The Coming Out Party

Last night the women of In Search of Soul Food came out to the world – and it happened on the 75th floor of the Columbia Tower Club. The date was October 7th, 2014, as we fast-forwarded to our first career empowerment reunion. The power and authenticity in the room was palpable. While the Seattle landscape glowed in the sunset, we mingled over champagne and hugs as the stories started to fly.

Here’s the headline: my whole life was changed. As you can imagine, capturing this will make a lengthy blog entry, so sit back and relax.

Tales of finding deep career passion and seeing it spill into other areas of her life was Laura’s entry point into the conversation. We shared her excitement about the launch of the handbag company and stepping into her dream of organizing the masses. We mused over her families’ move to San Francisco and taking to the water to fulfill a desire to sail around the world with her husband. And, you can feel the presence of a woman who believes in herself as she expresses the gratitude from stepping into happiness and being a solid role model for her son.

Family is theme for Ericka, as well. Dressed in attire from Italy, she shares a heartfelt tale of impacting her family’s life in wonderful ways through the prosperity generated from her fitness business that focuses on body and soul: early retirement for her mom, awakening her children to environmental issues through awe-inspiring travel, and the blessing of working in partnership with her beloved husband…all on the pathway to notoriety.

Vicki shows up looking radiant and is also getting folks healthy. She’s using her first-hand knowledge and the compassion generated from her own journey of taking back her life. Through our work, she came to understand she could change her physiology by changing her thoughts - a powerful message. Today, she educates and guides others to heal themselves through the integration of healthy nutrition, exercise and self-talk. She exudes her motto - you are what you eat - and touches peoples’ lives through coaching, consulting with organizations and works with youth on proactive interventions.

Meg also unveils the woman she’s become. She tells us of her life of gratitude, stepping into her potential, and the realization she was looking for happiness, when it was right in front of her. She’s traveled Europe and Asia - which explains the delightful shoes from Paris – has married and is the proud mother of a young child. On the career front, she returned to real estate part-time with a renewed sense of vigor, while ensuring she’s left enough time to pursue her passion of entertaining. It appears the right ingredients were there all along, she just needed to shift the way she saw the world.

Amy flaunts the fact that she’s forty with a sexy black number that also declares she’s loving life in a whole new way. Amy warms us with stories of her children’s activities and adventures, and you realize without question that family comes first. She's reinvigorated her career and started an executive search firm from her home in Bainbridge, but balance is still a guiding force. Her firm focuses on the non-profit space. They recruit the most talented thought-leaders for this growing segment and is proud to contribute to the task of building capacity in this all-important sector. And...we swoon when she tells us rowing is back in her life.

Brittany shows up in full force, as well. She’s embraced her uniqueness and has found a way to balance a more traditional career path with her entrepreneurial flair, while still making room for her dreams. The group was grateful to hear she’s back in the studio and focusing on her artwork; painting for peace is contributing to the important conversation around how to bring together prayer, meditation and painting for healing purposes. While her dreams have unfolded, she’s traveled to India, stepped into the teacher role that comes so naturally and has watched her daughter grow into a wonderful young woman who’s off to college next year to follow her own dreams.

Kathryn joins us from a life on the road where she also changes people’s lives. She's a worldwide emissary for Mindbloom (a personal development on-line site that has redefined the how people track and realize their dreams), she runs the Dahlia Mama Retreat Centers, and her successful book, Life in Boxes, is on bookshelves everywhere. Through the lens of her own experiences, she is helping people to realize who they really are by peeling back the layers and awakening them to the spirit that resides in each of us.

Jennifer represents East meets West and her own spiritual awakening in her spectacular Indian inspired attire. And, the Universe has responded in spectacular ways. First, she is an advocate for living in the present, honoring the balance between work and family, and serving others. Her life's work unfolded five years ago and today she runs a company with a partner that breaks down global boundaries by introducing families to humanitarian, life-changing travel outside the US. Their purpose is to raise the awareness and address the issue of global poverty. Her two children are her constant travel companions, providing Jennifer and her husband with the opportunity to enrich their children’s education in priceless ways.

In my first career empowerment group five years ago, I also confirmed my life’s work. I’m here to guide individuals to step into their full potential and create a career that is an extension of who we are when we’re at our best. I am a successful author, speaker and career coach, but more important, In Search of Soul Food created a movement of people who took their career fulfillment into their own hands. Self-organized groups have popped up in organizations and communities across the globe. The Positive Change Network has grown to include licensed career coaches, a renewal center where people come to find their authentic self, a radio show, and we’ll soon be on TV. We’re teaching people how to love work again – one person at a time.