As I discovered the weekend of June 29-July 1, 2012, there are moments when your current self and idealized self align. And when those delicious moments of catch-up happen, it’s important – as American philosopher and environmentalist Henry David Thoreau would say – to “suck out all the marrow” from them.
For those of you who have been on the Obstacles Into Opportunities train for more than a few days or weeks know, a couple of weeks ago I birthed my creative and professional baby – Moxie Camp – a weekend experience for female changemakers who want to develop the vision and corresponding voice to make big time positive social impact in their companies and communities.
What I didn’t realize going into the Moxie Camp weekend was that the one-of-a-kind weekend wouldn’t only be transformational for my participants. But also for ME.
And the changes are discernable. I wasn’t back in Las Vegas more than a day when my husband Steve commented, “Lex, you’re different. And I like it.”
I could wax on about my Moxie Camp “aha’s” all summer, but there are 3 chief moments that really stand out that I think will have particular resonance with you.
Breakthrough Moment #1: 48-hours before the launch of Moxie Camp, one of my speakers pulled out of the event. As I’m sure you can imagine, this unlocked a range of emotions for me, but at the top of the list was a sense of gratitude. For it confirmed that my intuition had been spot on. While I think this person is immensely talented, and I was genuinely excited to learn from her over the course of the weekend, I had had this gnawing sensation in my gut for several months that she wasn’t supposed to be at the event. Still, I’m not sure why. I just know that I got an intuitive hit, and I didn’t listen to it.
And this is of course incredibly hypocritical because I’m the intuition gal. I talk all of the time about quieting environmental chatter to create the space to hear our inner knowing. Yet sometimes, even for me, it’s hard to know how to respond to that inner knowing when it speaks. This moment with one of my speakers was not an aberration. Too many times over the last couple of years I’ve denied my inner guide because it felt too messy to deal with her. In this particular case, I thought I would have been out of my integrity and perceived as looney tunes to approach a colleague I look up to and say, “You know, my gut is sending a strong signal that we aren’t supposed to work together in this way right now” and canceled our contract.
But when we know, we know. And it’s our responsibility to follow that knowing to its necessary conclusion, especially when it feels uncomfortable.
Breakthrough Moment #2: I was lucky to hear a lot of wonderful feedback over the weekend, but one comment stood out above all others. When Quarter Life Clarity coach Jordana Jaffe shared, “You’re like an emotional chiropractor. You gently helped me realign my thoughts and my feelings…” I realized what a gift she had given me by explaining via simile exactly what my leadership and coaching did for her.
As leaders, it’s vital to know how other people experience us so that we can do more of what’s working. So I’d like to invite you to ask 3 or 4 people you supervise, have recently spoken before or done business with, Can you complete this sentence for me? You are like __________ because you __________. Listen to the responses, and be ready to discover how others experience your power and influence.
Breakthrough Moment #3: During most of our weekend breaks, it was hard to get Moxie Campers out of the event space for our team to rearrange and tidy up. Everyone wanted to keep talking. On the final day, hard became near impossible. Everyone was congregated in the tiny hallway outside absorbed in conversation, scribbling notes, and in a few cases embracing one of her new friends and cheerleaders. And all I could think to myself was that Tony Hsieh has it 100 percent right. “If you get the culture right then most of the other stuff will happen naturally.” I spent as much time designing the Moxie Camp rituals, transitions, group building activities, and facilitation prompts as I did the main activities and leadership and communication development curriculum. And I’m glad I did. For it’s the culture of the weekend that I believe was my greatest achievement. As my dear friend, financial intimacy expert, and Moxie Camp coach Jacquette Timmons said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many participants of an experience make it to – and STAY – at an after party.”
Are you interested in getting on the priority list for Moxie Camp 2013? Come on over, hop on it, and receive 6 pre-event coaching calls with 2012 Moxie Camp speakers.
A critical mass from Moxie Camp 2012
What’s Next
I’ve been quiet for the last few weeks both from Moxie Camp marrow sucking and because I’m letting some new Moxie offerings simmer. And I’ve realized that I could use your help to ensure that what I’m thinking really aligns with what you are wanting. So I’ve put together a short (as in just 4 questions, which includes asking for your name!) survey that I’d appreciate you taking 2-3 minutes to complete. Everyone who completes the survey and provides his/her name will be entered into a drawing for 1, 30-minute virtual Step Into Your Moxie Bootcamp Session to work on your signature story, public speaking, negotiation, giving feedback, or other related communication need. Complete the survey HERE.
For my Vegas folks, you’ve asked and I’m listening. I’m bringing the Step Into Your Moxie platform LIVE to our community. I’ll be hosting bimonthly Moxie Saturdays at the /usr/lib event space in downtown Las Vegas. Each Moxie Saturday is open to men and women, will go from 9:30-11:30AM, and explores a different facet of confident and competent communication. On Saturday, July 28th, we will kick-off with Energizers & Ice Breakers. Whether you are looking for fun and effective tools to bring into meetings, workshops, or trainings, you will gather over a dozen new activities to jazz up your offerings. More importantly, you will discover how to pick the right one(s) for your group and goals and get comfortable setting up and processing activities so they are meaningful for participants. Early Bird Registration is just $25, so grab your ticket as this will sell out.
Finally, last year I had the opportunity to participate in author and life coach Christine Hassler’s Los Angeles Chrysalis Retreat. And it was awesome. It is designed for ladies who are on the brink of extraordinary transformation (it’s no accident that Moxie Camp was birthed in part from my Chrysalis “me time”) and want the opportunity to go deep within in order to emerge more confident and more whole. Christine has just a couple of spots left for the July 27-29, 2012 experience. If interested, CLICK HERE, and be sure to mention when registering that you learned of the retreat here.
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[...] had the awesome pleasure and privilege of being both a speaker and onsite coach at Alexia Vernon’s inaugural Moxie Camp a few weeks ago. One of the many benefits of the weekend was sitting in on the other speakers’ [...]