Once upon a time there was a very successful trial attorney who looked like she had a great life. Good job, wonderful husband, friends, etc. But she began to have this sinking feeling that something was missing. She had worked so hard to get to the top of the ladder, yet she had forgotten to ask herself if that climb had brought her joy. Not just safety or sensibility, but deep, heart-centered joy.

She ignored this little voice inside for quite a while. She tried taking a sabbatical, but that just confirmed she was ready to leave her safety net and find her true calling. She started noticing what parts of her life did bring her joy. To her surprise, she loved the soulful conversations she had with people who came into her office at work. How are things going for you? What parts of your day are the best? What are the blocks keeping your stuck? She could have continued exploring these questions with people for hours, but she inevitably had to turn to the legal issue that brought them to her office.

She also noticed how trapped she felt by living with a rigid work schedule. She longed to be able to structure her day to what she wanted to do when she felt like it. No alarm waking her up, no fancy clothes to put on, and no paltry two weeks of vacation a year.

Then one day she was at the bookstore and saw a book written by a life coach. Hmmm, what was a life coach? When she bought the book and read it, she knew the first piece of the puzzle had fallen into place. She decided to explore what she wanted her life to look and feel like, based on what brought her joy instead of what she should do or what others expected her to do.

During this exploration she had a scare with breast cancer. It took a month to do all of the tests, and during that month she asked herself – what would you do if you do have cancer? The answer was easy. Assuming she could get treatment and a clean bill of health, she would quit her job, pursue a career helping others figure out their joy, move to a place that felt more authentic, and lead a flexible and fun-filled life.

When she got her results from the biopsy, it was good news. No cancer! But her elation soon faded upon realizing she had to decide what to do with the clarity that facing her mortality had brought her. The cancer scare taught her life is not a dress rehearsal and she could not predict how much time she had left. She quit her law job, took a year-long RV trip with her husband, relocated to southern Utah, downsized and simplified her life, and created her own business as a life coach and motivational speaker.

This is not a fairy tale. It is my story of how I woke up from auto-pilot and took full charge of my life. I took a “do-over” and vowed to make joy the guiding factor in my life.

Based on this journey and my work as a life coach, I am convinced that joy is the secret sauce for living a great life. To help people truly “injoy” their lives, I have created the most profound and simple recipe for joyful living. Are you ready? You do more of what brings you joy, less of what steals your joy, and allow the seasons to guide you in this process.

There is more that I have learned about joy. I’ve gathered my best thinking into a Joy Manifesto, which you will find below. I invite you to take a look and let me know what you think.

I am very interested in you and your journey. Does my story resonate with you? As you read it, did you find yourself saying yes, I know those feelings of discontent? I too have felt like something is missing, that my life is missing the zest and mo-jo I crave. Perhaps you fallen for the myth of work now/joy later? Have you focused on career success and neglected your happiness? Are you at risk for accumulating regrets instead of memories? If so, I invite you to grab your favorite beverage, pull up a seat, and browse through my website.

– Download the free PDF treats you can use right now to get started identifying what brings you joy, what bandits are stealing your joy, and how to make your seasonal action plan to add more joy to your life. – Click Here 

-Subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter, The Sweet Spot, to receive resources and ideas for how to live from joy each and every day. See the Sign-up box to the right.

– If you are interested in finding out more about coaching with me, I offer a complimentary 20-minute exploratory call. Find our more – Click Here

– Attend one of my Injoy Cafe Events. Find out more – Click Here

– Help me spread this message of joyful living by booking me to deliver my Life’s Secret Sauce Talk or Recipe for Joy Workshop for your business or organization. Watch the video clips of these events to get a taste of me in action. – Click Here

I would love to help you find your secret sauce – your joy – in whatever way feels right for you!

BIO

After graduating from Occidental College in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, I attended Hastings College of Law and was sworn in as a member of the California State Bar in 1985. I began my legal career as a criminal prosecutor and appellate attorney for the City of Los Angeles.

In early 1990, I moved to the Central Coast of California and was hired as the Assistant City Attorney for the City of San Luis Obispo, where I worked for eight years as an in-house municipal attorney. Rekindling my passion for theater, I became involved in the San Luis Obispo Community Theater, acting in several productions and serving on the Board of Directors.

In 1998 while enjoying an extended cross-country RV trip, I discovered the profession of life coaching and knew this would be my new career. I graduated from the two-year training program at Coach U and began sharing lessons and strategies for building a stronger personal foundation and making better life choices. The final piece fell into place when I found my new home amidst the spectacular red rocks & mountains of southern Utah.

In 2006, I published my book, Life Is a Do-Over: You Can Choose a New Path in Life. It is available currently as an e-book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. This led to my affiliation with Red Mountain Resort, where I am a frequent guest presenter, providing talks, fire ceremonies, and life coaching sessions to the guests. I also maintain a private coaching practice and am a popular speaker and workshop facilitator in southern Utah and Las Vegas.

MY JOY MANIFESTO

Joy Is …

• Our natural state of being. We come into the world in a state of joy. Just look at the joy spilling out of young children at play.
• A verb, a choice, and a conscious decision. It is not just a fleeting feeling but rather a mindset, a way of choosing to move through the world.
• A portal to inner peace and happiness. Humans are hard wired to seek joy, and following this inner calling connects us with creation energy and something deeper within ourselves. Joy is one of the highest vibrations, and it attracts all of the other positive vibrations into our life.
• Meant to be experienced now, even if life is not perfect. We cannot postpone our joy until the future when everything will be perfect. If we don’t learn how to follow joy now, we will not know how when and if the perfect future time arrives.
• Meant to be shared. We all arrive here with several core gifts. When we figure out what they are and start sharing them with others, we discover our true purpose in life and radiate joy out into the world.
• The real measure of a successful life. True success in life is not about power, money or stuff. It is about how much joy we experience each and every day.
• A powerful antidote to having regrets at the end of our lives. While we still have time, we must follow the paths and pursue the dreams that joy whispers into our hearts.
• A part of all aspects of our work and play. It is not something we save for weekends or vacations. We can create rituals that tap in to joy every day.
• Incapable of co-existing with fear. When we follow the siren call of joy, we naturally stretch and leave our comfort zone. We feel tingly and excited, but not afraid.
• A source of physical well being, flooding our bodies with life affirming molecules. We can actually feel joy surging through our bodies, vibrating all the way down to our toes.

 

In Summary, the secret sauce for a great life and a soul-stirring stew of fun