Category: Freedom

Testing, testing…audio file on the way

~ meximinnesotana ~ Leave a comment

Hello Friends,

Hope your month of June has. been lovely and that you’ve got plans for some rest and relaxation in the summer. I’ll be going on a week of vacation at the north shore and visiting Thunder Bay, Canada for a few days. I haven’t been to Canada in over three years! And it’s time we re-aquainted ourselves, friends.

As always, Natalya did an awesome job!

I don’t like to think about the U.S. becoming anything like the “Gilead” of Margaret Atwood’s creation, but she was prescient in so many ways. Women’s basic autonomy and body sovereignty have been eroding in recent years and this SCOTUS decision really isn’t a surprise to those of us who have been paying attention. For my unfiltered opinion on this matter, feel free to check out my YouTube video. Or if you’re weary of the discussion, skip it for now.

I’ve been working on a launch of my new podcast, Somatic Wisdom! I’m excited that it appears it was approved by the “big” platforms. After using Descript to edit and add music, I have a few more episodes ready, mostly to cover topics I wrote about in my book, and that can be useful for my coaching clients.

It’s been so fun to do this, especially because I have a number of podcasters I’ve admired since 2016. I began to realize how fun it was to choose my podcast content rather than listen to the radio and being at the mercy of the programming of someone else. It felt like a more proactive way to select what I wanted to learn and hear.

If you might be willing to give me a few early listens (it’s short form, trying to go for less than 10 minutes per episdoe) I would truly appreciate it. And if you’re not a podcast listener, I am curious about whether you are a YouTuber or you just prefer quieter media.

Be well, Amigas! And vote Pro-choice in your elections this year. It’s important!!

On ISBN numbers and self-publishing

~ meximinnesotana ~ Leave a comment

Hello Friends,

I write this post after researching ISBN numbers this week and getting jazzed about that process. I will likely go via the self-publishing route for my first book. I am not patient enough to wait until I find an agent or a publisher. I want to get my ideas out into the world, and my intuition tells me that it’s my second (or third) book that will make a bigger splash in the world, not this one. So while I take it seriously, I am not indulging in perfectionism, but rather taking steps each week to keep momentum.

This first book has been an exercise in daily self-discipline for me, in working in short, focused “bursts” of 25 minutes in the morning with a 5 minute break in between. Sometimes when I’m really inspired, I go for a third round. It is mentally taxing but also incredibly rewarding to watch this book take shape while also tending to other aspects of my life.

Yesterday I decided to play around with cover art and to update the tagline. It’s still a work in progress of course, and I aim to complete and release the book in October of 2021. I was playing with Canva in order to see a mock up of the cover, and I realized how empowering it is that these days we have the means to produce our work in this way. The art is not final, and I hope to work with a friend who is an artist to do the eventual design, but it sure helped me visualize to create a mock-up!

It was not too long ago that this sort of idea sharing was the province of a few, and now we have ways to introduce others to our brand of discourse. So I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for that. To all of you who write here on blogs, or get to put your ideas in the world: Isn’t it grand that we live in a time where this is possible?

What’s your next creative project? When do you plan to be bravel and release it into the world?

Cheers,

Cristy

P.S. I actually sold the first copy of my book yesterday to a client who pre-ordered it! That was a shock. But it just goes to show you that you really must be ready to receive and to create the means to do this…

We Defy Definition

~ meximinnesotana ~ 5 Comments

Hello Friends,

I hope you are well and are enjoying some New Year’s Eve peace and joy. As we bring this year to a close I know many of us are hoping that 2021 brings a little more lightness and brightness than 2020.

As someone who treasures time alone or in small groups, this was a year of relative freedom for me. While being released from a job can be stressful for many, I was grateful to have solid savings and unemployment funds to tide me over during the transition to my next venture.

I began a team coaching certification program in September at The Medici Group, which I will complete in February 2021. I enjoyed teaching yoga online through Healing Within Acupuncture & Wellness Studios. I provided personal coaching services to a few 1:1 clients, and I had lots of time for my favorite things: reading books, writing and snuggling on the couch with my hubby, with no pressure to be social.

Are you ready to join us?

I co-taught yoga sessions like “De-Stress for the Holidays” (available free on YouTube) with yoga sisters Amy Klous and Krista Steinbach, and connected with other wellbeing professionals at Ikigai Lab. I worked with my lovely coach, Stephanie, founder of Our Natural Wisdom. And I re-discovered my sense of purpose and mastery that led to me leaving a corporate position in 2018 to pursue my own endeavors.

One day, upon being asked (once again) for a bio prior to a presentation I was about to give, I threw up my hands in despair. Why do people keep wanting me to define myself based on my past? Seriously, it is an existential and also a practical question. I prefer to define myself based on my vision for the future. So I wondered if I might create community and offerings around embracing everyone’s gifts, not defining people based on roles, job titles or diagnoses. 

As someone with variable attention (which I do not consider a deficit, as a diagnosis might suggest) I struggle to BE just one thing. I enjoy so many things, and my creativity is enhanced by my ability to see the connections between things. And while I am “mexi-minnesotana,” it is only ONE aspect of my personality, not the totality of me.

And I know this is true of YOU also! You are not just a mother, a sister, a teacher, a writer, a caregiver, an employee. You are a multi-dimensional, beautiful human being! Can we all take a moment to celebrate that? Okay, now carry on with your day. 🙂

While I know my business will evolve over time, for now I plan to write, speak and advocate for those of us that refuse to be tamed and tethered by the terms others use to define us. We will together Unleash, Unlearn, and Enliven. The world needs us, and it is time to step out of the shadows and be our full selves.

Grateful for the supportive community here that has actively championed my contributions here for 3+ years. Much love to you all!

cristy@wedefydefinition.com

Juneteenth

~ meximinnesotana ~ Leave a comment

A lot of us are learning more about our history in response to recent events, protests and having a little more time on our hands. I confess that before this year, I knew very little about Juneteenth. I am an introvert and I do not gravitate toward large events.

This year, because it has become abundantly clear that people who identify as Black or African American have never been truly free in this country. We swim in history that is informed by a philosophy of white body supremacy.

Juneteenth
Link to the Juneteenth celebration website

I found a virtual Juneteenth event in Saint Paul that was co-sponsored by the Saint Paul Library. On the home page (linked above) are some beautiful read-aloud videos from staff there, children’s stories that have wonderful lessons for adults. Check them out.  They can be resources to help teach children about inclusion versus racism.

I will be tuning in this Friday. It is time to learn and grow, time to come together as human beings “alone together” on this tiny planet.

Happy weekend, friends.

cristy@meximinnesotana.com