Charlene Carr's Blog, page 6
March 23, 2019
Book Chat: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Check out The Great Alone
A vast journey through the life of a dysfunctional and captivating family. Epic in its scope. Kristin Hannah takes the reader through the wild and unpredictable land of Alaska in the 1970s and the equally wild and unpredictable journey of a man irreparably wounded by the Vietnam war. A story of struggle, a story of hate, and a story of the enduring spirit of a woman’s love.
Author’s Website: kristinhannah.com
The post Book Chat: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah appeared first on Charlene Carr.
November 10, 2018
My baby slept through the night AND the time a guitar-playing prisoner made me cry
Last week we moved my 11-month-old into her own room. The first night went amazing. She put herself back to sleep every time she woke in three minutes or less – without my help. Twelve hours and thirty-eight sweet sweet minutes.
The following nights …
Let’s just say it’s been a rough week.
However, since my daughter showed us it’s at least possible for her to go to sleep without my presence, my husband and I decided to go to the theatre – our first night out in nine months.
We saw Kamp, a dark musical comedy about homosexual prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp.
Yes, you read that right, a musical comedy about a Nazi concentration camp.
Dancing, laughter, an amazing mimed marionette scene, and a bit of drag. It worked.
It also had torture, sexual assault, so much death, and, thankfully, an amazing display of the perseverance of the human spirit and the power of hope.
Early in the first act, one prisoner tried to strip that hope away from a prisoner in another barrack. The skinny outcast, standing tall with a worn green guitar strapped to his chest, wasn’t having it.
He proclaimed his right to joy. The Nazis stole his wife, they stole his children, they stole his life.
But he had today.
Today, he was going to sing. Today, he was going to laugh. Today, he was going to be happy.
It struck me.
A lot of this week, I have not been happy. Emotionally drained and exhausted would be better words.
As, over the course of the week, I sat beside my baby’s crib for hours, knowing she wanted nothing more than to be in my arms, seeing her reach out for me, I tortured myself, desperate for assurance I was making the right choice. But, of course, no one could give me that assurance. Fears ran on repeat through my mind like a skipping record. Am I a horrible mother? Am I causing irreversible emotional damage to this precious little being?
I don’t want to raise a serial killer. I also don’t want to raise an unhappy person.
Too many of us are unhappy.
And, if you’re anything like me, when you’re tired and worn, everything in your life that isn’t going right, that hurts, that’s scary, piles on like a thick cloak you can’t shake off.
It’s easy to let the storm clouds come, to sink into despair or frustration or sadness. We’ve all got stuff that hurts.
The rain poured hard on me this week.
And then that skinny little Romani prisoner with his battered green guitar reminded me how lucky I am. I have today. I have today and I’m not in a concentration camp. I have today and my family hasn’t been stolen from me. I have today and my child is warm, fed, safe, and loved.
You have today too.
I don’t know what’s going on in your life right now. Maybe it’s incredible and you couldn’t ask for things to be better. But if it’s not, well, you have today. Even if it’s storming, you have today.
Have your own life lesson that reminded you to focus on today? I’d love to hear your story. Scroll down to “Join the Conversation!” and leave your comment.
OR
The post My baby slept through the night AND the time a guitar-playing prisoner made me cry appeared first on Charlene Carr.
June 29, 2017
It’s monumentally simple. Slow down. Enjoy life.
Growing up, Dr. Laura Nurse never thought she would have had that title in front of her name. If you’d asked her, she would have said doctors work too hard, so that wasn’t the job for her.
However, she believes it’s important to take life as it comes. About half way through a business administration degree, life put a pamphlet in her hand that said, “You can be a doctor.”
The pamphlet talked about helping people through diet, lifestyle and natural therapies and medicines. Immediately, something within her lit up and she decided to become a naturopathic doctor.
“It was a moment of clarity,” says Laura. “You’ll know what you’re supposed to do when it’s time for you to know what you’re supposed to do.”
It was two years before Laura started the 4 year post-graduate program at The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, and in that time she had some doubts.
“Honestly, most of my friends and family thought I was going to be a witch doctor,” says Laura with a laugh, but she trusted this was the path she was meant to take.
Laura has always been interested in health, fitness, and educating people about how to live healthier lives. After graduating and returning to Newfoundland to set up her practice, she’s also had to do a lot of educating about what naturopathic medicine is. Even after four years of training, many of her friends and family still thought she was a witch doctor for a while.
“I think the combination of my business training and my interest in it, as well as my passion for educating people is really why I got into naturopathic medicine in the first place,” says Laura.
“It said on that pamphlet, you can teach people to live and be healthier, how to create health, not just take an Advil and get your headache to go away.”
Although Laura’s educational path to becoming a naturopathic doctor wasn’t the most direct one, her business degree plays a huge role in how she operates her business.
“Most of my colleagues, especially upon graduation, would prefer to be an ND in someone else’s clinic so they don’t have to manage all of the business” says Laura. For her, however, the business side is a big part of what she does.
Laura has a strong online presence and offers information about health and wellness on her blog in addition to providing ways for patients to connect and learn from her both locally and through online wellness courses.
Although keeping up to date on the latest medical research is extremely time consuming, maintaining this online presence and handling the marketing side of the business is the hardest part of her job.
“I don’t say this to toot my own horn but I’m a confident doctor,” says Laura.
“I feel pretty good at my ability to help people once they’re in my office, but it’s getting people into the office that doesn’t always come to me naturally.”
In addition to always having something new and fresh to share and getting it out there in a professional, well-coordinated way, “you have to sell yourself.” Being the face of her business is difficult for her, but since that’s what she has to do in order to help people, she does it.
And helping people is what it’s all about.
Of all the aspects of her career, it’s her patients Laura loves the most. “I’m just so honored to get to hear my patients’ stories and where they’ve come from,” she says.
She feels a sense of awe and deep respect for the human condition through working with her clients. They’ve taught her a lot about what it is to be human and survive. “You don’t realize the strength in the people around you until you start hearing their stories,” says Laura.
The ability to help patients cope with whatever they’re struggling with, be it a health condition or life event, to guide people and see them get their lives back, is incredibly rewarding.
“You feel the work that you’re doing is actually meaningful, that it does create change in the world.”
She loves that about her job, and it’s why she works so hard at what she does. It’s what gets her through the times of struggle.
Training to be a naturopathic doctor was one of the hardest things Laura has ever done. It was 40 hours a week in class in addition to research, project time, study time, and reading time.
“It was an all-encompassing thing for four years and it really broke me in many ways.”
“I think fundamentally the program was meant to break us such that it could put us back together as doctors,” says Laura, “which is easy to see on the other side, but when you’re in the middle of it you just hate everything for a little while.”
But, says Laura, “whatever it is, you can always figure it out if you try and work at it. Does it mean you’re going to get it right? No, not the first time, and that’s okay too.”
Today, to help ward off and cope with the challenges that come her way, Laura says organizational and time management tactics are key.
In addition, she has her fiancé, who is also a business owner, along with some fellow doctors to offer support and help keep her on track.
When she’s not working, Laura loves to cook and spend time outside, breathing the fresh air. They’re two things that help keep her centered and focused.
“It almost doesn’t even matter to me sometimes that it’s raining,” says Laura. “You couldn’t be a Newfoundlander if the rain bothered you.”
Outside of anything she could tell people about gluten, sugar, or dairy, what really matters, says Laura, is whether or not you’re enjoying your life. She believes people need to slow down, and admits she has to take her own advice on that many times.
“We have so much pressure on ourselves to perform better at work, to be a better spouse or mom,” says Laura. “We put so much pressure on ourselves to get everything right. To have the house, the car, the kids, the stuff.”
“You are not going to enjoy your life if you spend the whole time trying to achieve … what it looks like on the outside to live a particular lifestyle,” says Laura. Not everything is going to work out, and that’s fine.
Of life, she says, “You don’t have to get it right, but you do have to enjoy it.”
“That would be the worst, to get to the end of [my] life and feel like I missed it because I was so busy trying to … be enough.”
“Sometimes,” she says, “we just need to slow down and be okay with the fact that things take time.”
Allow time for reflection. Enjoy a glass of lemonade on a sunny day; that’s okay. “You’re allowed to take that time and just relax,” says Laura. “You don’t need to be productive all the time.”
Want to get in touch?
Visit Dr. Laura at her website to read her blog, check out her online courses or learn how to book an appointment. You can also visit and like her page on Facebook.
Have some thoughts on Dr. Laura’s journey or have a question for her about naturopathic medicine? Scroll down to “Join the Conversation!”
OR
The post It’s monumentally simple. Slow down. Enjoy life. appeared first on Charlene Carr.
June 26, 2017
Book Chat: MWF seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche
Check out MWF seeking BFF
Author’s Website: rachelbertsche.com
An interesting read with a lot to like and a lot I could have done without too. The account of the 52 friend dates got tiring, but what I really found interesting was the information on friendship – its benefits, how to be a better friend, how to put yourself out there, etc. The author clearly did a lot of research. Not a book for everyone, but if you’re actively looking to expand your friend group but haven’t been seeing progress, this book may give you just the kick in the butt you need! If you give it a read, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
The post Book Chat: MWF seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche appeared first on Charlene Carr.
June 11, 2017
Book Chat: At the Water’s Edge by Sarah Gruen
Check out At the Water’s Edge
Author’s Website: Sorry, her website doesn’t seem to work and my Anti-virus doesn’t like it … Here’s her Facebook page
A somewhat mythical and fantastical period piece that challenges preconceived notions. The relationship between the main characters, Maddie, Ellis, and Hank take some interesting turns and allow for Maddie to discover herself in a way she never would have imagined. The secondary characters, who, in many ways outshine these main three, are really what made the book for me, along with the enchanting, at times otherworldly setting and landscape.
The post Book Chat: At the Water’s Edge by Sarah Gruen appeared first on Charlene Carr.
June 4, 2017
Video Book Chat: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Check out The Nightingale
Author’s Website: kristinhannah.com
An intricate look at the life and relationships of women in WWII occupied France … the choices made, the sacrifices, the bravery.
The post Video Book Chat: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah appeared first on Charlene Carr.
June 1, 2017
Reflecting on the Power of Yes
Krystal Hobbs, owner of Reflective Marketing, views having her own business as a way to rely on herself for employment, rather than relying on someone else. “I always wanted to be in control and make my own success,” says Krystal.
From an early age, Krystal’s parents set the example for her that if you have a vision for what you want your life to be, you work hard, and you take some smart risks, you can always get yourself out of any tough situation.
Her mother had her when she was high school, and Krystal grew up in public housing. “So that time,” says Krystal “was [her parents] getting ahead.” When she was about twelve or thirteen, her parents saved enough that they built their own house.
Krystal’s parents also influenced her entrepreneurial spirit in other ways. Her father owned a restaurant and is still an entrepreneur today as a realtor.
Her mother worked for a small bakery for most of Krystal’s childhood. Krystal would often visit her mom at work, then get to work herself.
“I would pick blueberries in the backyard and give it to the owner of the bakery who would put it on their pies,” says Krystal with a laugh, “and give me free ice cream in exchange.”
So, although Krystal started out working for others, it wasn’t a surprise that the path she took created a smooth transition for her to run her own small business.
During university, Krystal became interested in social media marketing and worked for a small tech company as a social media associate.
While there, she handled all of the company’s online marketing and social media accounts. She was in control of Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and acted as a ghost writer for the company’s blog.
“I just kind of did my own thing” says Krystal. “I really liked that.”
Although her goal of going through a business program was to come out with a full time job, around the time Krystal was nearing graduation, she realized that wasn’t necessarily the job she wanted.
She did, however, feel confident she wanted to do something involved with marketing.
After participating in several marketing competitions, Krystal and a partner made it into the top ten for Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec, a nationwide advertising competition.
She went to Toronto, did her presentation, and through that scored an internship with General Motors in Oshawa, Ontario. At the end of the internship she was offered a job, but that, as well, wasn’t what she really wanted.
While working at General Motors, Krystal worked with five different ad agencies and discovered her real interest lay on the other side of the table.
Rather than be the client approving the creative marketing agencies were coming up with, she wanted to be one of the creators. “That just seemed super cool,” says Krystal.
Krystal headed back home to Newfoundland where she found a job with a small agency as the owner’s first employee. “He really mentored me into how to get started,” says Krystal, and when he decided to shut his company’s doors, Krystal saw the perfect opportunity to branch out on her own.
She was even able to keep three clients from the closing business.
“I was in a pretty fortunate situation,” says Krystal of being able to start Reflective Marketing with a few clients, “but the whole running a business thing I kind of figured out as I went along—the hard way.”
Krystal has a business background, a business degree, and studied a lot of marketing, “But,” she says, “I don’t think anything actually prepares you for running a business, and nobody teaches you how to do that …the ins and outs, the everyday operation … the financial side of things.”
“When I started,” says Krystal, “I thought I just need to make enough to replace having a job.” She quickly realized that wasn’t the case.
“To actually have a sustainable company you need a lot more income. It’s not just about covering salary and expenses,” says Krystal. “You need to plan for hard times.”
When Krystal hired her first employee, the act taught her even more. “I don’t think the responsibility of it really set in until it happened,” says Krystal. “I had to learn really quickly to bring in more business.”
She kept working, she learned as she went, and, says Krystal, “if anyone is going to go hungry, it’s me. But I’ve learned how to better manage that.”
Building a team was always a part of Krystal’s vision for her business.
“I think a lot of people like working by themselves but I never really did,” says Krystal. “I wanted to build a team and I still absolutely want to grow and bring on more people.” She thinks five sounds nice.
She also wants to grow her client base and export her services to more international companies. “I love small businesses and I like promoting them and the people behind them,” says Krystal.
“All the clients that we work with have very interesting stories, they’re very passionate about their work … they’re doing really amazing things and making big impacts and helping people one way or another,” says Krystal. “I like the ability to elevate that and get it in front of the right people.”
As in any small business, the effort to grow her client base and do all she can for her clients can be all consuming, but Krystal has a strong focus on making sure she has balance.
“I’ve never wanted work to be everything,” says Krystal.
Being surrounded by entrepreneurs from a young age, she’s seen the way a business can take over someone’s life.
“I’ve always found it important to take the time to separate,” says Krystal. “I definitely work more than the average person or much more than I would if I worked for someone else, but I do definitely take the time to separate [work and life].”
She tries to take a couple of vacations a year and most of her weekends are fairly unplugged. “As a social media consultant I have to be checked in, which is a unique challenge to our line of work,” says Krystal, but, she adds, it helps that her partner hates technology and keeps her in line if she’s on the phone too much.
When she’s not working, Krystal enjoys 8 Limb Muay Thai, a form of marital arts street fighting, spending time outdoors, and hanging out with her six-year-old brother.
Despite the importance of taking time away from the business to focus on her life outside of work, Krystal also sees the way her business has influenced and transformed her personal life.
“Running a business is the greatest personal development journey of all time,” says Krystal. “I’m much more confident and able to have faith in myself and trust my own instincts.”
“I always had very small dreams,” says Krystal. “Too, too small.”
Despite her early interest in entrepreneurship, if she could have guessed where her life would end up, she would have thought she’d be living a “pretty ordinary safe life, probably working for someone else.”
However, the three years since opening the doors of Reflective Marketing have taught her to dream much bigger.
She now believes it’s important to have ultimate faith in yourself and listen to your gut. “I think that’s been probably one of the most challenging things for me, but I do it a little bit more all the time. And nine times out of ten it works out,” says Krystal.
She even has a new motto that lines up with this:
“Say yes.”
“So, for anything that’s scary or uncomfortable, just say yes and figure out the how and the what and the why afterwards,” Krystal pauses and laughs, “provided that it’s scary in a good way.”
Part of what makes saying yes easier is another motto she lives by: “You don’t need to know what you want to do for the rest of your life, you only need to know what you want to do next.”
Right now, what Krystal plans to do next is continue to grow her company, both through expanding her team and her client base, and focus her marketing efforts most strongly on Facebook.
“It’s a lot of fun,” says Krystal, and is what Reflective Marketing is most known for. “Facebook is where all of our clients are seeing success.”
If you want to learn more about Krystal and Reflective Marketing, you can visit the company website or visit her page on Facebook. Also, check out the Connect & Thrive show, which goes live on Facebook every Friday at noon NST.
Have some thoughts on Krystal’s journey or see parallels to your own? Scroll down to “Join the Conversation!”
OR
The post Reflecting on the Power of Yes appeared first on Charlene Carr.
May 18, 2017
Combing the beach, and life, for something beautiful
“All life experiences teach you something,” says Andrea Sharpe, owner of Karlande Designs. “You learn through obstacles.”
Like most people, Andrea’s had her share of obstacles, but as she reflects on her life she sees the way each one has brought her to where she is today.
In 2008, due to some strife in the workplace, Andrea retired from her job working as a Home Economics teacher earlier than she planned.
With two kids still at home, she knew she’d need secondary income to support them. Following her passion for creating by hand, she tried every craft.
“When I found jewelry, I knew I found my niche,” says Andrea. “This is where my passion lies.”
In memory of her sister who died of cancer, in 2009 Andrea decided to design a bracelet. She took the major cancers, researched the colours associated with each type, and created the Sparkles of Hope bracelet, with each crystal representing a different form of cancer.
Knowing what it is to lose a loved one to cancer, she wanted the bracelet to support people who are going through this horrible disease.
She took the bracelet to Bliss Murphy Cancer Foundation. “I thought, ‘Oh, okay, we’ll sell a couple hundred,’” says Andrea.
She had no idea.
The bracelet raised over 2.5 million dollars for cancer care in Newfoundland.
It also started her business or, in Andrea’s words, exploded it.
But, says Andrea, “the money came in then the money came out.” With success came challenges, such as understanding the importance of having a sustainable profit margin and how to properly manage taxes.
Coming from a teaching background, when Andrea started Karlande, she didn’t have a clue about business. “So, obviously, I made mistakes.” However, she says, “your last mistake is your best teacher.”
And Andrea wasn’t about to give up.
When interest in the Sparkles of Hope bracelet started to die out, a friend suggested she design a bracelet for Children’s Wish.
“It kind of led on from there,” says Andrea. “Someone would contact me and say, ‘Hey, can you do something for autism?’” She kept creating and most of her success came from people asking, “’Can you do …?’ or ‘Have you ever done?’”
Creating awareness jewelry and giving back to the community is now a big part of Karlande Designs. They have jewelry for Autism, Cancer, the Heart & Stroke Foundation, the Children’s Wish Foundation, and more.
“That’s where my aim is right now,” says Andrea. “My big big dream is for the cancer bracelet to go global.” She pauses. “I believe the cancer bracelet came through me; it didn’t come from me.”
Karlande Designs also focuses on appreciation jewelry, such as appreciation for nurses, with a portion of the profits going to back to the Association of Registered Nurses.
In order to keep the business running, they also have strictly profit lines, such as their bridal collection, beach glass collection, and customized jewelry.
“Jewelry isn’t something that you physically need,” says Andrea, “but it’s something that helps you connect with people and places and important things in your life.”
This is true not just for customers, but for Andrea as well.
“I grew up next to the water in a small community,” says Andrea. “My father was a fisherman and that was always part of my heritage and part of what I loved–the ocean.” Beach glass, she says, “was always my first love. … It’s all connected.”
And that’s what Karlande Designs centers around. They don’t sell jewelry, they sell connection. “Our tag line has become ‘We empower people to celebrate the most important connections in their lives through the jewelry they wear,’” says Andrea.
Andrea’s assistant does most of the jewelry creation now, but as the business grows, Andrea is excited about the prospect of getting back to the more creative side of things, the fine handiwork needed to create beautiful work.
“I miss being able to create” says Andrea, to take something and make it even more beautiful.
“That’s why I love the beach glass so much … we don’t know where it’s from or how long it’s been there or who touched it last. There’s this mystery behind it. We take this piece of glass and make it into a story, something part of our heritage. That’s what thrills me.”
It also thrills her to see people’s reactions to the jewelry, which is why today she focuses more on the business side of things than creation, on seeing the business grow.
“It’s been a real learning curve,” says Andrea. “There are decisions and choices you have to make that aren’t easy, but you have to put on your business cap and make those decisions.”
Even decisions such as raising prices can be a huge challenge. “But I realized it’s either increase my prices and make the business more viable or I’m going to have to shut down,” says Andrea.
“When you’re coming from a place where you want to give a lot back, you have to find that balance,” says Andrea. In order for her to give back she needs to have the business in a strong position financially.
“There’s parts of the business that are not as enjoyable and you got to dig in and do it,” says Andrea. There’s also parts that she now hires other people to do, so they can be done right.
Otherwise, she finds herself nose to the grindstone and focusing so much on the business that she falls down on taking care of herself, which is counterproductive. “The harder you work sometimes, the less you get accomplished because you’re draining yourself.”
Andrea says she’s come close to burn-out more than once, but now has a deliberate commitment to self-care. Her beach-combing is important to her, as well as giving herself a ‘quitting time’ each day.
Meditation, spiritual development, gratitude, and surrounding herself with wonderful people who are good for the soul also help keep her life well balanced. And, of course, she’s got to have time for her motorcycle.
Andrea learned this the hard way. “We all face struggles,” she says. Part of the reason she left teaching early was because of mental stress.
Other challenges she’s had were going through a divorce, having financial problems, almost losing her house, and then, in 2011, getting a call from Canada Revenue saying she owed a highly unexpected amount of money.
“I crashed,” says Andrea. “I thought, ‘Oh, God, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t run a business. I can’t do anything. I’m going to have to get a job at Walmart and I don’t want a job at Walmart.’”
But, says Andrea, you have a choice, and we all come to crossroads where we have to ask ourselves, ‘What am I going to do?’ “So, I went through my pity party and I said, ‘Okay, put on your big girl pants, pick yourself up, start over.’ And that’s what I did.”
Recently, Andrea’s had some financial troubles again, but she realizes she has to let it go. “All I can do is live right now and say I’m doing the best I can today, and tomorrow I’ll do the absolute best I can too.”
“I’ve come a long way,” says Andrea, “I’ve faced a lot of challenges. But you weather the storm, and you grow stronger.” You learn from obstacles and create something beautiful, whether it be a piece of jewelry to touch someone’s heart, or your very own life.
Interested in jewelry that expresses a meaningful connection in your life or the life of someone you love? Want that custom designed bracelet or necklace for the perfect gift? Visit Karlande Designs. You can also keep up to date with their latest designs and contests by visiting Karlande Designs on Facebook.
Have some thoughts on Andrea’s journey or see parallels to your own? Scroll down to “Join the Conversation!”
OR
The post Combing the beach, and life, for something beautiful appeared first on Charlene Carr.
May 11, 2017
1 in 6. Nothing to be ashamed about.
Despite what society, tradition, and even loved ones have told me over the years, I’m of the firm belief that being a woman and being a mother do not need to go hand in hand.
Another way of saying that?
Being childless doesn’t make any female less of a woman; it doesn’t mean she’s unable to fulfill her purpose on this earth or incapable of living a satisfying and full life.
Quite the opposite.
However, I also know the desire to be a mother and the excruciating at times soul crushing pain of, month after month, not being able to fulfill that desire.
I know the pain of feeling broken, simply because my reproductive organs are.
It seems crazy to associate the magnitude of all I am and narrow it down to the functionality of a few organs, but in those dark moments that can happen, and I’m not the only woman to have felt this way.
May 7-13 is Infertility Awareness Week in Canada. The hashtag this year? #1in6
One in six couples in Canada struggle with infertility.
And yet, during my first 2 1/2 years of struggle only my closest friends and immediate family knew.
When I got those well-meaning questions and suggestions: “When are you going to start a family?” “Anything cooking in there?” “You know, you don’t want to wait too long.” I simply smiled, and made some off-hand comment, such as, “Oh, we’ll see.” Or “Maybe one day.”
Inside I was breaking.
Infertility is nothing to be ashamed about. Nothing to keep silent about, and yet so many of us don’t say a word. Instead, we shed our tears behind closed doors.
It was around this time that the broken feeling got as bad as it ever has.
I was lost. I was scared. I was mourning the life I’d always dreamed of and never believed I would have.
So I did the one thing I’ve always done when my pain seemed to much to handle … I wrote.
This time, rather than a journal, I focused my pain and hurt and confusion, as well as all I’d learned researching, and threw that energy into a fictional character.
I talk more about that journey here: When Life Imitates Art
The end result?
Three books about two women who know the struggle, heartbreak, and identity crisis of infertility … and a renewed sense of self for me.
Their story is in no way my story. Just as my story of infertility won’t be the same as yours or your sister’s or your friend’s.
But each is important and each is worth being told.
It is my hope that these books I’ve written go beyond being simple stories and help promote awareness.
If you’ve never known the pain of infertility yourself, I hope these stories open your eyes to what that childless woman you know may be going through.
If you have, I hope they’re a reminder you’re not alone.
#1in6
I’d love to be able to simply give the books away, but of course, I have expenses. Instead, I’ll do the next best thing.
If you buy (or have bought) either Forever In My Heart or Whispers of Hope, I’m offering you a free download of my novella, Before I Knew You.
How do you get your free Novella?
1) Open up your copy of Forever In My Heart or Whispers of Hope. Scroll through the table of contents.
For Forever In My Heart go to Chapter 11, make note of the first word, then click this link.
For Whispers of Hope go to Chapter 20, make note of the first word, then click this link.
2) Enter that first word in the password field, download the appropriate file, load it on your device, then start reading!
It’s now been almost four years since I started along this journey of infertility.
It’s been the hardest journey I’ve ever taken: from surgeries, to more medications and injections than I ever thought possible, to doctor’s appointments, acupuncturists, naturopaths, yoga, meditation, complete dietary changes (no meat, no dairy, no gluten, no processed sugar or processed food, and no raw vegetables – haha, yeah, that intensity only lasted about six months!) and a whole lot of pain, both physical and emotional.
But there’s also been a lot of good.
I’m a different person, and I like this person better than the one who started the journey.
I’m more patient with myself. And gentle. I know the reward in taking time to relax or just be still. I no longer work myself ragged. I also know that my happiness doesn’t rely on being mother.
I am stronger. Wiser.
My husband and I have remained solid, which bodes well for the years ahead.
I still genuinely hope I’ll hold my child in my arms one day, but if I don’t it’s going to be okay. I’m going to be okay.
My sincere desire is that any woman going through a similar journey will find the peace in her heart to feel the same way.
We’re 1in6. We’re not alone. And I fully believe that life in all its misery is also always beautiful – sometimes it just takes a while to find that beauty.
The post 1 in 6. Nothing to be ashamed about. appeared first on Charlene Carr.
March 30, 2017
Following the call by coaching coaches
Jennifer Trask, Mindset Coach and Business Advisor for Coaches and Healers, pretty much started her coaching career by accident.
“I really believe if you have a dream in your heart you have the capacity to make it happen,” says Jennifer.
“We’re not meant to suffer. Life is supposed to be fun, and I’m not negating that sometimes real life can be tough, because it can. But I think people are suffering too much and it’s not necessary – it’s more of a mind game. Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
She pauses a moment before continuing. “It’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do about it.”
Like all of us, Jennifer has had pain and struggle in her life, and one of the things she’s doing about it is using the lessons she’s learned to help coaches figure out how to break through the pain or mental/emotional barriers holding them back, so that they can then help others.
As a coach, one of the most important lessons Jennifer has learned is that people, herself included, struggle with discovering who they really are, becoming okay with that, and putting that out into the world.
”That sounds very simplistic,” says Jennifer, “but in reality it’s a messy process.” A process she needed to go through in order to coach others. “You can only take someone as far as you’ve gone,” says Jennifer.
Before she could help others find themselves and their voice, she had to discover her own.
That journey wasn’t a direct path.
After University, Jennifer spent a year travelling in Australia, came home to Newfoundland to work in her family’s business, then decided it was time to get a real job.
She moved to Calgary to be a sales rep for L’Oréal, and within six months had the job down pat. Ready for something new, she asked her boss what it would take to get into a marketing position. He started pointing at the areas in the office.
Realizing she’d have to spend five years in five different jobs doing things she didn’t want to do, just to get a job she may not like, Jennifer rethought her goals.
She returned to school to get an MBA and, while there, a mentor suggested she go to an event called ‘The Power Within’.
When Tony Robbins stepped onto the stage, within seconds Jennifer knew her life would never be the same, because she finally knew what she was meant to do with it: help people transform. Help them be happy.
“There are so many ways to do that,” says Jennifer, “but I’ve always loved speaking and was never afraid of it … the bigger the crowd the better.”
With this overarching purpose in place, Jennifer made a list of five main things she wanted out of her life and career. 1) To help as many people as she could, 2) make as much money as she could, 3) be location independent, 4) love what she does (so she never works a day in her life), and 5) be her own boss.
In 2008, she started her first Network Marketing business and thought she’d found the answer to her life’s goals.
But it was just one step on the road to her real destination.
“I learned so much about coaching,” says Jennifer, “because the top network marketers are the best coaches.”
While in that position, she also focused on personal development, social media marketing, and internet marketing.
With this knowledge in place, Jennifer started leading social media workshops and consulting, which quickly transitioned into working as a marketing consultant.
A few years into this work, Jennifer realized she was making more money in her side gig as a marketing consultant than in her Network Marketing business.
So she made a switch.
Shortly after, it came time to transition her focus again.
“I noticed some people were paying me to tell them what to do and they weren’t doing it,” says Jennifer. “It didn’t make any sense. “ She needed to find a way to make sure her clients actually made use of the teaching they were paying her for.
That’s when she fell into coaching.
One of her favourite clients was a life coach. “I loved the idea that I would help a lot of people by helping her,” says Jennifer. “It was like magic working together.”
Which wasn’t the case with some of her other clients. Jennifer felt stretched trying to keep up to date with trends in a variety of industries so decided to niche down and focus exclusively on helping clients who were focused on helping people lead better lives.
She became a coach to coaches.
Most coaches aren’t entrepreneurs to start, so Jennifer helps them become the people they need to become in order to run a company that gets results.
“They may or may not be used to being a leader and a visionary and superbly brave and courageous on a consistent basis,” says Jennifer.
So, she helps them strip away those limiting beliefs and inner-conflicts to access the courage hidden within. “It’s almost like watching a flower begin to flourish,” says Jennifer.
First though, she needed to witness this flourishing within herself.
“If you plant a flower,” says Jennifer, “within the seed it has everything: it has the petals, it has the fragrance, the leaves … but right now it’s just a seed.”
When she began her coaching business, she was a seed. “The process of growing and flourishing into the person who I knew I could become was the biggest struggle,” says Jennifer.
It was an unleashing of herself, and everything she already had inside her but couldn’t always see.
Now that she’s done that work, she’s confident in guiding her clients to do it for themselves.
“The inner work is the scary work,” says Jennifer, and it’s not always pretty. “People avoid it as much as they can.” They try to get band-aid solutions for internal problems, but, says Jennifer, “happiness is an internal game.”
She adds that no amount of money or professional success can bring happiness until people have found it on their own. “I really don’t think a lot of people are doing that for themselves and that’s why they’re not happy,” says Jennifer, “you feel trapped in someone who is not you.”
But once you give yourself permission to be yourself, it’s freedom.
Not that it’s a one-time fix, of course.
Throughout her years as a coach, Jennifer has had the standard breakdowns, wondering if she should quit, or just go get a ‘real’ job. But when it comes down to it, she knows this is her calling.
“I’m very big on following the call,” says Jennifer. “I do a lot of things normal people wouldn’t do.”
If you’d asked her fifteen to twenty years ago what her life would have looked like today, she’d have said she’d travel the traditional path of marriage, kids, a house, and a corporate career.
“I’m the complete opposite,” says Jennifer. She’s a proud aunt. She owns her own business. She trots around the world. “Who would have known it?” she says with a laugh. “I wouldn’t change anything.”
Jennifer listened to her inner guidance to live this life she’s living and she encourages her clients to do the same. A lot of times it doesn’t look like the normal, sane thing to do – it seems like the opposite, and so people may call you crazy, says Jennifer.
But, she adds, “Nobody knows what’s better for you than you … When you listen to your inner guidance it’s sort of like the universe saying this is the fastest path you have – go, go, go!”
Are you a coach ready to accelerate your business while giving your clients your best? Check out Jennifer on her website, where you can get The Ultimate Coaching Business Checklist + Video Series plus her Top 18 MUST HAVE Tools List or, visit her on Facebook.
Have some thoughts about Jennifer’s journey or see parallels to your own? Scroll down to “Join the Conversation!”
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The post Following the call by coaching coaches appeared first on Charlene Carr.
