I’ve heard from a lot of women
entrepreneurs that they are having
an especially difficult time getting
their business to grow fast these days.
After hearing about so many people’s
struggles, I decided to do take action

** NEW, For a Limited Time **

I’d like to invite you to take
advantage of a special, ‘Business
Breakthrough’ coaching session. And
I’m making it available to
EVERYONE… even those of you who have
had free sessions with me in the past!

During this special one-on-one,
45-minute coaching session,
you’ll discover

=> The single, most important step
you can take towards attracting ideal clients

=> Your crystal clear vision
for your ‘ultimate business success’
and the ‘perfect lifestyle’ you’d like
your business to provide

=> The hidden challenges
that may be sabotaging the
growth of your business and
keeping you working too
many hours

And.. you’ll leave this session renewed,
re-energized, and inspired to create the story
that will make your business highly profitable,
and your life balanced and joyful

To claim your special “Business Breakthrough
Coaching Session” today, simply email
lisa@story-coach.com and answer these questions:

1. What are your biggest fears and
frustrations when it comes to creating business
success?
2. What do you see as the major
challenges holding you and your
business back from growing at the
pace you want?
4. What would you most like help with?

Be sure to include your name, phone number
and email address so someone from my office can
get back to you within the next 24 to 48 hours to
schedule your one-on-one “Business Breakthrough
Coaching Session.”

Reply now to claim your session today.

Best Wishes
Lisa

P.S. I can’t wait to hear how great
things are for you once your business takes off!

It wasn’t quite love at first sight, but
definitely something at first sight. When my
little boy tells the story of how I met his
father, he says, “and then daddy stood up, and
then mummy saw him and then she said hhhmmmmmm”.
Well, it was kind of like that. I was at my
friend’s house and when Greg knocked at the door,
I answered. He gave me that deep, knowing smile
that made me grin and speechless so that when he
called a day later, I was waiting for the call! We
had an amazing few head-over-heels months and then
I left the country for a reason that seemed quite
clear at the time.

I was reminded of him a few weeks ago when a very
old friend, Nancy, who was visiting from overseas
decided to get the girls from college back
together again; a dinner date, the first meeting
in 20 years. Nancy and Dina, my closest
girlfriends, had said that they would look after
Greg for me when I was away; we were all sure that
he would be so heartbroken and pining that he
would need to be kept an eye on. A few weeks
later, they introduced him to Tina, it seemed she
also wanted to keep an eye on him.

The plan was that he was to follow me overseas
once he finished studying. And then we would
figure out the rest of our lives, together of
course. 5 weeks later I received the letter that
told me that he had met and fallen in love with
Tina. It seemed that our true love was not so
true after all.

So, twenty years later and a lot of water under
many bridges, it was an hour or so before I was to
leave to meet my old college buddies. I checked
the email to find the address and noticed for the
first time who was invited to our meeting. Tina.

Of course with no connection whatsoever, I ran
back upstairs and changed my clothes an additional
3 times. It wasn’t that I wanted to look younger
or thinner, more sexy or more successful. I
really didn’t care much! There was no connection
whatsoever that I re-applied my makeup and redid
my hair.
I left the house and drove to meet up with my old
friends.

A strange coincidence that I happened to see
Tina’s blond curls before everyone else or catch
her eye first.
Our conversation was varied and interesting, a lot
to catch up on over 20 years. And I found myself
smiling a lot and reassuring everyone how blessed
I am, how life with a business and 4 young kids is
wonderful and as easy as you can imagine.
Actually, all my achievements had been without any
effort, all of a sudden!

Tina and Greg have been happily married for 20
years now. It seems they really did find true
love. I remembered that old saying, ‘it is better
to have loved and lost than never to have loved at
all’ and I thought to myself at that moment,
despite my great loves and great blessings, it
seems that once you have loved and lost, there
always remains a few tears that never dry up!

As I walked away from that surreal and amusing
meeting with people that really are not a part of
my life in any meaningful way, I realised that by
telling this story, I have the chance to make
sense of it all.

It is clear to me how strange and silly our
stories can become as we contemplate a perceived
judgement. How easily we can become distanced
from ourselves by the old stories we fall back
into. As we examine these stories we are
presented with the perfect opportunity to coach
ourselves to a better sense of where we have come
from and how we want to perceive our experiences;
we have been blessed in our ability to create
better and more empowering stories.

Meetings like this, stories like these are such a
wonderful lesson, such a magnificent example of
the power of our stories to delve into our past
and coach us to a better sense of ourselves in the
world, to celebrate our true blessings.

Our stories are the evidence of the life we have
lived, they are the proof of the great loves and
great losses; they are the essence of the human
experience.

For more on Storytelling, Coaching and
the application for Business and
Organizations, check out the program
‘Cinderella and the Coach – the Power of
Storytelling for Coaching Success!’

http://www.story-coach.com/cinderella

The International Coach Federation has re-accredited
the Certified Story Coach Program and now you can
get 30 CCEU’s (Certified Coach Education units)
for attending. That’s getting really close to
what you need to keep your personal accreditation
up to date!

——————————————————————
Here’s where you can get all the details:

http://www.story-coach.com/cinderella

——————————————————————

To celebrate, I have decided to spread the good will.

I’m making a really special offer on the course starting
Tuesday July 27th at 3pm (eastern)

For this week only , until Sunday night (at midnight),
you can get this comprehensive program (with the additional
12 units) for the old price of just $799.

I will be raising the price on Monday to $997 (which is still reduced!)
so NOW IS YOUR CHANCE to get this GREAT deal!

—————————————————————–
Here’s where you can get all the details:

http://www.story-coach.com/cinderella

—————————————————————–

So here’s the bit where I tell you what it’s all about, okay?

If you are a coach or trainer and struggling to
take your business to the next level, now more
than ever, you need a skill that keeps you on the
edge. You need to have a compelling way of doing
business that will bring you results. You need a
new perspective and new tools that will enhance
your business.

Do you ask yourself:
Why do I still struggle to get clients and excite
them about working with me?
How can I offer clients a creative and powerful
experience that will impact their lives?
How can I attract paying clients and build my business?
How can I get qualified as a coach without having
to go back to school and invest a ton of money?

Maybe, it’s time to become a Certified Story
Coach.

A distance learning program that is ICF accredited
and will give you what you need to become a
compelling force in your niche market and coach in
a creative and powerful way.

Here’s what’s included in the program:

12 Weekly Telesminars (1.5 hours each)
Comprehensive Self-Study Program
7 Powerful Mastermind Sessions
Membership of the exclusive Story Coach Community

———————————————————-
Here’s where you can get all the details:

http://www.story-coach.com/cinderella

———————————————————-

And the highlights of the Certified Story
Coach Program that you should not miss:

You’ll learn the skills and tools to coach
individuals to find balance and joy by discovering
their story

You’ll learn powerful techniques specifically
designed to empower your coaching skills

You’ll understand how to create a profitable
coaching business with proven tactics to start or
develop your practice

You’ll be offered a powerful process
for connecting you to your passion and purpose

You’ll understand how old stories can sabotage us
and come up with solutions

You’ll be taught how to create new stories and
make major life changes

You’ll be equipped to provide accountability for
success while saving time and making more money

You will receive 30 ICF CCEU?s towards your
personal accreditation, (that’s right 30 Core
Competency Units).

—————————————————
Here’s where you can get all the details:

http://www.story-coach.com/cinderella

—————————————————

Don’t miss this special offer!

I woke up at my usual time, around 6am, with the
feeling that the night had been too short and I
had forgotten something important. Something had
changed and I needed to get ready quick. It took
me a few minutes to remember…ah yes, school is
finished, summer camps start today.
So summer really is here!

I was suddenly brought back to that feeling I used
to get at the start of the semester in University.
The first day back, my bag was full of huge text
books and I went from class to class and was given
the reading lists and assignments. I would return
home with a feeling of dread and hopelessness. It
was simply impossible to fit in all that material
and all those requirements in the short space of
one semester.

Then over the next few days and weeks, the fear
and dread would melt away as I got stuck into the
work. I would take it day by day and not only
found it interesting and challenging but also
fulfilling. Low and behold, by mid-semester, all
was under control and I was meeting my
requirements.

The thought of 8 long weeks of summers holidays
for the kids and the job of the entrepreneur
which, by its very nature, needs constant daily
attention and has moving goal-posts, always seems
overwhelming at the start of the summer.

This year, I began to think about the things I
could do to take it all in my stride and not be
overwhelmed. It came out to a list of 10 Terrific
Tips to Ease Summer Stress (for Mom
Entreprenuers!):

1. Breathe Deeply – Always a great way to start to
de-stress and think of positive actionable plans!
2. Think back to when you were a kid – remember
how you felt on that first day of summer vacation.
3. Allow yourself to feel the freedom of summer ?
decide how much you want and need to work.
4. Create a Calendar for the Summer – seeing it
mapped out really helps!
5. Schedule Summer Activities that you can sign
the kids up for
6. Schedule down time, home time for the kids too!
– remember they’re on vacation!
7. And don’t forget time for yourself?just because
the kids are home more doesn’t mean you can’t fit
in time to work out, see friends, or just read a
good book.
8. Get out into Nature, take the kids on a hike,
cycle or run,just get them out, away from TV
screens, Facebook, computer games and mobile
phones – and that includes you too!
9. Repeat no. 8 on a weekly basis! And include a
picnic every now and again!
10. Accept that it’s summertime and that means
that you will probably work less but not
necessarily achieve less. Let it go, relax, enjoy
the opportunity to spend more time with your
family and find this new balance. The quicker you
accept the shift to summertime, the more you’ll
enjoy it!

As I write this the sun is shining and I can see
the kids in the garden, one swinging, one with a
ball, another talking on a phone and the baby (not
such a baby anymore!) jumping on the trampoline
- it’s time to pack up work for today and get out!

Have a wonderful summer!

So what is the role of the journey in our stories?
Well, the journey is a metaphor for
transformation. The protagonist of the story
undergoes some kind of change which is enabled by
the physical movement of the journey. This
transformation can be physical, emotional or
intellectual but it is described through the
journey in the narrative form.

When I was 18, I left home and went to university
overseas. It was my first time living away from
home and leaving the shelter of my family and the
community I grew up in. My journey had immense
significance in terms of the personal process I
went through. Even the journey itself can be
viewed on several levels. There was the part of
the journey that took place in the first 24 hours
after I left home. The flights, the baggage
handling, the arrival and the confusion all added
to the discomfort and metaphorical severing of the
?child? from home and family and being catapulted
into adulthood.

I believe that the journey went way beyond the
first 24 hours of physically and literally leaving
home and flying overseas. The journey continued
over the next 12 months of my university program,
living in dorms and meeting people from all over
the world. The journey continued with the
learning how to shop and budget and cook for
myself for the first time. It continued when I
ran out of money and worked waitressing and
cleaning houses to get by and not have to ask my
parents for support. The journey continued as I
realised what I wanted to study and moved into the
degree program that was offered in another town
that I had to move to.

In some sense, the journey still continues and
will do so even after all these year as my life
unfolds.

The coaching process is often described as a
journey.
The assumption being that the client when
committing to the coaching process undertakes a
life changing journey, from which she/he will
emerge changed (hopefully, for the better!).
Just as we are the protagonist in our life
stories, the coaching journey is the vehicle of
change for our protagonist, the client. As we
enable our clients to take action, this movement
creates a momentum which enables further action.
The outcome is the coaching journey which
facilitates reaching goals and creating the life
that we dream of.

There is an immediately obvious link between our
stories and the coaching process. When we use
story, the metaphor is clear and useful to help
our clients take those first crucial steps on
their journey to self-realization and fulfilment.

As we learn to examine our stories and identify
our journey in them, we become better equipped to
see movement, change and transformation in a
positive light. When we understand our journey,
through our actions and through our stories, we
have the wonderful opportunity to celebrate our
own personal transformation.

It was intentional though I had hoped to leave
some signs of life while I was gone!

But life rushed me out the door, to the airport
and on a surprisingly full plane from Israel to
Turkey. I travelled to join the 4th International
Women’s Sailing Week, a phenomenal initiative of
the Turkish conceived and run ‘Women’s Sailing
School’ which brings together Women from all over
the world to celebrate the beauty of the region
and the joy of sailing – women only.
Traditionally sailing is quite a macho sport where
women are often left aside while the men take over
the running of the boat. However, Neslihan
Karayel (her surname is the Turkish for the ?north
west wind? which happily we experienced quite a
few times during the week as it filled our sails
and kept us busy on board!) has created a place
where women can learn to sail and qualify as
skippers, a place where we can celebrate the many
faces of women’s strength and empowerment . This
week was witness to such wonderful display!

I had been warned by many that I was crazy to
attempt to travel to Turkey during these turbulent
times. I paid no heed to these warnings, having
attended the Women’s Flotilla last year (isn’t it
amazing how so quickly ‘flotilla’ has become a
dirty word!). My first experience was to be
greeted by pleasant Turkish travel companions on
the flights and arriving in Marmaris, my yacht
awaited me with the Turkish and Israeli Flags
hoisted side by side.

The week was simply amazing. I reconnected with
life at sea (yes, hints of my colorful past!), I
reconnected with the simplicity of life without
kids, partner and a hectic work schedule, I
reconnected with wonderful friends and of course,
with myself.
I was romanced by the good food, sunshine,
powerful winds, beautiful sea life and the company
of wonderful women. What more can a girl ask for!

Every day started with yoga and a hike by which
time it was so hot that we dived into the
amazingly blue and clear water to cool down and
pique our appetite for breakfast. After eating
fruit, yogurt and muesli or sometimes the fresh
bread baked by the local women and delivered by
little boats that pulled up alongside ours, we
rested, tidied up the boat and set sail. Some
days the sea was quiet and we were forced to put
down anchor at the most beautiful sheltered bays
for swim and snorkel stops. Other days the winds
were so strong that we had to wear harnesses and
life jackets. As we used to say in Dublin, the
crack was mighty (that means we had such a great
laugh!) as only girls know how, and we talked
about everything under the sun!

In the evenings we moored or anchored in more of
the wonderful sheltered bays that had simple
restaurants, some with no road access, electricity
or running water. We then celebrated the day with
happy hour, good music and followed by a lovely
evening meal.

It is a vacation that involves serious physical
exertion and I love that. We had ample
opportunity to witness our own powerful selves
sailing through rough waters. It was an awesome
sight and a heart-warming experience. There are
so many parallels to our own life’s journey. You
are stuck with people that you may not normally
choose to be with in such close and confined
space. You are faced with physical and emotional
challenges.

The outcome was wonderful. We all pulled together
and the atmosphere on the boat was supportive,
inspiring and caring. Each individual taught me
so much. There was Denise, who never stops
smiling, showed me how much a smile can change the
world! And Audrey taught me to stop sweating the
small stuff. Serra showed me how being intensely
feminine and beautiful can still be strong and
powerful. Feryal showed me how she stopped
fearing her 6th sense and makes powerful positive
use of her talents.; so many lessons, so much
inspiration.

And I told stories! Lots of stories!

Perhaps the most wonderful outcome of all was to
understand that women thrown together from all
walks of life, and many cultures, beliefs and
backgrounds, will always find a way to enjoy,
appreciate and rejoice in each other’s company.

And as Feryal told me when she read the remains of
my Turkish coffee – what I am doing (working with
women entrepreneurs through story) is what I am
meant to do, if I had not found it, it would have
found me. What a blessing, what an honor!

We were discussing the transformation of the story
as it moves from written form to the oral tale.
What happens when we tell the story that we have
just read? Or that someone has just told us? How
does the story change?

Part of the discussion reminded me of that game we
used to play as kids ‘chinese whispers’ – where
someone would whisper a message to someone else
and it would be passed down the line. The end
result was a completely distorted and usually very
funny message.

When I tell a story, I tell my story.
Even if I’m telling the story of Little Red
Riding Hood, it’s my version. The way I remember
it told to me as a child, or the book that I read
later and then all kinds of other influences. In
truth, the way I choose to tell a story will
include my attitudes and my beliefs. My
personality and my values all come through in the
story.

When I tell a story, I tell my story.
I tell who I am, or at least, how I see myself.
If I feel strong and positive, it’s in my story.
If I feel hurt or misjudged, it’s in my story. If
I feel like a success or a failure, it’s in my
story. If I feel victorious or like a victim,
it’s in my story.

And yet, so often we are oblivious to the stories
we tell. We all have people in our lives that
tell the same stories again and again. You know
the scene, you’re sitting around the dinner table,
the main course has just been served and Uncle Tom
starts saying, ‘it reminds me of when I travelled
to Paris in 1974′ and you know what’s coming next.
If fact you’ve heard the Paris story about 1974
times! Why is he stuck in his story? Why do we
get stuck in our own stories, and especially the
stories that really don’t serve us too well?

If we pause for a moment and think about how we
tell our stories, and of course why we tell them,
we can begin to tell more empowering stories,
stories of fun and laughter, stories that lead us
to a more positive experience of our own lives.

It really is that simple. When we tell stories
that are amusing and stories that are uplifting,
we really can make our lives more fun and more
joyful. When we tell stories of resilience and
strength, we really do feel stronger.

So let’s make a wish, right now, that we will hear
and tell good stories this week. That’s right,
turn off the television and computer, fold up the
newspaper, take a walk in nature or look at something
beautiful, listen to some good music and then go
tell someone the story of that special moment.
And when this works like magic, do it again
tomorrow, and the day after! You’ll be surprised
how wonderful you feel!

How often we experience negative situations, or
feel overwhelmed by political or natural
disasters; most of which we have no control over
yet they have such a profound negative effect on
our lives. Yet the slightest shift to acknowledge
our own gifts and the gifts of others, the
smallest change that celebrates the presence of
now, the choice to bring gratitude into our lives
as a deliberate practice, can make all the
difference.

A few years ago, my partner went away for the
weekend on a boy’s adventure. It was something
like a cross between extreme camping, survivor and
scout camp! He was dismayed to discover that they
would not be eating very much during their 2 day
mission, that it got pretty cold at night and one
of the other ‘boys’ snored so loudly that he woke
every one up several times each night, including
himself! But he came back delighted with lots of
stories he could tell and quite a few that he
could not!

He also brought back a wonderful practice that he
promptly introduced into our household. During
our evening meal, each night, we ask each person
at the table “who would like to say thank you?”
Having practiced this every night since his trip,
I can tell you it usually works something like this.

Someone always says thank you for the food on the
table, and the sunshine or rain. Someone usually
says thank you for our good friends and our lovely
family (and what we did with them today). Someone
usually says they don’t have a thank you and is
reminded that even in the worst of days there is
always something to be thankful for. Our littlest
boy usually says, thank you for Mummy and thank
you for Daddy and then gets all shy and stops
talking! And sometimes, someone at the table
thanks someone else at the table for an act of
kindness that they did that day.

Last Saturday night, my mother, brother, one of my
sisters and I celebrated my Mum’s birthday. Along
with a few other members of our family we
celebrated over a month late. It had taken that
long to find the date that we could all manage.
It turned out that it was on the day that my
father would have celebrated his 80th birthday
(13+ years after he passed away). We had a
wonderful meal and lively chat but we forgot to
say our ‘thankyous’. So I thought I would say it
now.

Thank you for the wonderful food on the
table. Thank you for the mild evening and cool
breeze. Thank you for my amazing family, each one
that found the time to meet together. Thank you
that I have the best memories of my dad and even
though we lost him too soon, I know that I am
truly blessed.

In these troubled times of horrific oil spills,
environmental crises, economic uncertainty and
political & humanitarian disasters, it is even
more important than ever to remember that we are
truly blessed and there is always something to say
thank you for!

There’s nothing like the thrill of entering the
calm, sophisticated ambiance of a good restaurant,
sitting down opposite someone you love and
perusing an interesting and enticing menu. Of
course, I don’t seem to do this very often and
that could be part of the thrill for me!

I usually look at the deserts before I even start.
Is there anything worth targeting my whole meal
towards? If it’s the promise of a wonderful
desert, I might take the salad instead of the
pasta, so it’s worth checking it out first!
Perhaps there are two kinds of people in the
world; those that would sell their soul for a good
desert, and those that are attracted by the main
course! Sir Ken Robinson, in his latest TED
lecture suggests that there are two types of
people in the world; those that believe that there
are two types of people in the world and those
that do not!

As a mother of 4 usually hungry boys, part of the
thrill of eating out is definitely about not
having to prepare anything and not having to clear
up!

A few years ago we went out for a meal with the
whole family. The restaurant had a reputation of
being good for children; this meant that it had a
kid’s menu so you don’t have to pay extortionate
prices for the food that more than likely they are
not going to eat! We walked in, were seated and
presented with a menu that had 54 items on it.
They pretty much served everything you can imagine
in that place! We all ordered different things;
soup & sandwich, chicken and chips, pasta, pizza
and I had one of the 7 salads (yes, there was
ice-cream on the desert menu, a favorite!). And
when the food arrived, it was VERY mediocre. This
restaurant tried to appeal to far too many tastes,
and the result was that nothing was particularly
good.

In the main street of our town, there is a tiny
little shop that sells falafel. He serves this
delicious Mediteranean delicacy in pita bread with
salads and a tehina sauce. That’s it, there is
nothing else! You have no choice – and it is the
most delicious meal you can possibly imagine!

It’s wonderful that for so many people, we live in
a world that provides us with immense choice. We
are able to experience enormous variety in
practically everything we do and often everything
we buy. Sometimes, however, choice can be
confusing, overwhelming and counter-productive.
Sometimes, choice can lead to low quality or a
watered-down version of what we really want.

Are you offering too much choice in your business
or in your life?

Are you watering down what you offer or what you
can really achieve?

Focusing on the one thing that you do best, is the
best way to succeed! It’s hard to do, it’s
difficult to give up on the variety of experiences
or skills that we have used in the past and become
used to having in our lives now. But if you hone
in on the thing that makes you really shine, your
client’s will magically appear, your business will
take off, your skills will be sought out.

You don’t have to have 54 items on your menu, just
make it one good quality, high standard and
delicious offering! It will make all the
difference!

But I didn’t wnat to miss the chance to do two
things – Share my spectacular news! and Recommend
a wonderful book

My Spectacular News!

I will be presenting this year in the
International Coach Federation Nation Conference.
It’s a wonderful opportunity for me to contribute
to this great organization and to spotlight my
passion, how Storytelling Empowers the Art of
Coaching!
I hope you’ll come and meet me there (October
2010, Fort Worth Texas)! More details to come!

Book Recommendation!

In this delightful book, Experience Your Good
Now!, Louise L. Hay discusses the power and
importance of affirmations and shows you how to
apply them right now! Within these pages, Louise
discusses specific topics and concerns (health,
fearful emotions, addictions, prosperity issues,
love and intimacy, and more) and presents
exercises that show you how to make beneficial
changes to virtually every area of your life. On
the enclosed CD, Louise offers you helpful
information about affirmations that you can also
use to your benefit.

In celebration of the release of Experience Your
Good Now!, Louise and Hay House are giving away a
spot on their next cruise to the Caribbean in
January 2011! Don’t miss this unique opportunity
to spend a week with some of your favorite Hay
House authors! SHARE with your friends to earn
extra entries. Additional Details:

http://www.experienceyourgoodnow.com

Have a wonderful week!
Best wishes and best stories