Mary Magdalene & The Courage to Be Seen

Have your palms ever broke a sweat at the thought of being the center of attention? Have you ever felt timid to share your voice? Or afraid of what would happen if you really let your true self be seen?

For much of my life I experienced intense anxiety around being seen, especially when it came to public speaking. It felt like my body would shut down in these situations, my chest would constrict and I would have trouble breathing, so as any young girl probably would, I stopped putting myself in the situations where I would have to speak or share in public.

But when I think back on this fear that I carried through high school and college, it always felt so much deeper than just the normal nerves of public speaking or being the center of attention. It was a deep visceral feeling that something terrible would happen if I really let myself step up to share in the way I was feeling called. 

For the last seven years of my life have been focused on understanding and releasing this deep rooted fear. I began with beginning to teach yoga back in 2010 and then took bigger steps by joining toastmasters to give speeches in 2014.  But even though I did well and even excelled in these areas, underneath I still felt a palpable fear of “I might just die if I do this."

Now, I want to write about this today because in the past few months I have noticed something big shifting for myself and others. I have continued to take steps to face my fear, showing up to interviews to talk about my book, teaching more yoga and leading events where I share my story, but it has been completely different. That visceral feeling of “something terrible is going to happen to me if I do this” hasn't been there.

At first I told myself, "Well it's because I've been spending years practicing this..." but to be totally honest, I think the real reason this deep rooted fear is lifting is because of Mary Magdalene.

I first began to learn about the truth of Mary’s life after meeting Kaia Ra at one of her book readings for The Sophia Code last year.

All I knew about Mary Magdalene growing up was that she was close to Jesus during his life, and that she was often portrayed by the Catholic church as a prostitute. I remember an image I saw of her when I was a child - she was depicted as dirty and haggard, kneeling next to Jesus to wash his feet.

But the truth is, Mary Magdalene was a Priestess. She had a very high role of anointing, and that image of touching Jesus’ feet was actually a moment where she was using sacred oils to anoint him in a highly revered act.

As I have dove into books and channeled teachings about Mary Magdalene, I have learned she was Jesus’ wife and she was a complete equal to him. She would teach beside Jesus during her lifetime. Her image was tainted after her death because the church took out many stories from the Bible that portrayed the divine feminine as a powerful force. For centuries, the feminine was suppressed. 

When Jesus was crucified, there was a prophecy that there would be 2000 years of darkness, and after that time, the divine feminine would rise to restore her place again alongside the divine masculine.

This is the time we are in right now. I've read about many prophecies that after 2012 it would be the beginning of a new golden age. 

Right now, a new paradigm is being midwifed by Mary Magdalene and many other ascended masters to restore the sacred feminine in our collective consciousness. And what I have been noticing in this incredible time is: it is safe for women to be powerful and share their voices.

To affirm this belief, last year our Pope declared Mary Magdalene as “the apostle of the apostles.” She has now finally been recognized by the Catholic Church as one of the highest teachers of her time, right alongside Jesus Christ. 

The energy of Mary Magdalene began coming to me more and more in conversations, books, in imagery, and in my meditations. Every time I thought of her, I felt a sense of peace and ease.

Then I attended a women’s circle to learn more about Mary Magdalene. The leader of the circle told us that Mary Magdalene carried an ancient wound during her lifetime: the fear of being stoned for being visible and sharing her voice. She said this deep rooted fear was passed down through many centuries, and that many women still feel the weight of that wound today. 

Every hair on my body raised when she said this because finally I had an answer to explain my fear - I just knew I was connected to this ancient wound. I imagined myself as a High Priestess in a past life, in the lineage of Isis and Mary Magdalene, and I just knew in my bones that I had been carrying this wound that it just was not safe to be seen.  

I then realized that in stepping up to be seen and share my voice now, I am healing the lineage of women who for centuries carried this same wound.

Mary Magdalene has been coming to many, many men and women in the dawn of this new age to help us birth this new paradigm.  She is letting us know it is safe now. The feminine is safe now. It is safe to share our voice. It is safe to be a powerful feminine leader. 

So what is being asked of us now in this time? We are being asked to restore the feminine within ourselves. To learn how to receive, to rest, and to simply be. We are learning to honor our bodies, our emotions and our sexuality as sacred. We are relearning the ways of the feminine, and by restoring these qualities within ourselves, we are doing our part on behalf of a much greater awakening.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and to reach the bottom of this email. If you are here reading this, I imagine you may have a connection to Mary Magdalene as well, whether you know it consciously or not. I want you to know that you are safe, and she is here for you, guiding us from the higher realms.

Do you feel the shifting in this time? Do you feel called to restore the balance of our culture by honoring the sacred feminine within?

I will be sharing more teachings of Mary Magdalene as part of my upcoming program, The Sovereign Circle. There are still spaces left to join, and we begin with our first live virtual circle with the next full moon on October 4th. Reply to this email if you'd like more details, and I'll send you the program guide.

With love,
Meredith

How I Healed My Heart Through Mindfulness

I've been reflecting on the power mindfulness and meditation have had on my life lately because I am getting ready to co-lead a mindfulness program in Sebastopol this Fall. (There's a free orientation tomorrow night, Tuesday, Sept. 5th if you'd like to join me, more details below.) 

As we collectively and personally move through hardships and challenges in this great time of awakening, I thought it would be relevant to share a few of the ways mindfulness has helped me through hard times:

1. Heartbreak

For those of you who finished reading my book, you learned about two powerful experiences of heartbreak that I've experienced in my life, and how I learned to respond to that pain completely differently from the beginning to the end of the book as I deepened my practices of yoga and meditation in India. 

When I reflect back on some of those more challenging moments in my life, particularly when my heart was hurting, I realize:

Meditation and mindfulness showed me how to witness my pain as pure sensation, and through that space of pure witnessing presence, my heart began to heal. 

I began to create more spaciousness for myself, I learned to surrender to my emotions and accept my emotions, without a need to fix or change them. It is in that space that I opened to love, compassion and forgiveness, and my heart opened to heal.

2. Physical pain

Meditation and mindfulness helped me to relate to my pain in a completely new way. Not just emotional pain, but also physical. I've gone through periods of my life experiencing chronic pain on a daily basis: muscle aches, headaches, and jaw tension. For so long I tried to push it away and distract myself (going to sugar, alcohol, caffeine, anything to take me away from my body and out of the present moment) but I soon realized that only made the problem worse. 

It was only through really being with myself in the pain, opening to it, and breathing through it, did it begin to transform. But in releasing my need to change the outcome, I had a powerful tool of being able to love myself in those moments even when it didn't go away. 

3. Grief

arlier this year my grandmother passed away. I sat with her in her final days in meditation. If you've ever been with someone as they are passing, you know that it invites you to be in a state of total presence. I sat in full presence with her. I held her hand, I meditated, and I sang. In the days and months after she passed, I knew how to feel my grief and let it move through me. 

Now when I reflect back on my grandmother and all we shared, I no longer feel the weight of grief because I allowed myself to fully feel it. Now when I think of her I feel a profound joy and gratitude in my heart. 

4. A car accident

Two years ago I was in a car accident where my car was totaled. It was actually amazing to see what happened in the moment after impact when my airbag opened. I began practicing Vipassana meditation without even thinking. My awareness immediately began feeling my breath and my sensations from the top of my head down to the tips of my toes. I was fully grounded in the present moment. 

Instead of freaking out, I was able to act in the moment from a grounded state. I moved my car off the road, I called for help... I assessed if I had any injuries and I checked in with the person in the other car involved. Within minutes help arrived, and everyone was ok, but reflecting back I see I was able to move through such a hardship with grace because of my years of practice with meditation.

Beyond moving through challenging times, mindfulness has brought a wealth of positivity to my life: 

1. Self-Worth - a sense of having enough, and being enough

I've learned to focus more on what I have, and who I am through a lens of wholeness rather than lack or scarcity. It has helped me come back to gratitude and an innate sense of worthiness.

2. My Relationship - more ease, love, and appreciation

Now when a difficult conversation or situation arises with my partner, I can almost see the situation from the outside. Rather than being so attached to my pain or fear, I can take a step back, breathe and move forward with love. 

3. Priorities - The ability to get crystal clear on what's really important to me

In being able to take a step back from life, I am no longer getting caught in the same habitual patterns or routines. I'm able to make choices from a broader perspective and take steps forward with intention based on what is truly most important to me.

4. Productivity - making a positive impact in my business and with my clients

Meditation has sharpened my mind and brought focus to my work. It's helped me to be fully present and compassionate with my clients and podcast guests. It's helped me tap into my intuition in a way that has been able to guide my business towards success. 

But the truth is, these results do not happen overnight, and it's not always easy to keep up a meditation practice. I have had to put in the time and attention to come to the place I am in today. 

The way I have been able to keep up my practice, is through community. That is why I am so excited about the community forming for the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program this Fall. 

Would you like to bring more mindfulness into your life? 

Join me Tuesday, September 5th, for the free orientation of MBSR at The dhyana Center in Sebastopol, co-led with Spencer Sherman of Abacus Wealth Partners. 

The details:

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) ~ an 8-week program created by Jon Kabat-Zinn of Spirit Rock, guided by Spencer Sherman and yoga guided by me 

Location: The dhyana Center, 186 N. Main Street, Sebastopol (upstairs)

Course Dates: Tuesday nights, 6:30 - 9 pm, Sept. 19 - Nov. 14th (no class 10/31, full-day class on Sunday, 11/5)

Free Orientation: Tuesday, September 5th, 6:30 - 9 pm ~ learn more about the program curriculum and practices, meet the teachers and fellow students and see if the program will be a good fit for you.

RSVP to the free orientation right here. 

With love, 
Meredith

P.S. if you aren't able to be with us in person, you may like to check out my guided meditations on the insight timer app ~ simply download and search for "Meredith Rom" in guided meditations

Featured Interview on The Feminine Shift

I am honored to share my recent interview featured on The Feminine Shift website. Check out the whole interview right here.

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How has 2017 looked for you so far?

Lately it’s been feeling quite expansive with a lot of opportunities arising but the start to 2017 was challenging in many ways. This winter I was faced with my own darkness as California was having long cold days with so much rain. I felt called to be much more internal than I usually am.

I began the new year stepping out of a 10 day silent Vipassana meditation retreat where I was able to be fully present with my inner critic, limiting beliefs and fears that were still lingering underneath the surface. I held all those places that arose in my mind with loving, gentle awareness.

A little background: For the past six years I have been writing a book, Just Be: A Search for Self-Love in India, which releases August 22, 2017. Over the winter I was taking the final steps of publishing – choosing the title, cover design, editing, inside page design and I was reading the manuscript over and over again, polishing it into the finished product it is today. There were a lot of big decisions to make and it often felt overwhelming.

But as spring and summer entered the picture, something shifted within myself and that darkness I was feeling began to lift. I launched a new program to support women in sharing their voices and gifts through online courses and I had a huge response to that. I began to more deeply trust my own voice and gifts and began really allowing myself to be SEEN.

Through it all I’ve discovered that those times of darkness (that we all go through) clear the space for our times of light. Life isn’t really about everything continuing to get better and better all the time, it’s actually much more cyclical, and sometimes we have to face the darkness to create that space for the light. At least, that’s what I’ve been discovering as I’ve opened more and more to honoring the sacred feminine in my life.

What exactly is it that you do?

I’m a women’s leadership coach, mentor and guide. I spend my days teaching yoga, writing, and coaching women over the phone, in person and over video sessions. I also host a podcast called Rising Women Leaders where I share other women’s voices and stories.

I often compare what I do to The Heroine’s Journey. So many mythological stories have followed a similar blueprint – where the character feels a calling, a deep feeling that there must be something more to life. But when it came time to set foot on their adventure, they often hesitated, until that moment they met a mentor or guide, someone who had gone through it before who could offer encouragement and support along the way. I see myself as that guide.

I support women to take the next step forward on their Heroine’s journey, and to return with the elixir of all they have learned. I help my clients to see themselves as the sovereign queens that they are, to claim their gifts + share their message with the world while honoring a feminine way of being and living.

What’s your big, bold mission in the world?

My mission is to support women to connect to love within and for themselves, to move beyond their fears and truly share their greatest gifts with the world.

I believe we all have a soul calling and a divine gift to give in this life.

I see self-love really as the place to start (seeking that love within rather than outside of ourselves) because when we allow ourselves to be as we are, and hold ourselves with loving awareness through our challenges, we begin to discover our inner callings.

It was through feeling my own pain that I opened to a bigger vision for my life and began taking courageous steps to get there.

How did you start doing what you do?

It’s a long story, and can be read about in my book, Just Be, But I’ll give you a little window into it.

In 2010 I moved to San Francisco, following a vision I had while lying in savasana in a packed New York City yoga studio. I had lived in New York my whole life and was following a masculine model of achieving and doing. I often found myself with stress, exhaustion with chronic pain and headaches.

Then I found yoga. Yoga provided the first experience for me to “Just be.” For the first time I learned to sit with the uncomfortable sensations in my body and breathe into them. I allowed myself to feel the difficult emotions of a break up, the self-consciousness I held around my skin breaking out, how inadequate I felt not being able to find stable work, and how difficult it was to be trying to fit into the mold of a society that I knew in my heart was not for me. It was in yoga class where I first discovered to ‘just be’ and without realizing it had my first encounter of the sacred feminine – what it means to be rather than do. In that space I reconnected to my intuition, and began seeing visions.

Through listening to one of these visions, I moved to SF and started a new life. Ten days after being in San Francisco a man walked up to me in a park and told me, “I don’t know why I feel the need to tell you this, but I’m going to see a saint this weekend, and I think you’re supposed to go…”

That saint happened to be Amma, an Indian guru who travels around the world giving people hugs.

Within a few months I cut off all my hair and found myself on a plane to India, on a quest to seek love within rather than outside of myself. I lived there for six months visiting spiritual teachers and gurus. Amma’s ashram was the first place I started.

My time in India is what I share about in the book. Afterwards, I came back to the States and began teaching yoga to help others breathe through their difficulties + challenges, and soon after finished a coaching certification to go deeper to support others in developing their business, honoring a feminine lifestyle and discovering their unique purpose.

What are the 3 biggest lessons you have learned?

Be fully present with myself in moments of challenge or difficulty
I remind myself to feel my pain – whether it be physical or emotional and experience it as pure sensation rather than attaching a story to it right away. When I allow myself to really feel what I’m feeling and hold myself with love, I soon after find my center and can move forward and make decisions from a grounded place.

If I feel fear + even just a little bit of excitement I should go for it.. Keep reading here

033 | The Magic of Cacao with Sena Shakti Shellenberger

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On August 29th I’ll be joining together with friends Sena Shellenberger and Denell Nawrocki to lead a women’s circle and cacao ceremony in honor of the release of my book, Just Be: A Search for Self-Love in India. 

A few weeks ago I had the honor of sitting down with Sena to talk about her journey of leaving her job in Silicon Valley, traveling for 8 months to rediscover her freedom and relocating to Sonoma County where she shares the magic of cacao in ceremonies and online courses.

In this episode we talk about:

• How sena found cacao and the cosmic experience of her first ceremony in Mexico
• Listening to our Intuition - how Sena gathered up the courage to leave her job at Google to follow her heart on an 8-month journey in Peru and Costa Rica before starting her own business where she now shares the magic of cacao with others
• How important our dreams are and how they can guide us
• What it really means to surrender to our divinely guided messages
• Sensuality practices to tap into the feminine
• Sena’s online course: Open Your Heart with Cacao

Sena and I have an event coming up on Tuesday August 29th details are right here.

Other links mentioned in this episode:

• Where you can buy my book: http://bit.ly/mr-justbe
• My Latest Program, The Sovereign Circle: http://risingwomenleaders.com 

And be sure to follow Sena on instagram here and buy ceremonial cacao here. (Use coupon code tesorasacredcacao for 10% off!)

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Sena is a carrier of cacao medicine, ceremonialist and people empowerer. She builds deeper pathways to self-acceptance, self-worth and self-love through ceremony, sound, yoga, meditation, plant medicine and coaching. She’s here to support our shift into heart-centered living.

After working 5 years in Silicon Valley, she spent eight months finding inner freedom in the jungles of Peru + Costa Rica. She is passionate about creating safe, nurturing spaces to share her wisdom and support our collective healing. Recently following her heart to Sonoma County, CA Sena leads women’s circles, cacao ceremonies, international retreats. She recently launched an online cacao course. 

032 | Mindful Men Series: Money & Mindfulness with Spencer Sherman

Lately I’ve been reflecting on what it means to have “enough.” 

Last month I was lucky to sit down with a founding partner of Abacus Wealth Partners, an investment company that focuses on making the world a better place, Spencer Sherman.

I found it really interesting when he shared, “Giving and saving are two ways to tell your body and mind, ‘I have enough.’” 

Mindfulness and meditation have greatly helped me shift my relationship to money.  

I remember even just a few years ago when I had accumulated a large amount of savings, yet my mindset was solely focused on what I didn’t have. Because of that, I didn’t take a moment to reflect on everything around me. Instead I kept pushing myself. 

Now, I do my best to remind myself of what I have, with gratitude. A mantra I use often is, “I have everything I need, and I welcome so much more.”  (Thanks to Gabrielle Bernstein for that one)

Shifting my mindset around money and focusing more on generosity than on scarcity has helped me let go of the need to grasp on to the next prospective client, the bigger house, or next new item for my wardrobe.

And I have to say, it’s been so relaxing to take that pressure off. 

The funny thing is, the more I soften and rest into the trust that I have everything I need, I feel like so much more abundance is coming to me.

I’ve consciously been letting go of the grasping, the feeling of “getting the short end of the stick” and really honoring where I am at and what I have. 

It’s not an easy practice, I know, and sometimes I still get stuck in the mindset of “I don’t have enough.” So that’s why I’m excited to share with you my latest podcast episode all about Money and Mindfulness with Spencer Sherman. 

“The less attached I have been, the more ease I have found with money, the more it comes to me.” ~ Spencer Sherman

A few months ago it became clear to me that I’d like create a “Mindful Men Series”  to honor the perspective of the divine masculine and share the voices of men I see around me honoring their gifts and purpose while giving back to the world. 

After listening to the episode, I’d love to hear, what does enough look like for you? How do you cultivate a feeling of enough?  Let me know in the comments over on instagram. 

I’m also excited to share that this Fall Spencer and I are collaborating in an 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program locally in Sebastopol.

Save the date September 5, 6:30 - 9 pm at The dhyana Center for a free orientation to learn about the program.

In this episode we discuss: 

• Discovering your true net worth 
• The best day/worst day of Spencer’s life 
• The missing piece one of his clients discovered to living a joyful life after having “made it” in the financial world
• Meditation and how that has affected Spencer’s relationship to money and how he relates to clients in his business
• The first step to take to bringing more awareness to your finances 
• Abacus’ approach to wealth management and sustainable investing 
• Our upcoming course, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (Save the date for Sept. 5 for a free orientation)
• Spencer's book, The Cure for Money Madness

I hope you enjoy today’s show. It may be just what you need to earn more money, start saving and giving, or maybe to just cultivate more peace of mind.

With love,
Meredith

P.S. Join me this coming Wednesday August 9th for my next webinar, The Art of Feminine Abundance where I’ll be sharing more about my insights on wealth, joy and abundance. Click here to sign up.

Spencer Sherman is a financial expert, public speaker, teacher and author. Spencer has taught classes and spoken to audiences across the U.S., including at Esalen and Kripalu. He has practiced meditation since 1983 and is a qualified teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). He is a founding partner of Abacus Wealth Partners, an investment company that focuses on making the world a better place. Spencer and his wife Janine live in Sebastopol, CA with their 2 children.

The Art of Feminine Abundance

Last week a friend said to me, "I think you are looking more and more radiant every time I see you!" 

I thanked her, aware that there have been big shifts within myself over the last few months and was happy to hear this has been reflecting on the outside...

Lately I have become deeply intentional about how I live, take care of myself and show up in the world.

Today I want to invite you to my latest webinar on August 9th at 5 pm PST, The Art of Feminine Abundance and share with you just a few of the things that have began to create these shifts:

1. I deeply cleansed my home and my closet.
There is a kind of alchemy that happens when you face yourself with every item you own and ask "does this spark joy?" Going through this process (from the Life-changing magic of tidying up) has genuinely made me happier and has strengthened my ability to make hard decisions and only surround myself with the things I love.

Now when I go to my closet, I genuinely love everything in there. There's less confusion about what to wear, everything matches with each other, and everything fits me! (I brought 8 of my favorite items to a tailor to be custom fitted - no more holes, stains or baggy clothes!) 

2. I began going to an early morning yoga practice. 
Two to three days a week you'll now find me up at 6:30 am and heading to a yoga studio in my town for a two hour yoga practice with a master teacher. Getting into a flow with your yoga practice is all about finding the right teacher and being gentle with yourself while being challenged. This practice has been opening my body and challenging myself in new ways that is truly joyful. (Come practice with me! I'll be teaching this Thursday at 9:30 am at The dhyana Center in Sebastopol!)

3. I've been going to women's circles. 
A few times a month you will now find me in a circle of women sharing our vulnerable truths, dropping deep into our divine feminine power and seeing the goddess in each other. These spaces have been SO transformational for me. I love gathering with other women, and I have made this an absolute priority in my life.  (I'll be hosting a women's circle for cacao + song this Wednesday, July 26 at my home - just reply to this message for more details)

4. I've been practicing daily abhyanga and speaking to my body with love. 
Abhyanga is the Ayurvedic practice of massaging your body with oil. I have a few new oils I've been using - sesame and mahanarayan oil with essential oils added. I found the best practice has been to oil my body from feet to head - working from the extremities in (feet to legs to torso, hands to arms to the heart) and speaking loving words to myself: thank you! I love you! You matter! I bless you! Then I will jump in the shower or bath before toweling off.

5. I've been practicing the art of feminine abundance.
I've been deeply feeling in my body what I am grateful for and what I vision for myself. There is more to this practice, but for now that is what I will offer to you... because I've decided to lead a whole webinar on this topic: The Art of Feminine Abundance. Want to join? Sign up here.

I hope you integrate some of these ideas into your life because the results have been truly transformational. 

I wish for every person (especially every woman) to wake up with true gratitude and radiance. I wish for every woman to walk this path of beauty and self-love. 

Join the webinar here.

Warmly, 
Meredith

Live Lead Launch Webinar with Meredith Rom

Update! The recording of this webinar has currently expired. Make sure you are signed up for email updates (at the bottom of this page) to be  the first to know about the next time this webinar will be offered.

Thank you and stay tuned....

Subscribe to the Rising Women Leaders podcast

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Last week I led a webinar all about how to Live, Lead and Launch as a Rising Woman Leader. 

Many of you signed up to watch the webinar but the replay was only available for a couple days afterwards and some of you have reached out to share you weren't able to watch it in that limited time. So I really sat and thought about it, and I decided to make this webinar available for you as an audio on the Rising Women Leaders podcast.

I received such positive feedback from the women who took the time to listen that I knew I wanted this information to be available to as many women as possible.

I spent so much time gathering and putting all this valuable content together in one place for you to rise as the woman and leader you know you are… so here it is now available for free for you to listen to.

Just to note: this webinar was led live over video, so there are some parts where I am doing a screen share to show you the web page of my latest course, and you can actually find all the details about that at risingwomenleaders.com. 

There are some prompts I give throughout the episode so it would be great if you had a pen and paper to write down some of the ideas and insights that come to you.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• More about my story and why I believe it’s important for women to be sharing their gifts and their voices in the world 
• Solutions to have more courage, share your voice, to lead with femininity ease and grace
• The 5 mistakes I made when I launched my very first online offering and how you can avoid them
• My 6 truths about fear and how to move through fear and self-doubt when it inevitably will arise as a feminine leader
• The 4-step implementation process I use to design and launch successful online courses
• All about my new offering Live, Lead and Launch that begins June 7th and includes 4 live calls for you to learn all the tools and systems you need to launch your dream online course...

Enrollment is now open until June 6th. Join us right here.

I believe the time is here for you:

To rise as the woman and leader you know you are

To stand up and share your gifts

To be spiritually AND financially empowered.

To thrive in your life's work AND do what you LOVE everyday.

To do it all in while embracing a feminine way of being and living: 

From the comfort of your own home.

On your own schedule.

From anywhere in the world… 

I hope you enjoy today’s show. 

Love, 
Meredith

Why I Didn't Take on New Work This Winter

The idea for my Live, Lead, Launch webinar came to me about 6 months ago, but I didn't take action on it.

That's because this winter I was deep in hibernation mode. I had just raised over $10k to publish my book, Just Be and the thought of launching anything or increasing my visibility felt like way too much.

What I really needed was rest. So besides continuing with a few coaching clients, taking small steps forward with my book and teaching a weekly yoga class, rest is what I did.

I gifted myself the time of deep rest and spiritual inquiry.

I took long walks with my cat in the back field. I meditated. I read books. I took naps on my couch.

And to be honest, part of me felt guilty about it. Part of me wondered what was happening to me. Was I losing my creative drive and ambition? Was I becoming a different person? Where was my usual zest for life? I began questioning everything.

I also compared myself to other women making huge strides in their career. I felt left behind. The voices in my head started telling me, "You should be doing more! You should be earning more! You should be serving more!"

In the past, I've listened to those voices, and you know what?

I burned out. I've been in that place where I drove myself to stay up late on the computer night after night and sacrifice my self-care. It was terrible.

I have recently vowed not to push myself like that anymore.

Only within the last few weeks have I felt myself waking up from winter's hibernation. I realize now, I wasn't losing myself.

I was finding myself. The wisdom of my body was guiding me closer to the feminine.

Honoring a feminine way of being and living is cyclical. It goes through phases of contraction and expansion.

Think of a woman giving birth. There are times of intensity, and then there are periods of rest. It's honoring that there is a universal force moving through you, and you have to trust in the process. You can't make it happen any faster than how it is naturally meant to unfold.

So I've been focusing my energy on one project at a time. I consistently ask myself:

Where do I invest my energy to make my highest contribution?

I have more trust in the natural rhythms and cycles of being a woman. I know it's okay if I go through periods of great expansion and periods of deep rest. I trust in the divine timing of when a project is ready to be birthed.

And after many months of incubation, my latest project, Live Lead Launch is ready for you.

If this way of living and being appeals to you, I'll be sharing more about it in my free webinar tomorrow.

Just click here to sign up if you haven't already. We go live tomorrow at 12 pm PDT.

In this webinar you'll learn:

• How I went from $5/student as a yoga teacher to 5-figure months as an online entrepreneur
• A system to design successful online courses (as well as mistakes I have made along the way)
• How to address fears and doubts of becoming a leader and teacher
• How to embrace a feminine way of being and living to avoid burnout when running a business

Even if you can't make it live, when you click here and sign up you'll be sent the replay while it's available.

And if you've been feeling the call to rise as a feminine leader, I know you probably have a deep calling to birth something into the world...

Today, I invite you to trust that it's happening. My hope is this free webinar will give you the tools you need to take your next steps while honoring the feminine in the process.

With love,

Meredith

How I Went From $5/Student as a Yoga Teacher to My First 5-Figure Month as an Online Entrepreneur

Today I want to talk to you about a topic that has been on my mind lately: Money.

I've been having conversations with women who are doing amazing work in the world yet are struggling to really make the impact they want to make in the world AND be able to financially support themselves, let alone live in a state of abundance and prosperity.

Some of you may remember several years ago when I led a teleclass series called Financial Alchemy. At that time, I was determined to shift my relationship to money.

I dove into reading numerous books, started a retirement account (which I've invested in every year since I was 26), set up all my systems for my business including quickbooks for tracking income and expenses, hired a fiduciary to talk about my investments, and hired an accountant to learn the best practices for my business.

Yet there was one piece I hadn't quite figured out - how to bring in the amount of income I really needed through doing what I loved.

I was starting out as a new yoga teacher in a town, and I had just finished my coaching certification, but it still felt like a struggle to make ends meet.

I knew I had big gifts to share with the world, but I didn't know where to start. Not to mention, when I did start, I was filled with fear and self-doubt around stepping up to teach, lead and share my voice.

So I did the best I could, working for little pay to gain experience because I knew this work was my calling, it was what I was here to do. I supplemented my income with side jobs, and in the meantime I prayed to find a way to reach the people I was here to serve.

I longed to fully share my gifts, to release my fears of being a teacher and to live and give at my fullest potential and maybe, just maybe, to find a way for it all to be easy.

I desired to let go of a masculine business model of pushing and forcing and instead honor a feminine way of being and living - to have a flexible schedule, the ability to work from anywhere, and live with prosperity through work that got me excited to get out of bed in the morning!

Around this time, I began creating 40-day meditation practices where I would read a vision I wrote for my life and for the world, out loud, everyday.

Then, one day it dawned on me. Other women may want to learn how to do this too! Maybe even women all over the world!

In that moment, the seed for my first online course was planted.

After much trial and error, a beta test, and more online marketing training under my belt, I launched my first online course, Vision.

It was the culmination of all I had learned about self-love, self-care, meditation, manifestation, ritual, wellness and lifestyle design.

I did my research and prep work, then I launched.

To my surprise, 26 women in countries around the world signed up.

I remember in the last few days of that launch, the signups kept coming in, and I didn't know what to do because I had only prepared myself to teach to 15 women!

But I reminded myself that the universe was only going to give me the opportunity to do what I was ready for. And I had prayed to serve and share my gifts at their highest potential. Here was my opportunity.

With the income I earned from my first online course along with the income I had secured through teaching yoga and serving one-on-one clients that month I had brought in $10,000 in two weeks.

Now, this was coming from someone who was used to earning $5 per student teaching at a yoga studio, and for several months prior I had to dip into savings just to pay my rent.

For the first time I saw that I was capable of doing what I loved, and earning good money from it! I saw I didn't need to rely on others, but rather be financially and spiritually empowered to continue doing the work I loved.

Launching that first course literally changed my life and overturned my whole perspective of what I thought was possible.

The side jobs I was holding on to quickly became a part of the past and I fully immersed myself into my life's work.

Since then, I've gone on to lead Vision several more times and have guided many others in developing their own online offerings to fully LAUNCH their life's work into the world.

(In addition to Vision, I used the same principles to fill my first international retreat in Bali, Indonesia and sell almost 200 copies of my book before it was even released...)

I've spent the last three years refining these principles and now for the first time, I'm sharing them with you..

Next week I'll be leading a webinar on May 24th at 12 pm PDT for you to Live, Lead & Launch your dreams!

Join us here

In this webinar, you'll learn tools to:

• Share Your Gifts as a Teacher and Leader To Reach People Everywhere in the World
• Refine Your Big Ideas into Your Ideal Offering: Use the Same Principles
• to Design Your Online Course, Program, or In-Person Retreat
• Be Spiritually + FINANCIALLY Empowered Doing What You Love
• Contribute to the Vision You Wish to See in the World
• :: All With Femininity, Ease & Grace ::

I look forward to sharing more with you next week...

With love, 
Meredith

P.S. Even if you can't make it live, you'll be sent the replay to the webinar when you sign up right here.

The Cover of My Book (+ Tips on Birthing Your Big Dream)

REAL TALK: it's taken me six years to publish my first book.

I remember the exact spot I was in India on Mount Arunachala, the holy mountain of stillness and light, in spring 2011 right after my friend told me he thought I would write a book one day.

I sat pondering, "What would I write a book about? What would I have to say?"

At first I brushed off the idea, feeling like it would all just be too hard, but soon I imagined opening pages of the book, and saw each chapter title as a mantra, where I shared stories from my travels in India.

I imagined the words speaking of love and breakups, and the journey I set out on to find love within rather than outside of myself.

I imagined the book would speak of the sages and saints I met on my path and would bring light to the spiritual teachings that have been life-changing for me.

Then I thought, "That's not such a bad idea! Maybe I should write a book..."

Fast forward six years and I am in the final three months before my book, Just Be: A Search for Self-Love in India is released to the world.

Many of you have been following me on this journey from the Kickstarter campaign to the title change (read more about that here), to the new cover design and beyond.

But I know for many of you, this may be the first time hearing about this project.

So today I wanted to share with you the final cover design.

It will be a complete 9-month journey from when I began work with my publisher last December to when my book is released at the end of August.

And in many ways it has felt like birthing a child.

I've had to do deep spiritual work in moving through fears and doubts, as well as releasing expectations and attachments to the final outcome.

There were many, many times I almost gave up. But somehow, I kept going.

I can imagine that if you have a big dream you have been wanting to birth into the world, you have been facing some of these doubts and challenges that naturally come up along the way.

I invite you to reconnect to your intention in birthing that dream - what do you hope to gain from it?

Throughout the whole book-birthing process I reminded myself of 3 simple intentions:

• I desire to learn about how to write and publish a book

• I long to honor this divinely guided idea (that felt like it chose me and asked me to birth it)

• I hope to help even just 1 person through the stories and teachings that are shared in it

When I reconnected to these intentions again and again, it always felt so much easier to take the next step.

So, what dream are you holding in your heart that you are ready to birth into the world? If you feel called to share with us, let us know in the comments below.

And you know what? It's totally OKAY if it takes YEARS longer than you ever thought it would to birth your dream...

I am cheering you on from the sidelines because from my experience, I can tell you it feels pretty awesome when you finally get there. 

With love, 
Meredith

P.S. And I couldn't have done it without an amazing video and kickstarter strategy from StartMotionMEDIA.

031 | Cultivating Spirit Flow with Mari Sierra

I love when I see a woman merge her love of design with spirituality in her business. Today I'd like to introduce you to one of these women, Mari Sierra. 

I first met Mari at Erica Jago's yoga retreat in Yosemite. Mari led us through a Five Rhythms dance practice as well as a workshop to connect to our five senses. At the time, she was newly married and spent much of her time working with start up companies in San Francisco. 

Flash forward a couple years, and Mari has now led several of her own retreats around the world, moved back where she grew up in Mexico, left a partnership that was no longer serving her or her husband and has studied for several months at a dance intensive in Berlin. 

What changed? How did she make a leap to follow her heart, even when she knew it may take her to unknown and unexpected places?

In this episode Mari shares:

• Her story of leaving her marriage and business to follow her heart and become a nomad
• Her experience of dance and how she uses it to cultivate a deeper state of spirit flow
• The intention behind La Mar, her yoga retreat created with Erica Jago
• Second and third chakra studies - How to tap into your sensuality, creativity and will power
• Archetypes and the future female - how we can use female archetypes to learn more about ourselves
• How she overcomes her fears
• Rituals and practices to connect to self, sensuality, and the earth
• The upcoming LA MAR yoga retreat in Sayulita, Mexico!

Links in this episode:

• Mari's website
• La Mar Yoga Retreat July 16-22, 2017
• Rising Women Leader's Live Lead Launch Free Webinar - May 24

Mari Sierra is a curious explorer of the mind-body connection and our collective evolution. She designs learning experiences for groups around the world, to explore the depths of the creative mind through yoga, meditation, dance, ritual, mysticism and self-expression. Her passion is to inspire people to inquire within, to open sensitivity to the subtle energy body, with nature elements and the principle of interconnectedness. Originally from Mexico city, she experimented with a myriad of dance schools, shamanic and yogic practices, then moved to San Francisco to work in design and social innovation, where she facilitates creative sessions with technology companies, coaches, and visionary leaders to find the song of their hearts and realign their work with higher intentions. 

030 | Open Your Voice with Songs from Singing Alive Kauai

This month I took myself on a trip to Kauai to attend a gathering called Singing Alive Kauai.  I felt the call to go after spending days with my grandmother in the hospital as she was passing. I found song to be such a soothing and sacred way to connect with her during that difficult time and I wanted to immerse myself in an environment of song in the weeks after she passed.

On one afternoon I experienced a surreal moment when the women gathered to all sing together.  After anchoring and opening the space, our facilitator invited any woman to teach a song to us. The first woman to stand up called in a sister in spirit - hundreds of miles away - one of my dearest friends for the past four years, Mackenzie Myers.

She then led us in call and response to sing one of Mackenzies songs, a song I have heard my friend sing many times. In that moment my skin was covered with goosebumps and tears streamed down my face because of what a powerful song it is. I was thinking about my friend, who only a few years ago was holding fear around stepping up to share her voice.

In that moment her song was reaching the ears and voices of fifty or sixty women, and it truly unified us together and opened our hearts. 

It is moments like these that remind me why it is so important for women to face their fears and share their gifts, especially their voice. 

The song that my friend Mackenzie had written was pure medicine for all the women in our circle. I felt so proud of her for facing her fears and sharing her voice so her songs could spread and be experienced by more and more people.

In today's podcast episode I share Mackenzie's song from our women's circle as well as three more powerful songs for you to sing along to.

My hope is they create a safe and nurturing space for YOU to open up and share your voice.

With love, 
Meredith

P.S. Check out the full song "Remember" by Faye Adinda (the I love and accept myself song in this episode) right here.

029 | God, Love, Sobriety & Finding Your Voice with Adriana Rizzolo

Have you ever gone on a trip to come back feeling like everything in your life just feels messy? I just came back from a trip to Kauai last week where I got to see dear friend Adriana Rizzolo, the featured guest on our podcast today.

Even though my inbox has been full, and I am bursting with so many creative ideas that it's hard to know where to start, I'm learning to love the mess. To love everything that's arising. To be okay with everything just as it is.

And this is something I love about Adriana - she carries herself with so much love and respect, no matter what the circumstances. 

In the episode Adriana shares about some pretty difficult hardships she's faced, including her story of healing from addiction and what happened when she lost everything she owned when her car was stolen.

So today, i invite you to breathe a little deeper, trust in the unfolding and love yourself (and your life exactly as it is) even if it sometimes all feels like a big mess...

In this episode you'll learn:

• Adriana's story of addiction and sobriety and what role yoga and meditation played in her healing journey
• How losing all her belongings and having her car stolen ended up as a divine intervention
• Tips Adriana has for women who are finding their voice 
• The role kirtan and chanting has played in her life
• Adriana's thoughts on facing fears and stepping into a more loving and courageous life

“Often what I find underneath my fear is a genuine desire, and that’s okay.” 

With love, 
Meredith

---

Adriana is an intuitive healer, yoga and meditation teacher, kirtan and voice guide, spiritual mentor, reiki master, hair stylist, writer and creative wild woman. Her passion is in helping others connect to the wild sacredness of their bodies, tender hearts, pelvic wisdom, authentic voices, and to their immense healing power of love. She helps others find their unique fire and build a strong connection to Spirit. She supports specifically in healing addiction and anxiety. She has studies extensively in India and with David Harshada Wagner and Living Meditation. She loves to nurture community, intimacy and connection to Spirit in a fun, powerful and practical way. Adriana trains individuals and leads sacred circles in New York City , Los Angeles and everywhere online. To find out more visit www.adrianarizzolo.com or on instagram @artofloving

028 | Luna Love on the Muse, Creative Entrepreneurship & Inner Marriage

Some of you may remember Luna Love from an episode where she interviewed me for her show - The Ladies Who Lead Podcast - where I shared my 4 Keys to Feminine Leadership. 

I invited Luna on RWL to share about creative entrepreneurship, how she uses the muse to go for her dreams and about the process of inner marriage - how she came into wholeness and attracted a loving partnership in her life.

One of the things I admire about this woman is her ability to accomplish so much, WHILE  nurturing a feminine way of being and living - one of the values I hold so dear in my own business. In this episode she shares some of her secrets to "getting it all done" while creating space for what matters most.

“Our capacity to receive as women is really not about other people giving us things but about our willingness to receive our unlimited potential and through the receptivity of that greatness lies the energy to create more and be of greater service…”
~ Luna Love

In this episode Luna shares about:

• The “I can” vs. “I can’t” voice and how she came to be a women’s leadership mentor
• How to decipher and tune into intuition
• Tips on how we can find our purpose
• Creativity and the muse - what it is and how to use it to go after your dreams
• Luna’s secret to “getting it all done!”
• Inner marriage, personal responsibility and the list you need to write if you want to call in and attract a loving partnership
• The relationship tool Luna uses to use to cut through illusion and deepen connection
• Luna’s take on when it’s time to “feel the fear and do it anyway” and how to go about it

Enjoy!

Love, 
Meredith

Luna is a Women’s Leadership Mentor, assisting those called to be change-makers in the world, in achieving clear vision for their lives by providing supportive, life-promoting experiences, practical tools and spiritual wisdom to align one’s divine essence, authentic expression and life-purpose. She creates transformative experiences for her clients through the power of self-awareness and self-love.

Luna facilitates online courses, group coaching, workshops, immersion programs and retreats to support her clients in devoting themselves to themselves, and serving the world from that place. Additionally she works as a counselor at a leading holistic drug and alcohol rehabilitation center and writes for numerous online publications. Most of all Luna is devoted to walking her path in the beauty way.

You're Invited to a Nourishing Spring Retreat

When I feel agitated, frustrated, have pain in my body, or am experiencing difficult emotions, I show up to my yoga mat.

That is when I receive all my best insights.

That is where I am able to tap back into what's really important, make decisions about my business, and receive guidance when I feel at a loss at what to do.

I believe our body is full with wisdom.

We all have a 'highest self' inside who knows the answers.  However,  we can only access this wisdom when our mind is quiet enough to tune into intuition.

It's so important to listen to what our body is telling us, but often we get distracted.  To-do lists, obligations, work, kids, and a busy mind can crowd out the wise-self we all have inside.

That's why Karen Prosen and I decided to devote a whole day to help those ready to tap back into this wisdom.

We want you to reconnect to that wise, centered part of yourself.  The part of yourself that already knows all the answers. 

We also want to honor and welcome the new season of spring.  This is a time to start fresh and release old patterns that are no longer serving us. This is a time to step into a new way of being and living in the world.

We have rented a gorgeous yurt in Occidental, CA for a one-day retreat in honor of our body's wisdom and the new season on Saturday, April 1, 2017 from 10 am - 5 pm.

We are creating an intentional space for an intimate group.  I'll be teaching gentle yoga, breathing and voice exercises.

Karen will lead us through meditation and yoga nidra to recede into rest and we will end the day in celebration with kirtan chanting.

For lunch, we have invited Camina Gillotti to prepare an ayurvedic lunch with locally harvested foods.

If you are in need of nourishment, of rest, of community and reconnection to your body's wisdom, I invite you to join us.

The investment is $108 when reserved by March 18, or $188 when you reserve for two.

You can read more about the day and reserve your space here.

And if you're unavailable, or don't live locally, please take a moment to ask yourself, "Do I know anyone in the Bay Area in need of this kind of nourishment?"  I invite you to forward this message to him or her.

In love and service, Meredith (and Karen) <3

027 | Medicine For Your Spirit with Vyana Ma

Today we are lucky to receive a transmission from Vyana Ma on the Rising Women Leaders Podcast. Vyana is another soul sister I first met through the world of instagram where we soon connected, met in person, and I learned of her work as an energy medicine teacher, devotee, musician and activist. 

I sat down to speak with her a couple months ago for the podcast when she had just come back from a bhakti yoga immersion in Mexico and was making a plan to travel to Standing Rock.  

I re-listened to this episode on my birthday in the bathtub and as soon as I heard her soothing voice, I knew there was no where else I would rather be. Her words brought me right back to my truth, reminding me of the power of being, loving and giving to ourselves in order to give back as teachers and healers, and the profound impact forgiveness can have on our lives. 

Re-listening to her story of healing from childhood abuse to become such a compassionate and strong woman leader helps me remember what I know in the core of my being - that really, anything is possible. 

"Humility and gratitude give us the freedom to experience the divinity that we are."

"...And if we always return to these principles of being and humbling ourselves and being grateful for what we have we will never be lost, no matter how confusing or painful it may feel. When we come back to humility and gratitude we will always find our way." ~Vyana Ma

In this episode you’ll learn about:

• When to listen to the inner call - letting go of what “makes sense” to the rational mind in order to follow the heart
• Vyana’s travels through Mexico and beyond
• Her story of finding balance between giving and receiving as a healer and teacher
• Her sadhana practice and experience with the Gayatri Mantra 
• How she moves through resistance to spiritual practice 
• Vyana’s story of awakening, rising above and healing childhood abuse to heal herself and others
• Vyana's story of sharing her voice as a singer and teacher
• Her experience of opening the portal to become a mother 
• How we can open to forgiveness and the difference between 'letting go' and 'letting live'

Links in this episode:

• Vyana's instagram
• Vyana's website
• Tribe De Mama

---

Vyana Ma is a woman who lives on the earth and breathes the air. 

She is also an international energy medicine teacher & speaker based out of Ojai, Ca. She blends her journey through childhood sexual & physical abuse, addiction, and self abuse with trainings in Eastern & Western healing modalities. Using these tools, Vyana guides her clients & students through the shadowed and disempowered aspects of themselves to reach a place of trust and truth.

Is Patience Really A Virtue?

I am the kind of woman who likes to get stuff done. When I have an idea, I sprint into action. But when my idea doesn't manifest as my reality right away, I often get frustrated and upset.

Recently I saw this attitude permeating all areas of my life.  I found myself asking questions like, "Why isn't my business growing faster than this?" "When will I ever be able to buy a house of my own?" and "Will I ever get married?" 

Sound familiar?

Then I was invited to a friend's house for a meditation. I did the best I could to stay present with my breath through the hour we practiced, but often found my mind wandering into the future.  Thoughts like,"Should my next blog post be about self-care or relationships?" "How do you know when it's time to hire a virtual assistant?"  and "Would I have reliable wifi if I lived in Bali?" crossed my mind.

At the end of the practice, my friend pulled a book off the shelf, opened to a random page and read a dharma teaching aloud to us.  He said:

There once was an old man who was very devoted to his guru. He had been meditating for over twenty years and just knew it wouldn't be long before he became enlightened. He went to his guru and asked, "How much longer until I become enlightened?" 

The guru looked at him and said, "It will take you three more lifetimes." 

"Three more lifetimes!" the old man exclaimed. "That is ridiculous!  I have been working so hard, meditating for twenty years, and it is going to take me three more lifetimes! I can't believe this!" 

He stomped his feet and left.

Then, a young boy who was watching nearby came over. He went to the guru and asked, "How many lifetimes until I become enlightened?" 

The guru looked up at a nearby tree and said, "It will take you as many lifetimes as there are leaves on that tree." 

The boy looked up at the tree and gasped when he saw there must have been hundreds of leaves on it.

He took a deep breath and replied, "I'm so glad to know that I will become enlightened. I can surely count how many leaves are on that tree. That means, one day, I really will become enlightened!"

He was simply in the joy and eagerness of receiving what he wanted, without being attached to it.

The boy left and the story goes, that very day he became enlightened. Because he was willing to wait and be patient, all was granted to him.

I thought about this and realized when we get what we want, we are usually excited for a little bit of time, but soon there is emptiness.  Shortly after, a new desire arises and takes the place of the old one.

I wondered, What if the joy in life is actually in the waiting, rather than the getting of what we want? What if the best part about getting what we want is the anticipation itself?

If we are willing to be in the process, to fully be present there and to be in our growth, there will be joy.

And when we are willing to be present and find joy in the process, it will be easy. There won't be  a struggle because we're not trying to skip steps and jump further ahead than where we really are.

I saw that the struggles I had recently faced were happening because I was pushing before I was ready. I didn't trust in the process. And with this new knowledge, I knew I could be patient. If you are willing to be patient in the joy of waiting, you might even get what you want right away.

Are Your Desires Making You Miserable?

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the difference between desire and attachment...

When I was on a ten day silent meditation retreat over the holidays, I began to see how my mind would obsess over the same desires over and over again. (Mostly about achieving more, doing more, having more...)

It became crystal clear that those desires - that had once been born out of pure innocence - had become attachments and they were causing me suffering. 

In a moment of realization in meditation, on Christmas Day, when I had been feeling quite a lot of pain in my body, I broke down in tears, realizing I had been creating the cause of my own suffering by focusing so much on what I didn't have, and what was not in my present moment reality.

So I did what I could to clear those attachments away. I focused on what was happening in my body and breath and released the need for anything to be different than it already was.

An image flashed in my mind of myself being completely stripped down to simple clothes and a shaved head, meditating - settling into a state of stillness and total presence. 

From this state of complete patience, self-lessness and letting go, a ground zero of sorts, I asked myself what was really important to me - and the answer was so simple: time in beautiful natural environments with my beloved, singing and being a teacher and mentor, walks in the back field with my cat, Quan Yin, and going out to dinner with friends. That was it... 

From that day forward in the retreat, meditation became so much easier. Pain began to lift on my body, and in the times when it came back, my relationship to it was completely different. I had developed a patience that hadn't been there before. I allowed the sensations to be there, the thoughts to be there, witnessing, knowing at some point they would pass, and they always did. 

Carrying these insights into my life, I've found a state of more ease and gentleness.

But what about our desires? Isn't it good to have goals and ambitions? I think it is good to have desires, goals and ambitions, but when we find ourselves suffering from those desires, it's time to ask if we have become attached.

It has been a great relief for me to enjoy life (and all that I already have) from a place of nonattachment - allowing everything to just be as it is.

I can't say I've figured it all out, and sometimes those old attachments linger back into my mind, but that's when I come back to my meditation practice, noticing the sensations and breath, and remembering all that is real and perfect in this moment.

To hear more about this topic, listen to my latest podcast where I share the introduction of my book due to release this summer. If you missed my last email, you'll hear all about the new title, Just Be: A Search for Self-Love in India. And, if this message resonates with you, I'd love to hear in the comments.

With love, 
 Meredith

026 | Announcing a New Title for My Book + A Bonus Reading

I wanted to share an update on what's happening with the book I wrote of my travels in India! After raising over ten thousand dollars in the Kickstarter campaign last Fall to publish it, I got right to work with my publishing team.  

Right now the manuscript is being copyedited, the official release date is August 22, 2017 and Kickstarter supporters should receive their early copy in July. 

After much contemplation, research, and discussion with my publishing team and kickstarter supporters, I have decided to change the title of my book from Synchronicity to Just Be: A Search for Self-love in India.

After my publisher approached me with the suggestion to find a title that was more direct, short, and to the point…something that would immediately speak to what the reader would be able to take away from reading this book, I began to tune into the total stillness and wisdom of my heart and asked the universe to send me a sign. (To hear the full story and hear the introduction of the book, listen to today's podcast episode)

When I was asked to "look at where my attachments lay" and make a decision that was best for the book I laughed to myself, because literally the last sentence I had written in my book was, "If I was able to release my attachments to the outcome, I knew everything would fall into place…"

Soon after, I found myself recording a podcast interview with Achintya Devi, an amazing woman in the world of women's spirituality and empowerment, and we began having technical difficulties - getting disconnected, coming on the line but using different links, about 15 - 20 minutes passed while we were just trying to begin the interview…

Frustrated, I found myself saying a new mantra over and over in my mind without realizing it, "Just be. Just be. Just be." Within a moment Achintya came on the line, and we recorded a powerful interview to close out the year.

Just Be happened to be one of the titles I was considering for the book, and in that moment, I knew this was the sign I was asking for.

Very little will actually change in the content of the book - I still share of synchronistic events and happenstance, but I’m seeing how synchronicity fits in as a natural side-effect when we tap into a space of “just being…”, releasing our attachments, and allowing the events of the universe to unfold magically around us…

I am feeling ever-more resonant with this new title and direction. After reading through the book last week, I saw how present the theme of “just being” is shared throughout. It just took having an outside perspective to point this out to me.

I believe the message of just being is so relevant and needed at this time - in a world so focused on achieving and doing…

This belief was affirmed to me a couple weeks ago when I received an email from one of my readers, Clare. She wrote in response to a newsletter I sent about letting go of goals and action plans for this year, and rather asking how we can bring more love, gentleness and service to every moment:

“When your email came in, I was initially afraid to open it, I was afraid that I was going to see yet another mention about New Year resolutions which would in turn make me feel shitty about the lack of my own. I had already seen plenty, and I was just about done feeling bad.

I opened your email, and it was the comforting hug that I needed, to remind me of that whisper in my heart that told me to spend more time nurturing myself, taking better care of myself.

After your email, I continued having similar signs pop up everywhere -- telling me that it's ok not to have everything figured out, and it's ok to take it slow. To JUST BE.”

I've been thinking more about what I want for the woman I wrote this book for…and I truly want her to experience what it is to just be...

...To fully accept herself as she is… And from that place of presence, self-love and acceptance… to follow her dreams and experience deep connection and synchronicity… but from a place of truly tuning in, and first finding stillness and silence, and listening to her heart.

After all of this I went into a 10-day silent meditation retreat, where I watched the busy-ness of my mind and found myself coming back again and again to this new mantra, "Just Be" and knew I was being guided to change the title.

My wish is for you to have an open heart and mind, and see how this mantra, “just be,” may come to play in your life…

This whole experience has really shown me the power of releasing my attachments. And how very often when we release those attachments, we end up with a solution that is even more in alignment. Who knew the process of publishing a book full with spiritual lessons would be so full of…spiritual lessons…? :)

What’s the latest update with the book now? We are putting final touches on a whole new cover - something that encompasses the magic and colors of India and the theme and message of just being…so stay tuned.

I’m so grateful for all of you. Thank you all for bearing witness to this journey. I hope you enjoy today's show.

With love, 

 Meredith

P.S. Congratulations to "Ksenia" and "Jokerofthenines" for winning the New Year Giveaway! I loved reading all of your podcast reviews and am so grateful for the time you took to share your stories. "Ksenia" and "Jokerofthenines" can email [email protected] to schedule your free coaching session. If you'd still like to write a review for Rising Women Leaders please do so here.