I Am Grateful For You!

 “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

Gratitude is the cornerstone of a well-lived life.

It sets the stage for how we perceive the world and how we behave.

I thought of writing about how all of you can incorporate more gratitude into your lives, but you already know how to do that…counting your blessings, gratitude journaling, performing random acts of kindness, writing thank you notes and looking for the silver lining in any challenge. You are smart people, you know this.

I changed my mind and decided a better way for me to demonstrate gratitude is to express how each of you bless my life on a daily basis.

If you’ve coached with me or come to one of my workshops or meetups- 

• Thank you for having the courage to show me who you really are even when it’s a little scary.

• Thank you for making time for our work together when you could easily say you’re “too busy.”

• Thank you for coming to our sessions with a willing heart and a sense of humor!

• Thank you for allowing me to access your most private thoughts and for your desire to find a way of thinking that feels better.

• Thank you for telling me the very personal stories of how you came to be the person you are today. 

• Thank you for being brave, trying new things, and following a path to your destiny without knowing exactly how it’s going to turn out at the end.

• Thank you for trusting me with your heart and with your dreams. 

The work we do together is sacred and life changing.
 

Every epiphany you have, I applaud you. 

Every tear you shed, I feel for you. 

Every success you achieve, I cheer for you. 

When you feel afraid, I’ve got your back.

When you feel vulnerable, I remind you of your strength.

When you feel stuck, I take your hand and lead you through the jungle of confusion and forge a path to find the clarity you seek. 

You don’t have to do this alone, everyone needs a little help sometimes.

It is my great honor to motivate and guide you to the future you dream of.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you thank you thank you for allowing me space in your inbox and in your life. 

I am awash in appreciation for the opportunity to spend special time with you.

Your partner in all things mojo,
Keisha

You're Superman! Stop Acting Like Clark Kent.

I love talking to dead people.

An odd statement, I know. But I really do.

I returned from a mediumship workshop in Mission Viejo earlier this month taught by acclaimed mediums James Van Praagh and Lynn Probert with several friends where we flexed our psychic muscles.

My friends laughed when I said I love these workshops because I get to work with "fresh meat."

That’s a technical and evolved term for people I’ve never met that will let me talk to their dead relatives and friends for the purpose of facilitating communication with a loved one.

What I find fascinating is that some of the best readings I received were from complete newbies.

In fact, a lot of the attendees were under the misconception that this workshop was actually a lecture and that they would be learning about mediumship in the theoretical, not in the practical.

As in "We’re throwing you in front of a stranger! Go be psychic, ok?"

No big deal.

After this fantastic, vulnerable, and exciting process- here’s what I’ve come away with.

Stop pretending you aren’t powerful.  

Seriously, stop. I’m pretty over it.

I really do believe this quote from Marianne Williamson,

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?" 

If we really are powerful, and not just along for the ride of whatever the world (or our family, or our boss, etc.) wants to do with us-then we’ve got some explaining to do.

Watching psychic virgins give dead on readings to strangers really made me think about the amazing abilities we all have at our disposal.

At the workshop, we were taught to imagine a huge column of gold light emanating from the ground and up to the sky.

When we stood in the light, we were stepping into our power.

What a perfect tool for all of us who want to feel more empowered!

It’s the metaphorical phone booth that Clark Kent goes into to become Superman.

Hear me now, if someone with no previous training can give me amazing details about the life and death of my beloved grandma, imagine what we can do in our everyday lives.

Being powerful is a practice and a choice.

The first act of power is allowing yourself to know what you want.

What do you want?

If you don’t know what you want, or you are afraid to claim it- personal power will always be just out of your reach.

Will knowing what you want and getting it change a situation or relationship in your life?

Does that scare you?

Will changing your life be inconvenient?

It will be, change is rarely convenient.

But connecting to your powerful soul and listening to it’s yearnings is a hell of a great way to live.

Stop all of this nonsense about limitation- not qualified enough, not lovable enough, not knowledgable enough, not having enough.

We live in an abundant universe where everything is possible.

I’m on to you- I can see your magnificence from here, even If you can’t.

Just step into your power, it’s right there waiting for you.

 

My Experience With Depression

Depression is no joke. 

It's not weakness, it's not lack of appreciation of life. 

It's a real disorder that affects you in ways you can't imagine if you've never experienced it yourself. 

It's a unrelenting sadness that sucks your soul, crushes your spirit and makes you forget the greatness of who you are. 

I've been open about being treated for depression, most people would never imagine the pain I've hidden behind a smile. 

Luckily, I've found really helpful strategies that keep depression in remission. 

If you are struggling with depression, please keep seeking treatment until something works. 

And something WILL work- don't give up. 

There is hope.

First of all, if you are not functioning well- or if it takes an inordinate amount of energy to get even the smallest task accomplished- medication. 

Be evaluated by a psychiatrist- that's their specialty. 

If you don't like the first one you see, go see a different one. 

The first medication you try may not work, I had to try several before I got one that worked well. 

In my opinion, untreated depression is much worse than possible side affects from medication. 

Your body can't heal when you are depressed.

That should tell us how debilitating depression is physically. 

Later when you are stabilized, you can consider how long staying on medication is right for you. 

Sometimes it's for a few months, maybe a few years, possibly for the rest of your life. 

Second, therapy. 

Deal with the shit you have been repressing your entire life. 

Take it out, look at it, and feel your feelings. 

The fear of dealing with it is far worse than actually dealing with it, I promise you. 

You don't have to lay on a couch for 40 years contemplating your belly button- that's ridiculous. 

Try a large and regular dose of self compassion. 

When you are good and sick of your own story, possibly try coaching. Coaching works because it teaches you good mental health hygiene. Learn what your triggers are. 

For me, I don't watch the news- it's a distorted view of the world- focusing on the negative and magnifying it to astronomical proportions. 

Our nervous systems are not made to handle the details of every single heinous atrocity committed on every corner of the globe. 

I make sure I eat well, and sleep enough. 

I don't hang out with people that treat me badly, or make me doubt my sanity- even if they are family. 

I protect my energy like the queen guards the crown jewels. 

And I infuse my life with positivity. 

Put together a box where you put in a note of every single thing you remember that makes you happy. 

When you are depressed, you can't remember what makes you feel better- so have something readily available. 

Have a happy play list. 

Learn to detach from painful thought patterns that create suffering. Practice random acts of kindness, read good news, cuddle with pets, go for a walk, spend time in the sunshine for vitamin D, make yourself go to gatherings where you feel loved. 

Don't retreat, keep involving yourself in life. 

Do things that feed your spirit. 

Most of all, treat depression as the serious disorder that it is- medicate it if you need to and don't be ashamed of it. 

You are not weak or ungrateful. 

I'll never forget when I went on medication and I was doing some self shaming about "needing" it. 

I asked my sister what people did before anti-depressants, and she said, "They drank, Keisha. Take the meds."

Beyonce's Coaching Tools

You may remember that Beyonce is one of my mojo idols. 

When one can channel their inner Beyonce (or Sacha Fierce!) some epic shit can get done. 

Well, a few weeks ago, I was coaching a client on her relationship with a man who wasn’t treating her with the respect that she deserved. 

My client wanted more of a commitment from him, and he continually failed to show up for her at crucial moments when she needed him. 

As I was listening to her, the Beyonce song “Irreplaceable” popped into my head. You know the one-“To the left, to the left- everything you own in a box to the left”. Being an intuitive coach, this kind of thing happens to me all the time and I share these intuitive blips with certain clients if I think they could be helpful. 

A few minutes later, my client told me of her partner’s jealousy about a man who had just asked her out. 

New Beyonce song this time…”if you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it, don’t be mad when you see that he want it, if you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it, oh, oh, oh.” 

Of course, because it’s me- and I have a sass mouth- I sang these little hooks to her. 

She burst out laughing, realizing that I still saw her as the spunky woman that she had forgotten herself to be.  

You knew that Beyonce is known for songs about female empowerment- but who knew that she’s the mastermind behind some awesome coaching tools on a virtual cornucopia of topics?

 Here’s what Queen Bey has to say on finances...

  "Independent Woman"

 “The shoes on my feet, I've bought it
  The clothes I'm wearing, I've bought it
  The rock I'm rockin', I've bought it
  'Cause I depend on me

  If I wanted the watch you're wearin', I'll buy it
  The house I live in, I've bought it
  The car I'm driving, I've bought it
  I depend on me, I depend on me”

On perseverance…

  "Survivor"

“After all of the darkness and sadness

  Still comes happiness
  If I surround myself with positive things
  I'll gain prosperity

  I'm a survivor
  I'm not gon' give up
  I'm not gon' stop
  I'm gon' work harder
  I'm a survivor
  I'm gonna make it
  I will survive
  Keep on surviving”

On body confidence…

"Bootylicious"

 "I don't think you're ready for this jelly

  I don't think you're ready for this jelly 

  I don't think you're ready for this 

  "Cause my body's too bootylicious for ya babe."

 On loyalty …

 "Irreplaceable"

 “So since I’m not your everything

  How about I'll be nothing, nothing at all to you
  Baby I won't shed a tear for you, I won't lose a wink of sleep
  'Cause the truth of the matter is replacing you is so easy

  To the left, to the left
  Everything you own in the box to the left
  To the left, to the left
  Don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable

  You must not know 'bout me
  You must not know 'bout me
  I can have another you in a minute
  Matter fact he'll be here in a minute, baby”

On commitment…

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"

 “Your love is what I prefer, what I deserve

  Here's a man that makes me, then takes me
  And delivers me to a destiny, to infinity and beyond
  Pull me into your arms, say I'm the one you want
  If you don't, you'll be alone, and like a ghost, I'll be gone

 "Cause if you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it

  If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it

  Don't be mad once you see that he want it

  If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it

  Oh, oh, oh."

My mission is to help everyone recover or find their mojo. Let me help you!

'Cuz I can see your halo...

What Are You Proud Of?

The new year is upon us and everyone is making their resolutions.

Maybe you've already broken yours!
I'll give you a short cut to resolutions- make it practical and specific.
Keep the reason why you are making the resolution at the top of your mind.

I propose that you go about this resolution business a different way.
Take a look back at the last year and notice what you accomplished.
I'll bet that there are a few things that you may not have thought you could ever do.
There are so many things we have to be proud of...


Starting a new career or business.
Surviving a nasty divorce.
Running a half marathon.
Overcoming an addiction.
Falling in love again.
Dealing with a significant health challenge.
Honing a new skill.
Learning to talk to dead people...
Oh wait -maybe that's just me. HA!

Anyway... just look at what you survived.
And how you thrived in 2013.
Now give yourself a pat on the back and get to work.
Get to work on new aspirations for yourself.
Dream big, bigger than you have before.
Let go of confining "rules" about how you should do things- and blaze your own path.
Summon up your courage and call upon your mojo.
Go after what you really want.
And if you want help, I'm here for you.
We can build a plan together.
But more importantly, just take the first step.
You've got this!