So it’s a new year; and perhaps with this New Year, you have set a resolution that this is going to be your year to find love. Love is the most complicated, awesome, painful and sought after desire there is. We all want it, and we all can have it; but many of us simply just don’t know how to do it.

Well, you can have it, when you understand it and take intentional action to get it.

Here is my Love after Divorce Manifesto, designed to guide you towards attracting, co-creating and sustaining new love in 2013.

I open my heart, my soul and my mind to receiving the love I desire.

If you have loved, thought you had love, lost love or simply have never experienced the beauty of love, you will first have to prepare your heart and soul to receive it again, or for the first time. Looking for love when you are not at peace with loving yourself and the intensity and vulnerability that love creates, will only lead you to a disappointing journey.

Give yourself the time you need to prepare, so you feel ready to allow yourself to receive and participate all that love is and becomes.

I allow curiosity to drive my dating and relationship experiences.

Too often we become critical during the dating process, expecting that we will be met with fireworks and butterflies with every potential partner and becoming angry and frustrated when we believe our expectations are not met. When you are able to look at every person you meet as an opportunity to learn more about them, you not only will enjoy dating far more, but you will be allowing yourself to be curious. Curiosity presents a chance for you to share more about you, inquire about things you really want to know about him and unleash your flirtatious and authentic personality in the process. Be clever, kind and flirty with your delivery and you will be surprised with the results.

I will enjoy, rather than evaluate each new person I meet. I will embrace the opportunity to meet new people as I date, and refrain from analyzing them until I have shared at least three unique experiences with them.

We egotistically believe that we possess the ability to fully evaluate a person upon the first few minutes of meeting them, convincing ourselves that “we know what we want and he is not it”. The truth is, none of us possess this skill. You can assess that you are not attracted to his looks at all, or that he offends or disgusts you, but other than these glaring situations, it is extremely difficult to fully assess a person after having dinner or drinks with him one, two or even three times.

While dating, individuals are not always being their authentic selves. They are nervous, trying too hard, and managing fear; all coming with their own context and skill level. Dating is an opportunity to create as safe and enjoyable environment as possible while getting to know someone; which takes time and shared experiences. Rather than having repeated dates for dinner and drinks, try another activity. Go skiing or hiking, visit a gallery or museum, cook together; there are endless ways to share time. Preferably choose an activity that is something you love and see how he is able to share it with you. Until you have the chance to see someone relaxed and comfortable, it will be a challenge to assess how you really feel.

I own who I am and what I want and need; setting boundaries that leave me feeling empowered, honored and in control of my romantic life.

There is nothing more attractive than someone who knows who they are and what they want; and who remains loyal to that even within an intimate relationship. If you are unable to honor what you want and set boundaries around that, you simply won’t be able to create a love that is sustainable over time.

Extraordinary, sustainable love is only possible when both of the people in the relationship are healthy, happy and whole as individuals. There are no exceptions.

I embrace being a woman and will nurture the feminine, sensual and flirtatious part of me as I seek out love and romance.

Sex is not the same thing as sensuality and sexuality. The more you embrace and enjoy your sensuality and sexuality as a woman, the better your relationship will be and the more fun you will have. It is not about performance or being good in bed; it is about connecting to your femininity and being comfortable with your sexuality. Walking fully in your identity as a woman will bring out the masculinity in any man. As you move along your journey to search for love, cultivate your own sensuality by doing things for yourself that allow you to feel strong, sexy and vibrant; and then bring this into your experiences while dating.

I recognize that open, honest, and face-to-face communication is the only way to co-create and build a healthy relationship.

Real and healthy love only takes place through a deep and “live” connection with each other. Relationships that take place virtually with little or no interaction face to face, will never sustain the test of time. The only place for intimate conversation and communication is when you are together or perhaps on the phone in between time together.

Having intimate conversations via text or email is a clear indicator that there are cracks in the foundation of the relationship and suggests that it is unlikely that you will ever be able to create real love together.

I trust myself and will listen to my gut and my intuition when it guides and protects me.

Most of us use the phrase “I don’t know” to avoid listening to our own intuition; especially when it may mean walking away from something that represents what we want. You do know. You always know somewhere deep down inside; even if you struggle to say it out loud.

Love is complicated, and it requires complete honesty; even when it hurts. Trust yourself…you are worth

What a difference a day makes. 

On December 14, one of my neighboring towns/community suffered one of the nation’s worst and most tragic school shootings. To be honest, I have had a hard time focusing on anything else since that that day.

There are few words to describe the sadness I feel and the sense of loss that pervades my entire State over this holiday season.  And yet, as I manage my tears and the temptation to focus on all that is wrong, instead, I am choosing to use the events in Newtown as an incentive to recommit myself to living a life of passion and purpose.

Newtown quickly put my own life and adversities into perspective, and gave me an immediate sense of gratitude for all that do have.

As you move through and forward after divorce, there will be challenges.  There will be “those kind of days”; of that you can be sure.  But when you can ground yourself in living your own life of passion of purpose with a focus on gratitude, you will be amazed at what begins to show up in your life.

Unfortunately, it often takes a dramatic event to immediately and radically allow us to reframe our own situations. And so I find myself writing this final newsletter of 2012 to you with a saddened,  but renewed spirit.

What a difference a day makes. 

Yesterday we went to sleep in 2012 and woke up in 2013.  It is a New Year, with a new opportunity to be, do and create all that we are meant to.

Over the past couple of months I have been guiding you through a slow and deliberate process of preparing for the transition from one year to the next; an incredibly powerful time.  And now here we are; standing in the gateway of what comes next.

2013 holds all of the magic and wonder that you can imagine.  It also holds limitless opportunities and possibilities; and will be defined by how big and beautiful your vision is, so make it bold, passionate, colorful and juicy!!

While our hearts are heavy with the loss of so many innocent, angelic children and loving, courageous adults, it is their memory that will fuel the passion and purpose of our future.

What a difference a day makes.

December 14^th is a day that we will always remember.  It was a wakeup call to not only feel sadness and loss, but to commit ourselves to living fully and powerfully, loving ourselves, our children, our families, our friends and our neighbors with all that we have to give.

Join me.

Join me in welcoming in the New Year by committing to a life of purpose, passion, courage, compassion, love and conviction.  Let these be the thoughts that drive you towards your new and extraordinary life.

I want to wish all of you the happiest, healthiest, most prosperous and peaceful  New Year!  I am blessed to have you in my life and I look forward to the privilege and pleasure of supporting you as you take bold steps forward in creating the life you desire!

Happy new year!

So, there are 30 days left in the year. Woohoo!

I see December as one big invitation to a massive dance party!  It is a time to get all dolled up, put on your fancy shoes and go out and strut your stuff on the holiday dance floor!  Good food, fabulous drinks and all kinds of sparkly lights make a wonderful backdrop for having a great time!

I also see these 30 days as a powerful source of energy; ripe for shedding what we no longer want and need to make room for the fabulousity that is waiting for us in the New Year.

As you move through and forward after divorce,  you will find that with each passing day, month and year, you enter a new stage of the journey.  And as you do, you will also find that you have the opportunity each day to focus on either the story of your divorce; or the story of your new and mojolicious life!

Every December I perform my own rituals and ceremonies to honor this opportunity and the transition from one year to the next.  These include:

• Getting clear on all that I want to leave behind in the current year

• Performing a powerful Letting Go Ceremony to release this list into the universe becoming part of my past

• Creating a plan for my personal December Dance Party!

• Committing to welcoming in the New Year with courage, clarity and confidence!

• Setting my empowering new intentions, goals and Big Vision for the next year and beyond.

• Writing my new story…the story of who I am and who I am meant to be.

• Designing a clear and specific strategic plan of action to set it all in motion!

As I perform each of these rituals and ceremonies, I can feel the universe diggin’ my mojo and beginning to work on my behalf!

Each time you take an empowered action that makes YOU feel good, you are inviting all of those around you, including the universe, to join in.  It’s true.

I am not a fan of resolutions and I don’t buy into the “I’m going to lose 25 pounds this year” as an empowering statement.  It is no colorful and compelling vision and certainly offers no plan to make it happen!  So, as far as I am concerned, forget resolutions; and instead, grab the coat tails of this amazing time of the year and run like the wind into the New Year!

How you do anything, is how you do everything!

It is in this 30 days that you get to choose what your journey forward is going to look and feel like.

Will you be driven by fear and doubt?

Will you be passive and disengaged?

Will you choose to play the role of a victim?

Will you surrender to your limiting beliefs?

Will you hold firmly on to the past forgetting that you live in the present?

 OR,

Will you step into your courage and power?

Will you find the blessing of each day?

Will you embrace the excitement and opportunity of creating your next chapter?

Will you choose to live fearlessly?

I choose to do IT, everything and every day, with reckless abandon!

Will you join me?

 Jump in with both feet.

Take a risk.

Trust…yourself.

Does it really matter what other people think?

What matters is if it makes you smile…in fact, giggle!

If it makes you happy, it is worth it.

You are worth it.

What comes next is up to you.

The universe is willing to help if you let it.

Commit…to you.

I am here and you are never, ever alone!

As we begin the holiday season this week with the celebration of Thanksgiving, I want to express my sincerest gratitude for you by sharing a few thoughts that I hope  you will take with you as you kick off the holiday season and remember as you move towards the New Year!  I guess you can call these the words that I live by; I am sure there are many more, but these are the ones that I keep near and dear to my heart.

Good is not good enough.

Fear is our greatest challenge.

We don’t really understand one another.

Extraordinary love changes everything.

You can have extraordinary love if you choose to have it.

Children have only one mother and one father.

Candles make everything better;  so does chocolate.

A healthy body leads to a healthy mind.

What happens next is 100% up to you.

The fastest way to get what you want is to let go of what you don’t.

Happiness can come from really small things.

Giving feels better than anything else.

You need to love yourself before you can love anyone else.

Sex is absolutely necessary; and it rocks!

Dancing will change your mood instantly.

Children are miracles.

You don’t have to forgive, but you must accept.

Time only moves forward, so we must as well.

Love hurts.

Loss hurts.

Transition is uncomfortable.

You are never alone.

Making friends midlife is hard, but we all want to make new friends.

We are not responsible for anyone’s happiness but our own.

We are solely responsible for our own happiness.

You don’t know what you don’t know so educate yourself.

It is impossible to be our own coach and mentor.

Who you spend your time with is critical and has a tremendous influence on your life.

Love yourself more than you love anyone else because when you do, you can give love more deeply and fully than you can even imagine.

Give of your time, energy, and resources to those who need it.

Never stop learning and growing.

Making friends can happen at any age.

Write daily.

Read daily.

Sleep.

Drink lots of water.

People are not usually what they seem.

There is always a reason why people do and say what they do; and it usually isn’t why you think.

Get curious.

Be curious, not confrontational.

Intentional and strategic communication works.

Honesty always prevails.

You don’t have to be angry to be powerful.

Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it is not there.

It is never too late.

How you do anything is how you do everything.

There is no such thing as perfection.

Vulnerability is sexy.

Softness is not weakness.

Be still.

Find quiet so you can hear your own voice.

Speak your truth.

Live intentionally.

Things can always be worse, trust me.

You are magnificent.

You already have all the answers within you.

Your smile is the sexiest part of your body.

Be gentle; with yourself.

Giggle and find your inner silly.

Kiss…a lot!

Hugging feels so awesome and is free. 

So are compliments.

I love you.

I  truly love and believe in you!

Have a loving, joyous and fabulous holiday!

So, when is the last time you felt angry.  Really angry.

What made you angry…do you know exactly what you were really angry about?

Divorce elicits many emotions, one of the most prominent being anger.   As I have moved through and forward after my own divorce, I spent a great deal of time reflecting on my marriage; what had gone wrong, what role did I play and how I would choose to do things differently in my next chapter.

I am not proud of it, but during my marriage, I let anger run rampant in my life.  The more unhappy and dis-empowered I felt in my life, the more anger crept in; in my communication, in my actions and in my behavior.

Anger became the fuel for me to be courageous.  The more I tapped into my anger, the more confident I felt saying what how I really felt and what I really wanted; even if it came out louder and more confrontational than I actually meant.

The problem is that anger makes it almost impossible for the person you are talking with to hear you and to understand what you are saying.  My feelings of frustration and discontent found their voice through anger.  I snapped at my kids, my husband and my family; especially my mother.

I hated that I was irritable and sharp; but while I recognized it, I was unable to do anything about it.   It protected me from the fear, the sadness and the raw truth that lay underneath.

What I hadn’t learned yet is that you don’t have to be angry to be powerful. 

So many of us use anger as fuel to be courageous, honest and to honor how we really feel.  We develop a habit of tapping into anger when we feel fear and discomfort.   The problem is that anger never gets us the result we want and instead, deteriorates our relationships unnecessarily.

Power actually comes from replacing anger and confrontation with assertiveness and compassion.

So how does one accomplish this?

Trust your truth.

Under your anger is the truth of what you feel; but this truth might scare you.  In fact, your truth may be difficult to speak; I know because I have been there myself.  But before you go to the place of anger, trust yourself.  And remember that the truth, your truth, always prevails.

Find a new fuel.

Anger is not a healthy way to gain confidence and courage.  Instead, think back to a time when you acted courageously; when you were brave.  Recall how you felt, how did you find your bravery.  Know that you already have everything you need within you.

Say it with a whisper.

Yes, you heard me.  The quieter your voice, the more powerful your words will be.  And, the lower your voice, the less angry you will become and easier it will be for you to be heard.  Your voice may shake, you may feel extreme discomfort; but you will have a greater chance of saying what you really want to say when the cloak of red, hot and loud anger is removed.

You are powerful beyond measure.  Get rid of the anger and set yourself free.

I know, it is hard to believe that Thanksgiving in next week! How did we get here when it was just summer?

I also know that you have a lot on your plate. Moving from married life to divorce lifestyle is never as profound as it is during the holiday season.

Holiday Budgets;
Custody Schedules;
Creating new holiday rituals;
Being alone on the holidays;
Gift giving;
Expectations…

These are only a few of the thoughts that may be on your mind. Not to mention that the holidays can bring on so many emotions; including sadness, loss, overwhelm, and stress.

But you have a choice. You can choose to move through the holidays and deal with the emotions, the stress and the decisions as they come up; OR, you can CHOOSE to take control of the next seven weeks.

It is time for you to get H.I.P. for the holidays! Okay, okay…I know it sounds a bit corny, but it WORKS! You need a H.I.P. or a Holiday Intention Plan!

Yes, life and holidays after divorce may not be the same as the way that they were before, they are different now. But different does not mean worse. The holidays can be anything you want them to be…they can be peaceful, love-filled, joyous and rejuvenating; but only if you set an intention and plan to create them that way.

Here is an outline for creating your H.I.P. for is holiday season:

What you will need:

• Paper
• Colored Pen (whatever color makes you happy!)
• The willingness to CHOOSE to create a holiday season that you desire!

Step One:

Write in big, bold letters at the top of your paper:

“I release all holiday stress and expectations of what I think that I should be. I allow myself to be me. I choose to be blessed beyond measure this holiday season.”

Step Two:

For each of the following sections, write your intentions and a plan for making them a reality!!

• Creating a Holiday Vibe and Energy

What do you want your holiday season to look and feel like. Make a list of all of the words that represent what you want to feel during this season. Words like peaceful, harmonious, twinkly, festive, giving, gratitude….make sure that you list all the ways that you want the next seven weeks to feel for you.

• Holiday Decorations

Now that you know how you want to feel this season, it is important to create an environment that reflects that. While I am Jewish, I absolutely love twinkly holiday lights; they make me feel happy! After my divorce, I purchased lovely strings of twinkly white holiday lights and strung them up around my fireplace and front door. Just having them on at night made me feel good and created a festive aura in my home. What will make you feel happy when you enter your home?

• Gatherings and Celebrations with friends and family

It is often necessary to create new holiday observances and rituals after divorce. While this can be uncomfortable, it can also be a fabulous way to design new ways of celebrating with friends and family. If you have children, you may have your kids some of the time, and be without them other times. What kind of celebrations and gatherings can you plan that will allow you share the holidays with both new and old friends? How can you incorporate new rituals into your holidays with family? Be creative…think out of the box!

• Gifts for Others

Make a list of all of the people for whom you wish to give a gift. What kind of unique and creative gifts can you give this year? Do they represent the way you want to feel during the holidays? Again, be creative and allow your holiday vibe and energy to guide your gift giving!

• Celebrating YOU this Holiday Season

There is no better time than now to begin your extreme self-care plan than over the holidays! This year, make a commitment to celebrate and pamper yourself in the same way that you would your children, family and best friends. Purchase gifts for yourself, write a beautiful holiday card to yourself, give yourself a holiday party!! The best way to love others is to love yourself first.

• Holiday Budget

Be honest and responsible with your holiday budget this year. Create a holiday budget that reflects how you want to feel during the holiday season. There are so many ways to express love and gratitude that doesn’t cost a lot of money. After my divorce, my holiday budget was radically reduced! As a result, I came up with all kinds of creative gift ideas that didn’t cost anything at all. I gave each of my kids a coupon to spend a special day with me in any way that they wanted. I took time with each one of them to design a day that was unique to their interests and that allowed us to share a day of undivided attention. It was fabulous and they loved it!  think about what you really want to express to each of the people you are buying for.

If you have taken the time to complete each one of these sections, you should now have a complete Holiday Intention Plan or H.I.P.

Step Three:

Your final task is to GET IT DONE!

My gift to you is that for each of you that completes your H.I.P and emails it to me at discoverthedspot@gmail.com with H.I.P. in the subject line, I will give you two ½ hour coaching sessions to support you in setting your plan in action!

I look forward to hearing your holiday dreams and desires…together we will move powerfully forward into 2013!!!

I don’t know.”

This phrase makes me crazy!  It makes me crazy because it is almost always untrue.

I would say that the majority of the women I talk to and work with will have said this statement to me at one point or another, and every time that they do, I follow it with the same response; “Yes, you do.”

When it comes to your life, your love and what you want and need, no one knows it better than you.

What I love most about the D Spot is that it is about YOU.  It is about you knowing that you do possess the answers and giving yourself permission to hear and trust yourself.

Yes, deep down you do know…

• You do know what happened in your marriage and what went wrong.
• You do know why and how you contributed, even if it isn’t fun “going there”.
• You do know exactly what you want your life to look like.
• You do know what you need to do and be to make that happen.
• You do know the choices you must make and why.
• You do know what makes your heart sing and, what makes your heart race.

You do know…even if you are afraid to say it out loud to yourself, or anyone else.  That’s okay.  That’s the good news.

The bad news is that there are a lot of other voices that are working hard to convince you otherwise.  They don’t want you to be fully you, they like the challenges that they create for you.  They are afraid that you will be fully, and truly happy without them.

It is the voice of your inner gremlin, making sure you are in touch with your fears and doubts.

It is the voice of your mother or father, evaluating your choices against theirs.

It is the voice of your best friend or friends, who believe they know what you want or need better than you do and want to show their love by telling you what you should do.

It is the voice of your Ex, reminding you of what were old patterns, patterns that no longer serve you.

None of these voices are as clear, as courageous or as strong as your own.

But are you listening to it…to her?  To your own voice; the one that knows?

If not, it is time to unleash her; to give her the place and space to lead you towards your destiny.  So how do you do that?

Get to know her.

Purchase a beautiful journal, one that represents the essence of her. Carry the journal in your handbag, taking it with you wherever you go.  In your relationships, conversations and experiences, take time to be aware of her presence.  Write down what she thinks, what she would do or say, if she didn’t care what came out of her mouth?  Listen to her raw, unfiltered thoughts, feelings and desires.  Then the next day, and the day after that, read her words and get to know her; remembering that she is speaking the truth…she is the person who knows.

Trust her.

She knows what she is talking about.  She holds the key to your passion and purpose; and has the ability to unleash what you truly desire.  Although your fears, your doubts and your discomfort cause you to resist your voice, her sole interest is in making you happy.  And she truly knows what you want most, so trust her.  Give her a say in how you move forward.

Allow her to speak.

If you are able to hear her, and listen, perhaps it is time to give her permission to speak.  When you are communicating with your children, your Ex, your new partner or your friends, hear what she has to say and allow her to emerge through your words.  She may be rough around the edges, or bolder than you are used to, but you can choose the language and the way in which you share her truth.

It can be hard, not only to hear our inner voice, but it can also be uncomfortable when we begin to own her as the truth of who we really are.  However, when you do, you will no longer feel the need to say, “I don’t know”; because you do.  And then, your choices, decisions and actions will lead you towards exactly what you want.

You will be free to be you, and all that you are meant to be.  It is liberating.

Do you remember playing Truth or Dare when you were a teenager?  What did you prefer, telling a truth or accepting the challenge of a dare?

To be completely honest, I was afraid of both, which is probably why I avoided this game at all costs growing up.  And all through my marriage I found myself still avoiding both of these options.

But divorce changed all that; it tends to do that.  Moving through and forward after divorce is the fastest way to conquer your fear of speaking your truth and daring to do what you have never done before.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about all the ways that we allow fear to hold us back from what we want and are meant to do.  And I have decided that I will no longer allow it to prevent me from experiencing what I want in my life.

Last weekend I did something that I have wanted to do for a long time but have always made excuses as to why I couldn’t do it.  I participated in my first Warrior Dash.  The Warrior Dash is an obstacle run.  It is a 5K run with about 10 obstacle challenges along the course.

While I take care of myself and am pretty fit, the thought of the Warrior Dash was a little intimidating for me.  And yet, at the same time, it has always looked like something really fun to do.  So in the spring, I posted a call to action on my facebook page to see if anyone would like to do it with me. To be honest, I got a lot of people telling me how fun it looked; but I did not get many who wanted to commit to doing it with me.  Despite the lack of commitment by others, I wasn’t going to give up.

Eventually, a lovely woman who I went to high school with jumped in and said she would love to join; we hadn’t really connected in almost 20 years and I was delighted to seize this opportunity!  Then, a friend and colleagues said she would love to join as well.  By the end of the summer we had six women on our team, three that I had never met before.  We decided to name our team, Dash Divas.

So last weekend, I found myself standing at the Starting Line of my first Warrior Dash with my six Dash Divas, all of us doing something scary for the first time.  And it was a blast!

We were nervous, and excited, and committed to finishing together…leaving no woman behind!  Here we are crossing the finish line!!

I was so proud of myself, so proud of us.  Daring to do something we have all wanted to do;  challenging ourselves to fight through our nerves and our fear!

Life during and after divorce is full of opportunities to dare ourselves to live the life we imagine, and deserve; if we choose to see those opportunities and take advantage of them.

It can be comfortable to stay where we are, even if it is not where we really want to be.  Moving forward is uncomfortable and frightening, but everything you want is on the other side of fear.  And the only way to get there is to step out of your comfort zone.

So, I dare you.

 I dare you to do something you have always wanted to do.

I dare you to look for opportunities that scare you, and to face your fear and do it anyway.

I dare you to be uncomfortable, knowing that what you really want is on the other side of it.

I dare you to speak your truth.

I dare you to push yourself harder than anyone else will.

I dare you to be vulnerable and scared, we all are.

I dare you to take risks, because you will grow from them.

I dare you to let go of what was, because your future is waiting for you.

I dare you to open yourself up to new friends, new experiences and new love.

I dare you to ask for the support you deserve.

I dare you to express your desires out loud.

I dare you do just one thing every day that moves you towards the life you imagine.

I dare you to be YOU…because you are magnificent; you are brilliant, bold and courageous beyond measure.

Together, just like me and my Dash Divas, we will boldly move forward, leaving no woman behind.

You are not alone.  We are in this together!

Recently I have been asked, by more than one media outlet, to speak on the subject of what I believe the single most important piece of advice is that I would give to anyone who is thinking about, going through or moving forward after divorce.

As you might imagine, this is a loaded question and one for which I seem to have trouble answering.  There are many words of guidance that I would give anyone who is facing or has experienced the transition of divorce.

As I sit at my desk (as I am doing right now), I am once again reflecting on this question…what IS the most important piece of advice I would give?

You are in this with me so I ask you! What is the one thing you need more than anything else; the one thing that would change your life right now?

Is it money?
Is it a more effective way to communicate?
Is it a job?
Is it new love?
Is it a “life roadmap”?
Is it courage?  Is it confidence?

 Or perhaps, it is a combination of all of the above?

Like you, I continue to move forward designing my new life after divorce; and to be completely honest, I have had a challenging couple of days.  So, today I could use more effective techniques for communicating with my teenage son, a few new strategies for managing a long distance relationship and perhaps a few helpful hints on re-energizing when you have limited time available.

I guess what I really need is information; information from someone who is an expert in these issues.  Or in other words, really good support.

I have a lot of friends and family that love me, and who would be happy to share their thoughts and opinions with me.  After all, I know that they want me to be happy.

But that is not what I know I need.  I need someone who doesn’t just love me (although loving me would be nice!!), but someone who can give me the tools and resources I need and who is skilled at supporting me create a plan for addressing my most pressing issues, the ones that make me feel sad, overwhelmed and anxious.  I’m not a person who wants to waste a lot of time, I am ready to take action!

The good news for me is that I surround myself with experts in all different areas of personal development and most importantly, I am not afraid to ask for help, or support.

So, that’s it, the #1 thing that you need, and by the way, deserve!   Getting information and really good support is the THE single most important piece of advice that I can give to you and anyone else who wants to create new life after divorce.

It may be that you need money, a job, new love, parenting wisdom….but regardless of what you need, it comes down to asking for and getting support; support from someone who has the skills, the training, the information and the talent to move you forward and create a plan for eliminating the sadness, paralysis and overwhelm that you feel.

And while I recognize that asking for support may feel uncomfortable and maybe even “weak”, it is the strongest, wisest and most loving thing you can do for yourself.

Trust me, I am right here with you.  In fact, I must go right now and make a few calls myself!

There is nothing that can be more painful, and empowering, than healing from and moving forward after divorce.  And more specifically, from the process of understanding what really happened.

  Not just looking back and re-living the awful behavior of our partner; the infidelity, the verbal abuse, the self-centeredness, the insensitivity, the lack of  passion, lack of attention and inability to partner fully, but understanding the real reasons that things didn’t work out in the first place.

I knew early on in my marriage that mine was  not the right marriage, or relationship, for me.  Of course I didn’t know it intellectually, but rather way, deep down inside; in a place thickly covered by fear, sadness, disappointment, and a desire to make it work as I believed I was supposed to do.

Many years later, as my courage, confidence and shear unhappiness allowed me to set my “knowing” free and eventually divorce, I found myself in the process of moving forward after divorce.  And even my “knowing” that divorce was the right thing for us did not prevent the pain, the sadness and the exhaustion of doing the hard work of understanding what happened, so that I could begin to create the life I truly did want.

Initially this process began with the comfort of fully exploring (elaborating) and accepting all of the things that my husband had done to prevent our marriage from working.  All of his inadequacies, his imperfections and his inability and unwillingness to do what it would take to make it a salvageable relationship.

After all, his choices, his behavior and his lack of contribution to the solution was the “real” reason for the divorce, wasn’t it?

My friends and family were perfectly happy discussing (over and over again), how imperfect he was.  How at fault he was.  Clearly they all could see the truth as well.  Or, what I realize now, was their attempt to make me feel better by perpetuating the justification of why I made the right decision.

As I began to create my new, empowered, and “ideal” life, I began to let go of my sadness, my anger and my frustration with beginning anew, and instead, embrace it.  And as I did, with the help of my own amazing coaches and new friends, I also began to question if I had been truly honest about what really happened in our relationship and marriage. It was pointed out to me that I had never asked myself the most important question of all, what role had I played in it not working out?

And so I did.

What I learned is that it is in answering this question that the greatest amount of healing is done.  The self-exploration around how I had contributed to the dynamic of our relationship was ultimately the key to having everything I want.  And it in no way marginalized, diminished or condoned the role my husband played.  The truth; there wasn’t anything either one of us could have done to make the relationship or marriage work, for many reasons.  But I now understand exactly what I want to receive and what I want to bring to the table in a new relationship.

It isn’t easy to ask the question, “what did I do?”, because it forces us to face our own inadequacies and imperfections.  And if you did not initiate your divorce, and don’t fully understand what happened, this will be particularly painful.  I strongly recommend that you get the kind of support you need and deserve to do this self-exploration in a safe and comfortable way.

So, if you haven’t asked yourself this question, why not?

•  Is it that you feel that you, in no way, deserved the kind of treatment you have gotten from your Ex so no matter what you did, it is irrelevant?
   
• Is it that his/her infidelity or abusive behavior far exceeds anything you might have contributed so anything you did is insignificant relative to how horrible you have been treated?
   
• Or is it that when married, no matter what we contribute, there is an “obligation” to stay in the marriage and make it work?  Especially for the children?

 Here’s the truth; the greatest gift you can give yourself is to understand your role in the demise of your relationship and marriage, despite what your Ex has done.  Not only will this set you free, but it is the way to begin the process of letting go of what was to make room for what will be. 

I am in no way saying that this is easy, far from it.  But it is in this journey to understanding that true healing becomes possible.

As many of you know, I not only will be speaking at, but am also on the Advisory Board of the amazing, first ever Start Over Smart Divorce Expo taking place in New York City on March 31 – April 1!  If you haven’t already bought your tickets, do it now…I would love to meet you in person!

On Saturday I will be speaking with my mother on The Ripple Effect of Divorce: How My Divorce Affected Those Who Love Me Most and the Lessons I Learned.  She and I will explore the impact of those five little words, “I am getting a divorce” not only on our relationship, but also on my caring circle of friends and family as well.  Together we will share stories of our personal journey while at the same time presenting our secrets to strengthening these relationships through divorce.  This is the perfect workshop for any of you who have a parent, sister, or best friend who loves you and is doing their best to support you…even if it doesn’t feel that way.  I hope you will grab them and join us for a fun and special workshop!

On Sunday I will be participating on a fantastic panel, The Real Deal on Divorce. I will be joined by two of my amazing friends, Nicole Baras Feuer (co-founder of the Start Over Smart Expo) and Nancy Levin (author and Hay House Event Producer). The panel will be moderated by Stacy Morrison, Editor-in-Chief of Blogher.com and former Editor of Redbook Magazine.  We are going to talk about the things no one ever talks about when it comes to divorce!! Woohoo!!!

As the four of us began to talk about our panel and the juicy things we wanted to talk about, we tossed around, sex, sensuality, co-parenting surprises, eating for one and all kinds of other things that we have all faced on our own personal journeys.

 Our emails began flying and Stacy shared with us an article that she had written for the New York Times about an unexpected post-divorce situation.  Click here to read the article.

It is a great article, but I wasn’t prepared for how I would feel reading it.

As I finished reading it, I felt a strange mixture of happiness for her…and jealousy.  Yes, you heard me right, jealousy!

I am not a jealous person, in fact I am an advocate for peaceful solutions when it comes to divorce…all four of us are.  But I realized that I wished that I could exchange one of my own challenges for the one she talks about in the article.

She and her Ex-husband are collaboratively and peacefully co-parenting their son and although uncomfortable at times, they are leaving the door open to redefining their co-parenting relationship and navigating the new lives they are each creating.  Unfortunately, my Ex-husband and I are not.  It was once that way for us, but new lives, new loves and a variety of other circumstances have caused our initial post-divorce relationship to deteriorate.  It is not what I want and I am sad about it.

Three of the four us on the panel have children, and while we all started out with the same intention and desire to successfully and collaboratively co-parent our children, we each have faced unique challenges as we move along our journey.

I shared my reaction to the article with the group, which opened up the door for us to explore even further how though so much can seem the same; our experiences are in fact different on so many levels.  And none of us anticipated the unexpected consequences that our divorces would present.  It felt wonderful and liberating to share with each other just how much we didn’t know about what this divorce journey would be like and give each other support we need, and deserve.

I also know that we are not alone, and that each of you has a unique journey along which you are traveling.

So, I am even more excited today about being a part of this panel…it is going to be juicy, fun and fabulous!  I really hope you will find your way to NYC and join us then!!

For a while now I have been writing for the Huffington Post which is a lot of fun, but also fascinating.  The Huff is one of the most highly read online publications and therefore offers a huge and diverse audience with whom I can share my thoughts.

One of the things that I have found through all of the comments to my posts, is that there seems to be a feeling by many that the individual who initiates a divorce is somehow both selfishly giving up on their marriage and will also enjoy a far easier time moving forward than the person who was “left”.

Not only do I not agree with this “myth”, but I feel obligated to share my thoughts on these positions, both as someone who initiated my divorce but as a Divorce Expert and Coach as well.

So, let me be clear about how I feel.

No one walks down the aisle at their wedding hoping that they will one day be divorced.  In other words, no one “wants” divorce.

As you already know, divorce is one of those decisions that is incredibly difficult to make and more often than not, takes courage, strength and tremendous work to manage.

For me personally, my decision to divorce did not happen overnight as a means of avoiding the hard work of making marriage work.  While most of the people in my life; friends, family and community, first became aware of my marital discontent when we shared our decision to divorce publicly, in fact what they did not know, was the almost four years of counseling, therapy and hard work that we put into trying to make our marriage work.

It was a decision that took years to make and was for us…for me, a last resort.  Despite my divorce and my passion for being a Divorce Expert and Coach, I believe in and advocate for strong, healthy and long term relationships and marriage.  My parents are happily married for 47 years and I wanted more than anything in my life to have created and enjoyed the same beautiful and extraordinary long term marriage.

Unfortunately, many of us made the decision to marry when we were young and uneducated as to what we really wanted and needed in an ideal relationship.  It is not that I don’t believe in the importance of and commitment involved in creating a wonderful marriage, but rather, my Ex-husband and I were simply not a good fit.  Both my Ex-husband and I made the decision to marry for what we thought were the “right” reasons and by using what we thought were the “right” criteria.  However, looking back, neither one of us was a good fit for the other; we both made a decision that couldn’t work because of who we are at our core.

Making the decision to end our marriage, a commitment we both took seriously, was incredibly difficult and painful, for both of us.

There are so many reasons why individuals or couples decide to end their marriages.  Perhaps there is abuse (verbal or physical), infidelity, or just plain unhappiness.  No matter what the reason, it is never as simple as it seems.  Underneath all of these reasons is a far more complicated situation than anyone, including the individuals in the marriage, often understands.  That is where someone like me, a Divorce Expert, Coach or therapist, can help to understand what is really going on and move through the transition with honesty, integrity and clarity.

We all deserve to be part of a relationship that is extraordinary and getting divorced does not in any way mean that a person is not capable of or doesn’t value the commitment to a long term relationship or marriage.

As a matter of fact, it is no easier for the “initiator” to move forward after divorce and create a new and extraordinary life, than it is for the spouse that didn’t initiate.

Divorce is a significant transition that affects almost every area of an individual’s life.  Whether a person was the one to first utter the words, “I want a divorce” or not, the transition is equally challenging.

There are always reasons why a marriage ends.  And while the emotional stress and anxiety can be excessive, focusing on the assumption of blame will not in any way pave the way for either person to move forward.  Rather, it will make the situation more difficult for both individuals and any children involved.  The best strategy for moving forward it to focus on understanding and accepting the situation, and use that as the foundation upon which a new life will be built.

I recognize that it is easier said than done, but I have never found a situation where both individuals did not contribute in one way or another to the demise of the marriage, whether they were the one to initiate divorce or not.

I was the one to initiate, and yet I realize that I also contributed to it not succeeding.  I take this accountability seriously and despite the sadness of having made the decision and feeling like a failure, I have made a commitment to do whatever it takes to learn from that experience and prepare myself for new effortless, extraordinary love.

Here’s the real deal.  Walking down an aisle, wearing a wedding band, and simply living together for decades does not alone make a marriage succeed.   Nor does it “earn” either spouse the obligation to stay in a situation that is unhealthy or unhappy.  What it does mean is that there is work, commitment and a discipline involved in creating an extraordinary relationship that can withstand the test of time.  And even after divorce, that relationship is out there waiting for you!

Every situation is unique, and my experience personally and professionally has proved that each marriage and divorce poses its own complexities.  But the notion that either person moving through and forward after divorce has it easier or harder than the other, is simply not true…even if it seems that way from the outside.

What I have learned is that divorce can create a strange mixture of sadness, loss, fear, anxiety, liberation, freedom, courage and self-sufficiency…among a host of other emotions.  It is a profound and complex journey that requires less judgment and more support for all of the individuals experiencing it.

So, I feel better now that I have clarified myself.

This has been my longwinded way of saying that each of you has a situation that is unique, and that you are moving though it with grace.  And no matter what your situation is, I know that it has had moments of challenge, moments of joy, and moments of fear…and that none of us “chose” divorce be a part of our lives.

I applaud you for taking the big step of getting support through the D Spot community….I am delighted that you are here and know that you will have the magnificent future you desire and deserve.

What is it that keeps us working so hard for the friendships and intimate, love relationship that we so desperately desire?

Over the years I have witnessed hundreds of women who are working harder than ever at friendships and relationships that are depleting them of energy, enthusiasm and inspiration.   And yet, despite recognizing that these relationships are exhausting and exasperating, they continue to try harder to do more, be more and say more.

At some point, the exhaustion, frustration and depletion becomes more than they can bear and something momentous happens, changing the relationship forever.

Perhaps it is an affair.  That becomes the catalyst for the ending of a marriage that was not healthy to begin with.

 Perhaps there a fight of epic proportions for which things are said that can never be taken back.

 Or perhaps there is silence.  A silence so great that the hole that is left creates emotions that will take years to heal.

By the time this happens, the wounds are so deep and so painful; they require extreme care to heal.  And usually, the relationship can’t recover from them.

Divorce is often the result of what is not said and done, rather than what is said and done; although many would argue differently.  And by the time a woman comes to me for support, it is hard to get clarity around what she really wants to say…or, wanted to say; wishes she had said.

The same holds true, by the way, for friendships.  There are often parallels between what happens in divorce and what happens in the demise of a close friendship.

Why is this?

Well, if we aren’t saying what we really want and need to say, our partner/friends can’t hear what we really want and need them to hear.

It is not much more complicated than that.

You see, here is the simple truth.  You don’t have to be, do or say anything special to be loved.  Nope.  You just have to be YOU.

Honest you.

Authentic you.

Compassionate you.

Loving you.

Direct you.

Kind you.

Beautiful you.

 YOU…are enough.

You don’t have to buy sexy clothes. You don’t have to prepare fancy meals.  You don’t have to clean your house top to bottom.  Nor do you have to sacrifice your goals, your dreams, your desires or your interests to express your love and devotion.

You…the raw truth of who you are, is perfectly enough. 

Love is meant to be shared, from the inside out.  It is not meant to be earned, bought or judged.  It is simply meant to be felt and shared.

When you find yourself in a relationship or friendship that is causing you to work hard to do, be or say anything that doesn’t feel authentic to who you are, it is time to come clean.  It is time to say what needs to be said and allow the relationship to grow…or fade.

While this is not an easy thing to do, it is what will lead you to freedom.

Freedom to be the YOU that you are meant to be!

A couple of weeks ago my son and I got into a conversation about a friend of his who wanted to break up with his girlfriend. We talked about why his friend had come to this decision and then I asked him how he thought he was going to break up with her.

He shifted around in his chair for a few minutes and said that he wasn’t sure.

At this point, I suggested that his friend, and all teenagers,  needed to talk with their boyfriend/girlfriends face to face and be calm, clear, concise and confident in the conversation.  They had been together almost a year and the relationship, and his girlfriend, deserved an honest conversation.  I also shared with him that breaking up through facebook, texting or an email was not an appropriate or mature way to end a relationship.  And since he tells me all the time that he and his friends are now “men”, that this would be a good opportunity for him to guide his friend to step fully into what a mature man would do.

He responded that his friend was afraid to have the conversation because whenever so many times she he has tried to talk with her about it, she started to cry and beg him not to do it. Then she would be “mean” to him and he felt really bad.  But my son knew that his friend was not at all happy in the relationship and that his feelings of guilt, and fear, were making this conversation extremely difficult to have.

This is far too common a theme among our teenagers today, and sadly, far too common among adults as well.

Fast forward to today and his friend did have the conversation, and she did cry.  And then it was over.

Lately, a number of my clients have been struggling with how to tell their husbands that they are terribly unhappy and in fact, want to “break up”; that it is time to get a divorce.

And I have realized that we as adults have no easier a time with the “break up” than teenagers do.  My conversation with my son was just the beginning of teaching him how to manage conflict and learn to tell someone close to you what they don’t want to hear.  A skill that is not often taught but is necessary for creating a life you want, and can have.

Difficult conversations…nobody wants to have them, but they are a necessary part of life.

Divorce is the ultimate break up.  And yet, the conversation I had with my son is almost the same one that I have with any individual who is unhappy in their marriage and has made the decision to divorce.  This is a scary, upsetting, and difficult conversation to have; but one that must be done with equal parts of calm, compassion, clarity and honesty.  These are the cornerstones of exceptional communication which will become the foundation upon which your new future, relationships and love will be built.

No one wants to look into the face of someone they have cared about or loved, and tell them something that will hurt them, anger them or cause them deep sadness.  No one wants to be responsible for making another person cry.  But that can sometimes not be avoided, no matter what. These are natural reactions to hearing something you don’t like hearing.

Difficult conversations require support, preparation and a strategy for success.  And in the case of divorce, it is a conversation that can set the tone for the entire divorce process.

They should not be had in public, on facebook, through texts or via email (unless there is danger involved).   Difficult conversations don’t have to be angry or loud to be effective.  Instead, the most successful difficult conversations happen when the person initiating the conversation remains calm and allows the person receiving to have whatever feelings they have.

Unfortunately, the fear associated with initiating this conversation can be so great that the pain associated with having it seems worse than the pain that comes with avoiding it and instead choosing to do something indirectly that will force the “break up”.  For example, having an affair, creating a magnificent argument that turns into a battle, texting it…  These actions create adrenaline which can give a false sense of courage.

Telling someone something they don’t want to hear takes courage and the knowledge that truth and honesty always prevail; which they do.

If you are struggling with how you are going to have a difficult conversation,  get support, make sure you have clarity around what you want say and what you want the outcome to be, and communicate with compassion.

Once you master the skill of managing difficult conversations, you will enjoy the reward of extraordinary relationships…and love.

Many of you know that over the past few years I have become a passionate football fan.

There is something I love about the masculinity of it, the strategy of it, the strength of it and the excitement of it. Over time I have learned about each team, each quarterback and the strengths and weaknesses of each team. While I don’t have a favorite team, I do have a few that I like more than others and for lots of reasons.

Like many Americans, I have also been intrigued by the young rising star, Tim Tebow, who some are calling “the Chosen One”.

Not knowing much about him, I had the opportunity last week to watch a documentary about him. I was folding laundry (as I usually do on Sundays) and while flipping around the channels, I came across this special just as it was starting.

While it was only an hour, seeing his journey gave me a growing sense of appreciation for this young man and athlete, and I was taken by his courage, tenacity and commitment to his Big Vision; all mirroring my work with women moving through and forward after divorce.

Here are a few tips that I learned from Tim Tebow about creating what comes next:

1.     Set your vision and don’t take your eye off of it.

It is clear from the film that Tim had a vision of being a star football player from a very young age. As he moved farther along his career and eventually through college, he had received almost as many awards, recognitions and accolades as are possible. However, in his quest to be drafted to the NFL, he also realized that none of that mattered. Those achievements were not what would necessarily earn him a place on a major league team.

I thought a lot about this because there are parallels in this to what we experience through and after divorce. I does not necessarily matter what we had, how amazing a spouse we were or what acknowledgement we do or do not get now; what matters is to stay focused on the vision of what our ideal and extraordinary life will be. I was struck by Tim Tebow’s ability at a young age to accept his accomplishments as just that, bu t remain focused on his goals and all that it would take to achieve them. A wonderful lesson for all of us.

2.     Create your “Dream Team”, but even with them, what happens next is up to you.

Through the film you are introduced to all of the experts, professionals and coaches that Tim uses in his preparation for reaching his goal. You are also introduced to his family, especially his father and brother, who support him along every step of his journey. He makes it clear that creating this incredible team of and circle of support is essential for him to gain the information, skills and guidance that he needs to move towards his vision.

However, he also shares that while the team is outstanding; they are not responsible for getting it done. They are not responsible for achieving his goal, and in fact; he alone is.

I found this to be completely in alignment with my philosophy both personally and professionally. I believe that creating a team of experts and circle of support is essential for moving through a nd forward after divorce. But I also believe that no matter how much support we are all receiving, we will not create the lives we are meant to live unless we step fully into owning responsibility for it. If we want something, it is not only up to each of us to get the support we need, but to take responsibility for doing whatever it takes to get it!

3.     There is no shortcut; getting what you want takes tremendous strength, commitment and discipline.

Finally, Tim Tebow shows us through this film, that there is no easy way to get what we want. No money in the world, no amount of popularity and no accolades will guarantee that we will get it. The only way to create what we want and to reach our goals is to do the incredible hard work that is necessary to prepare us to get there.

He dedicated every hour of every day to doing whatever it takes. Training and then training more. Studying, researching, learning…from sun-up to sun-down, Tim put 100% of his time, energy, and attention into his vision. It didn’t matter that the public, the media and football experts around the world doubted his ability and challenged his capabilities. It didn’t matter that friends and fellow athletes were living lives much different to his. It didn’t matter that it wa s grueling work and consumed his life. In the end, he was drafted; and it was not because he was good looking or performed in college. It was because his complete dedication, discipline and mindset were focused on what he wanted.

I was humbled by his work ethic, his commitment and his ability to fight through his own and other people’s limiting beliefs and thoughts to manifest what he wanted. I had not known just how hard he worked for it and I gained a sense of appreciation for him as well as seeing the power of possibility.

When facing the uncertainty of creating a new life after divorce, it is exactly these strategies and attributes that will allow us to be open to the possibility of our potential; and step into the confidence that we can create all that we want.

I am grateful to have stumbled onto this film, it was wonderful! If you have the chance to see this great documentary, I hope you will take the opportunity to watch it!

So, how many of you have read Fifty Shades of Grey?  If you haven’t yet, you must.

Over my vacation last week, I decided to catch up on my pleasure reading which included the Fifty Shades trilogy, and I am so glad I did.  Not because of the sex, which was fabulously fun to read, but more importantly, because the underlying messages of the book are those that are in alignment with all that I stand for.

The books, which most will say are simply erotica for the middle aged, is really a love story; and one that touches upon the very core of what effortless, extraordinary love is all about.

• Yes, the book is deliciously erotic.
• Yes, the book touches upon sexual content that is edgy and may be outside of our comfort zone.
• Yes, the book is exaggerated and extreme in its story.

However, the messages are, in my opinion, critical to the success of any good relationship.  Over the next few blog posts, I am going to share my thoughts about Fifty Shades and what it means for you as you create your new life and love after divorce.

I feel that the most significant message of the book is that things are not always what they seem. 

This is a story of two seemingly unsuited individuals who, over time, prove that they are more of an ideal fit than they could have ever imagined.

We all come with “baggage”, especially after divorce.  As a matter of fact, going through it we develop our own “fifty shades of divorce” and these fifty shades are what become part of the fabric of our lives as well as the experience that best prepares us for our next chapter.

The relationship between Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele is one that allows the reader to take our own discomfort with how we think we would handle their situation and view it relative to how their relationship grows and evolves.

Extraordinary love is created when we engage and communicate with our lover/partner with curiosity and compassion.  When our curiosity about why someone does what they do outweighs our need to judge them.  When our desire to understand outweighs our need to react.

The book creates a relationship that is built on the curiosity and compassion shared between Christian and Anastasia and we watch as they question and challenge each other and their “baggage” with humor, desire and passion. 

They are each more interested in learning about each other and what motivates their actions, behaviors and words than they are about pushing each other away because of discomfort and fear.

Moving through and forward after divorce is an experience that can become   our defining story if we let it and can sometimes leave us feeling emotionally reactive and protective.

As we create and attract new relationships after divorce; with our Ex, with our children, and with new romance; leading with curiosity and compassion will ultimately open the door to extraordinary experiences.

I won’t give away the ending, but I will tell you that what happens between them is only possible because they are both willing to:

1.  Use the truth and experiences of their past as opportunities to grow and evolve, becoming a catalyst for change; and

2.  Look past the way things might “seem” with a desire to understand and to unleash the potential in each other. 

 As you move forward through and after your divorce, remember that things are not always what they seem.   There are always reasons why people act the way they do, say the things they do and react the way they do.    If you approach every situation with curiosity and compassion, you will not only discover what is really going on beneath the surface, but you will discover how to communicate in a way that will get you exactly what you want!

 Stay tuned for Part 2 of Fifty Shades of Your New Life after Divorce!

I don’t know about you, but there were a lot of thoughts running around my head as I read the Fifty Shades trilogy.

Yes, I am aware that they are a fun, erotic series of novels and that, of course, not one that can possibly be based in reality…or can it?

The truth is that while they are in fact perhaps exaggerations of what we define as “real” or appropriate, they are exactly that…exaggerations. Exaggerations built on thoughts that you and I often think and feel, deep down inside. Things like:

• Can sex be that passionate and crazy good?
• How much “experimentation” is “normal”?
• Am I a freak if I want to try a little bit of “that” (just a little!)…under “appropriate” circumstances?
• There is no way that a man like that could fall madly in love with a woman like that?
• Is it possible that a man could ever love me that much?
• Could I ever love a man that much?

The list goes on and on…and that is why this trilogy has skyrocketed to the best seller list. It opens the door to our imagination, our passion, and our possibilities.

One of the most significant lessons that I took from these books is what I know already to be true; that it is critical to speak our truth, no matter how afraid or how vulnerable we feel.

James, in her trilogy, created characters Christian and Anastasia, as dramatic exaggerations of what could be any two individuals that are seemingly so different from each other.

Christian Grey “seems” at first to be a sexual deviant, an abusive, crazy and “narcissistic” man. And yes, he is extreme (controlling, sexually “out there”, and self-centered)…for you and I. However, when viewing him through a lens of curiosity and compassion, Anastasia finds a man who has been deeply wounded, is carrying “fifty shades of baggage”, and ultimately, wants to love and be loved, but has no idea of what healthy love looks like. Of course, this is shrouded in over the top dominant scenarios and crazy drama throughout the book.

What I am talking about are the underlying messages. Shown through the relentless pursuit of Anastasia to understand him and extract his truth.

Anastasia is just the opposite. With no experience at love, intimacy or sex of any kind, she is simply nervous, excited, scared, curious and vulnerable. However, she is also smart and confident. And while she is also ultimately looking to love and be loved, she navigates being open to what she doesn’t know and understand, with caution, safe boundaries and her truth.

There is tension between them, not only sexually, but because in honoring their own individual truths, they learn that they will have to share their fears, their vulnerabilities and their deepest desires.

It is never easy to share with someone we care about what our deepest truth is. It takes courage, clarity and risk. Risk that the other person will be angry with us; that they will judge us; that they won’t love us. These fears often cause us to turn and flee, abandoning our truth and ultimately placing us in a situation we don’t really want at our core.

Christian and Anastasia take the risk; albeit painfully. And, they eventually reap the reward for it. But the messages are clear:

• get clear on what your deepest truth is
• be prepared to set boundaries that honor your truth but allow for growth; then,
• honor your boundaries; with kindness and compassion
• extraordinary love only comes when we share our truth; our fears, vulnerabilities, and deepest desires

So, do you know what your deepest truth is?

What holds you back from speaking your truth?

One of the first questions that I ask every woman I talk or work with is, “So, what is it that you really want?”

No, not what you think you should want. Not what you feel you are supposed to want. Not what your family, friends or children want for you…but what do YOU want?

So often this is a question that drives the answer, “I don’t know”. And here is what I say to that; I don’t believe you.

It’s not that I think you are lying, but rather, it is that I don’t think you are telling the truth…your truth. The truth that lies deep down inside where we keep our desires, our fantasies and our passions. It is the truth that we are so often afraid to speak because we fear the consequences of it. That if we speak it….say it out loud…that someone we love won’t be happy with us, will be angry with us, will leave us or let us go, or simply won’t love us anymore.

Many of you share your truth with me and when I ask you what is holding you back from sharing it with the people in your life who are supposed to love you the most, you tell me that you are afraid of what will happen. That you are waiting for 100% certainty that what you know you want is really what you want; and that it will be okay.

Here’s the skinny; it will be okay. And, you absolutely do know exactly what you want; even if you are afraid of saying it out loud.

However, if you haven’t created relationships that are built on the complete truth of who you are, how you feel and what you want, there will be discomfort with shifting to a life that is.

• You may hurt someone you love…unintentionally.
• You may lose relationships.
• You may feel alone or insecure with finally embracing and speaking what you know you really want deep down inside.

I believe that many divorces are caused by one of the individuals within the marriage being scared to speak the truth about how they feel as they grow and evolve. So they don’t. And as a result of NOT speaking this truth, the relationship is built on a lack of complete honesty. And it is impossible to co-create an extraordinary relationship…together, when the truth is not present.

Some of us have been the ones to struggle with how to speak our truth when we know it may hurt someone we care about and that it may end a relationship.

Some of us have been on the receiving end of hearing the truth from someone we love. And it did hurt. But knowing that truth, over the long run, allowed us to move forward in understanding our own.

Sometimes this truth is cause for a marriage/relationship to end. But sometimes, this truth allows us to grow closer, to grow and evolve, and to co-create something even stronger and deeper.

What makes it even more complicated is that once we own our truth, it can be extremely frightening and difficult to communicate it in a way that is compassionate and kind. And so again, so many choose to avoid it altogether and hope it goes away. The trouble is, we, at our core, always know how we feel and what we want, even if we try to ignore it. It doesn’t go away. And there is a way to communicate our truth in a way that will get us exactly what we desire in life and in love.

Building relationships where both individuals are freely speaking their truth is the only way to have a sustainable and extraordinary relationship.

When you build a life around YOUR truth; with friends, with your children, with family and in love, you will experience a freedom, peace and harmony that you may have never experienced. All it takes is learning how to speak it.

So, let me ask you, what would it mean if you were free to live your life the way you wanted and honor how you really feel? What if you gave yourself permission to speak your truth in all of your relationships?

So this week was the final week of my first ever Are You Ready…for your New Life and Love program and all I have to say is WOW!  What an amazing experience!

One of the things that I love most about what I do is the opportunity to continuously learn and evolve from all of the women that come into my life through my business.  Every email you send me, every conversation we have, and every experience you have teaches me something not only about myself, but also about moving powerfully forward in the creation of life after divorce.

This program allowed me to share five weeks with seven amazing women.  Together we broke through challenges, reconnected with ourselves and designed our new stories.  I was reminded just how powerful it is to come together as magnificent women and support each other in the creation of our ideal lives!  I am truly sad that this first program has come to an end, but I am pumped because I have decided to do it again this fall!!

     Seven women.

     Five Weeks.

     Radical Transformation!!

I wanted to share a little about our experience over the past five weeks because as we all recognized, we are not alone in our journey.  It can feel isolating at times, but once we started talking and sharing our stories, there were commonalities across all of our unique situations.

Your divorce holds the key to unlocking your extraordinary future.

Yes, you heard me correctly.

Through the ending of your marriage and your journey through divorce, you have the ability to learn all that you need to create what you want…IF YOU ALLOW IT!

For so many of us, the exhaustion of the process, the feeling of overwhelm, and the emotions of sadness, grief and anger prevent us from learning what we need to create our new lives.

Instead, we resist.

We defend.

We judge.

We retaliate.

We sabotage.

We do and say many things that in the end, only hurt us.

What was so incredible for me was watching women just like you step out of these limiting behaviors and thoughts, and instead, replace them with MOJO!  With hope.  With brilliant and bold intentions.  With desire.  And with passion.  It was AWESOME!

For those of you who participated in the program and are reading this; THANK YOU!  Thank you for your courage, your inspiration, your magnificence, your depth, your commitment and your energy!  I am a better person for sharing this time with you!

And for all of you…if you are feeling alone, uninspired, unmotivated, sad, angry, overwhelmed, anxious or simply exhausted…know that your new life is right around the corner.  Even if you can’t see it yet.

You are at the beginning.  The beginning of the rest of your life; and it is there ready for you to reclaim it!

I appreciate you indulging me while I brag about the incredible women who shared this time with me.  It was too short…just the tip of the iceberg!

If you are interested in participating in the next Are You Ready?! Program that will take place this fall…just email me at discoverthedspot@gmail.com and I will make sure you get the information as soon as it is ready.

Even more exciting…I am creating an Are You Ready Alumni group so that as you complete the program, you will be able to join the other women in sharing, supporting, and encouraging each other as you move forward!

P.S.  Here are quotes from four of the seven women who participated…I hope you enjoy seeing their transformations as much as I did!

• “I have to say once I started this exercise I felt energized, passionate (gasp!) and alive!  I loved it, couldn’t stop working on it.  Thank you so much for introducing me to this – it feels like I’m on the right track when I’m thinking this way.  It’s so easy to get stuck in the pain of what could have been, the losses you suffer on a daily basis (sharing kids, etc) that your forget how truly amazing your life is & will be.  So, thanks again.  Fantastic!  Can’t wait to work on this some more. “

• “Thanks Laura!!!  Your guidance and posts help me believe I can do this.  Ur program is pretty amazing!”

• “The D Spot has been a huge part of me reclaiming my life and helping me heal and move on with my life.”

• “THANK YOU!  I thought the first session was fabulous and I can’t wait for this process to unfold.”

“It is easier to live through someone else than to complete yourself. The freedom to lead and plan your own life is frightening if you have never faced it before. It is frightening when a woman finally realizes that there is no answer to the question ‘who am I’ except the voice inside herself.”
― Betty Friedan

The celebration of freedom and independence means something different to each person.  Until my divorce, I had not really given any real thought to what these two words meant to me.  Yes, I took time to appreciate the freedoms that being an American affords me and on July 4^th, would acknowledge these freedoms with family, friends and fabulous fireworks!

Leading up to and through my divorce, these two words, freedom and independence, took on an entirely new meaning for me.  In fact, it was the exploration of what they meant to me that allowed me to begin to understand what I truly wanted my life to look and feel like.

So here is a little bit about what freedom and independence mean to me and the future I am creating.

I strive every day to fully accept and embrace the gift of life that I possess;  The beautiful vessel that is my body and the magic that is my mind.  It is easy to take these gifts for granted and forget to take care of them.  Being independent and free can only be explored when built on the foundation of good health; physically, spiritually and emotionally.

With my mind, my body and my soul, I am able to do, be and create anything that I want; one step at a time.  The only limitations are those that I put on myself which will only happen if I allow fear to drive my direction.

Freedom for me is being free to express who I am and what I want in a way that honors the magnificence of all human beings.  Not only my lover/partner, children, family and friends, but all those with whom I come into contact.  It is taking responsibility for the way I speak to, the way I act towards and the way I treat others.  Our words and actions have the power to hurt or to heal others and this is a responsibility I take seriously.

Freedom for me is giving myself permission to make choices and decisions in my life that feed my mind, body and soul, and that allow me to continuously grow into the woman I am meant to be.  I am grateful for the gift of choice and use it to surround myself with people who inspire, empower and support me to further evolve and grow.  I recognize that in growing my connection to others who appreciate and respect their freedoms, we are able to share and spread them to even more people.

Freedom for me is standing firmly in my role as a woman, mother, daughter, sister, lover, partner and friend.  It is the ability to define these roles around who I am at my core.  This freedom is the gift of being able to step into each of these roles and ROCK each one!  I love each one of them and together, they become the fabric of who I am as a woman!  I can be exactly the mother I want to be by fully embracing the uniqueness that is me, just as I do with my partner, my family and my friends.

For many years in my marriage I did not feel free; nor did I feel independent as a woman.  It would be easy to say that my husband “controlled” our life, but the reality is that I allowed it; in fact I didn’t do much to assert myself and what I wanted.  Blaming would be easier, but it is not the truth.  I gave up my power, my freedom and my independence with my desire to be a “good” wife and mother.  What I did not understand at the time was that in owning my freedom and my independence, I woud become a stronger, healthier and whole woman and therefore, a more exceptional wife and mother.

While there are many things that I can’t control, my ability to be independent and free is well within my control.  This was one of the greatest lessons I learned from my divorce.

Divorce can often lead us to feel less in control than we really are.  In fact, with all of the emotions divorce can create, feeling paralyzed and unable to embrace our new freedom and independence is common.  Reclaiming our personal power and learning how to embrace our new freedom and independence is a critical part of the divorce journey.

This week, where we celebrate our National Independence Day, I hope you will join me in committing to reclaiming your freedom and your independence.  They are gifts that cost nothing, and open the door to priceless rewards.

So the time has come for me to “come out” and share more intimately and transparently with you where me and the D Spot are headed.  It is time for full disclosure.

Over the past couple of years I have been walking my talk in my own personal life.  Having gone through my own divorce almost 8 years ago, I have been on my own personal journey since then; a journey towards designing the life that I imagine and deserve.  And guess what?  It really works.

The self-exploration, the personal growth work, and the relentless pursuit to be all that I am meant to be are all paying off…in all areas of my life.

However, I have discovered and learned so much along the way, and I want to share some of it with you.

The greatest thing I have learned is that living your extraordinary life includes many ups and downs.  The challenges are inevitably unexpected, and yet are reliable.  It may seem from my newsletters, facebook posts and tweets that I walk through each day empowered, inspired and skipping with joy, but the truth is, I don’t.

Yes, I am living the life that I imagine, and deserve; and I have never been happier.  But, it takes daily practice, discipline and focus to not only make progress forward, but to maintain the standard that I have set for myself.  A standard that I set after my divorce when I gave myself permission to figure out and define what I really, truly wanted to experience in my life.

Living with mediocrity in my life and relationships is something that I have never been good at, and yet for many years I did. When I finally acknowledged that I was not truly happy in my life, I slowly began to imagine what it would look and feel like to actually be happy.  I wanted it, but felt powerless to make the changes that would get me where I wanted to be. Truth be told, I had absolutely no idea how to do it.   All I knew was that after my divorce, I made a commitment to myself, that mediocrity would never be good enough…good would never be good enough.  I wanted extraordinary.  I wanted exceptional.  And I wanted it in my life, love and everything in between.

It has been a journey. A journey I never could have foreseen, predicted or imagined. It has had unimaginable highs and excruciatingly painful lows.  Through it all, I have discovered, learned and mastered what it takes to create an extraordinary life and love.  And teaching this to others, to YOU, is my passion.  It is what I am meant to do.

Whether it looks like it from the outside or not, no one who goes through divorce, man or woman, comes through it unscathed.  We are all affected, we are all forever changed. However it is what we do with the change that determines our destiny.

Full Disclosure.  I am no different than you.

I have my own fair share of co-parenting challenges; they are painful and they are not at all what I wanted.  And while I can’t control my Ex, or any other person, I am in full control of how I react and respond to them.  And I take this control seriously.

I attracted, created and sustain an extraordinary relationship with a man I love, but he is flawed.  I am flawed.  And it has many challenges and obstacles.  We have four kids between us, three Ex’s (he has been divorced twice), step parents and plenty of parenting issues.  Integrating and blending our lives has been difficult, and yet through the challenges, we grow closer and our relationship deeper and more extraordinary.  I walk my talk; and it is not always easy.  But it works and that is why I do what I do.

I have plenty of bad days.  I have days when I am scared to death of what my future holds.  And if I have what it takes to create the life that imagine; especially because what I imagine is a BIG vision; abundant with resources and love.  I have days when I think that I am not enough…not good enough, smart enough or capable enough of doing all that I want.  But I know that this is just my inner mean girl talking and that she has no idea what she is talking about!  And I know  how to shut her up!  There will always be those who doubt and who are worried about me, including my inner mean girl…but I walk my talk; and I know that creating my plan and sticking to it is going to get me where I want to go.  I also know that surrounding myself with people who inspire, empower and support me is critical to living the life I desire.

I have my own coach…actually coaches.  I know that I am not meant to do this alone.  And neither are you.  They are the ones who push me to be more than I already am, to be, do and create all that I am meant to.  They challenge me and hold me accountable.  I could not do this without them.

You are exactly where you are supposed to be. You have all that it takes to get exactly what you want.  Now it is your choice; how badly do you want it?

I love the Olympics. To see the world come together for fair and honest competition based on performance alone is something that I find extremely impressive, empowering and exciting.

For the past week, I have had my TV on and set to the Olympic coverage as background for everything that I am doing.  I have seen competition in sports that I had never seen before and heard countless stories of young and “older” (I am a bit sensitive to the label of “old” given my own age!) athletes as they prepared for their participation in London and going for the Gold!

All of the stories were inspiring and highlighted the complete and all-consuming vision and training of athletes; many despite challenges, obstacles and adversity.

Regardless of who wins the gold, silver and bronze, each athlete has prepared with complete dedication, commitment and focus for their chance to compete and the possibility of success that the Olympics represents.

I can’t help but feel like the Olympics is just a metaphor for life; my life…your life.

While only a few will be medalists in London, ALL of the competitors are now Olympic Athletes…an honor in itself.

Your future IS your Olympics; an environment that offers unlimited, timeless opportunity and possibility.  Like the Olympics, “competing” in this environment, our future, requires focus, discipline, commitment and a relentless pursuit for “winning the Gold”!  However, unlike the Olympics, there are unlimited medals to go around!  How fabulous is that!

Even better we can ALL win Gold because each of us has a different definition of what “Gold” is.  It is defined as whatever you want it to be; whatever your desires and dreams are! How far you go is only limited by YOU… and the standard that you set.  A standard that defines what you want.  Lucky for us, every day is an opportunity to “train” to win it!

If creating and sustaining and extraordinary love in your life is your Gold, make today the day that you state loudly and clearly to the world that you will do any and everything that it takes to get it…and you WILL!  And by the way, we can “compete” in multiple events; love, prosperity, health and fitness, parenting…

Today’s younger athletes will use the performance of the London Olympians to set their goals for the 2016 Olympics and they begin training NOW.

You and I are no different, except that we are not limited by the performance of others; we can have everything that we want, if we do the hard work of preparing for it.

So, don’t wait another minute…set your vision and go for the Gold!

A few weeks ago I began doing a VLOG with my friend and colleague Kyle Bradford who writes a fabulous blog called www.chopperpapa.com.  We are calling our VLOG “He Said/She Said” and each short video is an opportunity for he and I to share our thoughts and perspectives on some aspect of love, life, divorce, parenting…the real deal!  Raw, uncut and uncensored!

It is a blast!

I was immediately attracted to Kyle, not just because he is a handsome, southern, harley-riding single father, but because his views on being a man, father and great human being is very much in alignment with my views on being a woman, mother, and human being.

I hope you will enjoy our weekly VLOG which is released each Tuesday, and that you will share your thoughts with us in addition to emailing me questions or topics that you would like to see covered to discoverthedspot@gmail.com.

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