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Hi Gang!

Read the whole article, do the homework and get a little more life in your life!  Then come on back and share your thoughts.  It’s sure to be some deep stuff

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Enjoy!

Joelle
 

I see a trend developing.

I manage through the dark cold winter and things seem fine.  Holidays and novelty make November and December a breeze. January passes, all is well, February has a quiet energy but sometimes quiet is exactly what the soul needs.  March starts getting dicey and in April discomfort shifts to panic as spring tempts and teases but does not show herself.  Next thing you know I am booking myself on the first flight to Arizona.

It happened  last year,   and right on schedule, despite my lovely little blue light and my 6 am walking club, it happened this year and I am declaring right now, if this body is spending another winter in Ohio, My Az trip will be on the books by October!

However it came to be, my trip to AZ was a godsend in every way.  It was a covert operation, only my host knew I was coming, allowing for my favorite type of schedule which is best defined by the phrase “lots of options, no obligations.”

My plan, was essentially to be in the sun, write, rejuvenate and get some answers.  If there is one thing I do it is seek answers, all day every day and after a period of focused work and tight deadlines I was excited to be able to languish in my answer seeking.  With a pile of library books, flip flops and sunglasses, I was off!

Red Rock Haven:

The trip was perfect in every way and that could not be more true for the impromptu trip to Sedona I took with a dear friend.
 

We booked it the day before I arrived and we were only going for a night but I guess somehow we knew a night was all we needed.
 

Girls that we are we laughed at how we filled an entire backseat with supplies for an overnight trip. 

As we pulled out of the driveway all thoughts of regular life and responsibility disappeared, we were on an adventure to the red rocks and the laptops were left at home, a rare and precious treat.

 
The two hour drive flew by and we never turned on the radio once.  We first engaged in an in-depth critique of the abundant and clever billboard advertisements and then conversation turned to our lives, what was working, what was not, what we feared, what we hoped for, and by the time we arrived we each had that feeling of being joyfully emptied of all the things that just needed to get out (I have found that one of the most profound impacts of coaching is simply the opportunity for people to speak and be heard.)

Suddenly, the familiar red rock cropping began to dot the landscape and the blissful wave of peace that is uniquely Sedona washed over us.

Solving the world’s problems over a bottle of wine:

My friend had booked us in a resort way up on a ridge. It is the kind of place where the view is spectacular and the drive up has you holding your breath. 

Upon arriving in our room we set the stage for a delicious evening of conversation.  It was still brisk up in the high desert so we had to abandon patio sitting for fireplace sitting.  By 5:30 we had the fireplace roaring, the feast set up, the wine opened and the world slipped away as two best friends contemplated the mysteries of life, shared each other’s company and connected to their life purpose.

These are the conversations that enliven me;  the ones that can change your life; the ones that leave you in awe of the wonder of living; the ones that come from deep trust and pure love – it was magical.

Complete with an intuitive card reading and a very enlightened metaphor comparing the pine tree out our window to an individual’s path of purpose and the quest for truth, we called our husbands to share the day and were fast asleep by 10:30. A day well done.

Living loud in all of its many forms:

Still on East coast time, I was delighted to wake at 6 am and headed out to take in the clean high desert air, and listen to the morning birds. 

Perched atop our ridge, I called my mother to share the previous night’s insights and the beauty of the moment (some of my mother’s favorite memories are the trips she has taken virtually with me as I called her from a camp site in Malibu, the airport in Maui or from the deck of a tall ship in the Caribbean.)

I then picked up some tea for my travel companion and we packed up the car to check out. 

As we were leaving we were suddenly surrounded by a unique group of individuals, who resembled a crew you might see at a Stergis rally.  The boxed us in with their large souped-up trucks.  A compact and assertive woman walked up to our window, stuck her had in and said, “Just where do you think you are going? We heard you were leaving and we all hurried back to stop you.” 

It seems that our particular vehicle had somewhat of a cult following.  They were a club 1400 strong and this weekend they were gathering from all across the country to celebrate their trucks! Their passion was amazing and it was beautiful how the mere fact that we owned the same vehicle gave us an automatic entry into the club and a wild weekend of revelry. 

We declined the revelry but we did get the blow by blow of the personalized license plates, hitch steps and the myriad of other special doo-hickies that made each person’s “ride” special.  It was priceless and joyful and such a beautiful example of passion, commitment and yes, living loud!

Being:

The rest of the day was spent exploring, sharing and just being.  Highlights included:

A beautiful breakfast at the Heartline Café, followed by coffee and books on their adorable patio.

A chocolate stop at raw food gourmet chocolate shop (only in Sedona!)

And an endless walk around the fabulous artisan center at Talacapaque.

Finish it off with crackers and hummus on the lawn and I believe there is a picture of this day in the dictionary under the word “Perfection.”

And then we headed back to the valley.

Sun and Silence:

My final days of the trip comprised of me under an umbrella at the pool reading. I did this for two days. 

My original plan was to plan, create, figure out, but something happened in Sedona which changed all that. 

That Thursday night when we waxed philosophic and connected with our creator; that conversation and the energy of the place, it put my mind to rest, made all planning obsolete and put every question out of my head. 

Holding onto Bliss:

Achieving the peace I found in Sedona came joyfully and effortless and it lasted well after my trip back to Cleveland and it changes everything. 

Now the trick is to stay with it, to stay connected and peaceful, even when I am tired or when things don’t work out the way I planned; even when I cannot see the way and there is no clear path; my daily task is to stay in the knowing, to stay in my truth and to have unwavering faith in the wonder of life.

Whether it is a trip to Sedona, a visit to your garden or a Sunday mass, be sure to make the time to ground yourself with the people, places and experiences that make you feel connected and hopeful, powerful and serene.

The more I live and the more I seek, the more I come to find that attention to this one thing, makes all the difference.

With Love,

Joelle  
 

Hello gang! 

I always find that spring is a time that opens me up to life.  Like the first daffodils of spring pushing their way out of the newly thawed dirt.  Ahhhhhhh.   We have weathered the winter and now is the time of rebirth, of new growth, of warmth and expansion.

It is too rare of an occurrence that we actually stop and appreciate the unfolding of a season or a day or a moment.  In the weeks to come, be sure to take time to welcome the spring, breathe in the smell of green things and stop to appreciate the landscape bursting forth in color.  Life is a wonder when we take a moment to know it, to see it, to breath it in.

With Love and daffodils,
 

Coach Joelle

For those of you who are ready to spring into a new life adventure and take on the world with fresh eyes, I encourage you to check out the spring session of the Make Your Life Program starting May 6th.  Whether you are looking to find new spring romance, to open yourself to pursue that dream career or simply come to know, honor and appreciate how amazing you are (because you really are) then come and join us – your future will thank you.

"Joelle’s coaching touched, improved, and inspired every aspect of my life! From easing the transition of moving to a new town, getting settled, and starting my own design business -  to clarifying my visions for a wonderful future - what could have been a potential disaster instead was turned into "perpetual bliss". I truly feel as if I’ve had a life makeover. I’m more confident, calm, and balanced on a daily basis and this has, in turn, profoundly affected my personal life, as well as my business dealings in positive, far-reaching ways."

 Thank you Joelle!!!

Eva Pederson, Make Your Life Participant

And now the moment you have all been waiting for!! 

The final resolution of the Kitty Communication Conundrum!!  After all of the lessons on how not to get what you want, the precious Lucky (we call her “The splotch”) will demonstrate the simplest, easiest way to get what you need (just a hint – it is the most obvious, cleanest, direct way to do it, and amazingly, it usually works!) 

Enjoy this fourth and final episode of What Do You Want – and How You Can Get It! 
 

Enjoy, and may all of your heartfelt requests be greeted with open arms.
 

Joelle

Once again, thank you to Lashawn and Theresa for all of their hard work on these videos. It is a gift when someone helps to make your inspired visions real.  Love to you both.
 

Hi, gang!

As we head into week 3 of the infamous cat communication videos, I have a question for you.

Have you ever had someone do something nice for you only to find out they were buttering you up for a future favor?

Or perhaps at some point you may have been the sneaky one, thinking that if you just say “yes” one more time to them, you will have earned a yes the next time you come asking.  Hmmm?

While it may seem like a good idea at the time, it unfortunately reeks of manipulation (I know, strong word) and all too often leaves the other party feeling used, or snookered (wow – that did not show up in spell check – must be a real word!) leaving the other party leery of future seemingly “altruistic” acts.

This is an all common scenario in businesses, friendships and marriages that my cat Xanadu (A.K.A Xana-belli)will skillfully demonstrate in this week’s video.

Watch and learn from the master manipulator what not to do when you are out to get what you want.

Haven’t seen Part 1? Watch the video now!

Haven’t seen Part 2? Watch the video now!

Enjoy,

Coach Joelle

Just a heads up, I will be a guest on the DeLores Pressley Show on La Talk Radio Tuesday March 31st at 7:00 EST. 

Check it out below!

Joelle

Hi, gang!

Welcome to part two of the 4 part video series What do you want… and how you can get it! (A.k.A things I learned from my cats.)

(haven’t watched part 1 yet? Check it out now!

In today’s lesson, the very persistent Bandit (may she rest in peace)shows us a couple more less than effective ways to try to get what you want. 

 Check out this 3  minute video to ensure you don’t make these communication mistakes.

More to come next week!

Enjoy!

Joelle

Hi Gang!

With another 6 weeks until the next Make Your Life Program I knew I couldn’t wait until then to start up another life-limiter’s list.

As you may know the making life-limiter’s list is the practice of listing all the stuff that is hanging out there waiting to be done, the things that are nagging you and are sucking mental energy every time you notice it, don’t do it and then come back to notice it again.

Life is so much cleaner and simpler when these things are taken off the list and my experience is that this cleaning up also gives you more direct access to all the good in life because your mind is quiet and ready to receive.

My list right now is lengthy and I figured I would share it with you to help hold me accountable.

So here it goes!

Things on Joelle’s life-Limiter’s list:

1. Bathroom caulk (my original solution did not work – time to try option 2)

2. Buy venetian plaster for bathroom

3. Get new light bulbs for office chandelier

4. Find a place to record or buy recording equipment and…. Record!!

5. Glue the hang-y down-y thingy on the bottom of the bed

6. Call Mike for bathroom repair (hmmm – lots o’ bathroom stuff)

7. Book with dermatologist

8. Find and book with OBGYN and/or GP

9. Sell something on ebay already!!! (I keep making piles and not actually sitting down to do it!)

10. Find a minimum of 10 fabulous communities that could be our next home.

11. Check out ICF Continuing education programs and narrow down to 3 possible paths to recertification.

12. Decide whether I will be visiting AZ/CA in the next month to get a little summery reprieve.

Ok, this is a good start. Between the ebay and the fixer upper stuff I will have a lot off my mind. With the doctor stuff it is probably about time and the sooner I find our new community the sooner we are off to a new adventure.

Here is my commitment.

(ohhhhh, this is where things get exciting!)

I commit to items …..

Oh heck – I will do it all this week. Period. (quick scan) yep, all of it!

I will be updating on twitter as I get things done (you can see my updates in the pink box on the right.)

If you would like to get to work on your own life-limiter’s list, go ahead and post below and we can cheer you on.

Hugs on a Monday!!

Joelle

Hi guys!

This summer, two of my amazing interns helped make a little dream reality by shooting and editing the delightful piece of video I am about to share with you over the next 4 weeks.

Part one of this four part series explores the hazards of expecting the world to read your mind (a really crummy way to try to get what you want, by the way.)

If you are ready to….

• up your communication skills

• Stop beating your head against the wall

• and start getting what you want

Then take 3 minutes and check out: 

What do you Want and How you can get it
(A.K.A. lessons I learned from my cats.)

Enjoy and tune in next week for part two!

Coach Joelle

A special thank you and acknowledge to Lashawn and Teresa for their brilliant skill and hard work.  It was so fun to create with you!

Mine and everyone in America’s apparently.

If you have known me for awhile then you know I have the entertainment taste of a 15 year old (Chuck Bass rocks my world!) With that said, I must admit, this past month’s Monday-night Bachelor habit was thrust upon me by my loving husband (don’t even try to deny it babe!)  So I have been diligently tuning in to see the charming and sensitive Jason Mesnick woo 25 women in hopes of finding his one true love.

By now, if you have turned on your TV or visited a chat room or social network in the past 24 hours, you know that this most recent bachelor took a most shocking turn and the country is up in arms.

On the final show, Jason had to choose between Molly, a lovely blond who clearly rocked his world with the most captivating eyes (which  he commented about on almost every date) and bubbly brunette Melissa whose energy, kindness and loving way had her as our frontrunner (after Stephanie who Jeff had picked out for Jason from day one.)

On that final show Jason had to say goodbye to one girl and commit to the other and this was a problem as he had stated repeatedly, he was clearly in love with two women.  

As I have watched Jason over the previous weeks I had come to have a deep appreciation for his leveled approach, his kindness and his respect for the women.  I loved how he was moved to tears repeatedly as he had to say goodbye to fabulous woman after fabulous women as he narrowed his search.

As the finale drew near we saw the previews of Jason out on the deck of his New Zealand residence, sobbing.  Every time I saw that clip my heart went out to him – it really was beautiful to see that level of emotion -and I came to appreciate him even more.

And then came the moment we had all been waiting for.

As I watched the action real-time, after much suspense we came to find that these tears of heartbreak and devastation were the after-effects of saying goodbye to Molly so that he could be with Melissa.  In my head a quiet warning sounded “This young man does not know what he wants right now.”

In the very next scene I was proven wrong as Jason asked Melissa to marry him.  Saying he could finally say to her what he had wanted to all along, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

Flash forward to “After the final rose” in a turn of events so shocking that they had to shoot without a studio audience, Jason unceremoniously ends his engagement with Melissa and asks Molly to give him another chance.

I will not lie. There was much booing and yelling at the television when the news broke in our household and Jason’s stock went down about 3000 points.

Now the country is up in arms, everyone has an opinion and I figured the Coach Joelle would weigh in for good measure.

1) This is not real life. It is a TV show and  I get that there is a certain amount of pressure to end the show with a ring on someone’s finger.  I can understand how this could have a person making decisions that they may not have made in the “real world.”

2) I acknowledge Jason for having the courage to be so darn unpopular and go back on his proposal before the marriage actually happened. Lesser men would have tried to stick it out a few years before the impending divorce.

3) Melissa’s comment on how she had one sacred time to say yes to spending the rest of her life with someone and that he took that away from her, is totally valid and really makes Jason seem like a super cad!  That is where every heart in the room broke.  She went for it, she trusted and he blew that trust out of the water with dynamite.  Gentlemen, learn from Jason’s folly, engagements are not to be taken lightly.

4) There are rumors going around about Molly, her personal life and her morals and while I guess having your laundry aired is one of the unfortunate costs of public exposure today, I truly hope that people think twice before spreading unfounded rumors about any of these people.  It is not something that makes the world a better place.

5) I have not been living their lives so I do not know what happened in their 6 weeks of engagement that caused Jason to throw in the towel, but the issue is that it appears neither did bride-to-be, Melissa.  This leaves me to deduce that he is either lost/confused/fickle, to propose to a girl one day and within a little over a month decide she is not it, and/or, he needs to work on his communication if he wants this relationship to have a chance (I cannot fathom how his finance could get dumped on national television with no idea what happened.)

6) I wish Jason and Molly great happiness. I hope we see them in married bliss alongside Trista and Ryan in future episodes.   They have some major PR issues to work through and I still get this impression that Jason is not quite ready for the level of commitment he thinks he wants (or at least not with anyone currently in his life) but of course this is a judgment based on the finely edited story of a reality television show, so who knows.

Tune in May 18th when 3rd runner up, Gillian takes on a gaggle of men as the new bachelorette (see you on the couch!)

 Funny how some of the most watched TV out there is just real life on camera.  The human experience is an amazing thing. No wonder I love what I do. 
 

 With Love,

Joelle

No I am not referencing our recent Valentine’s Day festivities I am speaking of a wild weekend I spent with 50 fitness instructors doing some hard-core, gyrating, sassy, fitness-dancing in an 8 hour ZUMBA certification class.

The first Question I usually get here is ….What is Zumba?  Well, we were asked to repeat repeatedly that …

“ZUMBA is a dance/ fitness program set to international music ….OR… IT’S A PARTY!”

You choose the definition that works well for you but I will tell you, being lead by our expert instructor to the stars, Tanya Beardsley it was definitely all that and a bag of sunchips.

So what was a Professional Coach like me doing attempting to keep up with a bunch of professional fitness instructors?

Well,  a great friend of mine (owner of Inspiral motion and Gyrotonic instructor extraordinaire)said she was going and mentioned that there was no prerequisite to attend, so when I heard “road-trip” and “dance” and “party” I said, SIGN ME UP! 

No more than 3 days later I was asking myself “so tell me why again are you driving to New York to get Zumba certified when you will likely never teach a class?”  and the answer that kept coming back to me was… “because you said you would.” And at some point I was so inspired that I actually signed up and paid money to do it so who am I to question that inspiration.  And thus,  I Just put it on the calendar and went.

As it turns out, I am so grateful I got zumbafied for several reasons.

1 – I found out that when push comes to shove, I can do 5 hours of movement in a day. Who knew!

2 – I found out what it is to sweat – I mean really sweat for hours.  I rarely work hard enough to sweat and it is great to know I can do it while having a blast!

3 – I got to watch a master mover and was totally inspired! If you check out the youtube video I found below you will see some of the things she does with her body… I want to know how to do that!

4 – In our training there were a couple people who stood out from the crowd, that totally knew what was going on and they helped us all rock the house.  I would like to be someone who knows the formula, has practiced the basic steps and could walk into any Zumba class in the country and represent!

5 – for those of you who have followed my journey for a time you will remember that I have been seeking  “the body of a dancer”, with this in mind, my ZUMBA adventure is clearly just one more very important piece of this puzzle.

6 – I had 8 hours in the car with my friend and we never once turned on the radio.  It was lovely to share the time and get every little thing that might have been weighing on our minds out into the ether. Thanks  God for good friends!

7 – I just want to wear the clothes.  Our instructor had these wide legged baggy pants with tassels on the back pockets (that did amazing things when she did this particular shimmy move) and a chain from her hip to a side pocket.  So HOT!

And finally – our overnight trip to New York where I got to be a Zumba teacher for a day, got me out of myself. It took me into another world, one with a fresh perspective on fitness, my own body, dance and life in general.

Instead of being at the front of the class, I got to be a student and I witnessed a master instructor at work.  I felt the exhilaration of getting it and the growly frustration of being lost.  I even had a moment where I looked in the mirror and felt old and so totally “un-cool” and I watched as I was able to catch my mind, get over it and focus on the next step… and then the next.

This is really the challenge of everyday life.  How to stay focused on the dance, being present and intentional and not getting frustrated when learning the new steps; being patient with the process because one does not build the body of a dancer, a thriving business or a beautiful new romance over night.  We must move towards our inspired futures, calmly learning the steps, staying the course and knowing… we WILL get it.

So why not try something new.  Infuse some fun in your life. Trust your process and believe that with intention and focus you will get there….oh… And go get your ZUMBA on!

Happy Friday!

Coach Joelle

(p.s. none of these are me. In case you were wondering. i just found it online.)
 

With all of the concern and talk about the economy these days, I wanted to share the most refreshing statement I have heard on the matter.

It came from a husband and wife team that I work with in creating their individual and collective lives.  I am often inspired by their willingness to dig right into the challenges and by their commitment to doing the exploring, confronting and acting needed to have a great life.

One thing that I have observed with them is that they really have the abundance mentality down. They have a lot of freedom around and a very healthy relationship to money. The very essence of this is illustrated in the following conversation.

In one of our sessions they brought up the economy, how they were happy to both be employed and how things are getting tough for a lot of people.  The conversation continued…
 

“Things are getting tough,” they said…

“And with the holidays coming up we discussed it and decided that we want to tighten our budget so we can….”

“find a way to give more.”

The economy is tough so we want to find a way to give more! How brilliant!  So they look at the economy and instead of starting to fear for their jobs or expecting the worst, they ask themselves what they would need to do to give more to the people around them.  I gotta believe that kind of thinking makes for some super mojo.

Maybe we can all learn a little from these two.  I have said it before and I will say it again, most of the people I meet, whether they feel wealthy or significantly under financed still have so much stuff they hardly know what to do with it all.  I fit into that category too and it is always a fun challenge to ask what can I get rid of (sell/ give away) to simplify my life and get my stuff out into the world where it might be more appreciated.  And then when it comes to buying new things I have taken to really asking “is this something that will significantly enhance my life?” or is it just one more piece of clutter, one more unused item of clothing for my closet?

Be mindful of your money.  Honor it in your choices and then when you choose to own things, honor your money further with the care of your possessions. And of course, when appropriate check in and see what you have that needs to be sent back out into the world.

Sending out makes room for receiving.  Sowing and reaping and all that good stuff.

May we each be so blessed as to be able to step back, breath and ask… “how can I give more?”.

Hugs on a Monday,

Coach Joelle

P.S.  Just a reminder, the Make Your Life Program started wednesday.  There is still time to sign up just click here to read all about it.

Hi guys,

I know I have been a little quiet the last week or so but I have been very busy sleeping in, watching movies, eating chocolate and enjoying the comforts of my mother’s home and my northern heritage. 

You see, for one week out of every year I head up to Winnipeg, Canada where Coach Joelle goes into hibernation and "Joey" takes her place. “Joey” is what my mom calls me, my sister does as well, and my aunts and uncles and cousins (it also happens to be what they call a baby kangaroo!)  So after a whole week in "Joey"-land, I thought I would get in touch and share some highlights from my week up north.

Highlights of Joey’s northern adventures include:

• My husband asking me over and over again…”how do people live here?” as he learned what I meant when I said that sometimes it is too cold to breath.
• Jeff expanding our holiday traditions by walking us through the lighting of our makeshift menorah and reciting the Chanukah blessing.
• Christmas eve at Autie Karen’s with all the Prochera’s, including my uncle rob and his lovely new girlfriend and full grown cousins that are graduating and going to parties and crazy things like that! The warmth in the room was palpable as we shared our stories, packing into 5 hours the events of a year. 
• Christmas day and the opening of the stockings followed by an ever growing gift-giving extravaganza, with everyone sporting pj’s and my sister playing santa’s elf (voice and all.) It seems, as we grow older our most prized gifts often come in the form of books.  Imagine my delight to get Carol Alt’s The Raw 50 and Vegetarianism for Dummies!  Jeff has been sharing insights from Harpoon (into the heart of whaling)  and has been inspired by his recent introduction to Canada’s own preeminent environmentalist, David Suzuki through The David Suzuki Reader: A Lifetime of Ideas from a Leading Activist and Thinker.
• Jeff and I taking public transit to the mall and not freezing any extremities or getting lost.
• The opportunity to see a handful of friends who are so gracious as to shift their schedule to visit during the 5 days a year I happen to drop into town.
• And top of the list, the ability, once a year to just be Joey, my mom’s little girl, my sister’s eternal playmate and a northern girl through and through.

I have to admit, there were a couple of times in my “Joey “ week that I wondered, should I be sending out a holiday email…. OR inspiring people with past triumphs from the 60 days or MYL programs to get them going for the new year…. OR incessantly updating my facebook status ….. “Joelle Prochera is…. Eating a whole box of chocolate….  Trying on new fuzzy socks.” But I decided to live my life instead of writing about it, knowing that we would have many many occasions to connect as we enter into this exciting new year. 

While Joey’s back on the desk for today, I have booked Thursday and Friday off for a life-making retreat where I will be, tea in hand, dreaming, exploring and planning for the new year.  You can play too! In anticipation for this artificial break in time that signifies brand new beginnings, now is the time to ask yourself…

If It were December 2009 and I was looking back at the year, what would I like to have accomplished and what would I want to see in my life?  

This is an exciting question to ponder, as a whole year seems like such a long time.  Image what a person could cause in 12 full months! What will you be causing?

For those of you who have aspirations for great things in the year to come, I invite you to take the time to envision, to create and to plan.  It is one of the very best things you can do with your time and a wonderful way to launch your 2009 adventures!
 

Hugs to you and HAPPY NEW YEAR

From Joey
 

 Jumpstart Your 2009 with …

The Make Your Life Program™

January 14th - March 11th Experience the Magic of a Life Lived on Purpose

The Make Your Life Program™ is a one-of-a-kind tele-program which combines practical coaching skills, and professional support with creativity and play, allowing you to consciously create a life you love and experience the magic of a life lived on purpose.

READ MORE about the Make Your Life Program!

Hi Guys!

As you know, last Wednesday I sat down with Robin Swoboda on Fox 8 to discuss how to have a Holiday Filled with Comfort and Joy.  I know several of you wanted to see the latest TV adventures of Coach Joelle so I included the link.  

See Coach Joelle on That’s Life With Robin Swoboda

When you see the clip you will notice things at the studio were a little wild, with everything from dogs to escaped snakes and pet food in jello-molds, but all in all, I think it went pretty well.  If you don’t have time to watch, I have included my top tips for having a holiday filled with comfort and joy below.  Enjoy!

1) Make your  “love it” and “lose it” lists  – Make two lists, one listing all that you love about the holidays and the other listing the things you can do without.  Don’t let the holiday pass without making time for the stuff you love and wherever possible “just say no!” to the things you would rather not do.  If you prefer a compromise, I offer there is always a creative solution to making just about anything into an enjoyable experience.  So, if you are committed to having a holiday filled with comfort and joy be sure to stop and notice when you are stressing, pushing, resisting or resenting during your holiday and see if you cannot find an easier, more fun, enjoyable way to do whatever it is.

2) Plan what you can – whether it is a holiday meal, celebration or shopping, a little planning goes a long way.  Grab a cup of coffee, have a seat and give yourself the time to plan, and contemplate before you go rushing out to “do”.  A little thought goes a long way when it comes to having a blissful season.

3) Create new holiday traditions – Some of my favorite holiday memories have nothing to do with presents – the girls club holiday lights trolley party – the cousins Christmas eve hockey game – the  New Years gingerbread house smashing…. If you are one of those people who wants to add more joy and meaning to the season, there is no time like the present to create your holiday with intention by starting a new tradition.  Get the neighbors together and go caroling.  Have a dradle-off.  Invite everyone over to decorate gingerbread or go see the neighborhood reenactment of the nativity. 

4) Give meaningful gifts that don’t break that bank  - it doesn’t take a bunch of money to spread the cheer.  Making a gift with love can often be so much more meaningful than the latest shiny thing at the store( In the show segment I mention how my dad made us a set of blocks that played a memorable role in the projects and creativity of my youth.)  Never mind the fact that most of us do not really NEED all that much.  If you want to use your holiday dollars to really help someone in need you can go to www.heifer.org and give some chickens or a sheep to a family in a 3rd world country (now that’s way better than a gift card!)

5) Share the load and spread the holiday spirit – Community and sharing in the holiday responsibilities can make the usual holiday chores less of a burden and a lot more fun! Have a decorating or a gift wrapping party. Go shopping with a friend, or the next time someone asks you “can they bring anything”….say YES!

6) Stress and tension or comfort and joy - you get to choose –Whatever you go looking for is likely to show up.  If you enter the days ahead waiting to be stressed out, or annoyed, or tired, guess what?  One order of frustration coming right up!  Look for the comfort and joy, and you will find that too.

Enjoy your final days of preperation.  Light the lights and deck the halls.

Holiday Hugs,

Joelle

Hi guys,

Word on the street is that the moon is going to be something special tonight (This article tells us all about the science of it - Read more.)  Find out when the moon will be rising in your part of the world and schedule yourself to be watching the horizon.

Give yourself a moment to appreciate the little things, or in the case the GREAT BIG ONES!

Hugs on a Friday!

Joelle
 

Hi gang! 

I am excited to share that I will be back on Fox 8, chatting with Robin Swoboda about "how to fill your holiday with comfort and joy!"  
 

Whether you are stressing about how to create a meaningful Christmas while weathering difficult financial times, frustrated with the unending list of holiday to do’s, or just wanting to infuse more joy into your celebration, don’t miss this inspiring and informative discussion on how you can make the best of your holiday season.

That’s Life: Wednesday, Dec. 10th, 10:00 AM Fox 8

See you on the show!
 

Coach Joelle

It is the 11th consecutive weekday that I have attended the 6 am Cleveland Heights walking club which departs from the neighborhood Starbucks.  5 days of walking (a little over an hour each day) plus 2 days of Gyrotonic inside of one week and I am learning a little bit about the limits of my body. 

Between two days of bloody socks (time for some new shoes) and two Friday’s where I am physically exhausted and barely able to function, and I have pretty much figured out that I need to chill a little and work my way back up to what I have been doing. 

I have decided to keep the 6 am wakeup but walk only 3 days a week.  Our walking leader also gave me some advice on how to use less energy walking by relaxing my body a bit. This falls right into line with my masso-therapist’s lecture that “there is no such thing as speed walking” at least not if you want to have a healthy, aligned body.  Hm, live and learn.

It is interesting. This is reflective of the way many of us live our lives.  We can power through the situation or responsibilities or time crunch of the moment, thinking that if we can just get through it then everything will be ok. But we don’t just “get through it”, we use this proof of endurance to pile on more and more and then, one day, it all catches up. Symptoms manifest either mentally (breakdown) or physically (illness) and we find out that we were not handling it all as well as we thought.

Who ever thought walking would take such a physical toll on the body? Now I know.

What are you pushing through that just might catch up to you, oh invincible one?

A little food for thought.

Hugs on a Monday,

Joelle  
 
 

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Good morning! 

Coach Joelle here to share another new food adventure from an aspiring vegetarian.

This past weekend, my family in town, we headed to one of downtown Cleveland’s delights, the Westside Market.  It has that ”market feel” with stalls of vegetables and fruit (we got 4 organic cucumbers for $1) stalls with handmade pasta, stalls with rich stinky blue cheeses and display after display of almost every kind of animal part you could imagine (you might know it as meat.)  To look at things like cow tongue, back fat and chicken livers it really made me stop for a minute and contemplate the nature of meat.

As some of you may know, I have recently taken the path of the ‘Conscientious Omnivore” eating a mostly vegetarian diet for ethical reasons and only buying or eating the every allusive “happy cow”.  The cow that has been grass fed, free range and has had the opportunity to live some semblance of a good life before he is cut into little bits for my enjoyment.  The more I read, and the more I learn about  modern food processing,  the more I question whether I can live with any animal’s life on my conscience, but that is not really what I wanted to talk about today.  As I was looking at all of the display cases, it caused me to ask….  

What is meat?

“Is there some part of a cow or a chicken that is called “meat”’ I wondered? We have the skin, that is called “skin” or “hide” and then there is fat – we all know what that is – and then I guess we have bones and muscle.  I was thinking, “There is no material in there (other than internal organs, veins etc.) that we would call the “meat” part of the animal” so I guess that means that “meat” is muscle (You can tell I grew up 600 kilometers from the nearest farm that I would just be having this revelation.) 

I looked at my own muscle under my skin and wondered how much “meat” you would get out of my bicep or thigh muscle.  I know, creepy.

When I brought this up with a friend of mine she said that she had once had the opportunity to observe an open- heart surgery.  She described how the heart stood, separated and clean inside the chest of the person on the operating table.  The heart was surrounded by the ribcage and it was that moment that she realized how familiar those ribs looked  - just like any side of ribs we would get on “all you can eat” night.  This realization made her very present to how, while we may be near the top of the food chain, we have all the same parts as the things we eat.

Prime rib – a part of the ribs, a standing rump roast is part of the cows “rump” that still has part of the leg attached.  Yum.

Ok, I am not trying to gross you out. It is just that I have never contemplated this.  Meat comes in little packages, without faces, or legs, and to realize that there is no mystery part of an animal called “meat”, that it is the muscles that moves and holds it’s body, is an uncomfortable feeling for me.

The other day I was so fortunate to have found a piece of grass-fed free-range mooo. As I sat down to eat I said a little prayer over him.  “Thank you cow for giving me part of your muscle to eat.”  It left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

As I think more and learn more about the food I eat, I keep cutting back my options. For me, this does not feel like deprivation, but merely an opportunity to explore new food horizons.   The good thing is that the more I explore, the more people I meet who have lost their taste for meat years ago.  Why, just this weekend, my uncle’s girlfriend gave me a recipe that inspired me to make my first batch of quinoa and adzuki beans, I have a fresh appreciation for raw nuts, and I LOVE my spicy kale recipe.  Who knew I would ever become one of “those people.”

If there were anything I wanted to come of this sharing, it would be this, when you sit down to a meal, consider taking a moment to appreciate the life that was given.  Honor your cow, chicken, turkey or mollusk for their life, and their death.

With Love,

Joelle

Hi Gang!  I trust you had a lovely Thanksgiving.  I wanted to take a moment and share a highlight in my holiday weekend.

As the thanksgiving holiday approached I had a vision of what could be. Friends and family, a healthy dose of food and wine, great conversation and the ever important - ease in execution…. the perfect holiday party.

My vision for the perfect party experience was formed last year, when the day before thanksgiving, we started a tradition.  The tradition was basically this, my mom (from Canada)  and uncle Rob (from Ithaca New York)  get into town in time for the holiday, my husband comes home from work, I invite a friend over and what ensues is hours of riveting conversation, noshing and wine tasting followed by a late dinner at Nighttown (the local Irish pub). It is a modern take on the “conversation salons” of the past, and for me the experience of sharing time with the people I love and sharing the people I love with each other, has to be about the best feeling in the world.

This year, the tradition continued, only this time we added my uncle’s new girlfriend, my sister and a couple of new friends and as it turned out, everyone was having such a great time that we never even made it to Nighttown! The discussions were diverse and deep, ranging from the superior quality of the Stratocaster (guitar) to the best way to gain hope after a recent breakup, to cannibalism (I’m not kidding you) and the most beautiful thing is how everyone just meshed with everyone and I just got to sit back and watch and enjoy the glow. The conversation and wine-drinking was still going strong when I started cleaning up around midnight.  

Thinking about the joy and ease of it all, holding the vision but doing virtually no planning (my plan was basically food, chairs, people, wine)  I realize that I have come a long way from the first party I threw. 

The party was for a beloved fellow trombone-player and best friend who was moving out of town and I planned to have some people over to send him off in style! I had a very solid picture of how things were going to go and how the evening would unfold… and then life happened.  We were maybe 11 or 12 years old and I remember some people wanted to dance but I would have none of it! We had rented movies (really deep sad depressing movies “Mask” anyone) and we were going to watch them, even if nobody wanted to! Who knew a 12 year old would already be showing such control- freak tendencies. Yech!  The pain of that event stayed with me for a long time. I felt sad and a little embarrassed with how abrasive I was and how my plan got in the way of what could have been a perfectly good party.

Oh well. I guess somewhere along the way I learned that when it comes to parties and for that matter, pretty much everything, you tend to have a lot more fun letting things unfold naturally, trusting in the people, the process and the magic of life.

Hugs on a Monday!
 

Love, Joelle

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

The world is experiencing some interesting times. With the current economic situation and unemployment on the rise, I know many are feeling the repercussions and others are fearful of what’s to come.  Add to this your typical, everyday concerns, like not making enough money or not having the house you want or carrying around that extra 20 lbs ,  I can understand why a person might be having some challenges getting into the Thanksgiving spirit.

As your coach, I am here to tell you that when things are looking gloomy, not only is it a good idea to seek out moments of gratitude, I offer that it is a critical practice for those of you who are seeking a better today and a joyful life.

Read Whole Article

Enjoy the article and Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for you! HUG!

Coach Joelle