Have you ever really thought about the word, embrace?

While we all automatically go to the heart of the meaning, "to hold someone closely in your arms", there is so much more to this wonderful word.

Another definition of embrace is:

to accept or support (a belief, theory, or change) willingly and enthusiastically.

WOW! Just wow.

I think that is why I just love this word. The idea of embracing something with enthusiasm opens a new perspective to "how" we interact with whatever "it" is.

 With that, let's catch up on what I've been up to this week...

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“I don’t want to be a savior.  I want to be a mirror.”  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Reading

These are the 8 Lists That You Need When Starting a Job Search, by Stephanie Vozza.  True confession:  I am a list maker and I love to cross things off a list. This article, though...

What is it about the month of August? Every month brings its own energy, but August is something quite special.

Perhaps it is because we know the year is over halfway through. We feel the rush of deadlines and holidays nearing. We sense that the heat and summer days are soon behind us. We know change is coming.

Change is not always easy. And this time of year can bring stress on so many levels.

But I see August as the perfect time to pause and reassess. It's the time we should pull out our vision board and see where we are, adjust as needed, and realign our goals so that we accomplish what we need and want to by year's end.

That is why I welcome and greet August. It's the perfect time to prepare for change.

With that, let's catch up on what I've been up to this week...

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"I'm going to make everything around me beautiful - that will be my life." Elsie de Wolfe

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I cannot believe that July is coming to a close and we will be welcoming August this weekend.

It seems as only a few days ago, I was greeting the summer, lavishing in the rain, and lingering in my garden soaking up the sun.

But I am not sad to see the summer prepare to come to a close because it has been full of so much joy and jubilation.

From my early morning walks to welcoming back friends into my life with open arms, this month has been full of moments of pure joy.

Have you ever thought about how different our lives would be without "jubilant" moments?

With that, let's catch up on what I've been up to this week.

Quote              “If you’re not making some notable mistakes along the way, you’re certainly not taking enough business and career chances.” - Sallie Krawcheck

Reading

We are hearing more and more about anxiety these days. Is anxiety always a bad thing?

Not according...

Have you ever paused and thought about what the word "generous" actually means? I looked up the word and found a fabulous meaning: more plentiful than is usual or necessary.

WOW! Think about that. What are the times in your life when something has been "more plentiful than usual"?

Our minds can go to the obvious places of money or food, but what about the times you have had laughed more than usual, soaked up more sun than was necessary, or just relaxed longer than usual?

Those are very "generous" moments in our lives.

I invite you as you look the last week of July to pause, recognize, and be thankful for the "generous moments".

With that, let's catch up on what I've been up to this week...

Quote  “When you embrace your difference, your DNA, your look or heritage or religion or your unusual name, that’s when you start to shine.” - Bethenny Frankel

Reading

We’re coming up on the anniversary of my husband’s death and I’ve already received...

This month is flying by as fast as the birds fly overhead. I often sit in my garden and watch the birds as they swoop in and out. There is something so magical in their flight. And as I pondered their beauty, I realized that what caught my attention was how they glide.

They have a goal, to get to my bird feeder. They see the destination. And they use what they have, their winds, to guide them. Sometimes the hit the bird feeder exactly as intended, and sometimes they miss it. But they use their wings and try again.

How wonderful! Why, because we too can glide to our goals like the birds.

When we know what our goals are and when we can visualize them, we know what we need to strategize how to get there. We may not always hit our target the first time, but we can glide around and try again.

So, as you read through my notes this week be thinking, how are you "gliding through"?

With that, let's catch up on what I've been up to this week...

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Two things happened recently, we crossed into the second half of 2021 and the first tropical storm of the season made landfall in Florida.

Both occurrences brought the word generate to mind. And I took some time to reflect on the word.

There are so many things we need to generate in our life. From the funds to live and support our families to the energy we need to accomplish our goals each day, generating is something we cannot get away from.

I am taking some time to focus on both aspects for myself so that I can hit my goals on both a personal and professional level.

From adding more time with my art coach to generate creative energy, to spending more time in my garden generating peaceful energy, I am making sure my personal generator is ready to carry me through the second half of this year.

Let me know what you are doing to generate what you need in the coming months.

With that, let's catch up on what I've been up to this week...

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“I am not afraid of...

I cannot believe that we are already halfway through 2021. The weeks are flying by as we work to continue to pivot and shift so that we deliver what you need to be the CEO that we know that you are.

I must admit, I am so excited about our July topic "Celebrating Entrepreneurial Freedom". Not only is this one of the main reasons so many of you started or are thinking of starting your business, but it is one of the things I find myself consistently reminding my clients to embrace.

There is a reason you chose this path. So take some time this month to reflect and celebrate. And if you are still considering if going from "employee to entrepreneur", then be sure to join us for our conversations all month long.

For now, celebrate all that is the year and this life.

With that, let's catch up on what I've been up to this week...

Quote 

“People like you and me never grow old. We never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were...

The rain keeps showering each day breathing life into my garden much the same way that opportunities are raining down on our team and our members.

I have been invigorated each day by the connections I am building and the stories I am hearing. While we are missing the sun, the nourishment the rain is bringing to all levels of my life and business has been outstanding.

With that, let's catch up on what I've been up to this week...

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“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” - Malala Yousafzai

This article popped up on my newsfeed and the title intrigued me enough to stop and read it: Four Tips for Talking with People You Disagree With, by Megan Phelps-Roper (Click here) That article led to my listening to her TED Talk on the same subject (click here). And WOW, just wow!  Her story will leave you shaking your head, then nodding, and...

I must admit one of the most wonderful things about what I do is that I get to be "genuinely me". Every day, I have the opportunity to coach and guide women on their entrepreneurial journey utilizing my joy of reading, creating, and connecting. 

I overheard one of our team members telling a new member, "you have to schedule a call with Nancy. You will leave with at least one new book, a link to a podcast, and a quote that you will never forget."

WOW! Just wow!

With that, let's catch up on what I've been up to this week...

“Rain is good for me. I feel like I achieve clarity actually when it rains. The longer I have to sit and wait, the clearer my game becomes to me.” (Venus Williams)

What I am reading...“How To Make Yourself Work When You Just Don’t Want To,” by Heidi Grant. (click here) 

We’ve all been there, right?  You’re supposed to do something, but you keep putting it off… Then you feel guilty...

I’m fond of saying “so and so, I am so glad that God put you in my path!”  I first heard that saying in a great movie called The Four Feathers. I’m the person who meets you and wonders how our lives will be affected by the encounter... Over the years many people have come into my life with messages that once understood made a world of difference. 

I recently read a great article by  Karen Salmonson called 6 Reasons We Don’t Meet People by Accident.  We Meet for a Reason. (www.notsalmon.com).  I encourage you to read the article and I’ll bet that you will have lots of ahas...Here is a summary:  (1) Some people are bridges-- they serve as pathways to get us to where we need to go. They transport you to the next level of your life journey.  (2) Roadblocks or re-directors-- these people come to delay and redirect you. Sometimes they delay you from harm. Sometimes they delay you so you meet someone else who will...