Posts on Women’s Wisdom:
Everything You Need
In the midst of life's ups and down, I am grateful for that which is steady, familiar, and comfortable. I haven't...
It’s a relief to tell the truth.
"It’s a relief to speak the truth. I don’t have to pretend." ~ Karen Maezen Miller My thoughts about truth-telling are...
About Being Ordinary
The desire, temptation, and lure to live an extraordinary life is strong; to figure out our “one thing;” to do,...
The Devastation of Hope
Last week I watched someone I love ascend into the heights of joy only to descend into its complete opposite. All...
About South Stars
I was talking with a client a few weeks back who can honestly and confidently state that she is strong and powerful...
About Rest
In her book, Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto, Tricia Hersey says this: “Rest is radical because it disrupts the lie...
Letting go of what no longer serves
A few weeks back I posted a quote from Adam Grant’s book, Think Again on IG and FB: “. . . let go of the knowledge and...
Three Illusions Worth Shattering
I received an email from one of my current book coaching clients a few weeks back that included an attachment with...
About Being In Control
A few weeks back I was in a place I haven’t been for two-plus years: wearing a lavalier mic, standing in front of a...
I am NOT the Crazy One!
No big surprise: I love books! A ton of them are on my Kindle and most of the time I’m good with reading the “virtual”...
The truth is almost always personal
I recently read Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir, by Beth Kephart. On the back cover are these words: It...
Saying “no” (out loud) to shame
I’ve been thinking about shame a lot lately. I know it’s showing up because in the seemingly-endless writing/editing...
If I had a Book Group
I ordered a book a few weeks back, but have basically avoided it since it arrived. Well, until a couple morning’s ago...
damned if you do and damned if you don’t
I have had numerous conversations with clients in past weeks about the "damned if you do and damned if you don’t"...
Letting go of happy endings . . .
I've been ensconced in fiction lately. There is a LOT to be said for getting lost in the pages of a book, stepping...
1000 Words on Aging
Being 61 is not what I expected…though I don’t know that I could tell you, with any degree of specificity, what I did...
About the quiet and silence.
So often, I talk about a woman’s voice and courage and sovereignty. Yours. Mine. Ours. It matters. It is what I’m...
About the Ocean and Anguish
I’ve spent a lot of time at the beach lately. As soon as we arrive, my 9-year-old niece Grace, runs to the water, her...
Women Know Everything
My sister bought me a book a few weeks back: Women Know Everything! 3241 Quips, Quotes and Brilliant Remarks by Karen...
4 Things I Want You to Know
As you undoubtedly know, I spend countless hours (decades, really) in the midst of ancient, sacred stories of women....
About Time
I’ve been thinking a lot about time lately; struggling with it in some ways. And oddly, it’s not because I don’t have...
About Bridgerton & Romance Novels
A couple years back I devoured every novel in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series within a matter of weeks — far before I...
About Being an Outlaw
Yes, about being an outlaw...but also archetypes and exhaustion and self-care and then some. The dictionary defines an...
Not practicing what I preach
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my desire. No. That’s not quite true. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my...
All the wisdom you’ll ever need…
I recently (re)watched The Matrix. It’s one of my favorites, to be sure. Even so, I’d forgotten about the Oracle....
What Matters in a Broken World?
I’ve been sitting with a particular question lately that haunts me, in many ways: How are we to make sense of our...
About peanut butter, shame, and old stories
I was journaling the other morning and flashed on a memory from close to 50 years ago… I snuck into the kitchen when I...
1 quote and 3 (tiny) topics
The Quote: Re-vision–the act of looking back, of seeing with fresh eyes, of entering an old text from a new, critical...
About hearing voices…
Yes, let’s talk about hearing voices…And (just a bit) about RAISING our voices and being countercultural! Over the...
About NOT living a conventional life
“Most of us live conventional lives. We want to avoid the discomforts that arise from complications. But the full,...
About welcoming exhaustion…
It may sound strange, but for me, exhaustion is welcome. Years ago I had a job with a 90-minute commute each way....
About unexpected change and then some
I didn’t expect to move from Washington to North Carolina 2 months ago. The prospect didn’t even enter my conscious...
3 Ways to Step into Gratitude
There’s a very old Hebrew Psalm that’s been circling in my mind lately. It’s an ancient prayer that is...
About Being Alone
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about being alone: the difference between actually being alone and feeling that way. ....
5 Ways to Have the Life you Desire
Here’s the quick version of this post: Hold fast to what you most desire. Name what you want. Acknowledge what’s bound...
The Voices in Your Head
As women, there are times in which we are nearly overwhelmed by the voices in our head, the subtle and less-so...
Why I’ve Given Up on Prayer
I grew up in a very strong faith tradition, so have always had a clear understanding of prayer: its purpose, its...
Wisdom from Dr. Sharon
I came across a Facebook post by Brene Brown a few weeks back. She was talking about her recent conversation with...
3 Ways to be Determined & Wise
There’s an ancient, sacred story told of a woman who had the capacity to influence a man of power, who was adamant...
Why I Left My Corporate Job
My thoughts on fear, courage, and being an entrepreneur. In January of 2018 I left my 10-year-old online business for...
About my recent book-proposal rejection
A month or so ago I got a rejection letter from the publishing company to whom I sent my book proposal. To be fair,...
3 ways to be fear-defying in writing and life
When I look back over 17 years of blogging, here’s what stands out to me: My voice has fluctuated, depending on the...
How Courage is like Ballroom Dancing
My favorite movie of all time is Strictly Ballroom. It’s an Australian film from 1992. Quirky. Hilarious. Endearing....
Does it feel costly to be yourself?
Let's be honest: it does feel costly to be ourselves. Maybe not all of the time, but certainly in some relationships,...
Acknowledging the Choices that are Ours
I received a frantic call from one of my daughters a month or so ago. She was in a desperate state, I was scrambling...
How to Trust Your Inner Wisdom
I could offer you a whole bunch of reasons why you can and should trust your wisdom, why it’s reliable, why it’s...
4 Way to Hear Your Own Wisdom
It’s taken me years (and years and years) to acknowledge that I had wisdom that was uniquely, distinctly mine, let...
A 3-Step Plan Worth Following
I lived a very long season of my life (decades, really) in which I was endlessly on the hunt to find a plan that would...
Remember Who You Are
I talk about sovereignty all the time. It’s a program I offer. But more than all else, it’s a reality, a truth, that I...
The Voices in Your Head
Maybe it's only me, but no matter how long it's been since some of my less-than-stellar stories took place, I still...
The Power of Childhood Stories
We rarely give a second thought to the stories of our childhood. Fairytales, religious myths, favorite books, legend,...
6 Ways to Access Your Inner Wisdom
It’s taken me a lifetime to learn that I can trust myself and my own knowing instead of needing to rely on external...
Steps that count vs. counting steps
I have an Apple Watch that I rarely wear. It enables me to count my steps which, on good days, encourages me, but on...
Wisdom does as Wisdom says
Women hold all the wisdom they could ever need, that the planet could ever need, that the world so desperately needs....
A late-night text
I’ve been thinking about the wisdom that has shaped much of my life. I’m grateful for some of it, to be sure. There’s...
Non-existent, but no less real (February 29)
My father died a year ago today. No, that’s not quite right. He died on February 29, 2020. That day doesn’t exist this...
Refrigerator-Magnet Wisdom
Last month I was in a bookstore in Lexington, KY with both of my daughters. We wandered in three different directions,...
Choose life – and life – and life
There is an ancient story told of a woman who did not waver when the situation demanded swift (and brilliant) action....
Go Deeper Still, Still…
(I first published this post on 12/31/14. It seems to me to be as relevant as ever.) Go deeper still... You already...
My grown-up Christmas list:
One of my favorite Christmas carols by Amy Grant, offers these lyrics: “No more lives torn apart, That wars would...
Today is my birthday!
I am 60 years old today. How is that even possible? The days leading up to this one have been filled with reflection,...
She was a voice
I ordered and read The Book of Longings last week. Written by Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees and...
The power of women’s stories…and yours!
There’s an old, old story told that begins with a narcissistic, paranoid, and power-hungry man (which sounds vaguely...
Retrieving the Fragments
Although women’s words have been censored or eliminated from much of [our] heritage, in the midst of the pain of...
The you you know best
Who would you be if you didn’t hold back? If all your power, compassion, love, and strength roared into any room, any...
Redefining Ordinary
The desire, temptation, and lure to live an extraordinary life is strong; to figure out our “one thing;” to do,...
Believing the Voice Within You
A voice dwells within you that can be trusted, that longs to be listened to, that consistently speaks truth. I...
Extravagant
There’s an ancient sacred story told of a woman who was beautifully, lavishly, even shockingly extravagant. Desiring...
The Women at the Tomb
All we have are the stories, based on the unreasonable experience of people we never knew–and the choice of whether to...
Sophia
Wisdom seeking is difficult because, as Martha Nussbaum has written, “Knowing can be violent, given the truths that...
Stories that Still Speak
I’ve been awake for hours. Christmas tree lights on. Coffee made. Fire lit. Snuggled up on the couch. Laptop on. I’ve...
Sacred Conversation with Your Heart – #6
Today concludes this 6-part series on (Sacred) Conversation with your Heart. I am hopeful, though, that it is just the...
Sacred Conversation with Your Heart – #5
We’re moving toward the end of this 6-part series. I am hopeful it has done your heart good – especially given that...
Sacred Conversation with Your Heart – #4
PART FOUR – SPEAKING DEEPER TRUTHS Conversation, of course, is more than just listening. At its best, it is filled...
Sacred Conversation with Your Heart – #3
PART THREE – HEARING DEEPER TRUTHS My heart does not steer me wrong. It may speak to me of things I’m not yet ready...
Sacred Conversation with Your Heart – #2
Today features Part 2 in a 6-part series that’s all about Sacred Conversation – not with me, but with your heart. You...
Sacred Conversation with Your Heart – #1
Today starts a 6-part series that’s all about Sacred Conversation – not with me, but with your heart. Each post will...
My Left-Hand Side
I did a quick mapping of my body the other day. Here’s what I discovered – from top tobottom: Many mornings, I wake up...
Nevertheless, we persist!
On Tuesday, February 7, 2017, Senator Elizabeth Warren began to read a letter Coretta Scott King wrote in 1986 that...
Yes, yesterday. Now what?
Yesterday, November 9, 2016, I did all the things I always do: I made coffee. I journaled. I gave my daughter a hug...
Musings on Being Single
On days like today I wrestle with what to do. It’s a Saturday morning. Little requires my time or attention for this...
About Fall, Writing, and Letting Go
Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape...
In line at Starbucks…
Although women’s words have been censored or eliminated from much of our heritage, in the midst of the pain of...
So, I’ve written a book…
The subtitle is “A Braided Essay on Women and Silence and Shame.” And it’s published, printed, physical, able to be...
Living an Ordinary Life
The desire, temptation, and lure to live an extraordinary life is strong; to figure out our “one thing;” to do –...
Handless Maidens and then some…
Two weeks ago I spent 6 days in the coveted presence of Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes. There were probably about 100 of...
It’s all going to end badly
A few weeks ago, while talking to my therapist, I mentioned my ongoing and haunting hunch that the archetype of the...
Why didn’t you just say so?
I’ve been binge-watching The Newsroom for the past week. This morning I woke up far too early for a weekend-day....
Tears
Tears are a river that takes you somewhere...Tears lift your boat off the rocks, off dry ground, carrying it downriver...
Boom-Boom, Boom-Boom
I often listen to podcasts in the morning. Out of the shower, getting ready for my day. Today’s didn’t really offer...
Letting Go and Holding On
Living through years of infertility taught me an invaluable lesson. And truth-be-told, I continue to learn it just as,...
A woman’s heart = experiencing God
From the beginning of time we have been asking questions about the Divine. The form, complexity, and context of the...
Turning This Impossible Page
I bought a new journal a few weeks back. Planning ahead. Knowing my current one was nearly full. Wanting to make sure...
Sometimes the best choice is to RUN!
It is excruciating to be the victim of someone’s scorn, passive-aggressive behavior, or blatant harm. I’ve heard so...
Letting Go is NOT Falling Apart
A wise woman tells me she gets this strong sense that I am unable to really let go; like I’m afraid of letting my hair...
Coexistence: Goodness AND Struggle
Emma Joy graduates from high school today. For the past few weeks, nearly everything she’s done or said has provoked a...
Telling Myself (no more) Lies
I have recently uncovered an interesting belief I hold within. It’s not pleasant. And frankly, I’m not all that crazy...
The Day I Spoke Up in Class
For most of my life I’ve been a rule-follower. I am really good at figuring out what’s expected and then never...
The Stunning Story that is Yours
I see the tears behind your eyes. I know about the lump in your throat. I hear the thoughts that swirl in your mind....
In the midst . . .
Here is what I know about you: Right now, in the midst, you embody the Feminine. Right now, in the midst, you inhale...
Imagination and then some…
Imagination is a wonderful, healing, redeeming, strengthening, transformative thing. I spend a lot of my time in this...
About rain and tears and grief
My desk sits in front of two windows that look out on stark trees. For now, there are no leaves in sight. And the rain...
Telling Stories
"Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.” These words...
Imagining God’s Voice as “She”
I know. I know. God is neither a man nor a white-bearded patriarch in the sky. And yes, I know that God is not a woman...
Extravagant Love. Extravagant You.
There’s an ancient sacred story told of a woman who was beautifully, lavishly, even shockingly extravagant. Desiring...
The perfect way to stop a woman.
"I’ve seen women insist on cleaning everything in the house before they could sit down to write.... and you know it’s...
Head acknowledged. Heart aflame.
Something within you knows that you bring a seeing, a knowing, a perspective to this world that, once expressed, might...
When Wisdom Eludes
I remember one afternoon, years ago, sitting in my living room with a woman I deeply respected. I talked to her about...
Speak your mind. Tell your truth.
She felt as though her life was some kind of hellish test; as though the universe was conspiring against her; like the...
Women’s Wisdom: Inextinguishable
I’ll admit that I have been known to doubt the efficacy and relevance of my own words and work. The endless call to...
The other woman
Every once in a while, out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse the other woman. She looks so much like me, but wilder...
I Am A Medial Woman
The Medial Woman...is a representation of the strong-sighted and deep-hearted self who lives simultaneously in the...
Go Into the Darkness.
Gazing into the mirror, I saw myself as I was – a black silhouette in the room, a woman whose darkness had completely...
A letter to myself
Dear Me: Exhaustion. I see it. It’s down deep, far beneath the surface. A weariness that comes from holding on to your...
Where Wisdom Dwells
Where is wisdom to be found when you need and want it the most? Here’s the quick answer: within you. Here’s the more...
For such a time as this.
Sometimes if not oftentimes, the circumstances in which you find yourself are the last ones you want. You look around...
The 3 Secrets of the Gifted Soul
“Since you were born gifted, you will never lead an ordinary life.” “Eccentricity is the first sign of giftedness. You...
Transforming Your Story (Part 3)
Transforming Your Story – The “How” Part 3 of a series. 12 posts scattered throughout 2014 on Transforming Your Story....
The only piece of wisdom you will ever need
I (re)watched The Matrix a few nights back. I hadn’t seen it for years and it was even better than I remembered....
What I know for sure (about women)
What I know for sure about women; about us: When I read the ancient, sacred stories of women I am ever-finding...
Expressing profound grief & fierce loss
There is an ancient story told of a widow whose only son died. With him went her last semblance of family, belonging,...
Transforming Your Story (Part 2)
Did you miss Part 1? Click here. Today, Part 2: Why would you want to Transform Your Story? When I say “Transform Your...
Sophia and Quantum Physics
I had to figure out how to find Sophia. Or make the space for her to find me. One day I came to realize that she’s...
Believing in Another World
The debate is long, old, and exhausting. Is there life beyond ours, in other places, on other planes or planets. Is...
Don’t Look Back
Danielle LaPorte recently said, "Do not give your past the power to define your future." Nowhere is this seen more...
Transforming Your Story (Part 1)
A transformed story is what I want for you: that you would see your life as story, step into it with the same intent...
TRUTH is a warrior
I’ve spent the last few days at a beautiful, private, and extremely quiet place. I’ve spent a lot of time looking out...
There Is No Plan B
On days like today I need a way to make sense of (or at least hold on to) my broken heart. Perspective. Confirmation....
A Meditation Gone Awry
I listened to a meditation a few days back called, “Inner Goddess.” What enticed me to such? First, it was free. But...
I Feel, Therefore I Am
In both college and graduate school I took classes in which the work of Rene Descartes was discussed – the “Father of...
A Lament
I’ve been tricked. ‘Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus is playing on Pandora. What? It’s an instrumental station –...
Life with Popcorn
Life is tough. It’s filled with disappointments, unmet expectations, hurt, grief, frustration, on and on the list...
Spiritual wisdom from Elizabeth Gilbert
I’m about 2/3 of the way through Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Not only do her words make me wish I could...
Song as Metaphor for a Woman’s Journey
For it was there that they asked us,our captors, for songs,our oppressors, for joy.“Sing to us,” they said,“one of...
364 Days
364 days have now passed in 2007. I woke up early this morning for a vacation day and no alarm. I found myself lying...
Happy 47th Birthday to Me!
After writing posts for both of my daughters on their birthdays, I thought it only fitting that I do the same for...
Making Hard Choices
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live. ~ Flora Whittemore A lovely sentiment, but far more...
I’m Tired
There’s much to be done these days with work, children, life. All press for my prioritization. All require much. And,...
What Blinds Us?
Sometimes we have it in our heads that we are limited, that there are certain things we just can’t (or wouldn’t) do,...
“It is finished.” (My divorce is final.)
Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending. (Lazarus Long) What we call the beginning is often...
On Money & Power
I’ve been thinking much these past days about money – how short it is, how fast it goes, how I’m always wishing for...
Women: Choose the Unfamiliar
I am here again, in a familiar place feeling something I’ve felt before, wondering why it’s still here, why I didn’t...
Getting Drenched and Losing Control
This is one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite authors - Anne Lamott in Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on...
Tiptoeing
I can’t tell you how tired I am of tiptoeing; of having to navigate through so many potential landmines that I feel...
Choose Life
I spent a couple of lovely hours with a young woman this morning who asked me what I thought about spiritual...
I Am This Woman
I wrote what follows for the women’s event, Conversations (mentioned in my last post). As the days have progressed...
Women Together: the best kind of danger
I just returned from three glorious days on the waterfront in Gig Harbor, WA. If that wasn’t good enough, I was in the...
Prophet as Female
While I was still a student at The Seattle School, I remember hearing one of my professors lecture on the categories...
My Out Loud Voice
I was talking with a friend this morning about how common it is for women to lose their voices – not...