she’s here casting a spell. You’ve been warned 😉

1. Why are you here?

I believe I’m here because I’ve been willing to jump off a few cliffs in my day. I’m not sure where I’d be if I hadn’t jumped. Probably in a cubicle, complaining about the calorie count of the high-fat double-mocha latte I was sipping whilst silently dreaming of what life would be like if I were a writer.

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Your Soul Song is Waiting

Posted on April 23, 2012October 23, 2012 by Sandi Amorim 31 Conversations

I’ll never forget the day I read the first email I received from Carol Hess, today’s spotlight. She’d just read the post I wrote after my father-in-law died and her message said, “I just read your Starbursts post. You scare the shit out of me. And that means I need to work with you.”

I sat at my desk moved to tears. Sharing the experience of my father-in-law’s sudden death was terrifying. Had I gone too far, my passion too intense? And then Carol’s email arrived.

It was confirmation that this message which had been there all along in my work was my core message, and it was suddenly so clear I could no longer ignore it. Carol would call this my Soul Story.

And that is her brilliance – calling forth your Soul Story.

The fascinating aspect of this story is that in reaching out and asking for what she needed, Carol made a difference for both of us.

Her work is empowering, but it’s not that she has power to give you. No. It’s more like she pulls back the veil so you can see your own power and claim it. Then she’s right there beside you, not just talking but walking the path.

When I think of Carol, words like authenticity, integrity and courage come to mind. And she’s funny! So damn funny, when we talk there is much laughter of the out loud and snorting kind!

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The Art & Science of Stellar Copywriting

Posted on February 10, 2012July 24, 2013 by Sandi Amorim 4 Conversations

When I first met the quirky fellow in today’s spotlight, I wasn’t sure what to think. After all, in his own words he is the following:

Writer. Marketer. Practitioner of sales magic. Singer. Ex-monk.

Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

And I’ll add he’s also a brilliant copywriter and one of the most supportive people I’ve met online. But what I love most about Martin Stellar is his commitment to being of service. It really is what he’s all about and that inspires me.

That’s the Art.

People talk about service, but fall short more often than not. Why?

[pullquote]”The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Gandhi[/pullquote]

Because what I’m talking about is being of service, not doing service and in my experience, it’s a rare breed that can pull that off.

Martin does so with heart.

Now for the Science.

Lest you think he’s just a smiling, helpful guy let’s cut to the chase. . .

Within a few days of working his magic on my Coaching page it generated over $2000 from new clients. Not too shabby for an ex-monk living in a small town in Spain!

He is a wordsmith, skilled in the art of sales copy and marketing. Because really, what else would you learn at a monastery? 😉

You tell him where you want to go and he’ll navigate the way to your success.

His genius is not simply good copywriting but his ability to get to the heart of the matter and work with you in a way that’s part coach/part consultant/part sherpa.

He has become both sounding board and valued friend and I’m delighted to share him with you in today’s spotlight. Enjoy!

1. Why are you here?

To help, serve, and make money in the process

2. What is your future self calling for?

For me to do more now, so my future self can take a day off. Or two.

To be more in the moment, more focused, and fix the things in my life that need fixin. (Earn more, study more, create a bigger network.)

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Ramblings of an Overactive Mind

Posted on December 16, 2011October 23, 2012 by Sandi Amorim 14 Conversations

At the start of the month I was introduced to Reverb, a month-long writing challenge. Like other online challenges I’ve done it’s introduced me to a new community, and as in any group, individuals stand out.

Jason Benoit stood out like a sore thumb.

His blog, Love Letters & Suicide Notes, is a foreign land, a land in which you might lose yourself in words or perhaps fall into a darkness which could scare you off, never to return. It’s this tension that makes his writing powerful.

I read a lot, and skim even more, so to catch my attention and leave me on the edge of my seat not wanting a story to end is quite a feat. There are probably hundreds of Reverb posts being published each day; his is one of the few I look for.

It’s that compelling. And, it’s not for the faint of heart. It challenged me to stay with it, to keep reading, and I’ve gotta tell you it is not easy reading.

It is however, extraordinary reading because he masterfully shines the light on our darker emotions, the ones we most try to hide.

Jason writes about the humanity of living; the good, the bad and the often ugly, and I appreciate that. It’s easy to put on a happy face, smile big, and make it look like you’ve got life handled. What’s not easy is baring your soul, and yet he does.

So beautifully.

His writing reaches out and invites you in, even when he’s writing about a traumatic event from his past.

And when he writes about beauty, connection, intimacy – the emotions we all want more of – it is heart-breakingly beautiful.

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Hit That Reset Switch!

Posted on September 9, 2011October 22, 2012 by Sandi Amorim 8 Conversations

Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

A few weeks ago a tweet caught my eye as Nichole Kellerman announced a contest to win a spot in a wellness program she was offering. Because I’ve been lucky and have won a few things in the past few months I threw my hat in the metaphorical ring hoping to win.

I’ve gotta say, I didn’t read all the details of the contest as I was kind of swept away by my enthusiasm to win again.

Fast forward a week and I get the notice that I’m in! Yay!

A spot in Nichole’s program is mine and I proceed to go back and read the details.

Oh oh. . .

My first thought was “Oh no, it’s a diet! Damn! I refuse to get back on the diet bandwagon, now what do I do?”

So I contacted her and came clean. I hadn’t read all the details, I was sorry I’d wasted her time but I simply was not interested in dieting.

Her response impressed me. She encouraged me to modify it as needed to feel good doing it. She really heard my concerns and empowered me to choose and said she’d understand either way.

Hmm. . .her integrity was apparent and I agreed to participate with the modifications we discussed.

Fast forward two more weeks. . .

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How to Be Rich and Happy: Spotlight & Review

Posted on September 2, 2011October 22, 2012 by Sandi Amorim 6 Conversations

Follow Friday Series

An Admission, A Review & A Spotlight

Follow Friday Series

The Admission

I started talking to Tim Brownson about having him in the spotlight months ago. I wanted to combine the Friday spotlight with a review of Tim’s book (co-authored with John P. Strelecky) and that’s when my procrastination kicked in.

In my 15+ years as a student of personal development and 10 years of coaching I’ve read a helluva lot of books, and the title How to Be Rich and Happy made me groan aloud.

Really Tim?

How to Be Rich and Happy???

Sounds so. . .I don’t know. . .too good to be true maybe?

It’s fair to say I had a reaction to the title, which began the cycle of procrastination, putting it off time and again.

If I’d told him, he’d probably have laughed and had me read An Easy Way to Beat Procrastination where he says,

“As a human being your brain is pre-programmed to avoid pain whenever it can.”

At first I thought, “What pain? I love doing these spotlights!” but the pain quickly became clear.

The pain was related to my reaction which lead me to believe I wouldn’t like the book itself which lead to “I shouldn’t review this book”which lead to why the hell read it then!? I’d completely forgotten it had started with a desire to have Tim in the spotlight.

The worst thing about the procrastination was the blow to my integrity, one of my core values. Honouring my word is essential to my well-being. I’m not kidding, it really is that important to me and here I was putting off something I said I’d do months ago.

When you’re committed to walking your talk, the only thing to do when your integrity goes out is clean it up. That I hadn’t kept my word became a fierce thing in my mind, staring me in the face like one of Tim’s Dobermans!

So I read the book.

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Living a Life Less Ordinary

Posted on August 27, 2011October 22, 2012 by Sandi Amorim 11 Conversations

A life less ordinary takes integrity.

It takes being a stand for something greater than yourself and today’s spotlight Stacey Herbert lives this way.

You might be wondering why I’m posting a Friday spotlight on Saturday and my answer is integrity, or rather a breakdown in integrity. I’m going to be writing more about this in future but for now let me just say this –

the level of integrity that’s gotten you to wherever you are becomes insufficient to take you to the next level of whatever you’re up to in life.

Simply said, what got you here won’t get you there.

And I’m talking about my own integrity for a moment. I could give you the reasons and excuses for why the spotlight didn’t run yesterday, but what’s important is that it didn’t, not the why. Part of the power that lies in integrity is the ability to acknowledge and clean up the breakdowns quickly, without the drama.

How could I not own this breakdown and then have Stacey here as a guest? She writes brilliantly about what she calls the integrity gap:

What started out as an integrity breakdown has quickly become an opportunity to realize there’s a gap, and what better time to own that than here in Stacey’s light?

So without further ado here is Stacey Herbert, a fellow philosopher (we both love the work of Brian Johnson and his Philosophers Notes). I encourage you to read her blog and follow her adventures. I trust you will fall in love with her as I have.

1. Why are you here?

If you’d asked me this question a little while back I may not have been able to give you an answer. I was stumbling through life, having wonderful ups and life altering downs.

I had no focus and struggled to put a label on me or identify my purpose in life.

Then something incredible changed in me. It’s been a long time coming and at times very painful, but it’s opened me up to who I am and why I’m here.

Although it scares me to articulate it publicly, the reason I am here on this earth is to love, encourage, enable and support people to live their best, most highest, audacious life. It doesn’t sound like much of a job description, but I’m slowly coming to terms with that. My first task is to lead by example.

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Nothing to Undo

Posted on April 22, 2011April 16, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 27 Conversations

Pretty All True is in the house today and as one of Kris’s many fans (ever notice the small distance between fan and fanatic?) I just have to say…

SWOON!

She has this way about her that makes me laugh, cry, SNORT, and just generally love every moment she shares of her life.

The good, the bad and the…not always pretty.

When she’s good, she’s really, really good. And when she’s bad she’s brilliant.

I can think of no other writer I read regularly who covers so much emotional ground. I love that she lets us in to bear witness. I love that she lets us love her even when it’s uncomfortable.

People?

I have a Kris Crush.

I so do.

1. Why are you here?

I am here because weakness met weakness and surrendered. I am here because of broken bits and shards that never cohered into a whole. I am here because of mistaken promises. I am here because of damage. I am here because of harm. I am here because of insanity. I am here because of cruelty. I am here because of evil. I am here because of failure.

I am here because I did not break, although breaking was intended.

I am here because I am stronger than I expected to be.

I am here because I am weaker than I hoped to be.

I am here because I am determined.

I am here because my path thus far has led me…ere.

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