Carrie Contey's Blog, page 10

YOUR Extraordinary Holiday Challenge

Oh my! With the help of some amazingly talented and clever folks, I’ve created a holiday gift that’s JUST FOR YOU. And after many months of behind the scenes planning and plotting I’m deliriously excited to tell you all about it.

Believe me, this program wasn’t designed to add one more thing to your plate, but rather, to help you enjoy everything that’s on it. I want you to have an extraordinary holiday season — to make it your very own and to savor all the goodness, in ways that work for YOU.  I’m confident that this is going to help you make that happen.

This summer, I was approached by InJoyGlobal to develop an interactive game that helps YOU feel supported, connected, and intentional as you go through your holiday season. I do believe we’ve come up with just the thing.

Below is a picture of the super fun, simple and very easy to use Extraordinary Holiday Challenge game interface. Sign up and give yourself 30 days of being gently and lovingly reminded to remain present, appreciative and clear with your wants and needs so you can enjoy the holidays in a way that works for you.

The challenges starts Monday, Dec 2  and runs through Jan 2. Join the fun! Click the picture below, or click here, to sign up. For free! And make your holiday season blissfully and wonderfully your very own.

Come play!

Carrie

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Create Your Extraordinary Holiday!

A few years ago I noticed a pattern. Right around the end of October clients would come into my office feeling stressed, out of sorts and uneasy about the approaching holidays. They saw it as something to endure vs. something to enjoy.

I checked in with myself and I realized I was in the same boat. I was not looking forward to the travel and the shopping and the hustle bustle of it all. I knew I couldn’t control how everything unfolded nor could I opt out of all of the “have tos,” but what I did recognize was that I could change how I approached it all.

That fall I decided to get very intentional about my holiday season. I took time to decide how I wanted to feel. I got clear on a few simple things I would need to do for me, everyday, to stay grounded and connected to myself and the people around me. And, most of all, I decided to focus on all the things I was feeling grateful for — the spirit of the season, my family, my friends, my life!

Those three simple shifts:

* Set clear intentions about how I wanted to feel.

* Figure out what I needed to do for my sweet self to stay grounded.

* Focus on what I appreciate about my life and express gratitude everyday.

…changed everything! Since then I’ve used my tools (with some juicy additions) every year. It works so well that I share this information with clients and friends. I’m happy to report that it’s changing the way people approach the holiday season for the better. I uncovered the secrets to making the holidays extraordinarily one’s own and I’m excited to share them with you.

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As part of the En*theos Academy for Optimal Living, I’ll share my secrets and guidance to make your holiday season truly extraordinary on Wednesday, November 13, at 12pm CST. Check out how to tune in here!

You can get a sneak peek of my top 10 secrets on this site.

Hope you’ll join me as I support you in making this holiday season everything you want it to be!

Love,

Carrie

Of Friends, Mentors, and Heroes

I’m a bit of a zealot when it comes to expressing gratitude. In fact, I’m such a believer in the positive effects of giving attention and appreciation to what I love about about my life that it’s a cornerstone of my year-long program, Evolve. I encourage my community of 300+ families to cultivate a daily gratitude practice. Many parents do and they share the gratitudes with the group which inspires others to share their own and so on and so on and so on. It’s a domino effect of goodness!

I knew the power of appreciating my life, I did. But recently, I’ve been floating on a cloud of gratitude. Everything causes me to pause and give thanks. Most recently, this has taken my breath away.

Have you ever put together a beautiful photo collage of people you love, respect, and admire?

I’m not super crafty, so I never had. But with this upcoming conference, this amazing collage of people who I am so amazingly fortunate to know was compiled.

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The people below represent some of the greatest minds in the areas of parenting, human development, psychology, neuroscience, holistic nutrition, slow living and personal growth. And they’re also just really cool. I’ve read their books numerous times, shared their videos and TED talks, and found inspiration in the knowledge and wisdom they consistently share.

Before the conference kicks off on Nov 4, I had to take a moment and publicly thank all of these friends, mentors, and heroes. I highly recommend you check out the conference site to read more about their revolutionary contributions to our world.

Much love,

Carrie

 

How it came to BE

First of all, the feedback to my upcoming Virtual Conference has been overwhelming. SO much love, excitement, and positivity.

And quite a few questions have been swirling. In fact, many people (after the initial sign ups and virtual high fives) have asked me just how this all came to BE.

As you may or may not know, I spent this whole Summer traveling around the United States visiting both the east and west coasts, and talking with people from all walks of life. I loved it. It was juicy and challenging and lively and grounding and humbling and FUN! And I kept having profound moments of connection where the joy of life wasn’t in the DOing, it was in the BEing.

During my time on the road I gave talks all over the place, and almost everywhere I went parents repeatedly expressed that they wanted to

Do Less…worrying, over-scheduling, nagging, yelling, judging, rushing, comparing, etc.

And instead

Be More…connected, present, spacious, joyful, appreciative, vulnerable, conscious, mindful, empathetic, playful, trusting, loving, soulful, and on and on and on!

I heard them loud and clear and spent a fair chunk of my long drives playing with how I could explore these ideas further – how could I inspired and support families to  DO less and BE more? What does this look like in  parenting? In partnership? In our work? In our dreams?

These ideas were spinning around in my brain and my heart – I wanted to create something that would address these topics – it was too rich and vibrant to pass up. Little did I know how much I was communicating an intention that was quickly picked up by the right people.

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While visiting some friends in California I was approached by the lovely people at en*theos. They host virtual conferences and they wanted to know if I was interested in creating one of my very own. At first I said, “Thank you but not right now.” I told myself stories about how I was far to busy too pull something like that together this Fall. But then I stopped myself and realized, “Wait! That’s exactly what I want to do this Fall. It’s exactly the way I can gather the wisdom of a variety of really brilliant people doing amazing work, which is totally aligned with what I’m interested in sharing with parents, and offer these ideas, in a very digestible format to thousands of people around the world.”

I felt like I had been handed a gift, and I called them back and said a whole-hearted “YES!” At that moment, my virtual conference was conceived and set in motion.

I am wildly excited about “YOUR Extraordinary Family Life.” It fits so squarely with my core beliefs and my mission to help parents:

know themselves deeply.
understand and trust, their growing people.
make family life their very own.
have as much fun as they can possibly have along the way.

 

So, that’s the beautiful story of how this fantastic conference came to BE.

I hope you’ll join me.

Love,

Carrie

I can’t stop smiling!

Hello Amazing One!

I am literally BURSTING AT THE SEAMS with excitement about this new FREE program I created with the help of 15 remarkable big-brained thinkers and the fine folks over at En*theos.

I chose to keep the program under wraps while I was developing it, but now I can shout it from the roof tops.

So, without further ado…

Your Extraordinary Family Life: Virtual Conference

Are you interested in BEing More and DOing Less as a person, parent and partner?

Are you looking for ideas, inspiration and tools that will bring more ease, joy,

connection and love to your most cherished relationships?

Are you ready to create YOUR Extraordinary Family Life?

Join this FREE Virtual Conference today! I share incredible conversations with 15 of the brightest minds (seriously, check these people out!) in the areas of parenting, human development, psychology, neuroscience, holistic nutrition, slow living and personal growth to discuss how you can make family life blissfully your own. No matter what stage of life your little ones are in — babyhood, toddlerhood, childhood or teenhood — this heart, mind and soul-quenching event inspires and provides you with the practical tools to create and live the life of your dreams.

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Is your jaw on the floor?! I hope so! Even as I type this I am trying not to bounce up and down with excitement about the incredible opportunity and fantastic GIFT this is!

And best of all – it’s FREEEEEEE.

Jump in and register right now! I can’t WAIT to play.

Love,

Carrie

 

Also, to get daily inspiration, join me on Facebook. :)

Delight! Your Most Potent Parenting Tool

Squeel! Squeeze! Butterflies! Jumping around! Big smiles! Silly laughs! Deep breaths!

Deeeeeelight. It’s a powerful tool.

While I am not a parent, I try to use delight with ALL of my relationships. It can shift a mood, shake a bad day, and solidify confidence immediately. So, it’s an even more powerful tool when it comes to living alongside developing people.

I mean, first of all, how COOL is it that your little ones are developing – literally – before your eyes? I bet you can name a few things they’re doing now that they couldn’t do three months ago. And that, alone, is delightful.

For today, I won’t ramble on and on about the amazingness of human development, the joy we get to experience watching people grow, or the insane opportunities we have in family life. Today, I’m sharing an interview I did with my friend Beth Spicer, who recently ran a Happy Parents and Kids Summit.

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Check out my interview here on the Happy Parents and Kids Summit page.

Or download the MP3 here!

OH! And if you visit the summit page, scroll to the bottom for a free gift. SCORE!

Have a delightful day,

Carrie

Please, oh please, send me to SXSW!

That’s right, folks! I submitted an application to the world renowned conference and festival, South by South West (SXSW) here in Austin, TX. SXSW started out as a music festival but now includes film, interactive technology, and education components. And get this! SXSW is so connected with the community that they let us VOTE for which presentations and workshops make up the conference. Which is where YOU come in.

I submitted an application to be a presenter at the SXSWedu Conference. I’d love, treasure, owe-ya-one, if you popped over here and voted for me!

Instructions:

>>Head to this webpage: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/

>>To vote, you have to make an account. Click the Sign In button, that will take you to a place to sign up.

>>Once you’re registered, click http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/19694 OR search “Evolving Your Online Business: What works?”

>>On the left side of the page, you can click a thumbs up button. Once you click that, you’ve voted!!

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This is the presentation I want to give at SXSW!

Evolving Your Online Business: What works?

This workshop takes attendants through an overview of a radical program, called Evolve, which utilizes technology to help people lead incredibly fulfilling lives. Evolve was created by Carrie Contey, Ph.D. For nearly two decades, she has been supporting and guiding thousands of parents worldwide. Carrie saw that in order to make significant progress, people need a consistent source of information, reinforcement, and connection. It is also imperative that people can easily access the resources and each other. With this in mind, she created Evolve, a year-long program in which participants spend time understanding and redefining their beliefs and behaviors around parenting, personhood, partnership and prosperity. The results of Evolve have been phenomenal, and 2014 will be its 4th year, with every year having more families than the last. This workshop gives insight into Evolve’s success and inspiration on how others can creatively use technology to achieve interpersonal growth. 

Thanks for being such a stellar part of my world.

Much love,

Carrie *crossing her fingers* Contey

Trust Your Instincts

Sometimes the world can seem like a scary place.

One look at the news and it’s hard to believe anything else.

And yet, as I drive, solo, around this big beautiful country, I’m constantly stunned and humbled by the incredible goodness I see all over the place. Beautiful people doing beautiful things.

I am currently on a trip across the US where I am dependent on the care and strength of people. Sure there were fears before I left. What if I am a burden to my hosts? What if something happens to me while I’m on the road? What if no one comes to my talks? 

Amidst these questions, I settled into myself, took a breath, and reflected about what I truly believe:

>>I am safe.

>>I have great instincts.

>>People are generally kind.

>>I trust myself and others.

Then I set out. On this 3 month journey. Across the US.

So far I have had the incredible privilege of leading talks and trainings to over 150 people along the east coast. My talks focus on understanding the brain development of growing people. Aside from massive laughter, education, and connection, I’ve heard a consistent message from my audiences.

One amazing mama told me, “What you’re talking about is so simple and it’s something that I knew deep down. You brought it to light and affirmed what I’m doing and choosing.”

So many wonderful parents have echoed this thought – this deep knowing that their children are little growing people who are grappling with the world, attempting to adapt to situations, and learning massively difficult skills. Their children aren’t manipulative, defiant, or bratty. Their children are brilliant, wondrous beings, who want connection, empathy, guidance, appreciation and love.

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If you are a parent, I am willing to bet you have similar instincts about your child(ren). Perhaps they even sound like some of the comments I’ve heard on my trip:

-My child is a whole person, who is attempting to acquire skills that let them express themselves fully. I can take joy in that journey!

-My young person has a brain that is developing in radical ways, and this causes ebbs and flows in their behavior and understanding.

-My little one isn’t manipulating me, they’re growing and navigating and responding. I do not have to always be in control, I can give them space to develop.

-When I parent from a place of connection, I get more ease and joy in my life. And my relationship with my little one grows in beautiful ways.

What other instincts do you have about your little ones? What do you believe deep down about these magnificent beings?

I am so appreciative that my adventure so far provides opportunities for me to encourage parents to trust their instincts. Meanwhile, my time with people from all walks of life validates my instincts about humanhood –  Goodness, kindness and massively worthy of trust and love.

In the upcoming week I head west – bringing the breathtaking experiences of the east coast with me. If you want to join me in Denver or Boulder, please do! I’ll also be in California for a while, and if you’d like to set up a talk or workshop, let me know. (And don’t forget to check in with and trust your instincts. :)

Much love, you are brilliant.

-Carrie

How to handle reaching your upper limit

It’s inevitable – life has ups and downs. As a parent, sometimes those lows feel like canyons it takes days to climb out of. And the highs can literally knock you on your back, leave you breathless, and filled with gratitude.

So, how do we handle these ups and downs?

This question is bouncing around my brain and heart, especially as I travel around the East Coast. I recently visited with dear friends, incredible family, and surprisingly beautiful strangers. I spent days at the beach, hours losing myself in forests, and days talking and listening and laughing and loving. So much gratitude and goodness and joy.

Then came my birthday.

For those of you who sent me cards, facebook notes, emails, texts, and well wishes – Thank You! I truly appreciate all the love, and boy did I feel surrounded and held that day. Every minute was exquisite and I savored all of it.

Then the next morning, I woke up. In a funk.

Funky funky funk funk.

If I hadn’t just turned 42, let’s say…if I was 15, or 12, or 7, or 5…

I might’ve come out of my room and been snotty to my sister. Or refused to eat breakfast. Or complained about being tired all day.

I had hit my upper limit. I was filled to the brim on my birthday, and the coming down from that wasn’t easy, didn’t feel good.

This happens to all of us.

Tell me if this situation has ever happened – you plan a fantastic day, your children are lovely and laughing and all their needs are met, all your needs are met, things are just FANTASTIC. Then you get home and they start to crash – they complain, they fight, they get pouty.

How dare they! Right? Don’t they know how hard it was to make such a wonderful experience for them? Didn’t they just have a great time? Why are they acting this way?

Turns out, we need a release – even from goodness. We get stimulated and filled to the brim, and then we’ve got to shake it out. The crying or the whining may not be because something’s wrong, it may just be emotions moving through.

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So, there I was, in a funk, knowing I needed a release. What became my main goal?

And this may be the hardest part, but my main goal was to…

NOT get wrapped up in the story of WHY I was feeling this way.

NOT try to “figure out” what happened, what shifted, why I was so happy then in a funk.

With this goal in mind, what did I do?

I took a long walk.

I was quiet.

I made space for myself.

I spoke kind words to myself.

I didn’t get hung up on why I was feeling it.

Then my “funk” passed. It moved through me.

I didn’t try to justify my emotions, I didn’t explain it, I just let it be, felt it, and then it was gone.

So what can you do when your little ones  hit an upper limit after too much goodness?

Create a slow spacious day.

Make eye contact.

Give empathy.

Welcome the meltdown.

I know that last one is hard sometimes but I assure you that it’s the quickest route back to peace, ease and calm. Remember, sometimes, especially after a whole lot of excitement, the little humans (and the big ones too) just need to let it all go. And the best way to do that is a good ol’ fashioned melt down.

Here’s to experiencing life — with its highs and lows — to the fullest!

Love,

Carrie

If you feel like sharing your story of how you or your little Ones have hit an upper limit and what you’ve done to come back to balance, please comment below. We’d love to hear it.

What do you love?!

This past weekend I packed up my car, said good bye to my life in Austin and embarked on a three month road trip. I’ll be visiting folks all over this big beautiful country. It’s a dream come true and I’m loving every second of it so far.

Before I left Austin I decided I wanted to add a new dimension to this massively wonderful adventure. Not sure what I would do, I started asking myself the question, “What do I love?” and what came to me was simple…

I love LOVE. I love people. And I love knowing what people love!

Yes, it’s true. I am deeply in love. I am in love with life. With feeling. With connecting. With humans and their experiences.

It’s core to my being…to love, and make space for love,

and to most of all -

celebrate love.

So why not spread this during my travels?!

!!!Light bulb!!!

As I travel around the US I’m asking people a very simple, but to me, incredibly central question…

What do you LOVE?

And I am having SUCH fun hearing the answers. I am bubbling with anticipation and appreciation of what I learn. It is radically important to know, name, and voice what we love, and I couldn’t help but spread this joyous practice.

If you’d like to see what I’ve heard already, check out www.carriecontey.tumblr.com. It’s so much fun to connect with people out in the world this way!

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And if you’d like to contribute, simply:

1. Take a picture of yourself.

2. Send an email telling me what you love to hello@carriecontey.com with a description and location

3. Check out www.carriecontey.tumblr.com to see it posted within 24 hours!

Oh, and because I’m finally jumping on the “hey social media is super fun” bandwagon – feel free to instagram me at carrieconteyphd.

One more thing:

You know what I love?

YOU.