When I signed on to speak about "Making Peace with the Past" at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage I had no idea what I was in for. The large audience at the free "Alcohol and Addiction Awareness Hour" ranges from professionals in the field to folks who have only a few days clean and sober. They can be a twitchy group.
I had been warned that many people would leave during the hour and a half I was supposed to fill. The room is wide and shallow so when they get up and go they have to push past a whole lot of people to get out of their row. Right in front of me!
I knew all of that going in. What I didn't know was how hard it would be to share intimate details of my life as an adult child of an alcoholic with a room full of alcoholics. Talk about deja vue!
I guess it always takes courage to reveal yourself for the benefit of people who do not welcome the information. Imagine what it was like for our First Lady to say "My name is Betty Ford and I am an alcoholic."
There were a couple of moments as my past seemed to blend with the present when I just wanted to walk off the stage. But I didn't.
Toward the end I shared a story about when I graduated from high school and my mother sent my father away because he was drunk.
When it was finally over, I was amazed at the crowd around the book table eagerly lining up to have me sign their copies of "Travelling Free: How to Recover from the Past by Changing Your Beliefs." A large man approached me. "That was for me," he said. "That was me at my son's graduation from high school, looking through a chain link fence with a bottle in my hand."
We hugged each other and held on for a long time. Sharing some tears, we both made peace with the past in a way we never dreamed of.
I will always be grateful to the courage and contribution of Betty Ford and the support of my friends Catherine Rush and Debra Lux who helped through that wonderful day!
The audio, "Making Peace with the Past: Recorded Live at the Betty Ford Center" and Travelling Free: How to Recover from the Past by Changing Your Beliefs" are available at http://mandyevans.com/the-breakout-store
Cheering you on to peace with your past and present!
Love,
Mandy
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Join Me In Palm Springs
Join Me in Palm Springs?
Who will get the most from the October Breakout
Coach Training in Palm Springs? The ones who come!
Learn how to open doors you did not know you closed
and walk through to miracles. The next door you open
may be the one that brings you to the Breakout Coach
Training.
There are 12 spaces open. The discount deadline looms!
You have until this Friday, 7/15 to take $100 off the already
(some say too low) low tuition.
See you in Palm Springs?
http://mandyevans.com/breakout-training
Cheering you on to open doors wherever you are!
Who will get the most from the October Breakout
Coach Training in Palm Springs? The ones who come!
Learn how to open doors you did not know you closed
and walk through to miracles. The next door you open
may be the one that brings you to the Breakout Coach
Training.
There are 12 spaces open. The discount deadline looms!
You have until this Friday, 7/15 to take $100 off the already
(some say too low) low tuition.
See you in Palm Springs?
http://mandyevans.com/breakout-training
Cheering you on to open doors wherever you are!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
The Courage and Conviction of Betty Ford
Remembering the courage and contribution of Betty Ford who died today at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. The Betty Ford Center is located there. It has helped addicts get clean and sober, "one step at a time" since 1982.
I had the honor of speaking there about the importance of making "Peace with the Past: Recorded Live at the Betty Ford Center" The man who introduced me was part of the intervention team who dared to confront the First Lady about her drinking.
It always takes courage to "come out of the closet" as someone society judges harshly. Can you imagine what it would be like to say "My name is Betty Ford and I am an alcoholic?"
The audio of my talk is available in the Breakout Store at my website. www.mandyevans.com.
I had the honor of speaking there about the importance of making "Peace with the Past: Recorded Live at the Betty Ford Center" The man who introduced me was part of the intervention team who dared to confront the First Lady about her drinking.
It always takes courage to "come out of the closet" as someone society judges harshly. Can you imagine what it would be like to say "My name is Betty Ford and I am an alcoholic?"
The audio of my talk is available in the Breakout Store at my website. www.mandyevans.com.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Unblock the Strongest Motivation
Desire marks the path! I'm pretty sure desire functions as a sense of direction that will lead us perfectly through life. We just have to correct our course as new information becomes available.
I saw a video of my 11 month old granddaughter's triumphant climbing of a steep flight of stairs on her way to bed. If I had not been convinced before, it erased
all doubt; desire is the strongest form of motivation! That little girl just wanted to get to the top.
What governs desire? Warps it? Impedes its natural function? The limiting and life-extinguishing beliefs we form as we climb the stairs of life keep us from reaching the top.. Limiting beliefs about relationships, money, and other important areas of life like these:
Another enemy of desire is our own disapproval. Sometimes our true desire is not to achieve some lofty goal. Maybe just in this moment all you want is to curl up and give up. Instead of something on your ought-to-do list you may want to learn something you are intensely curious about that does not seem practical. Sometimes you want to reach out to someone for no apparent reason.
The belief based fear is that it would be a permanent choice. It would mean that we would never get out of bed again, never stop reading about that new subject or make a foolish phone call we would regret later. The exact opposite is usually true! When we follow those right now desires, we can nurture and revitalize ourselves in a few hours or days.
Helping someone to open a door he never knew he closed thrills me every time. When desire kicks in despite all odds against it, people light up with inspiration from within.
I am, by nature, much more of an explorer than a lecturer. I like to find the questions that open doors. One of my favorite questions is, what might you be concerned would happen if you do what you want to do? And do not do what you do not want to do?
Try it for a day, an hour, whatever you dare. Include wanting in order to get a result, like wanting to finish a job so you can get paid. Or do the dishes so the kitchen will be clean. See what happens. I'd love to hear.
Love,
Mandy
I saw a video of my 11 month old granddaughter's triumphant climbing of a steep flight of stairs on her way to bed. If I had not been convinced before, it erased
all doubt; desire is the strongest form of motivation! That little girl just wanted to get to the top.
What governs desire? Warps it? Impedes its natural function? The limiting and life-extinguishing beliefs we form as we climb the stairs of life keep us from reaching the top.. Limiting beliefs about relationships, money, and other important areas of life like these:
- I need to feel ashamed or I will do things I do not want to do. Do not want to do is the operative here!
- If I don't feel bad, it means I don't care.
- I won't have any money to put in an IRA anyway.
- If I make a lot of money and lose it I'll feel really bad for a long, long time.
- Nobody in this family is ever going to get anywhere.
- If you loved me you would ______ (basically do whatever I think is a measure of love).
Another enemy of desire is our own disapproval. Sometimes our true desire is not to achieve some lofty goal. Maybe just in this moment all you want is to curl up and give up. Instead of something on your ought-to-do list you may want to learn something you are intensely curious about that does not seem practical. Sometimes you want to reach out to someone for no apparent reason.
The belief based fear is that it would be a permanent choice. It would mean that we would never get out of bed again, never stop reading about that new subject or make a foolish phone call we would regret later. The exact opposite is usually true! When we follow those right now desires, we can nurture and revitalize ourselves in a few hours or days.
Helping someone to open a door he never knew he closed thrills me every time. When desire kicks in despite all odds against it, people light up with inspiration from within.
I am, by nature, much more of an explorer than a lecturer. I like to find the questions that open doors. One of my favorite questions is, what might you be concerned would happen if you do what you want to do? And do not do what you do not want to do?
Try it for a day, an hour, whatever you dare. Include wanting in order to get a result, like wanting to finish a job so you can get paid. Or do the dishes so the kitchen will be clean. See what happens. I'd love to hear.
Love,
Mandy
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Millions Watch Good Coaching
Last night 11.81 million people saw what working with a good coach can do. Where? They tuned in to NBC’s new block buster, “The Voice.” It puts a new spin on the old talent show model – sustained coaching by a pro.
Industry professionals, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton coach the singers on their teams week by week as long as they last in the competition. They support, inspire, encourage, push and prod their protégés to reach new heights each week. It’s amazing to watch these accomplished performers share their insights and experience then witness the results in live performances.
The coaching movement is spreading throughout the world. For so long, if you wanted help with the business of living, therapy was the only option. Based on a disease model, it requires a diagnosis. But what if you aren’t sick? What if you just want to learn a lot of things you don’t know from an expert who does?
We are all coaches. You may be coaching a first grader through learning how to read, an Olympic athlete, or a CEO to a better bottom line. Perhaps you are working with a friend who is looking for a job, sharing your sobriety in a 12 Step Program. We all have the opportunity to pass on what we know to someone who wants to learn it.
For the last two years I’ve been privileged to be on the faculty of Michael Neill’s Supercoach Academy. I shared my Breakout to Miracles work with coaches from all over the world for a day and a half. The experience left me eager for more. I want go deeper with a smaller group.
I cannot imagine anything that would add more value to your life or enrich your coaching more than the ability to recognize, explore, and break out from limiting beliefs to happiness, success and miracles! That is why I put together the October BREAKOUT Coach Training in Palm Springs. I’m thrilled with the opportunity and eager to share it with the 24 people who will get the most from it and bring the most to it.
Is that you? http://mandyevans.com/breakout-training
Cheering you on to coaching adventures wherever you are!
Love,
Mandy
For more info about the amazing Supercoach Academy for 2012 http://www.supercoachacademy.com/
Industry professionals, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton coach the singers on their teams week by week as long as they last in the competition. They support, inspire, encourage, push and prod their protégés to reach new heights each week. It’s amazing to watch these accomplished performers share their insights and experience then witness the results in live performances.
The coaching movement is spreading throughout the world. For so long, if you wanted help with the business of living, therapy was the only option. Based on a disease model, it requires a diagnosis. But what if you aren’t sick? What if you just want to learn a lot of things you don’t know from an expert who does?
We are all coaches. You may be coaching a first grader through learning how to read, an Olympic athlete, or a CEO to a better bottom line. Perhaps you are working with a friend who is looking for a job, sharing your sobriety in a 12 Step Program. We all have the opportunity to pass on what we know to someone who wants to learn it.
For the last two years I’ve been privileged to be on the faculty of Michael Neill’s Supercoach Academy. I shared my Breakout to Miracles work with coaches from all over the world for a day and a half. The experience left me eager for more. I want go deeper with a smaller group.
I cannot imagine anything that would add more value to your life or enrich your coaching more than the ability to recognize, explore, and break out from limiting beliefs to happiness, success and miracles! That is why I put together the October BREAKOUT Coach Training in Palm Springs. I’m thrilled with the opportunity and eager to share it with the 24 people who will get the most from it and bring the most to it.
Is that you? http://mandyevans.com/breakout-training
Cheering you on to coaching adventures wherever you are!
Love,
Mandy
For more info about the amazing Supercoach Academy for 2012 http://www.supercoachacademy.com/
Monday, June 20, 2011
Book Breakout!
All of you authors out there, forget the limiting belief that you need an agent and a publisher to get your book out there. John Locke just became the first self-published author to break the million copy e-book barrier.
It is a brand new world out there, a very very large one.
Cheering you on to great success and happiness.
It is a brand new world out there, a very very large one.
Cheering you on to great success and happiness.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Happy Father's Day
I did not know my father very well. He was a serious alcoholic and we drifted apart. Then my son, Barnaby was born. There he is just a few days old.
By some miracle of connection my father's and my letters crossed in the mail. It was so much easier sharing baby Barnaby than our painful past. Thank you Barnaby!
My father died. And I confess to a bit of nostalgia on Father's Day.
Then Barnaby and Sheri had a baby! It takes a few divorces to manage it, but Emery has seven grandparents! We were all together to welcome her.
Life is so filled with miracles. I never anticipated the rich, wondrous experience my son has brought to my life. I certainly never imagined what it would be like to see him become a father himself.
On your first Father's Day, Barnaby, I wish you, Sheri, and baby Emery all of the love and joy that life has to offer.
Here's to the nurturing, protecting spirit of fathers everywhere and in each one of us.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
By some miracle of connection my father's and my letters crossed in the mail. It was so much easier sharing baby Barnaby than our painful past. Thank you Barnaby!
My father died. And I confess to a bit of nostalgia on Father's Day.
Then Barnaby and Sheri had a baby! It takes a few divorces to manage it, but Emery has seven grandparents! We were all together to welcome her.
Life is so filled with miracles. I never anticipated the rich, wondrous experience my son has brought to my life. I certainly never imagined what it would be like to see him become a father himself.
On your first Father's Day, Barnaby, I wish you, Sheri, and baby Emery all of the love and joy that life has to offer.
Here's to the nurturing, protecting spirit of fathers everywhere and in each one of us.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
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