In 2022, I co-authored AUTHENTIC ALLOWING FOR MINIMALISTS: 12 SIMPLE SELF-REFLECTION & MANIFESTATION PRACTICES with best friend and personal development coach, Kim Jordan. (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3Z9d1uI.)
Kim and I have been friends for over 30 years, and together, we’ve gathered a wide variety of over 200 experiences in the area of personal growth. These include trainings, books, physical practices, therapies, meditations, affirmations, and healing rituals from a wide breadth of cultures and modalities. With my background as a National Board Certified Career and Technical Educator with over 15 years in the field, and Kim’s 18 plus years experience in transformational inquiry and personal development coaching (Kim’s website: https://www.become.support). We wanted to share our knowledge about personal growth in a simple and easy to access format.
We released the book in December, and with Kim’s well researched marketing strategies, it became a #1 new release in the categories of Motivational Growth, Personal Success, Spirituality, Women’s Personal Spiritual Growth, Journal Writing, and New Age Meditation. We also attained #1 bestseller status in Spiritual Growth, Women’s Personal Spiritual Growth, Journal Writing, and Journaling.
The book was the result of our September 2022 participation in the free online course u.lab: Leading From the Emerging Future through MITx. Based on Professor Otto Scharmer’s Theory U, the course was “An introduction to leading profoud social, environmental and personal transformation.” Facilitators included Scharmer (Senior Lecturer at MIT and Founding Chair of the Presencing Institute), Professor Dayna Cunningham (Dean of Tufts University’s Tisch College and Executive Director of MIT’s CoLab), Arawana Hayashi (Co-Director of Social Presencing Theater), and other visionary leaders.
Here is more information regarding u-school for Transformation: https://www.u-school.org/u-school
The course is available here: MITx Course Link.
Through learning about and practicing transformative techniques like deep listening and presencing, we began to experience profound shifts in our ability to be fully present and communicate effectively. Techniques learned from the course have positively impacted our relationships. As Professor Scharmer teaches, listening is the foundation of great leadership. We practiced various levels of listening, with the 4th level being particularly impactful in building trust and understanding especially needed for high level collaboration. Here’s a video of Professor Scharmer sharing an example of level 4 listening in action.
At the end of the course, we were encouraged to form innovation labs to bring a collaborative project to life by prototyping it and then learning from the experience to modify and improve it. Using u.lab tools, Kim and I quickly (in about 2 months) developed a prototype for our book, which led to the creation of our partnership, Authentic Allowing. Visit our website here: authenticallowing.com.
At 57, having had a fulfilling career in education, I’m ready to take my art career to the next level. I’m proud of my accomplishments as a teacher and grateful for the students and educators I’ve connected with along the way. But now, I’m focused on manifesting positive social change through my work as an artist.
It’s July 2024, and I’ve begun using the book I created with Kim to help manifest this dream. I started with the practice “Wield Your Wand,” in June, which is all about taking action. As the 6th practice in the book, it felt like the perfect place to begin. So far, it’s helped me stay focused and take concrete steps: clearing space, organizing materials, and making art a daily habit.
For July, the 7th practice in our book is all about liberating the psyche while staying attuned to others. It’s helping me balance my own needs with a desire to express and share ideas with others. This focus has led to a redesign of my website using WordPress and IONOS which I have found to be a reliable and affordable domain and hosting company (affiliate link: http://aklam.io/ftMfuw). I have also launched a new YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@hoshihana23), and have begun creating new artwork using upcycled materials to sell in my Etsy shop. Not too shabby!
I will continue using the book Kim and I created as a guide for making and sharing art, and I’ll be documenting my progress in my blog and social media. Let’s see how it helps me manifest the next chapter of my artistic practice. I hope that by sharing my journey, it can inspire and support others.
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