Today it dawned on me that in six short days I will be 100% immersed in a yoga teacher training sabbatical.

Holy CRAP!

How in the world will I ever get my act together personally and professionally to fully enjoy this life changing experience?

Commence with the clarity …

No need to fret.

No need to freak out.

I have been planning, communicating , preparing and asking for assistance for months.

Here is super swank list of time management tips for anybody getting ready to drop off of the radar for awhile.

• Communicate with your family, friends, clients and business partners

These is no doubt career transitions can be stressful.

If you’re facing a significant career transition, here are 10 ways to move gracefully through the experience.

• Take an honest look at yourself. What are your strengths, weaknesses and skills? How did these attributes influence your transition? How can you leverage your strengths?

• Increase your self-care. Major changes are physically and emotionally taxing. You need EXTREME self-care now more than ever.

• Engage your curiosity. What went wrong, or right? What could you have done better? What worked really well?

• Focus on what you want, and less on what you don’t want. Create a comparison and contrast T Chart with what you don’t want on the left and what you do want on the right.  What did you learn?

• Find support. Since your transition affects your family as well, it may be better to seek the outside support of friends, mentors or a professional life coach.

• Be Mindful of your thoughts. Calm your fears and reinforce your sense of gratitude, hope and happiness.

• Stay away from people who are threatened,  jealous or unwilling to support your change.

• Create your own rite of passage. Ceremony and ritual help with all transitions.

• Let go of how things were “supposed to be” and accept “how things are.”

• Keep things in perspective. Or try on a new perspective. The only constant in your life is change.

Allow yourself the time to work through a serious career transition, keep your family and close friends involved, allow for setbacks, work on a reasonable time line and find humor in the day to day journey.  Your life is so much more important than you can imagine.

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

Lisis over at Quest for Balance just reviewed my ebook Getting Your Groove Back – A Guide to Luscious Living.

Check out what she had to say about the ebook’s luscious content at the Quest For Balance blog.

I think you will love the Quest for balance and find it a must read on your personal path of true balance.

Check out the blog description:

“Whether we find happiness through grand adventures, or seek it in every-day places, we all want less pain and more joy. Quest for Balance is a place where people can be reminded that finding lasting happiness and inner peace is not only achievable, but surprisingly simple… for all of us!”

Thank you Lisis for supporting my mission to help others achieve their full potential! You are a lovely friend and prolific blogger.

If you like the review,  you are welcome to download a copy of the ebook here or at the True Balance website.

In balance …

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

Many thanks to Jennifer Hayes at Sacred Ways for sharing this gorgeous piece written by Karen Andes.

I am a beautiful woman, with beauty that doesn’t wash off. I earned it, unearthed it, rescued it like a jewel in the dust, picked it up and made it shine.  For years I did not see it, though I sensed it was there.  Now it dazzles and thrives. I am healthy, capable, independent, strong yet still so fragile, floored by a sigh. My body is that of a creator … angles meeting curves, hardness drifting into soft.  I am a mother, daughter, sister, lover to myself.  Embraceable and brave, I extend my heart.  My body is home, my home a shrine to life, comfortable, warm and rich with treasures. Mine is the scent of hot spices caught in a breeze, mine the laughter that wings through the door. I share myself only with those who honor me as I am and protect myself, my house, and my time from invaders.  I search for my center in the midst of chaos, practice peace as wild dogs clamor in my mind. I use power for the greater good, release rag in neutral settings, with no one innocent in the line of fire.  I am learning how to persist and how to let go, am willing to feel all emotion stop their depths and exaltation, to wake up in every nerve and no longer am afraid of my life. Both my beauty and strength transcend age, time and perhaps even this lifetime.  Each day I am new, yet more at home in myself. Moment by moment, I create my world.  – Karen Andes

Big WOW.

Love it!

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

“When you become truly selfish, you’ll have the extra reserves needed to really care about and be generous with others.” -Thomas Leonard

Click HERE to listen to a fun interview with me and Angie Jones the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and CFO (Chief Fitness Officer) of FitBusinessWoman.com.

We discuss the importance of taking time for yourself along with some creative ways to become truly SELF-ISH.

You can also right click and choose “save target as” to save to your computer and listen to later.

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

Lake Leelanau after a Spring storm

Positive Thinking

- Attitude is everything … Why not start by choosing happiness?
The next time you are cranky, think about how funny you are all puckered up
and pissed off.

Breathe

-Breathe deeply for 5 or 6 rounds every hour. I realize this seems silly to some folks, but it really works. Pay attention to your breath and watch your world settle down.

Emotional Energy

-Let go of any excess baggage and learn how to tap into your happy place. Everyone
has a crappy day … Learn to let it go. Say Ta Ta, Bon Voyage, Later Days to that big
sack of dark stickiness.

Self Love

- Love yourself as you are – right now. Seriously, you are an amazing critter. Embrace your quirks, strengths, deficiences and kindness. There is nobody in the verse quite like you!

Gratitude Power

-Start and end each day thinking about what you are thankful for. Consider writing letters of gratitude to the most important people in your life. Let them know you think they are all kinds of alright.

Meditation

- Whether guided or silent, for one minute or one hour, make time to meditate for your soul. Do it … No excuses.

Knowing

-Your life is more important than you know. Why night start knowing it now? You are the author of your life’s story. What would you like to create? Begin …

Consciously embrace each step and become aware of how much internal peace you can create.

Peace begins with each of us and radiates out to everyone we encounter. Dig it!

1. The secret to happiness is accepting yourself.

2. Every person has a right to choose their own destiny.

3. Music is one of the most supreme expressions of life.

4. Be grateful for this moment, it is all there is.

5. Most of our frustrations are the result of living in the future, or the past.

6. Spend time alone with yourself every day.

7. If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.

8. The biggest lie is the lie of your imperfection.

9. Being kind is more important than being right.

10. Your heart is your best compass.

Bizzy Women Interviews Shann Vander Leek – Professional Coach, Yogi and Best Selling Author

1. You are a Coach and a co-author in a new best selling book – Wake Up Women.  What is Wake Up Women?

Yes, I am a professional coach and the founder of True Balance Life Coaching.  I coach women in transition to set big goals, achieve extraordinary results and create balance in their lives through coaching, yoga and creative expression.

Wake Up Women Be Happy, Healthy & Wealthy is the first best selling inspirational guidebook written by women for women.  Fifty expert authors contributing to one book – filled with great stories and golden nuggets of wisdom.  I am happy to report that we soared to the top of the Barnes and Noble best seller list, topping the charts for Women, Women’s Career and Women’s Health and shared the top ten spotlight with President Obama and John Grisham!

Women are busy. 

Like your network for women, they are balancing work, family, activities, volunteering.  Wake Up Women is divided into sections that deal with everything from our emotional well being to career, money and relationships. 

It’s full of great stories you can read in bite sized pieces and it is also a guide book.  And you are getting the insights from 50 different and diverse women experts.

2. You say the time for women is now?  What do you mean?

I think too often we as women put everyone and everything first.  We will start a new business when the mortgage is paid off.  We will take yoga or art classes once the kids finish school.  Get healthy or fit when we have more time.  

My goal is to inspire as many women as possible to be willing to put themselves first, take care of their bodies, nurture their dreams, make the best use of their talents.

We forget that we can give the most when we are living lives we love.  We can be the best mothers, wives, business owners or colleagues when we are feeling nurtured, fulfilled, inspired and self expressed.

We can have the biggest impact on social and community changes when we are feeling confident and powerful. 

What I want to remind the Bizzy Women network of women to do is – to take care of themselves, find ways to express themselves and to live their dreams.

3. How is this book different from other inspirational books like Chicken Soup For the Soul?

What is unique about Wake Up is, like books like Chicken Soup For the Soul, there are these amazing and moving inspirational stories from women across the globe.  The difference is each author is an expert – a coach, a professional or an outstanding business executive, and each inspirational story includes 2 – 3 tools, techniques or strategies they can implement in their life immediately.  So it is both great stories and a guidebook to life.

4. How else are you helping women – wake up?

I earned my yoga teaching certification to create and conduct luscious living playshops involving yoga, guided meditation and creative expression.  The first two playshops sold out quickly with the attendees wanting more … Women are ready for extreme self care.

5. What’s special about the growing community of Wake Up Women?

I am blown away by my co-author community.  This group of women have become part of my professional network.  We support each other, share ideas, collaborate and dialog about how we can make a difference for women across the globe.

Each author is partnering with not for profit organizations by offering book signings and fund raising events.  I chose to partner with my local Women’s Resource Center and will be donating 10% of my 2009 book proceeds to them. 

6. What is the vision that drives Wake Up Women

Each of us in our own way believes in the power of women.  We believe the world is hungry and in need of the vision, leadership and compassion of women.  I became a coach because I am committed to inspiring women in transition and employees who want to become entrepreneurs. So, Wake Up Women is one more way that I can make and impact and a difference in peoples lives.  And it is a way I can reach out to thousands of women I would not normally be able to reach.

7.    How would you explain to our network how it’s different working with women?

As women – I think we are naturally about community, about something greater than ourselves.  But we have not always had the mechanisms to come together.  The business environments were based on old models of competition and scarcity.  Wake Up Women is a mechanism for bringing us together and creating visibility and excitement.  A business model based on abundance and community.

8.            Don’t you feel competitive with the other authors?

No, we don’t feel competition at all – we are working in collaboration.  We all believe that there is an abundance of clients and customers.  And we know if we come together, work together, and merge our individual audiences we are all reaching thousands and thousands of people who would not hear our stories or know about our work. 

9.            You are a professional coach – Lots of people are talking about having a career coach, a life coach.  What is the value of having a coach?

              You learn to value yourself more.

            You stop tolerating the things that are dragging you down.

            You and your coach create a momentum so you get results easier and quicker.

            You set better goals and achieve them easier.

            You take action immediately.

            You have a partner whose only purpose is your success.

            Your self confidence increases.

            You have a deeper sense of well-being.

10.         What is your unique approach to coaching?

True Balance was created because it is my observation that healthy personal development, as well as the success of a small business, absolutely depends on aligning your business goals with your lifestyle choices and grounding them in your core values.

We will always focus where you need me most.

You will begin by strengthening your personal foundation, setting realistic goals based on your values, and eliminating some of the stressors in your life. You then will have fewer problems and can focus on what is going to make you more successful.

11.         What can people do right now to start changing their lives?

The one tool I would like to give your network is to take inventory of what you deem to be truly important in your life and begin eliminating the things that bring you down.  Bizzy Women members are welcome to sign up for a free life balance e-Course at my website. www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

12.         How can people buy the book and find out about your services or contact you?

The Bizzy Women community of women can buy the books at my website www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

Shann’s bio

Unconventional, spirited and delightfully curious, Shann Vander Leek is a fresh new voice in the arena of mindfulness and extreme self care.  As the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching, Shann inspires women in career transition to set big goals, achieve extraordinary results and create balance in their lives. Telephone and email consultations make Shann accessible to clients all over the world: 231.668.1111  or www.truebalancelifecoaching.com 

“A lifestyle is what you pay for; a life is what pays you.” Thomas Leonard

If I had a nickel for every time I was asked, “Why would anybody hire a Life Coach?” I would have a lot of nickels.

Here are 7 Excellent Reasons to hire a professional life coach:

1. You want to get to “the next level” in your business or personal life.

2. You see the value of having a trusted “sounding board.”

3. You want to prioritize and achieve the most important goals for your life or career.

4. You want greater fulfillment and enjoyment out of life.

5. You want to communicate more effectively.

6. You want to set and achieve goals in a timely fashion.

7. You want feedback about your performance that is totally honest and insightful.

If you would like to download a copy of 101 things to work on with a professional coach please visit the True Balance Life Coaching  website and grab your copy under Free Assets. You are welcome to contact me for a complimentary session upon completion of the survey. I would love to meet you!

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

I was cruising around the internet a came across a post from Christian Fea outlining the tail end of a speech delivered by Bob Parsons, the CEO and founder of GoDaddy.

Check out Bob’s 16 time tested, street ready tips for improving your personal and business experiences.

1. Get out of your comfort zone.
2. Never give up.
3. When you’re ready to quit, you’re the closest you’ve ever been to succeeding.
4. Accept the worse thing that can happen. If you can deal with that, do what your contemplating doing.
5. Focus on what your want, not what you don’t want.
6. Take things a day at a time.
7. Always be moving forward. Small daily progress leads to large successes in the future.
8. Be quick to decide.
9. Measure everything significant. You can’t improve what you can’t measure.
10. Anything that’s not managed will ultimately fail.
11. Watch your competitors, what watch yourself closer.
12. Never let anyone push you around.
13. Never expect life to be fair.
14. Solve your own problems.
15. Don’t take yourself to seriously.
16. Always find a reason to smile.

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com