by Karen Creamer | Apr 1, 2018 | Being BRAVE, Catching women being brave, Clarity, no fear, relationships, The BRAVE Interviews
Welcome to this month’s interview with Stormie Grace!
Being Brave…
Hello everyone I am Astrologer Stormie Grace! …….really what I am is just a human! That comes with its pretty standard fears, insecurities, Delights, Mysteries, and all else that encompasses The Human Experience pause. The two qualities I’ve been invited to talk to you about today from my experience are fear and bravery.
No matter how it presents itself, fear always has this low-level vibration telling me I am somehow not enough as I am, and God forbid I get any different because then I’ll definitely be not enough.
If you know what I’m talking about, you know what I’m talking about, but really, in my experience what Fear actually is actually is the thief that robs me from my life. It should absolutely be classified with stealing, yeah, because it robs me of the moments I could be experiencing how enough I am! And how much Beauty there is in the enough to notice. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Mar 1, 2018 | author, Being BRAVE, Catching women being brave, Interviews, no fear, The BRAVE Interviews, Travel
Here is this month’s BRAVE Interview with Crissy Maier!
WHO are you? Someone who overcomes challenges. Whether it’s my cleft lip and palate, my learning disability, my struggles through the police academy, other health issues, problems at work – I’m not defined by any of them, but rather by my ability to integrate the lessons I’ve learned and to find ways to overcome the next challenge I will face.
WHAT is your One Brave Thing? Sometimes I wonder if I’ve done it yet. I seem to have succeeded at everything I’ve tried, or at least not failed miserably. I might need to try something harder to really be brave. But when thinking about this question, I’m reminded of my first trip to Europe. I arrived in London, almost got lost going to my hotel even though I had step by step instructions. The next day I got on a hop on and off bus and at the stop in Trafalgar Square I wanted to get off the bus, but I was afraid of getting off the bus. In some ways it was an insignificant moment, but it’s a moment that I’ve reminded myself of many, many times. It’s a moment that inspired an entire chapter of my book. It took a minute or two to talk myself into it, but I got off the bus at Trafalgar Square. I didn’t venture too far away from the bus stop, but I broke a barrier of fear. I traveled through Europe for two weeks before returning to London. When I did, I was a completely different person, I was taking the Tube to sites that I didn’t know how to get to and navigating the streets of London like I would the streets at home. It’s one of those rare opportunities in life when I got to see how much I had changed in a short period of time. When I’m afraid of something, I often think back to that experience.
WHEN did you do it? That was in 2005
WHERE did it occur? London and Europe
HOW and WHY did you make it happen? The woman who stepped off the plane in London in 2005 was ready for adventure, to see the world. But she was afraid of the unknown, of getting lost. But she was more afraid of missing out, or being a “failure.” When fear holds us back, sometimes we need to break down what the fear is, and what the realistic ‘bad’ outcome is. When we think of it logically, it’s usually not nearly as bad as it seems. It’s not always easy to do, it takes time and discipline. More importantly though, I think knowing why you want to do something, and the cost of not doing it, can be enough to give you the discipline needed to overcome the fear you have. If I wasn’t committed to seeing London (in one day), then maybe I wouldn’t have gotten off the bus and found out that it’s not so scary to face your fear.
Keep reading by Karen Creamer | Oct 8, 2017 | author, Being BRAVE, books, Catching women being brave, Clarity, Interviews, no fear, online courses, relationships, The BRAVE Interviews
This month, we are meeting Allyson Bright!
- WHO are you? I’m 36. An artist, a woman in love, a widow, a crafter, a teacher, and a seeker of joy. I live in Wisconsin with my boyfriend, TJ, and my Beagle, Gracie.
- WHAT is your One Brave Thing? It’s hard to pick just one – honestly, it’s been a journey. I was 32 when my husband died by suicide. After that, I found that I had to face new fears and learn how to create a new life for myself.About nine months after he passed, I went away for a week by myself. I was having trouble trusting my own decisions and I knew I needed to leave my comfort zone in order to move forward. The trip was transformational and ultimately led to my decision to leave my home in Iowa and move to Wisconsin for a fresh start. Art journaling and crafting were such a vital part of my healing process, and I really wanted to share that with others. My ultimate brave thing was to leave my day job in order to start a business teaching art classes and offering coaching services.
- WHEN did you do it? I started my company, Determined to Shine, about 18 months ago. It’s been a bit of a crazy journey, to be sure. But without a doubt, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
- WHERE did it occur? Right here in Madison, Wisconsin.
- HOW did you make it happen? One step at a time! Determined to Shine has grown into so much – weekend retreats, several online workshops, and even one-on-one coaching services. Sometimes it can seem like all of that happened at once, but it’s been a gradual process. For those looking to make a career change – don’t let the size of the task overwhelm you! Pick apart each task into small chunks, and just get started.
- WHY did you do it? The idea for Determined to Shine had been in my mind for several years. Ultimately, I realized I was just going to have to take a leap and be willing to fail. I didn’t want to wake up in three more years and still be talking about it. Taking that leap was terrifying, and I had to build my plan along the way. But everything that’s worth anything is scary. Determined to Shine has brought so much joy into my life and the lives of others – I can’t imagine what life would be like if I hadn’t done that one brave thing.
Thank you, Allyson, for sharing your brave story with us!
Allyson is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Scrapbook Projects Illustrated.
You can find Allyson’s FREE online class here: 30 days of Art Journaling. I have taken this class myself and I enjoyed it very much. I highly recommend all of Allyson’s classes. Find them all here: http://www.determinedtoshine.net/
Check out Allyson’s online book club: Get Artsy Book Club Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Nov 11, 2016 | author, books, Interviews, no fear, The BRAVE Interviews, writing
Hello and welcome to the next in the series of The BRAVE Interviews! It’s the Who, What, When, Where, How, (and sometimes Why) of YOUR ‘one brave thing’!
Welcome to Interview #4 with Kristen Conley Leighton!
- WHO are you? Share whatever you want to about yourself personally.
Wow, so we’re starting with the hardest question! Most days, I’m not really sure. That statement can be traced back to the day I was born. See, I was switched at birth. Truly. I was somehow confused with another baby girl born at almost the exact same time. The next morning, a nurse arrived in my mother’s room with the wrong bundle. “That’s not my baby,” my mother said to her. “Go back and try again.” Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Aug 17, 2016 | friends, no fear, The BRAVE Interviews, writing
Hello and welcome to my new series: The BRAVE Interviews! It’s the Who, What, When, Where, How, (and sometimes Why) of YOUR ‘one brave thing’!
Welcome to Interview #2! Here we go!
**UPDATE: Jody’s new business website is right here: http://www.essenceofspiritceremonies.com/
Who: My name is Jody O’Farrell Breton. I am a (newly) retired (by choice) Respiratory Therapist. I am also an Ordained Interfaith Minister, Ceremonialist and Energy Healing Practitioner. And a tree hugger and a lover of all things earthy 🙂 Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Aug 7, 2016 | books, Interviews, no fear, The BRAVE Interviews, writing
Hello and welcome to my new series: The BRAVE Interviews! It’s the Who, What, When, Where, How, (and sometimes Why) of YOUR ‘one brave thing’!
We are kicking off the series with Kathy Eliscu, author of the wonderful book, Not Even Dark Chocolate Can Fix This Mess.
So, let’s get started-
Me and Kathy at the Falmouth Library, 2016.
- WHO are you? A: I’m Kathy Eliscu. I’m a retired RN (from an injury) and have been writing freelance columns for decades. I have a 7-year-long running humor column in Maine called “Lightly Roasted” and am the author of the humor novel “Not Even Dark Chocolate Can Fix This Mess.”
- WHAT is your One Brave Thing (so far!!) for 2016? A: I had been scheduled for a brief reading from my book but asked if I could share some of my “serious” unpublished material and was given the go-ahead.
- WHEN did you do it? A: This was in May of this year.
- WHERE did it occur? A: At the Local Buzz in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
- HOW did you make it happen? A: Well…I opened my big mouth and asked.
- WHY did you do it? A: I’ve been working on some serious material for a couple of years but felt very insecure about it. I wanted to push myself to try it out. It just seemed like the right time to take a chance. And I got very good feedback on it, so now I feel I have the impetus to continue to do this kind of work as well as humor writing.
Thank you so much, Kathy!
Kathy’s wonderful book (which I read and loved!) is available on her website: kathyeliscu.com and at Amazon.com.
*P.S. Sorry! I am not sure who took the above picture! Keep reading
Karen Creamer
