• Charging for Our Truth

    “There is a charge for the eyeing of my scars. There is a charge for the hearing of my heart. There is a charge, a very large charge, for a word, or a touch, or a bit of blood, or a piece of my hair or my clothes” – Sylvia Plath, Lazarus. Truth is essential, truth feeds our soul and truth sets us free. But the truth is not free. When we are a personal brand, when we are charging for sharing our truth, our story, our big fat opinion (as my dear friend Dyana Valentine says) where do the boundaries lie? It takes something from me to tell these tales. It frees something…

  • Dear Grace Q & A: 7 Steps To Your Business Comeback After Chronic Illness

    How do you move forward when you’ve had to take a break from business because of illness? I’m so happy to answer this! Let’s break it down, shall we? 1. Listen to what’s underlying. Ask yourself questions to really dig into how you’re feeling and what your greatest fears are. Are you worried people have forgotten you? Think you are unreliable, unprofessional? Do you feel guilty about needing a break in the first place? Where is your fear coming from? Whose voice is it? When you pinpoint your underlying worries, it’s far easier to acknowledge them and then, take the actions necessary to alleviate them. 2. “Turn your setback into…

  • Why I Write

    The fabulous Theresa Reed tagged me to share Why I Write. Thanks, Theresa, here it is. (And while you are here, you simply must check out Theresa’s sensational new offering Entrepreneurcast.) What am I working on? Right now, I’m doing some deep healing, and my writing is mostly focussed on journalling and adventures in inner exploration. But I’m also working on: The Phoenix Flight School – for entrepreneurs and would-be-preneurs living with illness, pain and disability on how to run a successful, profitable, sustainable and world-changing business while sick. Refining The Phoenix Fire Academy from the feedback of our lovely beta testers. Look for it to open again in 2015.…

  • Non-Hippy Happy: Building the Happiness Habit

    Firstly, full disclosure, I am pretty hippy. Not in a tie-dyed, groovy maaaan, recreational drugs, ‘drop in any time it’s an open house’ way. Not at all. I can’t stand tie-dye. I certainly don’t speak like that. I’m as square about drugs as its possible to be without actually being law enforcement personnel and if you try and come to my house without an invitation I won’t answer the door. I like block colours, received pronunciation, virgin drinks, appointments, and actually being dressed when you arrive. But in terms of happiness, wellness and emotional health – I’m a meditating, affirmation reciting, mantra chanting, mandala wearing, yoga class attending, flower-crown loving and therapy advocating hippy. But I was…

  • Dear Grace Q & A: How Do I Explain That My Chronic Illness & Life Aren’t a Tragedy?

    “What is a simple way of explaining the concept of living well with chronic illness to other people? People without chronic illness seem to find it difficult to understand that I don’t view my life as an awful tragedy…and it takes a long time explaining why I don’t feel that way.” Let’s begin by considering your audience. It helps to meet people where they are because its easier for them and our results will likely be more successful too.  Consider the potential mindset of the person you are wanting to understand this. It’s harder to make ourselves clear to someone if we are focused only on what we want to…