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WordPress client spotlight: The Linda Project

Hey everyone!

It’s FALL! What!? I love fall. I hope you get to enjoy the crunchy leaves, crisp air, and warm hearts and sweaters. I digress!

Today I want to share with you a very special client that I had the pleasure of working with, The Linda Project.

The Linda Project is a virtual retreat for a woman’s mind, body, and spirit. It’s a place you can visit to find inspiration, encouragement, and motivation to walk through this crazy thing we call life. The Linda Project’s mission is to help women lead a healthy, happy, and balanced life amidst all of the chaos.

The Linda Project will also share real-life experiences about some of life’s hardest moments that women face such as: infertility, postpartum mood disorders, and a baby in the NICU just to name a few. You will also be able to find resources that will help you navigate some of these life challenges, if you find yourself in that place. It won’t all be serious though. The site will also share fun ways to help encourage, inspire, and motivate you.

As many of you may know, this subject is very near and dear to my heart. I am so happy to continue supporting women who want to stay healthy through motherhood or who may have gone through a postpartum mood disorder like myself.

Please give it a look-see. I really love it.

TheLindaProject.com

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Get to know my WordPress, marketing, and VA offerings! I would love to help you!

How to sell with sincerity: 6 tips for wellness entrepreneurs

sellwsincerity

Sales. For most wellness entrepreneurs, just the word sends a shiver down down your spine. I know it did for me, for a long time. But…I’m mostly over it 😉

Sales doesn’t have to be pushy, or slimy, or annoying. Really! Selling can be creative, inspiring, and brand-building.

Let’s talk about 6 simple strategies to help you sell with sincerity, spirit, and serenity.

**Be proud of yourself and your business**

Repeat after me, “YOU ARE WORTHY!” There is enough success, money, and enjoyment to go around and you, my dear wellness entrepreneur…deserve it! So many of us feel unworthy about who we are and the greatness that we offer this magical world. Start here. Don’t be afraid to shine your light, toot your horn, and shout from the mountaintop that you want to help others. There’s nothing wrong with loving yourself. I know that’s what you want your clients to believe, so lead by example! Go forth in LOVE!

Set sales intentions

Take a moment to create a file, or note, or email to yourself. Write down what you want to make per month and per year, and how many clients or services it would take to make that goal. Writing sets dreams into motion. Get really clear about what you want to earn and how you are going to earn it. This way, you clear any energetic or logistical blocks right away.

Don’t worry about being pushy

When you fear that you’ll be perceived in a certain way, that’s where you’ll stop. And most people don’t even ask for the sale. They stop before even asking…believing that clients will just appear. Sometimes that happens, but most often you need to ask to work with others.

Follow up!

Piggybacking on the last tip, how often do you follow up? Keep asking. Do it gently. Pretend you’re sitting down with him or her for a warm cup of tea. Speak from the heart. If there’s a firm “No,” ask why and then move on. Envision your clients saying “Yes!”to you with open arms and an open heart. It will come. Trust that you know when to be respectful and when you can keep asking with kindness.

Set aside time each week to network

Virtually, via the phone, in person, whatever…you have to network! There are people out there that will lift you up and help you grow your business. Ask them how they perceive your services, how they make it work. It’s made a huge difference for me! Here are my two favorite local networking groups for wellness entrepreneurs: The Holistic Chamber of Minnesota and The Inspired Women Collective.

Make mindful marketing a priority

If people don’t know about you and your services, how will you sell your services? You won’t! Online marketing is a powerful tool that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, anytime soon! Create some videos, an e-course, a podcast, some yummy graphics with awesome quotes, update your website and social media pages, the ideas are endless! My biggest tip though is to have your marketing be 80% helpful, share-able content and 20% be selling your services.

If you need help, you can always contact me for marketing and heart-based virtual assisting!

A mother’s wish to light up the world

family

This is my family. My heart feels like it is on fire when I look at this picture. We’re all beaming with happiness, we’re healthy, and we’re safe.

But its hard to feel safe all the time. Especially right now. I’m sitting here typing and I don’t really even have the ability to put into words the pain and the anxiety and the sadness I’m feeling. I probably don’t have to even mention it, you all know what I’m talking about, but the tragedies that happened in Orlando over the weekend have shook me to the core once again.

I had an especially potent conversation with one of my girlfriends. We both have young children, and these horrific acts of humanity have shaken us up and are making us wonder what kind of world did we bring them into? Heavy stuff, but so real. It’s hard not to think of the world we’re living in and what we want it to be when we just brought a brand new soul into this time.

But I think there is a big reason we have our children here (and we’re here) at this very time. We’re light bringers.

We can’t banish this darkness without light. We can’t run from it or never leave our homes again. But we can stand up, speak up, and light up each other’s lives. But this takes bravery, and deep strength. Sometimes it feels hard to carry on with all the despair, hopelessness, anxiety, and depression that runs rampant through the world we see everyday.

Light comes in many forms — a smile, a kind word or even just a silent thought or prayer, a hug, reaching out to those who need it (and those who may not), walking your talk, treating yourself with loving kindness.

This creation of this light starts in our heart and flows into our home. Cultivate the light in your family. The change we so desperately seek (acceptance, understanding, LOVE) starts so simply in our homes through the words and actions that we choose. Your little ones are watching. Choose your words and actions with kindness, joy, and wholeness when you can. Let our little ones find their light and keep on their way of becoming the greatest generation of love.

Peace to you all during this time.

Sharing what hurts: Do I want another child?

What’s one thing today you can let go of?

I struggle daily with control over an imaginary checklist of “How things should be” in nearly every aspect of my life — parenting, how I look, what I eat, my relationship, my work, etc. It’s emotionally draining and it doesn’t serve me or my family. Yet, it lingers…

Over the years, my need for control has gotten better, but certain triggers can really trip me up and I get so angry because I feel the need for control breathing down my neck. I hate it.

Today I want to focus on one control — being a parent. As many of you I’m sure know, being a parent doesn’t help someone with a need for control because parenting is really all about letting go of expectations and allowing life to unfold naturally…in whatever form that may take shape.

This past week has been full of huge triggers for some reason and thoughts of having another child have come up (even though we are not planning on having another anytime in the near future) and it’s been scary. I’m not ready. Will I ever be? Do I want to have another child? I don’t know…it’s so frustrating because my feelings on this change on a daily basis and sometimes hourly.

I’ve always struggled with wanting to control everything and my biggest lesson in the fact that I will never have true control came with the birth of River. Putting myself back in those early postpartum days really freaks me out at a core level. Getting sleep (my biggest trigger in my postpartum journey), juggling two kids, a relationship, a career, keeping a house clean and food on the table, finding time to shower, practice self-care (yoga keeps me sane, I swear), and have any sort of friendships — how is it all possible? I see others doing it, but I just don’t know if I can. And how do I relinquish control of those areas of my life in order to find peace and calm? I’ve never been able to really know the answer to that. Does anyone??

I’ve been to therapists, energy practitioners, acupuncturists, reiki masters, and more and while I do feel myself growing stronger, I sometimes still slip into darkness. In my heart, I know I am human and this is totally to be expected, but it still freaks me out. I hope by sharing some of my fears, I can release them even further.

You know what, having a brain and not just a heart is draining sometimes! When the brain and heart conflict it is not a comfortable place to be. My heart says “Yes, another baby” and my brain says, “Don’t you remember what happened the last two times you were pregnant?!?”

I feel so vulnerable right now and my emotions are super sensitive. So today, I just choose to let go of one thing…making a decision. I don’t need to make a decision today. I don’t need to make one tomorrow, or the next. Today I allow the feelings to be there, to say thank you for bringing this healing that is needed to attention, and then to let it go to the best of my ability.

Thanks for letting me speak a scary truth that I’ve been surfing lately. It feels good to get it off my chest. Maybe you’ll share a deep truth with yourself or a loved one today too?

Love and ease, always.

Happy I’m here: My life 2 years after postpartum psychosis

Thought I’d give ya’ll a bit of an update that also ties in with me speaking (eee! 😬) at the Daisy Dash 5K (proceeds go to Pregnancy and Postpartum Support Minnesota to help continue with their mission to support new and expectant parents struggling with perinatal mood or anxiety disorders, loss, birth trauma, and anything else that comes along with having babies) on Saturday, May 21 (full moon, peeps! 🌕🔮 coming full circle!).

I remember two years ago attending the Daisy Dash just shy of eight weeks postpartum. At that point I couldn’t even go to Target, face my friends, or drive in the car alone with my son, so I don’t know how I was able to find the inner courage to make it to the walk, but I am so glad I did.

I look back now and notice super small seeds of strength being planted, and I am so grateful because today those seeds are now beautiful flowers in my life that I get to enjoy.

So, to back up, two years ago I had postpartum psychosis which was followed by postpartum anxiety and PTSD. Undiagnosed anxiety during pregnancy due to a miscarriage and a traumatic birth landed me in the hospital for psychosis when my sweet son, River, was just over a week old.

I am so glad I was able to get the care I needed so quickly, with the help of my supportive family, otherwise I don’t think I would be here right now.

Here I am now, two years and a few months postpartum…being asked to speak out loud about my experience. I never thought that would happen. And it’s not because I’m special or unique, but because I had the bravery, maybe just like you, to say “It can get better” coupled with a passion to make sure mamas know they’re not alone.

Along the journey, and it has been a winding one, sometimes full of dark caverns and raging rapids, I’ve learned a few things. I’ll share three today and I hope they bring you peace. First…

You are exactly who your child hoped and wished for

Very simply, no matter what happened, or what will continue to happen with those little parenting slip ups that are bound to be a part of the journey, you are the perfect mother for your child…postpartum depression, anxiety, psychosis, PTSD, and all. Keep showing up. They don’t need you to be different or plaster a fake smile on your face, they just need you to be there and care. By showing your child that life isn’t always perfect and we aren’t always meant to be all sunshine-y and happy is an incredible GIFT. We’d never expect our children to be happy all the time. It’s just not gonna happen. Allow your children and your experience to open you up accepting the present moment (no matter what!) and embracing imperfection.

Accept that you will never be the same again

I am hearing a resounding “Duh,” but this one is a toughie. I know it was for me. I thought I could as they say, “Keep calm and carry on” with my old self after I had my son, but what actually happened was a complete rebirth spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. It is HARD to say goodbye to that person you were before. And on top of what is probably the toughest experience you’ve ever had, you’re expected to land on your feet and be the same person you were before. That won’t happen. You will never be the same again, but you will be better. This may sound crazy, but that horrifying experience you survived is full of so many gifts and underneath it all, a beautiful new person who is so much more capable of loving not only her new child and family, but herself. This new person is also more sensitive (one of the most glorious gifts, friends), someone who has the ability to sustain life just by simply being, and someone who knows when it is time to use “The Golden Rule” with herself first. Allow this new you to unfold in its own time. You may not recognize this person yet, but in time you will love her with all your heart as you do your own child.

The path to healing is a winding river

Some days are gonna be amazing and some days you’re going to wonder if you’re getting better at all. You are. I promise. Healing is very rarely a straight line. Healing looks more like a river…winding through the rapids, maybe a waterfall or two, and then peaceful calm. Don’t forget to continue to ask for and seek out the help you need. And remember, healing is going to look different for all of us and that’s OK! Do what you need to do to be your best in this moment without worrying about what it looks like to others. And paddling upstream has never been easy for anyone. Just keep flowing and have faith that wherever the river takes you today is where you are meant to be.

I leave you with this…

“Our scars are someone else’s signs of hope.” The wonderful Danielle La Porte wrote that and it is so fitting for those in the postpartum mood disorder recovery tribe.

Just your presence and bravery to be here is powerful beyond measure.

So that’s where I’m at two years postpartum. I’m so happy I chose to stay. And so, so grateful.

My heart is hugging your heart, friends 💜