Category Archives: Uncategorized

You don’t have to get it perfect, to get it just right.

Hey creative friends,

I’ve always wanted to do a #100dayproject and yesterday (very spontaneously) I decided to dive in! Going to be writing 100 notes to myself over the coming months and posting them on Instagram. Anyone else want to take on a #the100dayproject with me? ❤️ Or you can simply follow along with me.

Here is today’s:

I had a hard parenting day recently and felt wracked with guilt, or maybe shame, for not getting it right. For being reactive. For not knowing how to navigate my way. When I asked myself what my heart needed to hear, it was this. It’s okay I didn’t say all the right things. It’s okay I didn’t do it perfectly. And what would the perfect thing have been anyway? This one’s for those of us who could use a little self-compassion today. ❤️ #the100dayproject

 

 

Bullseye pendants are back! + communicating with power + compassion.

Back by popular demand! Superhero bullseye pendants are back! Perfect for graduation gifts, birthdays or just your favorite super-friends. Made of sterling silver with a bulls eye on the front and the word “superhero” engraved on the back.

Free shipping this week!

Matte finish. Pendants come with a choice of a 16″ or 18″ chain.

CSP #43: Communicating with power + compassion with Alejandra Siroka

Brand new episode! and one of my favorites.

Alejandra Siroka M.A. has devoted her life to the study of language and communication. She is a truth seeker who is dedicated to discovering and sharing methods which allow people to live with integrity. Inspired by her belief that developing conscious communication skills is essential in the path of transformation. She founded Language Alchemy – a transformative process which allows individuals and groups to develop thriving relationships and fulfilling lives by speaking their truth with power and compassion.

Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.

Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” This was one of our writing prompts this week in Mexico – a line from a poem by Jack Gilbert. I’ve always loved that line. So much permission in it – and really, it’s the only way that anything creative ever gets accomplished. That willingness is required – the willingness to make a mess, to not have it turn out as planned (or at all) the willingness to be a beginner, to be in a process, to not do it as well as the experts (or whoever else we’re comparing ourselves to)

We made paper flowers in San Miguel. Laurie and I thought it would be fun to bring an artisan in to teach us, do something with our hands, play with color. I sent a photo of the flowers I had photographed and fallen in love with on our last trip. “Can you teach us to make these?” I asked naively. How did I know how difficult they would be to make? They looked so effortless in the store.

We ooohhed and ahhhhed at the colored crepe paper and tried to follow along as our darling teacher showed us how to pinch and fold the edges of the brightly colored strips. Oh, and the lesson was in spanish. “Dammit, I can’t do this. Mine isn’t working. Wait, what’s going on? I can’t see. Will you help me? I suck at this. I had it, now I keep losing it. Why is this so hard?”

We were all frustrated. I felt a mini-rage inside me, my inner 5 year old was mad. “I CAN”T DO THIS!!” she wanted to shout. I breathed deeply, didn’t scream and marveled at how seriously I was taking all of it. April wrapped a hot pink swath of crepe paper around her neck. “Soy flor,” she smiled. And suddenly I laughed out loud. I got it. The silliness of it, the ridiculousness of the tantrum I was keeping at bay. I doubled over in laughter.

“This is so fucking hard!!” Laurie shouted.

Our flowers were all different. They were misshapen and wonky, Seussian and off-kilter. Puffy in all the wrong places. A flower only a mother could love! someone said. “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly!” We all said in tandem.

The last night of the retreat we had a slideshow, a time for all of our participants to share a few images they were proud of and tell a few stories in front of the group. We bought a projector off of Amazon and we were excited to try it out. But guess what? Yep. The slideshow was a disaster too!

We couldn’t get the images to load quickly enough, or even show up in their entirety. The resolution was terrible, the saturation of the color (so important for photos in San Miguel) was abysmal. People weren’t particularly frustrated until it was their turn and they realized the setup didn’t do their images justice. “It’s better on my phone!” each person cried.

And then that feeling came over me again, how funny this whole scene was, how we tried something, some new technology, and the wifi was too weak, the resolution was terrible, and we had to futz with the projector over and over again. “Oh my god,” I giggled to the crowd, “this is the worst slideshow in the history of slideshows!”

And you know what? If the flowers had gone all Martha Stewart and the slideshow had gone off without a hitch, I wouldn’t be telling you any of this. It wouldn’t even be a story. I wouldn’t remember it.

We are flying home now to SFO and each time Laurie lifts her carry-on, I see the flower she made peeking out of her bag. It’s gigantic and pink, gloriously misshapen. And it fills me with a very particular joy – something about trying new things, of knowing life is messy, of appreciating the calamity of it all. So much more beautiful somehow for it’s imperfection.

This is Brave Blogging my loves. Sometimes we do it well, and other times not so much! We will practice together. 6 weeks of creative prompts and lessons on how to get your blog (and your authentic voice) out in the world.

More details here!

Class begins Monday, March 25th (tomorrow!) LAST DAY to get the special price.

P.S. To get the early bird price, register today! Just enter the coupon code – BRAVEBLOGGER19
The regular course price is $147, but you will get it for $99

There is a kiss we want with our whole lives.

 

There is a kiss
we want
with our whole lives. -Rumi

I’ve been thinking lately about our knowing. That deep, divine kind of knowing. The kind where our body tingles or we get goosebumps. The kind where we JUST KNOW and we can’t un-know it anymore. The kind that speaks to us in dreams. The kind that whispers at first and then gets really loud.

I’ve been thinking about how long we can go on ignoring our own truth.

For me, for many, until our body begins aching, speaking to us through pain, panic, anxiety.

A friend once said to me, “Try this on Andrea. Is it possible that what’s best for you is actually the best for everyone else? Even if they don’t like it? Even if they get mad? I want you to experiment with this. Practice telling your truth: I can’t make it. That doesn’t feel like a fit for me. This is what I want. And trust that what is authentically true for you is ultimately best for everyone.”

This was in the midst of separation from my husband.

It was the most excruciating chapter of my life. Unbearable at times. There were moments when I literally had to chant to myself, “You told the truth and you didn’t die. You’re not dead. You survived it…”

The terror of speaking the truth can feel so big. I was afraid my truth would kill him. Or me.

I spoke my truth imperfectly. A bit late. As best I could. It hurt.

The lessons are wide and deep and ongoing. My love for Matt grew and changed unexpected ways. 

But today I am present to the deep knowing that I am finally beginning to honor in myself. The divine kind of knowing. The part of me that, without all the fear of troubling waters, is now crystal clear.

There is a kiss we want with our whole lives.

There is a kiss I wanted with my whole life.

And it wasn’t the kind of kiss you get from a lover.

It was the kiss from Spirit.

From Myself.

It’s the kiss of living my life’s true call.

It’s the kiss of my own heart.

It’s the kiss of joy.

This is Brave Blogging my loves. Sometimes I do it well, and other times not so much! We will practice together. 6 weeks of creative prompts and lessons on how to get your blog (and your authentic voice) out in the world.

More details here!

Class begins Monday, March 25th. Early bird discount ends this week!

P.S. To get the early bird price, register this week! Just enter the coupon code – BRAVEBLOGGER19
The regular course price is $147, but you will get it for $99

Seeing with eyes of love.

My heart has been going through a transformation lately. It’s been years in the making, but I heard somewhere that transformation actually happens in a moment. And that’s what happened recently – a moment when my heart opened.

I can’t tell you the entire story just yet, but let’s just say it has to do with someone I met, who I took a shine to, and then have been going through that dance of vulnerability with – are they interested? are they going to disappoint me? Someone in my Superhero School class said it best – We vacillate between feeling better than and not good enough, both which leave us feeling separate.

And I saw this mechanism so plainly that night. It was operating in the background, probably how it always had, but this time I caught it – I saw how I go to judgment and aversion to protect my heart. Let me explain:

It was a very Bay Area situation – a 3rd date at a tantra workshop where we drank kava and sipped raw cacao, fed maca balls to a partner who was blindfolded. You know, the usual third date stuff! ? When I arrived, I was nervous. A tantra workshop? Elixirs? Squishy mats on the floor? What was I thinking?

I nervously took off my shoes and placed them in the entryway with all the others. I headed straight for the restroom, mostly to give myself something to do while I waited for my date. These aren’t my people, I thought.  It’s too woo woo around here, I don’t belong here…

But I played along when the workshop began and put my hand on my heart as instructed. I sipped my raw cacao (delicious!) and meditated. “Tune into your heart chakra,” they instructed. ”Allow yourself to open.” As I did this, something surprising came into view- I saw how all of the resistance I was experiencing, all of the judgments I had arrived with, the aversion I had for “not my people” was how I protected my heart. None of it was true in any authentic way. It was just a stream of habitual thoughts designed to keep me safe, and at a distance. Tears burned in my eyes as I saw one of the ways I’ve pushed love away.

I can be like this succulent, bristly, keeping others away.

But here’s the magic part. In that moment of seeing the machinery at work, it dissolved. And at that very moment, the instructor said, “Now open your eyes and take in your partner with that open heart.” I looked at this man in front of me and was astounded by his beauty. I almost couldn’t take it in. This beautiful being. He looked different than he had just moments before.

It’s amazing how rare these moments are – seeing the world through a lens that is undefended and open-hearted, with eyes of love.

It costs something – vulnerability, openness. But it also gives you something back – the possibility of deeper connection with yourself, the moment, and others.

I want to be intimate with the world. I don’t want to live life at a distance anymore. I don’t want to be protected and defended forever, only letting in little bits of love. I want to grow my capacity, make more space, be brave with my heart, keep opening up.

Just 3 days until Superhero School starts!

I’m getting excited y’all! If you want to know more about Superhero School – my brand new 4-month small coaching program, I did a Facebook Live about it (click below) or you can read more here.

New podcast episodes too!

Listen in as I talk about gratitude (and match you up with a gratitude buddy if you like!) love languages, choosing ourselves, and more.

Sending you all love,
Andrea

Superhero School + following our delight.

While I was in Mexico this week, I started to worry about Superhero School. Ack! I thought. I haven’t announced it enough, I’ve been terrible about sending newsletters, my launch hasn’t been very launchy, has it? Ugh. But I couldn’t tell what was blocking me. On the airplane home I realized – it wasn’t feeling fun and easy.

Fun and easy is my personal GPS. It’s what signals to me that something is a full yes, that I’m totally aligned with the energy of the offering and that my heart is in it. I know this.

I’ve learned it over and over again- that when I follow my delight, I always end up right where I need to go.

So where was my delight? How could I conjure it? What was all the anxiety about?

Just a couple of weeks ago, I had my yearly session with a medium named Lynn Austin. “One of your guides is here,” she said suddenly. “He passed away a couple of years ago, he adores you…” and then she said his name, but I already knew who it was.

Later in the reading, I asked. “What’s in my blind spot? What should I be aware of that I’m not aware of?” My guide answered immediately, “You are only blind to how big and beautiful you are Andrea. You need to upgrade the way you see yourself. You need to trust in your big, beautiful energy. You are being held on your journey in this body.”

We forget, right? We forget how precious we are, how powerful. Maybe I’m not the only one who could use a little upgrade. Especially when we are embarking on something new, we are flooded with thoughts like – Am I good enough? Do I belong? Do I have anything to say? Does my work matter? Am I worthy?

These concerns are pretty universal… AND... they get in the way of us turning on the faucet and being brave with our lives. This is one of the topics I’m looking forward to exploring with you in Superhero School.

And so, when I asked myself – How can I make this fun and easy? The answer was clear:
I thought of you.
I thought of us.
In a virtual circle sharing our stories and our dreams.
I thought of recording audio and video for you each week, being a voice for authenticity and aliveness and joy.
I thought of us on Zoom video calls in an intimate group, seeing each other’s faces and forming a safe and brave circle for sharing.

This is medicine for me this year. Sinking into the simplest essence of what I’m best at – presence. This is what I am offering you above all – my heart and my attention so that you can shine a little brighter in your life. So that you feel braver, so that you have more access to your authentic self, so you can drop the mask and just be you.

No heavy lifting here.
No big time commitments.
A sustaining drip of inspiration and connection that will help you right your ship this year – pointing you toward well-being and joy.

Lots more info here if your intuition is whispering yes!

This 4-month course begins February 4th, 2019. Each month we will explore a different superpower – courage, creativity, intuition, connection.

Let’s geek out on podcasts together.

Many years ago, at a retreat for creative women on the Oregon coast, it was my turn to have my “Radiate session.” In this session, we received mentoring from the group – laser focused on us for that particular 30 minutes. It was powerful. But what I remember most from my session is that someone said, “Andrea, you need your own radio show!” and the rest of the women squealed in agreement. I was like, what the what?

It only occurred to me years later – Podcasts! I could create a podcast! That’s how I could have my own radio show. They were so right and clearly saw it before I could see it for myself.

In the last year that I have had The Creative Superheroes Podcast, I have interviewed some seriously amazing people! SARK, Kelly Rae Roberts, Dr. Rick Hanson, Frank Ostaseski, Danielle LaPorte… just to name a few. With each episode, I felt like I was finding my voice, finding my power and practicing courage. It’s become one of my favorite parts of my business.

But why am I sharing all of this? Because you can have your very own podcast! And I’m going to teach you how.

Over the course of 4 weeks, I will help you through every step of the process to creating your very own podcast! Learn everything from how to choose the name of your show to how to get it up on itunes! I promise to make it fun + easy so you are sure to make this dream real.

In this course, we will explore:

Week #1: Let’s make it real.
This week we will get clear on what our podcast is about, what our vision and deeper purpose is for our show, choosing a name and creating a description for itunes. We will also create a graphic for our podcast! And some fancy music for the intro + outro.

Week #2: The technical pieces you need to know.
Equipment, how to name your files, what software you might need. Don’t worry. I promise to make this all very fun + easy. We will hold hands when it feels overwhelming!

Week #3: We’re geeking out now.
Writing and recording your intro + outro. Show notes. Creating graphics for each episode. How to infuse storytelling into your work.

Week #4: Recording, editing and publishing
Launching your show! And getting the word out. We will be bringing it all together in this last week and making sure you have everything ready for your podcast launch. Then we will celebrate because holy moly, we deserve it!

 

P.S. I am deliberately calling this the Mighty Little Podcast Course because I want you to know that your show doesn’t have to be huge. You don’t need to have big advertisers (or advertisers at all!) You get to make a show that is for you + your people. You get to create something that is purely for your delight + to delight others. It’s a beautiful way to grow a community.

When I’m feeling lost, I call in the healers.

Actually, even when I’m not feeling lost, I call in the healers! Intuitive coaching has been a huge part of my support system since my early 20’s. Something about the big picture perspective that astrology and other spiritual modalities offer, gives me a whole lot of faith when I’m not sure of where I’m going.

Sometimes I just need the affirmation that everything is unfolding as it should (that I’m not doing something terribly wrong, ha!)  that the choices I’m making are aligned with my heart + spirit. Enter some of the most incredible people to light your way! (They are all able to work with you by phone)

Virginia Bell, Astrology
I have a session scheduled for October with Virginia and I am so excited. I’ve been hearing about her for years through our mutual friend SARK and I just interviewed Virginia for my podcast. Virginia is the real deal. Wise, loving, intuitive. If you’ve been meaning to get your chart done, I highly recommend her.

Nancy de Heer, Intuitive Business Readings
The way these readings work is that Nancy records her voice as she looks at you + your business. Then she sends you the hour-long recording to listen to. Wow. Just wow. Her insights were a huge gift. A lot of it was very humbling… it was like she could see the private shadow stuff I go through each day and was able to name how these things were getting in the way of my joy + prosperity. All of it was filled with lots of love and compassion. I felt a huge energy shift in my work after this reading.
(p.s. Nancy is offering Superhero readers 10% off)

Juna Mustad, Intuitive coach + clairvoyant
Juna is beyond gifted. She is a brilliant coach + also has amazing intuitive gifts. Her wisdom has been life-changing for me. She is especially good at getting to those deeper layers… She always manages to take me to the most core places with so much grace. I’ve had massive healing experiences in her hands.

Laurel Bleadon-Maffei, Angel readings
Laurel channels a tribe of angels on your behalf + works with your guides. The whole experience is love-filled and oozing with wisdom. I get angel readings from Laurel every couple of months + they have guided my heart + spirit in miraculous ways. (Discounted sessions available by mentioning this post! Just $100 for a session)

Lynn Austin, Psychic medium
Lynn pretty much blows my mind every time. I’ve had many sessions with her over the years + she is ALWAYS right. It’s freaky. She channels loved ones that have passed (often knows their names) and delivers powerful messages that bring me to tears. Her readings are magical.

You’re gonna make it after all.

Yesterday, my friend Laurel and I taught a daylong manifesting workshop. The space was filled with really incredible women and we ushered them through a process of letting go of their 2017 (at times with tears for how hard this year was for so many of us) and welcoming and visioning 2018.

Because I co-led with Laurel (who is an angel practitioner) we also held an angel circle. This means that Laurel embodies a tribe of angels – Josephus and the Wisdom Council – and they speak through her. As she spoke, I realized that I had never actually witnessed Laurel (or anyone else) channel. All of my sessions with her (and there have been many!) have been on the phone, so it was such a treat to see her do her work in person. With her eyes closed, she fielded questions from participants and offered wise advice and energy clearing for all of us.

Most importantly (and what I love most about circles of women) is that the personal is almost always the universal. A question from an individual is a question for the collective. There wasn’t anything that someone asked that didn’t somehow feel relatable to my own life…

This morning, still filled with all that good energy from yesterday, I went on a little hike. I was listening to music (on random shuffle) as I walked and decided to ask the angels for some guidance. “Okay angel friends! Can you have the next song that comes on be a special message from you to me?”

At first I didn’t recognize the song that came on, but I started listening to the words.

Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?

It started to sound familiar, something from my childhood… Could it be? Oh my goodness, it is! It’s from the Mary Tyler Moore show! I laughed. How in god’s name did this get on my phone??? And then I listened to the words.

How will you make it on your own?
This world is awfully big, girl this time you’re all alone
This was the PRECISE anxiety I woke up with. A little electric current of fear: “Oh my goodness, I just bought a car. Will I be able to make payments and rent? Will I be able to take care of my kids? Oh my god oh my god, can I pull of this single mom thing??”
Your are most likely to succeed
You have the looks and charms
And girl you know that’s all you need
All the men around adore you
That sexy look will do wonders for you
Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have the town, why don’t you take it?
You might just make it after all
You’re gonna make it after all
So yeah, the part about the looks and charm and sexiness is a little outdated (ha!) but the sentiment was so good it made me smile. Love is all around, no need to waste it! You can have a town, why don’t you take it? You’re gonna make it after all!

I felt like cheering or doing that Mary Tyler Moore hat-in-the-air toss as she arrives at her apartment building. Whether it was in fact the angels speaking to me or not didn’t matter. I had gotten my message. The one I most needed to hear today.

Want to try it? Do a little meditation where you ask the angels/Spirit/God/your higher self/your intuition for a secret message. Then randomly play a song and listen to the words.

What is your secret message in song?