Hello from New York City!

I’m here celebrating another fabulous Women on Fire tea.  Participants came from as far away as Colorado, Connecticut and New Jersey to meet each other and share their joys, dreams, struggles and triumphs.

Women on Fire tea at Lady Mendl’s in New York City! Front row: Melissa Lerner, Michelle Whittaker, Lisa Parker, Lisa Clair, Trudy DuJardin. Back row: Shannon McCaffery, Holly Getty, Christine Medvedev, Wendy DeSimone, me!, Kelly Hurley, Linda Yellin, Dawn Halkuff, Sophfronia Scott, RoseMarie Terenzio and Terri Cole. (Photo by Rob Berkley)

If you’ve not yet been to a Women on Fire tea, please don’t think you have to “have it all together” or even be “on fire” to attend.

In fact, coming to a tea is often just the “spark” you need to regain your spirit and feel supported while you meet other women, all in various stages of life and love and work.

At the teas, there is magic in other women’s stories and a collective wisdom in sharing resources and supporting each other no matter what you are going through.

When I started Women on Fire in 2003 I had an inkling the “rising tide” of women coming together, inspiring and supporting each other would “lift all boats.”

I just had no idea of how powerful it would be to help us move toward our dreams and our best selves.

And, that brings me to my favorite moment of the month — celebrating in today’s SPARK! the recent dreams, goals, successes and accomplishments of women in our community.

These are the women you meet when you attend a Women on Fire event — whether at a tea, in a coaching group, on the monthly Live Chat for members or at our annual retreat.

Please keep us posted on your latest news.  And, congratulations to these Women on Fire for your exciting steps toward your deepest desires!

Jan Allen speaking at the 2011 Women on Fire Retreat (Photo by Nancy Lambert)

Jan Allen of Columbus, Ohio will be featured at TEDx Columbus 2012 on October 5 sharing her signature talk — Retiring Retirement: A Personal Upgrade to the Bonus Decades.

Among many talents, Jan is an expert in helping others navigate through life’s many transitions. As she approached her 60th birthday and realized she had lived longer than she has time left, she plunged into despair.

And, then she set out to identify a new life stage that takes advantage of the depth and breadth of life’s experiences and transforms the “retirement” years into anything but!  Her TEDx talk also will be available on video.

Jan is a member of Women on Fire’s leadership team and leads the Women on Fire coaching group in Columbus. You can find out more about her here.

Nellie Partow of New York City is gaining recognition for her exquisite fashion line and was recently featured in the New York Times Magazine and named by Harper’s Bazaar as the new name in minimalism.  Check out her website.

Saks Fifth Avenue will soon showcase her designs in exclusive trunk shows nationwide.  Go to Nellie’s Facebook page and “like” it and you will to be kept up-to-date on the cities and dates where Nellie will appear.

(I’m wearing one of Nellie’s fabulous dresses in the tea party photo above!)

Pat Snyder of Columbus, has received her Master of Applied Positive Psychology degree from University of Pennsylvania.  A lawyer, Pat was in the first women’s coaching group Jan Allen and I led in 1996 called Live The Life You Want.

Now an author and coach herself, Pat is using her talent and expertise to help other lawyers launch their dreams.  Her business is called I Can Fly, LLC and her site is www.LawyerCoachPatSnyder.com

Kim Dettmer of Berea, Ohio was very busy over the summer. She finished a rough draft to write and illustrate her children’s book called Moments to Savor. A mom of two, she also has accepted a new role as the Executive Director of a local non-profit.

Donna Kim Brand of West Palm Beach, Florida has completed her book The Force of Creative Collaboration. Check out her website at www.donnakimbrand.com.

Margo Frazier of Spring, Texas, is moving on up. She was promoted to Supervisor of Operations at Sheldon Independent school district in Houston.

 

Congratulations to our resident book coach! Here I am with Sophfronia at last week’s New York tea.

Sophfronia Scott of Sandy Hook, Connecticut will be featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul Inspiration for Writers published in May 2013. She recently spent time with Amy Newmark, owner and publisher of the Chicken Soup empire.  The founder of Done For You Writing, Sophfronia has been a writer in the Chicken Soup series in the past.

Wendy Taucher of New York City and Martha’s Vineyard is the founder of Wendy Taucher Dance Opera Theater. Among her projects, she is currently  co-producing the All For One festival at the Cherry Lane Theater in New York City.  The next performance is at 2PM Saturday, September 22.  Check out www.cherrylanetheatre.org for details.

A must-see for a Woman on Fire!

Roxanne Dupler Crocco of Columbus, Ohio realized her dream to sing before an audience when she performed at the Park Street Tavern’s Jazz Jam. Congratulations and what a way to rock it, Roxanne!

Keep your dreams going, everyone.  And, please keep us posted on what you are up to!