Lead Up for Women - March April 20

MARCH-APRIL 2020

Achieving top tier success matters Meet Ashleigh Warren, a digital marketer who specializes in scaling brand performance.

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NG OW I R GR ESS AND O F TIPS R BUSIN E ON YOU FLUENC EDIA IN IAL M SO C

CONNECT. INFLUENCE. LEAD. leadupforwomen.com

Ashleigh Warren Founder of So Social

Sharing powerful Stories LIVE each week on our new podcast Whoever says endless opportunity does not exist needs to stop limiting themselves by their beliefs that exist between their ears.

Our goal with Lead Up for Women is to empower as many women as we possibly can to Show Up, Be Seen, and to be the best version of themselves.

Having a podcast enables us to do just that. Are you ready to lead without permission and take the steps needed to live your best life? Whether you want to start the business of your dreams, learn the steps needed to love what you do, or celebrate your present and future accomplishments, our podcast will dive into deeper subjects with weekly guests who have already walked in your shoes.

Let the experts guide you to a clearer path to the future. Our show will be the perfect platform to be motivated and inspired, to advertise your business, network, and hear about Lead Up’s upcoming events.

With more than 20,000 listeners, we have the opportunity to pioneer global change for women today, as well as in the future.

We invite you to tune in to Lead Up for Women: Speak Up to Lead Up, weekly live on Facebook (on our Lead Up for Women FB page) or on any podcast outlet when you have time to listen.

We are on Spotify, Apple Play, Google Play, Stitcher, and iTunes.

Do you have someone in mind you feel would be a great interview on the show?

Do you want to share your story? Do you have a mentor, coach, sponsor or have been inspired by an amazing leader, entrepreneur, employer or friend? If so, we want to hear from you. Please submit their names, contact information, and why you feel they would be the perfect guest for the show to info@Leadupforwomen.com.

As the global leaders for empowering women, our platforms can put your brand in front of tens of thousands of active listeners. To get onboard, contact info@leadupforwomen.com for sponsorship package pricing.

Contents March • April 2020

Owned & Operated by Women’s Association, LLC Mailing Address 10522 E Sheffield Dr. Mesa, AZ 852112 Editorial Contributing Writer Rochelle Brandvein rochelle@brandveinpr.com 636.530.7225 Website & technical Support Shapeshift World Lorenzo@shapeshiftcompany.com 480.886.8005 PR social@leadupforwomen.com 602-730-5121 Social Media Amplified Social Marketing ashlyn@amplifiedsocialmarketing.com 480-848-0927 Membership Information membership@leadupforwomen.com 480-241-3708

Achieving top tier success matters

6 LEADERSHIP

4 Founder’s Corner How to THRIVE in today’s new reality

BUSINESS

General Inquiry info@leadupforwomen.com 602-730-5121

14 What every woman must know about her energy body

Art Director BOC design, Inc. brent@bocdesigninc.com 404-402-0125 Circulation/Subscriptions subscriptions@leadupforwomen.com

18 The Art Crate

12 Thriving with MS

16 Entrepreneur moms should use cannabis.

LUFW Management: Colleen Biggs: Chief People Officer colleenb@leadupforwomen.com 480-241-3708

LIFESTYLE

PHILANTHROPY

21 Discover what’s holding you back from your best self

leadupforwomen.com

28 Sanctuary 2020 Aligning our minds, body and souls 30 10 tips for growing your business and influence on social media

David Corson: Operations Manager davidc@leadupforwomen.com 404-931-6569 Lead Up for Women General Inquiry 602.730.5121 membership@leadupforwomen.com

23 Nourishment and nutrition for the soul

25 A Pivotal Space

Lead Up for Women

3

Founders Corner

How to THRIVE in today’s new reality

A

s I sit here in my home writing this message, I cannot help think about those who are alone out there in their homes— those without the people they see every day at work. What more can we do to stay connected with those who need connection? We have to accept that we are in a new reality—one that no one saw coming or has ever experienced before. So how do we continue to Connect, Influence, and Lead. in our everyday lives?

Believe it or not, we can still show up and be seen, thanks to the lens of technology.

For example, try Zoom for face-to-face meetings. Instead of picking up the phone, use Zoom to conduct everyday business transactions, hold large meetings and build relationships. You can use Zoom to hold fun happy hours with your friends, play games together or simply connect with close family members. More than ever, now is the time to see others and stay connected.

Social media is another direct way to connect with a lot of people instantly.

You can reach those who otherwise would not have connected with you that day.

Send videos on your Instagram and Facebook feeds, post photos of your daily activities (even if it is your office set-up at home), record your new reality and spread messages of positivity, hope and love.

Over the next several months, as businesses get back to work, travelers are back on the road and children return to school, I would like to challenge each of you to “Stay Connected.” Remember these “slow times”—the time when the world practically came to a halt and afforded you time to spend your days at home.

Remember the minutes and hours spent journaling, meditating, working home, playing games with your family and enjoying the extra time with your children.

These are the times and the priorities in life that matter.

Find the beauty in your new reality. Do not rush back to work and get so busy again that you forget what is most important to you. Seek the silver lining in this pandemic. Create a reality that is filled with making memories with those who matter the most. I challenge each of you to remember that life is happening for us, even this pandemic, as scary as it is, happened for us and for this earth.

Remain passionate and focused on what we can do to Connect, Influence, and Lead every woman. We have worked diligently to create a virtual organization for women looking to lead without permission, be the badass leader that you know you are, and gain the courage and confidence through the strong support of our group of women so you can live your best life.

We are here to show you how to tap into your greatest power, You. Remember, you are the only you who has ever been and the only you who will ever be.

Be you and be strong, because you are brilliant and the world needs you. All of the members of Lead Up for Women are here to offer you support and sisterhood to leading your best life and the journey starts today.

Find the beauty in your new reality.

Create a reality that is filled with making memories with those who matter the most.

What are you waiting for? Join us.

With Gratitude,

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Lead Up for Women

March-April 2020

Your Guide to

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Her greatest passion is people to take the leap into franchising. Her passion began from helping grow her local family handyman business to the top-rated national franchise in the industry. The franchise family business became so successful that in 2019 it was acquired by the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world-Ace Hardware Corporation.

Careyann and Franchise Logic has mastered a process that not only helps people find their perfect franchise match but allows for an abundance of possibilities.

We’re here to support your journey as you begin to explore opportunites in discovering the perfect franchise.

Contact us to find out how you can start today!

303.805.5078 • franchise-logic.com

Ashleigh Warren Founder So Social

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Lead Up for Women

March-April 2020

Achieving top tier success matters Meet Ashleigh Warren, a digital marketer who specializes in scaling brand performance.

Give us a snapshot of your brand? What makes it unique?

I am a digital marketer that runs ad campaigns for elite creators and brands that want to scale. I actively advise them on how to create ad campaigns, creative assets and products that produce top-tier multi-platform success. For many of my clients, I have produced more than a five times return.

I have worked with the likes of David Dobrik, Dan Bilzerian, Jake Paul, Becca Griffin and Mike Tyson.

I launched the marketing collective, So Social, a space for brands to easily connect with top-tier agency marketers without the high sliding-scale agency fees. We specialize in scale and creative delivery, and have produced over $100 million in revenue for creators and brands.

We like to think of ourselves as the “anti-agency agency.” As people who have worked at top-tier agencies and built their teams, we understand everything that is wrong with the agency model. We left to create a company that scales our clients’ returns and does not take advantage of them in the process. Not only do we believe in flat rates and month-to-month contracts, we live by our 7-days-a-week work ethic and accessibility.

What type of consumer/client are you targeting?

I am always looking to work with people who have a mission and live by it. I enjoy working with creative brands and influencers that are ready to increase their return on ad spend. leadupforwomen.com

Why do you do what you do?

I enjoy building things, the process— the effort all of it really captivates me.

I love to help people develop brands they are proud of.

What hurdles have you overcome being a woman in business?

People tend to underestimate you as a woman, so I always place focus on what matters: I am a human being, and I am damn great at my job. Here are my results that prove such. I have run into a few potential client interactions where they could not help, but look shocked to see I was a black woman when they met me. Some have even said, “Oh wow!” upon physically meeting me. I normally call them out with a response like, “I know, I unintentionally break stereotypes for a living, now that we’ve addressed that, let’s get to it.”

provide people with a positive conservation piece to help spark change. My personal life inspires a few of our bracelets. Growing up as a bisexual pastor kid inspired me to create our F H8 Bracelet. A college experience inspired our My Choice Bracelet, which is all about women’s reproductive rights. As an 18 year old college student away from home for the first time, I was sexually assaulted one night coming home from dinner.

I sometimes think what would have happened if he had finished what he came to do and I got me pregnant.

What if I was forced into a decision because of the state I lived in? I wanted to create a wearable daily reminder that we do not all have to agree about everything, but we can create a space where all people feel heard and supported.

What do you do to give back?

What do you see as some of your biggest opportunities moving ahead?

I often provide consulting services to upcoming entrepreneurs to help grow their brands. These people are not necessarily ready to invest in a marketing agency. I have always loved what I do, but one day on a plane ride home, a thought came to my mind, “But what are you doing for the world? What are you building that really matters?” I could not answer myself and decided to build a brand that speaks a single truth: It All Matters. Thus, Cause Bracelet was born.

We donate $5 from every bracelet to its nonprofit cause and

I see myself continuing to work with more top tier brands and influencers, but also consulting small business owners on how to properly take advantage of all that social media has to offer.

I do not want my life to just be about helping the best of the best. I want my services to be accessible to all people dedicated to growing their business, which is why I am launching Social Ad Experts, in the next few months.

Social Ad Experts will give small business owners the ability to work with top agency account managers at a fraction of the cost. Each business owner Lead Up for Women

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will receive a dedicated consultant who What is your method will review their social media ad acto stay connected with counts and provide weekly campaign other women in business? docs that will include a high converting Social media. I am always looking ad copy deck specific to your product for female community groups on or service, fine-tuned targeting segInstagram and Facebook. I try to ments to complement that copy and attend women-led leadership and captivating creative assets opportunimarketing events when I can as ties for you to test. well. I have a solid group of We will provide weekly female friends who kick ass one-on-one video consulting to My greatest in their fields who I always go over the data, the week’s stay in touch with. reward is goals, and discuss optimizabeing an tion opportunities based upon What mentors have asset to your results and the results played an important people we see every day on large who inspire role in your success? accounts. Basically, we do all me in some My pastor and friend, TJ the heavy lifting for you and way, shape Anglin, was one of the first help you implement strategies people who really believed or form. multimillion-dollar accounts use I could achieve great things to scale every day. and invested a lot of time and

What is your growth plan?

Keep expanding my circle of influence, keep investing in people, keep learning and growing.

What is the biggest item on your to-do list right now?

To find more like-minded and like-hearted people. Also, launching Social Ad Experts is definitely a priority for me, as many people have requested I pursue something like this for years.

What is the most rewarding part of your career?

Helping people. My greatest reward is being an asset to people who inspire me in some way, shape or form. Anyone who has the strength to believe they be more, do more and give more, will always leave a lasting impression on my life.

Describe a typical day.

I wake up at 5 a.m., check my emails and accounts, hit an orange theory class, come back home, and get ready. Generally, I have a few morning calls, work on my growth strategy for each client. I do a lot of research and actively find new strategies to scale my clients’ accounts. I have a few prospective client calls a week. I generally go for a walk along the beach in Venice and listen to whatever is in my audible queue for a midday break. Grab a second coffee. Come back to my office and finish up the day. I will often throw something on the grill for dinner, have a nice glass of wine, and enjoy some music to end the day.

What is your secret to success?

I also see significant relational opportunities. I look forward to finding more like-minded and like-hearted people. I am always expanding my circle of fellow business owners and entrepreneurs. I recently moved to LA from San Diego, and I’m hoping to find more people who inspire me with how they live their lives and how they grow their businesses.

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Lead Up for Women

support in my life to make sure I did.

He is a successful businessman and real estate investor, so he definitely helped point me in the right direction.

How do you stay current with today’s trends?

I am an avid reader of the WSJ. I stay up to date with what is trending on social media as well.

I welcome failure and fully accept and appreciate things. I do not know everything. I am always throwing things at the wall, and I place a large emphasis on creativity in my personal and business life. I think that gives me a different perspective when I look at how to scale a business. I understand what it takes to stand out and to capture your audience’s attention and maintain it.

March-April 2020

One-on-One with...

Ashleigh Warren

Tell us about your family?

I am an older sister, dog-mom, daughter and friend. I am the eldest of four children. Those kids are my world.

I am from San Diego. I recently moved to Los Angeles for a change of pace, and it just made more sense for my job. I just turned 28 and have been working full-time for myself since I was 24. I quit my job at 24. I made $417,000 my first six months as a freelance social media marketer and went on to scale my business even more.

I went from living paycheck to paycheck, to making $60,000 a year working for someone else, to making so much money working for myself that I had to start a business so I wouldn’t get completely slaughtered by taxes.

Before I got into marketing, I was a full-time student who lived with my parents and worked 30 hour weeks at Starbucks. We were still recovering from the market crash, so I worked to help my family and provide a little for myself. We lost everything in that crash—our house, cars, even our dog. We were on food stamps. It felt like things were just getting worse. My parents had to sell everything so we could survive. I’m grateful to them for getting us through that.

At one point, my six-person family had to move in with my aunt in her two-bedroom, one bathroom house with my two cousins (eight people living in that small house). She was incredibly gracious enough to let us stay for so long. Some of my best memories are from our time living there. Crazy enough, I got straight A’s that year and was determined to have a better future.

Eventually, things got better. My parents got good jobs. We moved into our own condo. Things were looking slightly up, but I was going through the motions: school, Starbucks, sleep, repeat. Starbucks was great for me.

I had an incredible manager who invested so much support and kindness into my life when I needed it the most, but I knew I wanted more from life. I had no idea what that was or how to get there. I did not even know what online marketing was at that point, but one day after class, I told myself, “Enough is enough. Go find better.”

leadupforwomen.com

So I began looking for office jobs on Craigslist. I found an administrative assistant/creative writer role for a marketing company. I like what it paid ($15 per hour).

I liked that I would be getting more business exposure than as a barista, so I applied. I got the position and quit Starbucks a week later. I changed my school schedule to complete my degree online so that I could work full-time.

I was an administrative assistant/creative writer for about four months, and then they offered me a promotion: media buyer. I had no idea what the hell that was, but I was down. It paid $40,000 per month, plus commission. I learned Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest advertising. I learned how to operate the platforms, build my own creative, write my own copy and a lot of best practices. I quickly became one of the best buyers in the office. My numbers proved this, and I was still a full-time, straight-A student.

Still, I knew I could do more and started feeling complacent, so I began looking for better opportunities in this field a few months in. I reached out to one of our tech clients who was looking for an in-house Facebook marketer. We went back and forth for a while, but nothing happened. Then literally, a year later, they reached out and offered me $60,000-plus commission, an excellent benefits program, unlimited PTO, a fantastic office space, great people, and pretty much everything you could want working for someone else. I took it.

But what no one knew at this point was that I had started looking for my own freelance clients on Craigslist at the same time. Literally, the only reason I thought to do it was because my little sister was living with me and I wanted to move back into a nicer part of downtown San Diego. But could not afford a two-bedroom on one salary. I responded to a remote Facebook marketer part-time position days before I had received that new tech job offer. The Craigslist client reached out to me the same day I got a call from that company.

I decided F@#$ it. Do it all: full-time online student, a full-time job, provide for my sister (a full-time traditional

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on-campus student at that point) who did not have a car and manage a freelance client. Somehow, I was balancing it all well, taking my sister to school every morning before work and picking her up late at night, getting straight A’s, succeeding at work. All my accounts were performing to par or above.

So, two weeks into my new full-time job, I started looking for another client I could personally take on.

I searched through Instagram beauty hashtags for clients, as I had previously seen a lot of success with beauty clients at my old job. I found a small brand with a lot of potential, so I sent them an email pitch.

They signed with me, and in two months, I was making $30,000-plus per month as a freelancer. I thought, “Whoa,” but this might just be a fluke. I did not quit my job for another three months and made sure I had a year’s salary saved just in case freelancing did not pan out. I knew I would be okay, and my sister would be okay for a year.

Crazy enough, it kept working. Those two clients began to refer me to other clients and I officially did not have enough bandwidth. I did not have the time to work full-time for someone else. It no longer was worth the money. So I took a semi-comfy leap of faith and quit. I built my freelance business and finished school.

How do you prioritize your health, family and career?

I place value on all. For me, I need all of them to flourish to feel like I am living my best life possible. I have always been an action over words type of person, so I place action behind these values. I am an active person, very involved in my family and friends who are family’s lives, and I am always looking for ways to grow my mindset and, ultimately, my career.

What motivates you every day?

The process. I love building new things and attempting to perfect old things.

How do you tap into the power of you that makes you unique?

And how has that pushed you forward?

I know that no one else on the face of the earth is or can be me. No one else will ever have my exact perspective, my exact level of passion or my exact creative thought process. That has to mean something. I will always bring something a little different to the table— more than anyone else, just like every other person on the face of the earth will. That is the beauty of being a

10 Lead Up for Women

human being. I really wish more people tapped into that. Ultimately, I feel that is a part of my mission—to help people come into and live in that realization.

I tell myself daily, “I don’t want to be good. I want to be great.” Greatness in any area of your life requires a level of determination, excellence, practice, and trial and error that is unnatural. Greatness is a continuous action-based decision.

Who inspires you?

Oprah, Ellen, Michelle Obama, Gary Vee, Warren Buffet, Jamie Kern Lima, Steve Jobs, Jim Collins, Jeff Bezos, Simon Sinek, Beyoncé, my little (adult) sister, Alex, all of my closest friends, and anyone who does not make life an excuse for why they are not where they wish to be.

What inspires you?

Helping and encouraging people, building brands people enjoy.

What is the best thing a consumer/client ever said to you?

“We would have never made it here without you, thank you.”

What are your strongest traits as a leader?

What traits of other leaders inspire you?

My strongest traits are my integrity and ability to encourage and inspire others to see their true personal and brand potential. Leaders who have a story, who are inspirational, think outside of the box, creative, genuinely care about their people and have a high success rate inspire me as well.

How are you mentoring/sponsoring others?

I actively consult people who want to grow successful businesses and need help doing so. I take on an intern or two a year and teach them everything I know. I bring them into my world and show what it takes. I always tell them by my age I hope you are at least two times more successful than me because you get to learn from all of my mistakes. That is half the battle.

What book are you reading now?

I’m an audible girl: “Good to Great,” “Start With Why,” “The Everything Store,” “Never Split the Difference.”

What are your favorite hobbies?

I love to travel. I am a huge movie lover, a foodie and guitar player. I love going to basketball games, and spending time with friends and family.

March-April 2020

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LEADERSHIP

Thriving with MS Why I may have MS, but it does not have me

T

he fear set in as I looked up at the mountain from the bottom. All I could think of was, “How am I going to hike this mountain?” My chest started pounding as the fear set in. I got into my own head. How are my legs going to respond to this? I slowly started getting out of my head and into my heart and soul. My SOULYu sisters looked at me and said, “You got this—one step at a time.”

I agreed and went for it. I took my first step up the mountain. When I arrived to the top, I felt very proud of myself. This euphoric and conquerors feeling was not part of my vernacular many years before.

In 1995, during my junior year at the University of California (USC), I landed an internship in Washington DC. It was an exciting, yet scary time.

I had never left the Los Angeles area for school. I felt lucky and proud to have been selected to be a part of this amazing group of students. I quickly realized after arriving and settling into my new place in Arlington, Virginia that I was not in sunny California. The day I arrived was freezing cold. I was very much out of my element.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I knew it was going to be

On or about 2004, I had a new set of alarming symptoms.

This time they were with my legs. I specifically remember waking up ready to start my day, but realizing I could not move my legs.

Hicking in Sedona, AZ

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Lead Up for Women

By Jackie Tapies

a difficult transition, but I felt I was capable of anything coming my way.

At least that is what I thought. It took some time to get adjusted to my new peers, the classes, the work, the metro system and the “true” independent living. There was no way I was driving back home. I did not own a mobile phone and FaceTime did not exist.

After all, this was 1995. Without my familial surroundings, I quickly made friends and felt I was unstoppable. I worked out, studied, walked a lot, socialized a lot, and made so many new and amazing discoveries about myself.

My internship was going great and my grades were above average.

Suddenly, one spring day in 1995, I was working on a research paper on my Macintosh computer when I noticed the screen starting to blur. Maybe I had been staring at the computer too long and my eyes were getting tired. When my eyes blurred again, it was temporary, so I did not want to alarm myself. It kept happening frequently, but not enough to cause any alarm. I remember thinking it was strange. My eyes have never done that before. What could it be?

As the days went by, strange things started happening. I began losing my balance and my vision worsened. I did not want to alarm my family since the semester was coming to a close. I would just go to the doctor when I get home. The blurriness became progressively worse. When I March-April 2020

returned home on or about April 1995, I looked fine, but I knew something was really wrong. I was 21 years old and felt so helpless. I thought I was going crazy.

Upon my arrival, my mother took me to see many doctors. Nobody could definitively say what was wrong with me. I saw six different doctors.

One said I needed to see a psychiatrist. As a young adult, the many changes you go through may have been the cause. The doctor must have thought I was crazy. It did not help that I was being teased at home about my continuous blinking.

It was the worst summer of my life.

I could not drive, hold a job, or read or write for more than three minutes. I felt helpless. I was going into the fall semester of my senior year and I could not function like a normal 21 year old.

I was in a dark place, and for the first time felt like God had abandoned me.

Will I ever be normal again?

That is when I saw a doctor who uttered the words, “You might have multiple sclerosis (MS).” He sent me to get a CT Scan. While nothing showed up on the images, he administered weekly B12 shots. After receiving weekly doses, the blurriness started to disappear. I was happy to be blurry free before my senior year.

I felt like God had sent me a miracle—heard my prayers. But I did not get a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

I continued on with my life. Year after year, I had an array of interesting symptoms, but not enough to give them my full attention until I had my law practice, which I started in San Francisco. I was happy in my career.

Once again, I thought I was unstoppable. I was on my own with my own law practice. But soon thereafter, everything came crashing down.

On or about 2004, I had a new set of alarming symptoms. This time they were with my legs. I specifically remember waking up ready to start my day but I could not move my legs.

I would shake them to try and wake them up. After several attempts, I leadupforwomen.com

managed to get out of bed. This happened more and more every day. I lost my balance frequently. I could not wear heals. Every day seemed like a nightmare. Having a new law practice and becoming seriously symptomatic was causing me distress. I could not talk to anyone who knew what was happening. I began to fall into a deep depression.

I decided to make a drastic decision. Still not knowing what was going on, I decided to move back home—a place I swore I would never return. I did not know what was going

what could happen, which only exasperated my anxiety and depression. I felt incompetent and that I was a total failure. After leaving my law practice, my clients, my friends, my apartment and my freedom, I felt stuck. I felt sorry for myself, and I believed that everyone felt sorry for me, too.

Through the years, I had to catch my bearings. I had to stop feeling sorry for myself and fight to regain the strength in my legs while practicing law.

I again ignored the symptoms. Being a lawyer stressed my body. But how could I earn a living and stay healthy?

I do not feel sorry for myself anymore.

I decided to stop litigating and practicing law, and began to focus on my gifts. I realized that what I do in life does not have to physically hurt my body to be happy. on with my body, and the depression was spiraling down the longer I stayed in the city by the bay. I left San Francisco in 2004—my apartment and my law office filled with the sounds of cable cars ringing.

I returned to Los Angeles and moved back in with my family. I went to see a chiropractor. After completing an intake and evaluation, Dr. Vollers sent me to get an MRI. It came back as MS. I was referred to Dr. Margaret E Burnett, an MS specialist at the USC Keck Medical School. She analyzed my MRI scans, which showed there were lesions on my brain from years of not treating the condition. She explained what few treatment options there were.

I was immediately placed on a steroid infusion and daily shots of REBIF. I was constantly reminded of

In 2017, a dear friend introduced me to personal development. I realized that everything in my life was happening for me and not to me. I realized that MS was a blessing because it caused me to stop and assess what is best for me and my family. I do not feel sorry for myself anymore. I decided to stop litigating and practicing law, and began to focus on my gifts. I realized that what I do in life does not have to physically hurt my body to be happy.

I have a balance in my life now. I feel I have a second chance and that my heart is filled with gratitude. I now can climb tall mountains. I exercise at least four to five times a week and try to eat as healthy as I can. I take my MS medication while taking supplements.

I now say that I have MS, it does not have me.

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LEADERSHIP

What every woman must know about her energy body

I

nterest in chakras, reiki and energy healing has exploded in recent years, with many of us turning to these modalities for greater wellness and empowerment.

What is not as widely covered is how women’s energy bodies differ from men’s.

Learn how you can get the most out of working with your feminine energy body—including help for healing from sexual trauma.

Rochelle was a new massage therapist having trouble managing enough clients per day to pay her bills. She felt drained after just one or two sessions.

Lauren was a health-conscious yoga practitioner who did everything she could to take care of her mind and body, but because she suffered such extreme fatigue during her period each month, she was effectively sidelined from her life for several days.

Beth was a long-time meditator, but after the birth of her first child she found that her usual meditation practices provided no relief from the heaviness and anxiety she frequently experienced.

Shari was a 50 year old woman struggling with perimenopausal symptoms, questioning the direction her life was headed and fearing she was going backward.

What do all these women have in common?

They all experienced shifts in their energy bodies, but did not know how to work with them. While an increasing number of yoga classes and energy body workshops help us connect with our primary energy centers—or chakras—most of the time chakra mappings are presented as the same for men and women. But there are differences in how women’s energy bodies function that women can benefit from by understanding.

Our energy body serves as the interface between our physical body, our psyche and our spirit. Chakra mappings

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in particular developed within both energy medicine and spiritual traditions around the world, and in the 20th Century were even viewed by psychologist Carl Jung as a way to map different aspects of our psyche. The chakras offer many doorways into healing and empowerment, and hundreds of different methods for working with them, including yoga, breath work, reiki, guided imagery, meditation, mantras, mudras, affirmations, crystals, and more.

But most chakra mappings and tools do not account for the differences in how men’s and women’s chakras function. While at the spiritual level, the energy moving through the chakras is ungendered, at the interface level between the chakras and the body, there are differences that mirror the physical differences between men and women.

Trans and pan gender individuals often will experience the chakra patterns associated with the gender they most strongly identify with, or aspects of both.

By Lisa Erickson

While male-female energy body patterns exist on a spectrum, rather than simply being binary, knowing about these differences can really help fine-tune chakra work.

The most important difference is that women’s energy bodies tend to be anchored in their second chakra, located in the pelvis, while men’s tend to be anchored in their first, or root chakra, associated with the tailbone, legs and feet.

These two chakras serve as the foundation for everyone’s energy body, and so we all need to work to heal and strengthen both, but the differences in anchoring have real-world implications for women and those who identify as female.

The primary difference is that women’s energy bodies are more centripetal and tend to pull in and absorb other’s energies. While anyone can be empathic, women by default tend to be more this way. This is because the second chakra is receptive and “yin” in nature, so having their energy bodies anchored here means women’s energy bodies are more receptive in general. It also means women’s energy bodies are more adaptable and fluid, which can be a good thing when in a positive environment.

But it means women need to pay more attention to energetic boundaries in daily life—something most women resonate with as soon as they learn of it.

Take Rochelle, the masseuse from above. She could not understand why March-April 2020

she felt so drained after just a couple of clients, when physically she still felt strong. The issue was energetic, not physical—she was unconsciously taking on energy from her clients. The reason was partly technical, based on this tendency of the feminine energy body, but also based in personal conditioning. Like many women, Rochelle had patterns of people-pleasing that caused her to open up her energy body to others in a way she did not need to give a good massage. After learning to work with her root and navel chakras to create a simple, but effective energetic boundary, Rochelle was able to change this tendency and work with clients successfully without draining herself.

Women’s energy bodies also experience cycles and phases in sync with their physical reproductive cycles and phases. While we now know both men and women experience hormonal cycles and shifts, for women, it is much more pronounced, in the form of menstruation, pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause. Each of these life events comes with its own energetic shifts. Learning to work with them can be key.

For example, a woman’s sacral chakra waxes and wanes with her monthly cycle, at its strongest and most emanating at the peak of ovulation, and at its most sensitive and inward-facing during menstruation. While most women cannot organize their lives around their cycle, making even small accommodations can be helpful.

For Lauren, the yoga practitioner who experienced extreme fatigue, allowing herself extra rest time and additional focus on her navel chakra during menstruation helped her to reduce the fatigue. It enabled her to tap into the deep contemplative energies available to her during this time.

Postpartum is another life phase in which women can benefit from understanding the energetic shifts occurring.

Like Beth, even women with good support and self-care routines can find themselves struggling after birth. Not only is a woman dealing with physical fatigue and hormonal shifts, her energy body is leadupforwomen.com

adjusting to an additional energy line in the form of the mother-child bond.

While a beautiful form of connection, if a woman leaves this line open all of the time, never learning to close it when she can to experience her energy body’s singular power and integrity, she will often feel ungrounded or uncentered in addition to fatigued.

Because the sacral chakra is a woman’s energy body anchor and mother-child lines are centered there postpartum, a woman may also feel as if she cannot access the energies or functions of her upper chakras, with all of her energy pooled downward. Tools to help close the mother-child line when needed, while still maintaining a healthy loving parental bond, are key to a woman’s postpartum physical and mental well-being.

Perimenopause and menopause too are opportunities for energetic and spiritual growth, but are often not recognized as such. We tend to view them as medical events, or as endings.

But perimenopause—the years preceding menopause when a women’s body and energy body are beginning to transition— are characterized by surges through the chakras linked to personal growth.

Each chakra has particular “lessons” and themes associated with it, and depending on where a women’s greatest obstructions to owning her power lies, she may experience discomfort in her body or psyche as these obstructions attempt to clear. If a woman can stabilize her energy body at this time and engage with energy healing and personal growth modalities, she can enter menopause truly feeling like she is coming into her most powerful and fulfilling time.

For example, Shari found herself feeling adrift and unfulfilled in her career, in addition to experiencing insomnia and nightly hot flashes. Once she identified her feelings and stabilized her energy body, she began to feel better. She also began a chakra meditation practice that helped her smooth the shifts in her energy body as they were occurring.

As this unfolded, she found herself contemplating a shift in career that felt

positive and empowering, and realized it had been coming for a long time. Her shift into menopause from that point was physically and psychologically smooth.

Chakra work should never replace medical and holistic healing advice, but it can play an important role in a woman’s healing and growth. Sexual trauma healing is another area where this is true. Because the second chakra is linked to sexual energy and is the anchor for a woman’s energy body, sexual abuse and assault can have a particularly damaging impact to a woman’s sense of her own power and chakra functions.

Working gently at this level to clear shame, fear, patterns of hypervigilance and disassociation can be an excellent modality for sexual trauma survivors intimidated by the idea of physical body work, or of talk therapy. In other cases, chakra work can be a complementary method to these modalities. For a woman, healing and empowering her second chakra is instrumental to full body and full psyche healing.

The wonderful thing about chakra work is that anyone can engage in it, and there are multiple access points. Some people relate more to visualization, some to physical triggers like sound, others to affirmations or emotional memory. Everyone can find a connection point with their chakras and, once they do, can work with them anywhere, anytime. For women, understanding these differences in their chakras and energy body functioning in daily life can help unlock the full potential of their self-healing and manifesting abilities.

Lisa Erickson is an energy worker specializing in women’s energetics and sexual trauma healing and author of “Chakra Empowerment for Women: Self-Guided Techniques for Healing Trauma, Owning Your Power & Finding Overall Wellness” from Llewellyn Publishing.

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BUSINESS

Entrepreneur moms should use cannabis.

Here’s why.

By Leslie Apgar, M.D. & Gina Dubbe

Cannabis can help you relax As an entrepreneur mom, you work hard trying to keep your business afloat, and then you come home to the hard work of parenting. You might find time to enjoy a glass of wine after your kids go to sleep, but by then you are too exhausted or anxious (or both) to sink into the moment. That is when you get a ping on your phone informing you that an important client is not happy.

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ack in 2016, when we were busy professionals raising children, we never thought cannabis would be the thing that brought balance to our lives. After all, we spent a fair amount of time telling our children why they should stay away from the “gateway drug.” Three years later, we now own two cannabis businesses. In that time, we have studied the science behind cannabis. We have seen it make a huge impact in our patients’ lives. And while our lives are perhaps more chaotic than ever, cannabis has become an important part of our self-care routine, allowing us to be the best moms and entrepreneurs we can be. Here is why:

These worries can seriously cut into your relaxation time or keep you from getting a full night’s rest, leaving you unprepared for the next day, and on and on until you are an exhausted wreck. Cannabis will not make you forget about your worries, but it will help you recharge at the end of each exhausting day so you can keep your eyes wide open for the next.

Cannabis will not necessarily get you “stoned” We know what you are thinking: I cannot smoke pot under the same roof as my kids. What if they see me?

What if there is an emergency in the middle of the night? First off, you do not have to “smoke” cannabis.

Instead, you can take a discreet hit from a vape pen and exhale a barely perceptible puff of air.

By Leslie Apgar, M.D. & Gina Dubbe

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March-April 2020

Second, cannabis will not necessarily make you “high.” The truth is that moms, especially working moms, do not like to feel impaired. We feel obligated to be alert 24/7 in case our kids are in crisis or we need to put out fires at work. So, instead of choosing cannabis with high THC (the chemical compound responsible for cannabis’s psychoactive effects), choose something with higher CBD. This will have a calming effect on your body, but leave you clearheaded. Think of a glass of wine without the mental fogginess or the next-day headache.

If staying fit is on your list of worries, you certainly do not want to be stress eating or consuming unwanted calories from alcohol.

A cannabis vape pen has exactly zero calories, providing a guilt-free alternative to other stress-relief measures.

Cannabis can help treat a wide variety of conditions Relaxation alone is enough of a reason to consider cannabis, but it is not the only reason. Women are wired specifically for cannabis. In fact, it has been used in female medicine for thousands of years. The reproductive system is densely wired with CB1 and CB2 receptors. Things like infertility, preterm labor, labor itself, breastfeeding and bonding are directly related to our endocannabinoid system.

Inflammatory conditions like endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain plague women all over the globe and cannabis successfully can help alleviate the pain associated with them. It can also help relieve menstrual cramps, headaches and many other frustrations that moms suffer from.

Cannabis has zero calories In addition to the pressures of running a business and raising a child, many entrepreneur moms feel society’s pressure to stay trim. If staying fit is on your list of worries, you certainly do not want to be stress eating or consuming unwanted calories from alcohol. A cannabis vape pen has exactly zero calories, providing a guilt-free alternative to other stress-relief measures.

Additionally, the cannabinoid THCVA can actually curb your appetite.

That is right, certain strains actually have the opposite of the “munchie” effect, so you can relax knowing you will leadupforwomen.com

not binge your daughter’s Girl Scout cookies after consumption.

Cannabis can help with intimacy A working mom must learn to compartmentalize. This can be particularly difficult if you own a business, which can linger in your mind well after business hours. Entrepreneur moms often find it impossible to close all the browser tabs in their mind and focus on themselves. Your kids come first, your business comes second, and if there is time, you might think about yourself and your partner. But if you and your partner neglect each other for too long, it can all fall apart.

Just as home problems affect your work life, work problems can affect your home life, and oftentimes, our sex lives are the first to take a hit when this happens. Cannabis can help in many ways. First, it can activate the desire

for intimacy. Second, it can help to relax the body and accentuate nerve endings, enhancing the sensations of sex. Third, it can lessen inhibitions, allowing moms to focus on the intimacy of the moment.

The fact is we have learned a lot about cannabis in the past few years.

Turns out it is not nearly as harmful as we have been led to believe. In our experience—and in the experience of many working moms we know—cannabis is a viable wellness solution for adults with real responsibilities.

Dr. Leslie Apgar and Gina Dubbe are founders of Greenhouse Wellness, Blissiva, and authors of “High Heals: How Two Women Found Their Footing in the Medical Cannabis Industry.”

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BUSINESS

The Art Crate Why do you do what you do?

Creating and expressing myself through art has always been a hobby of mine. I used to be an elementary school teacher and loved being there for others. Showing my students that it was okay to express their feelings and understanding however they felt comfortable was a priority of mine. I have carried this into my artwork and into the community I have built.

What hurdles have you overcome being a woman in business?

I would not say I have had to overcome many hurdles as a woman specifically, but I have definitely met a number of challenges. Having dealt with severe anxiety and depression for many years, simply keeping a job was difficult enough. While working through the trials associated with this diagnosis, I found myself relying on my art as a safe way to express myself.

How do you give back to your community?

Give us a snapshot of The Art Crate.

I founded The Art Crate in November 2018 with the primary focus of creating custom and readymade artwork in a number of mediums. I fulfill commission requests, conduct business at various arts and craft shows, and collaborate with other businesses on art projects. In addition, I also foster creative minds by building an online community with like-minded individuals who are passionate about art and supporting one another.

Tell us, what makes you so unique?

My artistic style. I have the ability to create whatever my clients ask for.

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I will find a way to make it happen, and do it well. Not only do I focus on creating unique artwork for every client, but I have also built a supportive online community where other artists and patrons can network and collaborate.

What type of client base are you targeting?

My ideal client is anyone who has an appreciation for works of art of any style or medium. I love working with interior designers to create unique artwork for homes and businesses. Many of my clients also ask me to create artwork of loved ones, like family and pet portraits.

Through my online community, I provide emotional support, art tips and critiques, advice and an overall safe space.

Individuals who may face their own day to day challenges are free to discuss anything without fear of judgment.

What are your biggest opportunities moving forward?

I continue to work on getting to know more interior designers, individuals within the realty business and networking at art shows. With this, I can continue to stay up to date on what potential clients are looking for with artwork.

Additionally, being able to work within these avenues allows me to build more connections with potential clients.

How do you stay connected with other women in business?

Within my online community, there are March-April 2020

many of us who share similar interests and are trying to find our way within the art world. Attending and participating in arts and craft shows also allows me to meet with even more women working within the arts.

Who has played an important role in your success?

Being able to create artwork with others and observe their creative outlets has contributed to my success. I am fortunate enough to observe other artists and how they work with different mediums. It is great to be able to brainstorm new and creative ideas with them. I have worked with other artists who are just starting their businesses as well as others who have been around awhile, so I can learn from their challenges and success. It is important.

Whether you work for a company or own your own business, you have mentors and colleagues who inspire you to become a better person.

abstract paintings I create add some color and life to a home or business.

Describe a typical day.

No two days are ever the same.

I spend a lot of time making sure everyone is doing well within the online community and provide support where needed. Every day I am drawing or painting, whether it is a custom order for someone, or a piece I am making to sell privately through my website or Etsy shop.

What is the secret to your success?

Most importantly, I focus on what is happening in the present—what I can do well. My clients come first, so making sure they are completely satisfied with the artwork is my top priority. For example, I follow a process where if someone orders a custom piece, I will create a digital rendition for them.

Then, I will share that with my client to discuss any potential changes before I even begin the physical piece. I love

How do you stay current with today’s trends?

Being able to stay updated within social media allows me to see the wide array of different artistic tastes and ways to show the world my artwork.

When I show my art at different art shows, I can see what new trends are popular within the community and build off those ideas.

What is the biggest item on your to do list?

I am working on getting to know more women of business within my home community. This is a major hurdle I am trying to overcome, which stems from my social anxiety. Connecting in this way will not only create more connections, but also help my business grow.

What would you say is the most rewarding part of your career?

I love knowing that my artwork brings joy to my clients. My pet portraits, for example, allow families to have the most important part of their pet with them, always. The realistic drawings and leadupforwomen.com

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BUSINESS

being able to bring joy to others every day with the pieces I create.

unique styles and ways of creating.

There is a style out there for everyone.

Additionally, I provide avenues for fellow artists to receive feedback and critiques on their artwork.

Tell us about your family.

I have been married to my husband, Joe, for nearly five years. We do not currently have any children, but love our two German Shepherds and two cats. We are both Arizona natives, but love to explore much of the country, especially the Midwest.

What does “Lead Up” mean to you?

Women must be there to support one another. Be that person who women and others can turn to without fear of judgment. Use past experiences as a means to help guide others through their own journey toward success— whatever that may be.

How do you balance your health, family and career?

It has always been a major challenge throughout my life. I love to be busy. It is not easy for me to simply relax on a Saturday. I always need to be working on something, whether that is painting, organizing or writing emails. My husband, however, is great at reminding me that it is okay to slow down and take time for myself.

What motivates you every day?

The people who I surround myself with every day help motivate me. I make a point to only surround myself with those who build me and others up, as well as challenge me to succeed.

How do you tap into your unique power and how does that push you forward?

I focus on my strengths and understanding that it is okay to fail. Taking those failures and using them as learning opportunities are important. This allows me to build on my strengths and add to my abilities.

Who inspires you?

I am inspired by all artists of all mediums. Those who are brave enough to express themselves through artwork or performing for others help push me forward. They are putting themselves out there without the fear of judgment.

What inspires you?

The beauty of the world is also inspiring. Everywhere you look there is something beautiful. We just have to take time to slow down, and notice and appreciate it.

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What book are you reading now?

I am inspired by all artists of all mediums.

Those who are brave enough to express themselves through artwork or performing for others help push me forward.

What’s the best thing a client ever said to you?

I have had a few clients say that a pet portrait I created for them was better than any picture they had of their pet.

The piece I created really captured their pets’ personalities and what they loved about their pet.

How are you mentoring or sponsoring others?

Within my online community, I do my best to help promote others’ businesses and artwork. I love to show off their

I have been working through the workbook, “Mind over Mood,” which provides many different strategies on working through anxiety and depression. When I need a laugh, I read through, “The Big Activity Book for Anxious People,” which provides humorous ways to work through different activities.

What are your favorite hobbies?

I am into gaming online or on my own, taking walks with my husband and dogs, working on paintings for myself, and spending time outside.

How do you like to spend your down time?

Generally, when I manage to have some down time, I enjoy looking up inspiration for future artwork, whether that is online or out in nature. Spending time with my husband and pets at home or outside is always relaxing as well.

What was the best advice you ever received?

It is incredibly important to focus on what is happening now, and to appreciate the present. This is all you can control. You should not dwell on the past or worry about what is yet to come. Life is too short to not really appreciate what is happening right in front of you.

March-April 2020

LIFESTYLE

Discover what's holding you back from your best self

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Photo by Andre Furtado from Pexels

ew year, new you, or new year and more things you wish you could do, but you know you will not have time to do? Every year starts with resolutions and a list of “should do’s,” so why not start a year with one goal that will actually make you reach all of the other ones? Find your invisible blocks.

No, I am not kidding. It is not some magic trick. We all have invisible blocks that prevent us from stepping out of someone else’s shadow and taping into our own power to lead with purpose. That could be starting a new business, giving yourself permission to shine and be you, or reaching a goal you have been chasing for a few years.

We all fall into a vicious cycle: Set a goal, get excited about it, make up excuses why we have no time for it, quit, and then feel bad about quitting, only to start again.

Let me break down what is happening psychologically: Set a goal — You know what you want, you set an intention for your desire Make up excuses — Self-sabotage because we have hit an invisible block leadupforwomen.com

Quit — Using the invisible block as an exit strategy from the road to success while punishing ourselves for quitting and creating a new belief about ourselves. I will never reach this goal.

I do not have what it takes. I let myself down. This was the only thing I wanted that was going to make me happy.

Let us talk about what an invisible block is. Let us say you want to lose 30 pounds, but you cannot seem to make it to the gym. Obviously, the block is you do not have the motivation to go to the gym. The invisible block is why you cannot get yourself to the gym.

So what is that reason? It can stem from your past experiences or beliefs.

Is it the discomfort of going to the gym because of how you look? The last time you went, did you feel like everyone was staring at you? Did they judge

you based on your weight? Is it the feeling you will be disappointed again because you had not lost the weight the last three times you tried?

Or do your fears stem from actually losing those 30 pounds? Does that mean you will have to buy new clothes?

Will your diet and workout regimen keep those pounds off?

Your block can be from your past and future, so how do you tear apart all these excuses and get down to the real reason you cannot reach your goal? It will require 1,000% honesty with yourself about yourself. This is one of the hardest things anyone can do.

Why? Because it requires you to admit you are the road block. It means you are the only one who can get yourself out of this—the only one who can find that spark for greatness.

So choose and decide to start now to reach that elusive goal. If you do not, life will pass you by. Here are some pointers to keep you on track: 1. Pick a goal and be very clear about it — Define the heck out of it.

Write about how you will reach it and what you will need to do to get there.

Embrace how it will make you feel when you reach it and how you will stay motivated. The point is the more information you write down about your goal, the more real it will feel.

That will help you create actionable steps to reach it. You cannot reach a goal if you do not know what to look for when you are reaching for it.

2. Create actionable steps — To reach a more complex or bigger goal, break it down into actionable steps. Create specific milestones, which can be a series of small steps in the right direction. These little wins will keep you motivated and offer positive reinforcement.

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3. Find your invisible blocks — Try to define the negative feelings you have in your quest to reach your goal. Your first instinct may be "nothing," but if you give it some thought, you may hit a snag. Write down how you feel about this. Invisible blocks can be deep and painful. That is why we make them invisible, and focus on the symptoms of the problem, not the actual cause.

4. Figure out your “why” — What is your spark, your fire, your go-getter reason to help get you through the tough times? What will help you get off the couch after a long day of work? What will not make you give up? Your “Why I will succeed” vibe must be stronger than all of the excuses and discomforts the invisible blocks throw your way.

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Lead Up for Women

In a nutshell: › Define your goal with a lot of clarity. › Create actionable steps. › Dig deep to find the invisible blocks stopping you from reaching your goal. › Set a "why," not just a goal. Your reason for achieving the goal must be bigger than the block.

Let us make the New Year a truly New You. Here is to a successful 2020 and a successful You.

Website: www.dianavlife.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dianavenckunaite Instagram: www.instagram.com/dianavlife FaceBook: www.facebook.com/DianaVLife

March-April 2020

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

LIFESTYLE

LIFESTYLE

Nourishment and nutrition for the soul

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ntil recently, I have never put much thought into what I eat as it relates to how it truly makes me feel. Specifically, how my external body and my internal thoughts are tied to what I have consumed on a daily basis. I would frequently see a billboard advertising a spaghetti special on Mondays or I hear a commercial on the radio announcing a coffee happy hour, which would inevitably lead me to making convenient, yet unhealthy food choices.

Usually, whatever I am craving, or unfortunately, what fad diet I was following that month, determined what I chose to eat or drink that day. The convenience of rich unhealthy foods parade around me like flavor soldiers taking down my balanced diet goals in a war I nonetheless have surrendered to, although very willingly. Health issues over the past five years have exhausted my efforts to eat healthier and have pushed me to the brink of giving up, until I mindfully and carefully transitioned to a plant-based diet.

I now savor vegetables and fruits in their natural essence. For the first time since my childhood, I am transported by the smell and taste of the earthy just-picked tomato with its fresh, sweet and juicy goodness. After several days of eating whole foods, my authentic self is undeniably evolving into a different person, including clarity of thoughts and an easy-going nature.

Going back to a simple way of eating provides me with such deep gratitude that I now feel it in my soul.

This purposeful change has taken on a cognitive connection to my food intake—one that I could never have imagined. I can see how incredibly balanced my emotions and physical body have become—unlike my past impulsive diet choices, which would actually cause my concentration, memory and anxiety to overflow beyond repair.

Rituals with food consumption, such as family meals, traditional cultural dishes and comfort foods, reign like a king. The traditional decadent meals that are the focal point of any holiday all have a place in our society and, of course, in my daily life. These food

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choices often are unhealthy and rich in fat, sugar and salt. While they may satiate our immediate craving, they do not serve our praiseworthy soul.

During the pinnacle year I gave up eating animal meat, I learned a valuable lesson. The trigger was my experience with comfort foods when, for example, I immediately felt like I was missing out on Thanksgiving if I did not have a side of ham and turkey.

After eating a small amount of each, I quickly became sick and had emotions of devastating sadness. The adverse

experience with eating the animal meat forced me to reflect on why I had this type of negative reaction.

The reason was not only had my diet changed, but my values concerning how animals are treated when they are prepared for human consumption was inhumane, causing me to feel their suffering, too. This was the first time I realized my nutritional choices did not just effect my health, but greatly affected my psyche—viscerally stimulating the core of who I was on a much deeper level.

Another issue I encountered with my food intake was my participation in overeating. I have never been an emotional eater, but realizing I was overeating at least once per day really changed my outlook, not just what I was eating, but how much. I noticed

Frances Graham, vegan private chef, owner and operator of Nourish’d Culinary and Catering

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LIFESTYLE

that my attitude on finishing my daily tasks and joining in on social events was greatly affected by the misery I felt after eating just a bit too much in only one meal.

A food diary efficiently gave me a documented outlook on my daily consumption. Overeating was interfering with many of my emotions and physical energy by overdoing my caloric intake. The extra cup of food or more was wrecking my digestive system. This moment of acknowledgement reminded me I was one of many people eating for stimulation and taste, not for healing myself or promoting optimal health.

Understanding how making food choices that are in the moment without any thought or purpose can change who we are as a person.

Globally, there is a widely known phenomenon consisting of diets, dining-out, cookbooks, preventative 24 Lead Up for Women

I look forward to teaching others about how certain foods make us feel connected to each of our unique bodies, minds and spirits.

healthcare through diet choices and super-charged online meal prep programs that rule our everyday life.

Mindful eating and how our food choices affect us directly is really not discussed as one of the most integral aspects of living a balanced fulfilling life.

I look forward to teaching others about how certain foods make us feel connected to each of our unique bodies, minds and spirits. Eating and cooking whole food consciously can be a lifestyle change that is overwhelmingly rewarding. It also can ethically support many of our goals and personal outcomes.

At the end of a recent yoga class, I sat down with my group and participated in a tea ritual. We all turned our right hand palm-facing up and our left hand hovering over our hot tea (made with dates and cinnamon). The ritual began with our left hand feeling the light, warm steam trailing up our arm. We carefully sipped the hot, sweet tea. Next, we were instructed to visualize and physically experience the tea moving down our throat into our stomach and down into our root chakra with deep grounding gratitude. Something this simple has made me feel accomplished and ready to start my day.

Take some time to savor real nourishment for your soul. The realization that our food choices are connected on a more emotional level will soon add up to a priceless benefit, which will yield in a conscious investment in great health and a rich feeling of purely being in the present.

Frances Graham, vegan private chef, is owner and operator of Nourish’d Culinary and Catering. An educator and speaker, she specializes in plant-based education and transitioning to a lifestyle that reduces pain and inflammation in the body. With more than 20 years in the culinary industry, Chef Frances has been in remission from four autoimmune diseases simply by changing her diet and energy. She started a program to “veganize” restaurant menus. You can reached her via email at frances@nourishdculinary.com or by calling 480-7095141. For more information, visit www.nourishdculinary.com.

March-April 2020

PHILANTHROPY

A Pivotal Space Do good. Be better. Lead best.

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y daughter lives in Auckland, New Zealand, and I live in St. Louis. For those of you who are curious, that is a nearly 8,000-mile flight. I am not sharing this as a mother who is sad her daughter misses family events and Sunday dinner get-togethers. My husband, youngest son and I recently traveled to New Zealand to experience her world and see her in action.

It was amazing.

Journey of a lifetime

The culture. The scenery. The food.

The ambiance. It was a totally different space than what I am used to.

Auckland is 19 hours ahead of St. Louis, so we celebrated New Year’s Eve before almost everyone else in the world. Keep in mind that we visited during our winter, which is their summer. The sun’s warmth felt fabulous compared to our typically rough Midwestern winter.

My overall takeaway of our trip is pretty simple to define: Our countries are very similar (wildfires are prevalent in the western US) and yet extremely different. New Zealand stands in stark comparison to our supersized American world. Smaller coffee cups. Smaller food portions. Less waste.

As a visitor to this beautiful country, I noticed a common theme that every single action had an appropriate reaction. These Kiwis were more

leadupforwomen.com

During our visit, the extensive fires in Australia had just begun. On one of our last days in New Zealand, the entire sky turned a hazy yellowish-orange color, making me feel the intense fear so many were experiencing only 1,300 miles away. The smoke infiltrated its way into our lives and filled me with such compassion for these beautiful countries. How would they ever recover from the devastation?

By Rochelle Brandvein

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PHILANTHROPY

considerate to their surroundings and truly appreciated their limited resources. While I was there, I became more respectful of our world and I felt really good about my actions.

My daughter works at a huge retail company that is totally committed to reducing its carbon footprint, as well as promoting reusable bags at its more than 250 stores. Her organization encourages less waste and more recycling. It is the definition of sustainability and community.

It started me thinking about my daily life in St. Louis. My world consists of plastic cups, plastic soda bottles, plastic utensils, plastic tablecloths—you get the picture. How wasteful. I feel terrible even sharing this with you.

It made me want to learn ways to become more eco-friendly and kinder to our earth.

day should be Earth Day and, with everyone’s support, it can be.

More R’s = healthier world Even the original Three R’s of Sustainability (reduce, reuse and recycle) have grown to encompass more options (refuse, rethink and repair), and even more choices (respect, remove and rejuvenate) we need to consider in our quest to better control our lifestyles and our resources. We are trying, but is it enough?

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) bases sustainability on a simple principle: Everything we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. In order to achieve sustainability, humans and nature must co-exist to support current and future generations.

Entanglement, ingestion and habitat disruption all result from plastic ending up in the spaces where animals live. In our oceans alone, plastic debris outweighs zooplankton by a ratio of 36-to-1.

Entanglement, ingestion and habitat disruption all result from plastic ending up in the spaces where animals live. In our oceans alone, plastic debris outweighs zooplankton by a ratio of 36-to-1.

The solution: Mimic places like New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio issued an executive order to end “unnecessary single-use plastic bottles,” which prohibits city agencies—food vendors on city sidewalks, parks and sports facilities, etc.—from purchasing water, soda or other beverages in single-use plastic bottles and restricts the sale of plastic bottles on city property.

NYC government previously cut plastic straws and cutlery from every city location, including schools and hospitals. This is a small step forward that can have a huge impact on other cities and communities.

Greenhouse gas emissions The problem: Households’ carbon footprints continue to grow. While we produce greenhouse gas emissions in everything we do— from burning gas when we drive to using electricity in our homes—we still can do better with our type of car and more efficient home furnaces.

A global reaction

Plastic pollution

This April marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a unified response to environmental crises that includes oil spills, smog and waterway pollution. The first Earth Day in 1970 marked the passage of US landmark environmental laws—The Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts—that many countries emulated. Since then, the US has rolled back these historic laws and many others pertaining to environmental rules. These recent changes make me sad because it seems we are moving backward instead of going forward to protect our planet.

Earth Day’s theme for 2020 is “Climate Action.” In my mind, every

The problem: According to the Plastic Pollution Coalition (www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org), “plastic is a substance the earth cannot digest.” This global alliance works toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on humans, animals, waterways, oceans, and the environment. Its findings are staggering.

The numbers: Based on 2010 EPA data, the top four economic activities that lead to greenhouse gas emissions are electricity and heat production (25%); industry (21%) primarily involved with fossil fuels burned on site at facilities for energy; agriculture, forestry and other land use (24%) for the cultivation of crops and livestock, as well as deforestation; and transportation (14%) for fossil fuels burned for road, rail, air and marine transportation. Keep in mind almost all (95%) of the world’s transportation energy comes from petroleum-based fuels, which are largely gasoline and diesel.

The numbers: Americans alone discard more than 30 million tons of plastic a year with only 8% getting recycled. The rest ends up in landfills or becomes “litter”, and a small portion is incinerated.

The solution: Estimate (and then reduce) your carbon footprint with EPA’s calculator at www.3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator.

Visit www.fueleconomy.gov to use its fuel savings calculator, as well as learn more

26 Lead Up for Women

March-April 2020

about more eco-friendly alternatives to your type of automobile. It is easy to calculate, and the results speak volumes.

Plastic bags. Single-use items. Water usage. Chemicals. Electronic (e-waste).

Paper. Drive.

Simple takeaways

Changing my world

By adopting a more sustainable lifestyle, we as individuals can do—and be—better than ever before.

Since returning from our trip to New Zealand, I am doing my best to remember the finiteness of our world. I purchased cloth napkins to use both on a daily basis and at our Sunday dinners. I now bring a refillable water bottle to the gym every morning. And I am absolutely more conscientious about my actions, both large and small, and how I impact the world.

What are you doing to make our world a better place? I would love to hear.

Do more of this: Walk. Plant. Recycle. Unplug devices. Compost. Donate. Advocate for the environment.

Eat local. Borrow or fix. Lower your thermostat. Buy products with less packaging.

Do less of this: Pollute. Litter. Straws. Takeout containers.

Rochelle Brandvein is the owner of Brandvein-Aaranson Public Relations, a 30-year-old PR agency that recently pivoted to solely handling nonprofits and companies with a philanthropic arm or foundation. Her company specializes in publicity, copywriting and creative services.

Join us in leading Up through giving back

Donate: www.localhope.org/donation Volunteer: www.localhope.org/volunteer Sponsor a Child for School: www.localhope.org/sponsor/ students-seeking-sponsors

Did you know your gift of $30 can provide a night of safe housing for mother in need? Make your lifechanging donation to Maggie’s Place www.maggiesplace.org.

SheLift is a 501(c)3 organization that empowers young women with physical differences to discover confidence and self esteem through outdoor recreation and mentorship.

Donations accepted: https://shelift.org Founded by Sarah Herron (previous Bachelorette contestant)

“The WBDC (Women’s Business Development Council) has helped more than 18,000 women across 169 Connecticut towns become better business people. WBDC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing the tools and resources to help women thrive in business. With a belief that if desire, education, and preparation come together, opportunities are created, and economies are expanded. The WBDC provides training and education necessary for women to launch and grow their businesses.”

NOT YOUR AVERAGE BRACELET BRAND. We didn’t just want to be another cute bracelet brand. Screw that. The facts are clear - all of these causes are in desperate need of additional financial support and awareness and we knew we needed to do our part.

Every bracelet donates $5 to the cause it supports. We worked tirelessly to find nonprofit organizations that are actively making positive strides towards change and really need our help to continue to do so.

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Lead Up for Women

27

LeadUp Event

Sanctuary 2020 Aligning our minds, body and souls

A

s Thursday approached, the ladies arrived one by one to the Scottsdale mansion. They came from all over—Los Angeles, Northern California, Chicago, Arizona and Denver. As this was our first Sanctuary, nobody was sure what to expect, but they were filled with anticipation. When they left, each was re-energized, fueled with intentions, committed to the growth of themselves and their businesses, and well-connected.

Let’s see how they arrived there…

Day 1 – Thursday The evening boasted a scrumptious dinner prepared by our very own Celebrity Chef V-The Paleo Boss Lady.

As the welcome session proceeded, attendees shared their powerful stories.

This quickly connected the group, as we dug deeper into who we are and how we became the amazing people we are today. The evening ended with gift bags for everyone, which were filled with beautiful items from many of our sponsors.

Day 2 – Friday The morning featured a yoga session with Crystal Nelson, who helped wake up everyone’s body and minds. The session helped ready our absorption of information from the workshops planned for the day. Breakfast included fresh organic coffee, teas and paleo cooking. Chef V spent her days prepping our meals, and sharing stories of her success and survival. She also shared cooking tips and advice on how to eat healthier—advice she said helps boost brain function, stamina and success. Who knew eating had so much to do with the success in our daily lives?

Our first facilitator for the day was Wendy Sterling, who discussed how to move from a victim mindset to an ownership mindset. Her workshop included steps on how to recognize when you are in a victim mindset, steps to move to an ownership mindset, and hands-on role-playing.

28

Lead Up for Women

Afterward, we were greeted with lunch and more amazing stories from Chef V. Next, Coach Geordoni McKoy took the stage to show us how to tap into our inner-child, focusing on the importance of self-care (she is a nurse).

The workshop included meditation, journaling, writing letters, and remembering the life-long success and stories that make us who we are today. There were many tears and “ah-ha” moments.

The day continued with Stephanie and Caitlyn from Three Points Wellness. The group spent the next four hours with “me time,” partaking in facials, poolside sun, sauna care, hot tub soaking and massages. The evening featured more healthy food, additional dining room stories, and a powerful fear burning exercise led by Lead Up founder Colleen Biggs.

March-April 2020

Day 3 – Saturday This was the day we set aside to serve others. The group began the day with a meditation session led by Coach Doni. After getting picked up in a stretch limo (compliments of “Size Does Matter”’ Limousine services) the ladies volunteered at Maggie’s Place, which was holding its Annual Valentine’s Party for moms and their children. We spent four hours holding babies and helping the families make necklaces, cards and shower soaps.

After heading back, Chef V prepared lunch, which was followed by a workshop led by Karen Millerwise. Karen taught us the importance of understanding how others communicate through B.A.N.K. The event’s final workshop was taught

by Meredith Allan, who helped attendees understand the importance of leadership, including how to lead, types of leadership, how to flex into other leadership styles and, most importantly, the magic of leadership.

To cap off the evening, each attendee wore white, which helped symbolize the clean canvas we created to write our stories moving forward. There was eating and dancing, too.

Day 4 – Sunday The final day featured a greeting by Vanessa Siren, who led the group in a healing yoga/meditation session, which included cucumbers and essential oil clothes. The session helped capture the deep root of learning, growing and transformations that occurred over the weekend.

As the Sanctuary came to a close, each attendee made a pledge to be held accountable for the next four weeks of post-group coaching, followed by tears and hugs.

For information about how you can attend one of our Sanctuary events, submit an application online at www.leadupforwomen.com/events. Remember: If learning is beneath you, then leadership is beyond you.

Join us and Lead Up in your life.

Sponsors

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Lead Up for Women 29

Lead Up Tips

10

ING W O R GR ESS AND O F S TIP R BUSIN E ON YOU FLUENC EDIA IN IAL M SO C

1.

Join Facebook groups that contain your avatar and actively engage with people in the group daily.

2.

Send five friend requests or connection requests to potential clients on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn daily.

3.

Post on your personal and business social media profiles at least once a day.

4.

Go live on “all” social media platforms at least once a week.

5.

Engage with your avatar through direct messages — do not wait for them to reach out to you.

6.

Research industry specific hashtags and add 30 to every Instagram post. Appropriate industry hashtags should have between 6,000-600,000 posts to be relevant.

7.

Focus on consistently posting content related to the following categories: business offer, personal life, business education and industry specific content.

8.

Be active on a minimum of four social media platforms daily (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn). If you are not on all of these platforms, set up your profiles today and get started.

9.

Ask your online audience questions and use the platforms to identify specific trends, strengths, weaknesses, etc., pertaining to your avatar. Use social media to identify your “perfect” customers by asking them questions on stories, posts and in groups.

10.

Do not focus on “selling” on social media.

Social media is meant to increase your influence, not to make a quick buck. Social media marketing is a long-term game— one that will pay dividends when effective marketing strategies are consistently implemented. Focus on helping people, seeking out your audience and being authentic. The sales will follow.

Source: Ashlyn Leyba is founder of Amplified Social Marketing, which offers free strategy sessions to anyone wanting more direction and specific strategies for social media marketing. To book your breakthrough strategy session, contact her via social media, email (Ashlyn@amplifiedsocialmarketing.com), call or text (623-526-1433).

30 Lead Up for Women

March-April 2020

THIS IS NOT YOUR ORDINARY GET-AWAY! This is a one-of-a-kind, I’m serious about being seen in this world and it starts NOW kind of get-away! Because you are WORTH IT!

Be You Be Strong is an Elite Sanctuary for Women that have a burning desire to lead their lives without asking permission of others.

This Powerful supported gathering is designed to foster your unique personal story, and individual clarity and growth; all while nurturing the discovery of YOU and your personal brand.

Perks of this Sanctuary • 5 star accommodations in a luxury mansion • Entertainment, Great Conversations, and Deep Connections with 19 other ladies • Healthy food prepared by our personal Chef V Capaldi-The Paleo Boss Lady • Daily yoga, meditation, journaling and self love!

• Half day field trip to give back in the community to women that need our power • Live for 3 days under one roof while being pampered with great food, self care, massages, and much much more.

• 4-week Accountability Coaching w/ Colleen & all attendees following the event • But, you have to Show Up to be seen...

DON’T MISS THE LAST SANCTUARY FOR 2020

SEPTEMBER 17TH-20TH : DALLAS, TX

Apply today, only 20 women will be chosen for each Sanctuary Your application will be used for the sanctuary you note on the application.

WWW.LEADUPFORWOMEN.COM/EVENTS

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