Women's Circle

Why knowing your story matters, when holding space

The first thing we look at in The Art of Holding Space is our stories about being in relationship, community, together. What we bring with us into the spaces we create or participate in. The old, the new. The family ones, the School ones, the others. 

The stories about our place, roles, expectations, assumptions, wounds and longings.

There are the obvious ones and sometimes the more subtle threads. But they can have a lot to say about how safe we feel. Or the way we connect inward and outward as we take a seat. Without feeling we have to play a part, to be worthy. 

A new edge for me is becoming more visible and it is really shining in relation to motherhood. I feel my old stories poke as I witness their interactions and school yard challenges. It takes a lot of consciousness to remember what is mine and what is actually their experience.

I am meeting them A LOT at the moment! Even though many carried threads have found some ease, they will probably never leave my system completely. It weaves in. 

Knowing our history of togetherness, the in the light and the ‘in the shadows’ can support us in creating a safer container for not only participants, but also ourselves. We can tend to ourselves with intention and care in a different way. It can become easier to get proper supervision and plan curriculum and content that we can actually hold in a responsible way.

Having this perspective and insight with us, I feel, it’s important. The things we often think set apart, are the stories that truly connect us.


The art of holding space begins February 8th - read more here


Wild Power - exploring your cycle with Alexandra Pope ☾ 7

Today’s guest is Alexandra Pope.

Alexandra is the co founder of redschool.net along side Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer. She is also the author of several books including 'The Wild Genie: The Healing Power of Menstruation', 'The Women’s Quest Workbook' and co author of 'The Pill: are you sure it’s for you' and their book Wild Power 

Alexandra is a women’s leadership coach and educator at the forefront of the emerging new field of menstruality, exploring woman’s psycho-spiritual journey from menarche to menopause and beyond.


5 years ago I followed a calling and did a menstrual, women’s body training with a beautiful teacher Laila Torsheim here in Denmark. It became confirmation of so many truths in my body, that I simply did not have a fully developed language for. She introduced us to our lovely guest today. A woman and a mission worth knowing. 

I had the privilege of working a little closer with them during the launch of their book ‘Wild Power’ and it is a must read for women wanting to get intimate with their cycle. I will leave a link in the show notes. 


To learn more about their amazing work go here: www.redschool.net

Radical Sisterhood and Rebirthing Sanity with Clare Dubois ☾ 3

In this Episode 3 I interview Clare Dubois. 


You will hear:

  • How Sisterhood is one the Keys to create massive change

  • Why trees and reforestation is important. 

  • Clare’s amazing and wild story of how it all began. 

  • Why the focus is on the tropical rainforest.

  • What and where can we go if we want to make change locally 

  • More importantly why Sisterhood and what is the potential if we reconnect to our inner nature and come together as a tribe. 

I was really excited and nervous as I have been with all of these people who said yes to an interview. I feel this theme of nature and environmental issues strongly. I feel more hope than despair. And this is good. If we can sense the urgency and yet see ways to make a difference, we are on a good path.

If anything I dream that this episode will be the call to unite. Even though TreeSisters, gather the women the is a calling to all to come together. Alone we can do so much, together we can move mountains.


DISCLAIMER: The sound on my end is a little off in the beginning. Practice a little patience with me and it will get better ;)

Links mentioned in the Podcast: 

www.treesisters.org

https://billiontrees.me

Woman on Fire Video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogMLcpvfN2o

About Clare Dubois and TreeSisters

Clare Dubois is the founder of TreeSisters.org, a feminine nature based organisation inspiring the world’s women to take shared leadership around tropical reforestation. TreeSisters reflects Clare’s exploration of the links between feminine consciousness and Nature’s intelligence. She and her team experiment overtly to discover how to call forth the unique capacities and creativity of women on behalf of the trees. Currently funding over 2M trees a year, they are calling for all of us to help them reach a goal of a billion trees a year as fast as we possibly can in the face of accelerating climate change.




Clare is known for her whole systems approach to behaviour change and her unending loyalty and love for the natural world. For two decades she created behaviour change processes within the personal growth and social change sectors, and volunteered for three years as the UK co-ordinator for a massive agro-forestry initiative in southern India called Project GreenHands (PGH) before initiating TreeSisters.  In her own life, her aim is to reclaim balance, rediscover freedom and health and to be 'walking permission' for those who are fed up of being held back, and just want to have a go.

What are you hungry for? with Rachel Cole (Copy)

What are you hungry for?

This interview moved me. The reflection of what I am hungry for still ripples during my day. You are going to love Rachel and her work is so important.

Rachel Cole is a certified life coach, celebrated retreat leader, and women’s empowerment expert. She has spent ten years guiding women to identify, understand and feed their truest hungers – at and away from the table. As an eating disorder survivor herself, Rachel speaks with great wisdom, sensitivity, and authority about what it takes to live as a well-fed woman in the modern world.

She has traveled across the United States and internationally speaking and teaching to sold-out gatherings of women on how they too can find ease and fulfillment in their lives simply by honoring their own hungers. Rachel holds a Masters Degree in Holistic Health Education and is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Life status: It’s complicated… (Copy)

Simple living

I know complicated! Yet I have never dealt with it well. Every time someone says “It’s complicated” I feel heaviness in my body - no thank you, never mind.

I am in many ways simple minded. I loose the storyline in sci-fi movies. I feel confused 3 lines in... “In a galaxy far far away, xanax-3000 was moving himself through time using a vibrator on fire. Humans on planet shiatsu were threatened as they had started becoming so full of themselves” Huh… ?? After 30 minutes of my boyfriend trying to explain it,  we both accept that I will catch 1/3 of the story and enjoy falling asleep to it instead.

I could never concentrate for more than 5 minutes reading anything scientific.

The harder the better. The more the merrier... not so much for me.

I feel that secretly, we glorify busy - doing more. Not out loud, no no we hate busy - but someone who say “Oh this week, yeah I went for a few walks and read a book”, it doesn’t really stir up a lot. Someone who has 2 jobs, runs the family neatly, looks great, works out, flew across the world in a day, volunteers for 3 charities, and does her husband 6 times a week, is awesome.

I am not devaluing any of it, but I do feel we in some ways as a society we have put complicated on a pedestal. The more complicated, the more value. The more praise and awe. But is there a shift happening here?

The most complicated for me was when worry became anxiety and darkness took over. Trying to manage the future, my thoughts, my identity crisis, people’s misunderstanding and disappointment, work, money, wanting more (of everything), the city, stress, relationship, body, health, exercise, getting better, faking it and making it, family, meditation, business, my own demands…. argh someone hit the stop button. So many choices, that it almost numbs me.

I have done complicated.

This year we chose to move from the city to the house I have talked about a few times. We wanted more simplicity in our life. We wanted to reduce the costs of living. We wanted to work less. We wanted our kids to see us more. We wanted to filter out some of the constant noise and stimulation of the city. All the doing was robbing me from what I was actually working so hard to have - happiness.

I am not perfect. It is a transition and complicated still get’s to me. I do however feel a HUGE shift in energy and ease when I choose simple. When I let it all drop and look at what makes my life rich - it’ s not more stuff or moneto.

Simple isn't for everyone. We need the people who can do the science and work out complicated stuff. I too like to dream and admire the academics who I have no clue what are saying half of the time.

But HOW MUCH of it ALL do we ALL need, ALL of the time?

Simple to me is freedom.

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My 1:1 Intensive is a one to one 90 minute session for hardworking women who want to simplify their daily lives.

Working alongside me, in those 90 minutes we will look at what hasn't worked in the past, work towards sustainable ways to simplify, and most important look at the patterns that are no longer serving you.

At the moment, adding more into an already demanding schedule probably isn’t working for you; when can you really fit this in?

Let me show you how.

Read more...

The little house in the woods... (Copy)

When I was young, around 7 I think as we were still living in Canada at the time, I used to dream of living on my own in the woods. I was self-sufficient, no TV, heated the house with a fireplace. I had a garden and an old truck. I would go to the store once a week and stock up. I would write and it would be peaceful. I think that last piece might have been added in as I was the eldest of 4 at the time, and quiet wasn't let in the door. I dreamt that I would knit sweaters for poor kids in Africa... well my gram knit a lot and Labrador was so cold, I couldn't imagine that it could ever be too hot for a sweater. In that dream I was happy. I remember feeling at total ease when I thought about a life like that. I would chop wood, and being it was a 7 year old girl dreaming - there was no man in sight.

I love being by myself, going out in nature and the crisp Fall air especially. I am really only a "big gathering of people" person when I have a few beers. City life never got me falling in love, although I gave it a good try.

As we come to the end of 2014, everywhere there is a focus on the year to come, what do you want, where are you going, how do want to feel, notch it up, want more, do less, do better. It's all good, and setting intentions are great. For me around this time I like to sit back and enjoy what the year gone had to offer. This year that includes the little dream I had as a young girl, coming true.

Carina Lyall

(that's our house :))

Well most of it anyway· We added some kids, and don't have a truck. There is a TV for movies. I don't really finish any knitting I start. BUT, I am feeling what I felt when I was a little girl with a dream.

My friends look at me funny when I say I love the life we have here "But you're a city girl"... Nah... I am exactly where I want to be, right here. <3

So as 2014 comes to an end, what are you grateful for?

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My 1:1 Intensive is a one to one 90 minute session for hardworking women who want to simplify their daily lives.

Working alongside me, in those 90 minutes we will look at what hasn't worked in the past, work towards sustainable ways to simplify, and most important look at the patterns that are no longer serving you.

At the moment, adding more into an already demanding schedule probably isn’t working for you; when can you really fit this in?

Let me show you how.

Read more...

Connect In Thursday: B R E A T H E (Copy)

Self-compassion breathe

We are moves, doers and driven women. We want to do things right. Often with meditation or yoga that "doing it right" enters how our practice, it could be we feel the longer the better, sitting right, getting the poses 100% like our teacher. The sense of what works for us, can fade a little.

Longer can be good, but it isn’t the only way to be mindful, to connect in. During a busy day, serving others less can still be so much.

[Tweet "During a busy day serving others, connecting inward can do so much. Take 3 deep breaths. #mindful #connectinthursday #breath""]

Take 3 deep breathes. Bring more attention to the out-breath. Letting go of the air. This is an invitation to let be. Allowing for these 3 breaths, the thoughts, sounds, feelings, to dos take care of themselves. Connecting to where you are, the body, to right here rather than there (the future, the other person, the past, the to dos yet to come).

What happens during those 3 breaths?

Connect in Thursday: The Body (Copy)

Connecting to the body

Take a moment to pay attention to how your body feels right now. If it supports you close your eyes.

Why it that so important? It all goes down in the body. How we sense the world. The body is fluid experience and such a great way into to showing up where you are. It isn't a thing. We know the parts it has, but the experience of body and be so diverse, intense, numb and can bring such richness to life.

What is your experience of body right now?

Maybe you need water, food. If you feel relaxed how does that feel? If there is tension in the body, how do you relate to that? Whatever you sense, give yourself a moment to meet that with curiosity.

Share your thoughts with us on the Facebook page

Episode #4 earthing with Olga Dossa (Copy)

olga3

Olga is a yogini, mama and the founder of Peaceful Mothering with Olga Dossa. She is committed to supporting mothers to step into their radiance by loving themselves first and claiming their desires.

Through her journey with postnatal depression, she learned that she couldn’t give her best from an empty cup. She left her high paying corporate career to pursue a life that would bring her peace and inspire her daughter to live her own greatest life.

Her great love for her daughter took her on the path of yoga, ayurveda and self-love. Olga believes that when mothers love themselves first, their children will thrive.

In this episode we talk about

The self-compassionate woman podcast

 how to stay grounded

The self-compassionate woman podcast

 why taking of yourself, as well as you family, is important

The self-compassionate woman podcast

 how we pass our way of living on to our children

The self-compassionate woman podcast

 working yourself too hard and Olga's personal story about working through postpartum depression

Interested in learning more about Olga? You can find her on her website, on Facebook, Instagram, Pintrest and Twitter.

Make sure to pick up your free bedtime relaxation to help you release the tension of the day and give you more radiance and vitality.