Life By Design’s Weekly News
April 29, 2009
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News this week:

~ Self-Awareness through Humor on JTS this week
~ Coming this Summer
~ Quote of the Week

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Self-Awareness through Humor on JTS this week

Journey to Self this week is about the importance of knowing yourself.  Joining me to discuss this topic is Sara Barron.

Sara is the author of the book “People are Unappealing” where she combines the theme of knowing who you are with humor.

Her work has also appeared on Showtime’s “This American Life”, The Today Show, NPR’s Weekend Edition and at the HBO Comedy Festival in Aspen, Colorado. Her essays have also appeared in the anthologies Mortified: The Big Book of Angst, Have I Got A Guy For You, and Rock and Roll Cage-Match. Sara hosts The Moth: Stories Told (www.themoth.org) and teaches humor writing at Gotham Writer’s Workshop. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

“These days, the market is pretty well saturated when it comes to memoir. Which means it has to be good; it has to be different. Sara Barron’s essays about her childhood, her parents, her life in acting school in Manhattan and her fellow actors are, dare we say it, as funny as David Sedaris’… Barron swats these quirks around like a cat with a big, juicy catnip toy. When you aren’t squirming, you’re laughing out loud.” ~ Los Angeles Times

Join me Thursday April 30th as Sara and I talk about her new book, the importance of knowing yourself, and learning life’s lessons through humor.  Listen live at 10am pst / 11am mnt / 12pm cst / 1pm est on Blog Talk Radio ~ http://blogtalkradio.com/journeytoself.

You can join the chat room during the show, use the “click to talk” feature, or call in (347) 215-8942 with your comments or questions.

If you can’t make it to the live show - no worries, all shows are archived and available with the show notes soon after the show on the Journey to Self Website ~ http://journeytoself.info

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Coming this Summer

I don’t want to give too many details away, but this summer  Mom’s Coffee Break will be undergoing a some exciting new changes!

Mom’s Coffee Break’s new motto and mission is “Helping working mothers not just survive, but thrive.”  I am bringing in two amazing partners that have different areas of expertise and experiences.  There is some amazing synergy between the three of us and I see a working mother’s community that is going to benefit it’s members in SO MANY WAYS!  MCB will be taking a “whole-istic” approach bringing support in way of experts, resources, services, information, education, and much more!

We are still working on the details, but a couple of things to look forward to is a member’s area with new resources, recommendations, and tools!  Monthly Virtual Seminars and Workshops with expert guest speakers.

As I had mention with MCB intergrating a “whole-istic” approach - meaning that we will be looking at all areas of working mother’s lives.  Each of the different areas of our lives do not exist independently from the rest. Therefore; improvements in family life is going to help you get better results in your career and improve your self-concept.  MCB’s Virtual Seminars and Workshops will cover issues in the main areas of business, family life/relationships, and identity.

Also coming this summer the launch of Mom’s Coffee Break Radio Show on Blog Talk Radio.

Co-hosting the show together will be myself, Jody Maley an expert in the field of direct sales. Additionally she brings the personal experiences of being apart of a blended family with six children, as well as a tremendous journey of personal and spiritual growth.  Jody is an avid student of the law of attraction and has see the manifestation of her dreams. She has a passion to help other women be empowered and successful in their lives.

My other co-host is Mandy Sly an amazing women that I have had the privileged in knowing for over 20 years.

In that time I have watched her always strive to make the best of even the worst situation, along with the resourcefulness to make alot out of a little!  She is a single mother to a teenage son, and currently is working on her Associates Degree in Criminal Justice at Blackhawk Technical College.

Mandy has spent over 16 years perfecting money saving ways to eat, decorate and look great on a budget.  She is educated and active in the “Go-Green” movement and brings her readers practical ways that they can live a “greener” lifestyle.  In addition, she is a creative and EXCELLENT COOK that has been exploring organic cooking for years.

I am very excited about launching the new and improved Mom’s Coffee Break!! Stay tuned for details!!

Sign up for the Mom’s Coffee Break mailing list at http://mcbreminders.eventbrite.com

Don’t forget to join MCB Member’s Area ~ http://mcb.collectivex.com

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Quote of the Week

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today…” ~ Stacia Tauscher

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If you would like to get LBD’s Weekly News and monthly Empowering You! Ezine delivered to your e-mail, sign up for Life By Design’s Mailing list or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Life By Design’s Weekly News
April 23, 2009
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News this week:

~ What can you do when your in-laws are the out-laws?
~ Heal Yourself on Journey to Self this week
~ Quote of the Week

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What can you do when your in-laws are the out-laws?

The saying goes, “You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family” this can be applied to in-laws as well.  It can be difficult as families blend.  Parents sometimes have a hard time just realizing that their son or daughter is now embarking on their own life. We are all unique, we hold different ideas and beliefs that may not always fall into line with what others may think.

Problems with in-laws can cause major family stress and ultimately can cause problems in your relationship.  Here are a few ways you can improve your relationship with your in-laws.

Stand United - One of the first steps is to make sure that you and your spouse stand united.  Discuss topics that might be an issue of contention with your in-laws and decide what you want to do as a couple and family.  There is pressure to live up to parent’s expectations, but your relationship depends greatly on making decisions that are best for your family.  Sometimes that is going to go against traditions or values that do not work for you, your spouse, and children.

To Get Respect You Have Give It - Personally, I have experienced problems with my in-laws during my first marriage.  It wasn’t so much that my in-laws felt that they had to inject their opinion into every aspect of our life, but it was more the way it was done.  Usually very sarcastically without regards to our feelings.  Respect is a two way street.  In the relationship to your in-laws respect is going to be key getting through the times when you may not see eye to eye.  Also keep in mind that your in-laws intentions are probably not rooted in evil - no matter what you want to tell yourself.

Handling conflicts with your in-laws in a respectful way is going to help build the bridge of communication.  The next time you are faced with a disagreement with your in-law try saying something like, “I realize that your advice is coming from a place of love and concern, but we have decided that this is what is best for our family.  You may not agree, but as family we need to support each other.”

There are certain topics that will bring you to an impasse in these cases all the arguing and fighting will not change the mind of either party involved in these situations you have to agree to disagree.

Communicate - It is important that as the in-law you are assertive and stand up for yourself.  It is equally important that your spouse is doing the same.  Talk with your in-laws, use “I” statements to let them know how you feel and what kind of relationship you would like to work towards.

Don’t Put Children in the Middle - Unfortunately, a side effect of adult turmoil is that children get dragged into the middle.  Even if it is not intended there are lots of passive aggressive statements or actions that kids can pick up on.  Don’t discuss problems with your in-laws in front of your children.  Refrain from negative statements about them in front of your children.  Remember they love you all and don’t understand the more complex (and even the simple) issues that can be at the heart of hard feelings.

You and your in-laws might never be best friends but, remembering some of the key points that I discussed may help to strengthen your relationship with them.  It will definitely help reduce tension during family gatherings and open you up to enjoying your time together more.

~ Tonya

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Heal Yourself on Journey to Self this week

This week we have great show with two amazing women that are dedicated to helping individuals heal their mind, body, and spirit. Rebbekah White and Buffy Lauer will be joining me and talking about the new Heal Yourself Magazine, the official magazine of Heal Yourself Talk Radio.  Heal Yourself Magazine has brought together some of the finest authors, products and reviews for the health and wellness industry to help you reach individuals reach their highest potential.

Heal Yourself Magazine was founded by Rebbekah White host of Heal Yourself Talk Radio, the popular internet and Boston Radio show that focuses on healing your mind, body and spirit. It is Rebbekah and Buffy’s hope that the online magazine will bring more enlightenment to those who are actively searching for answers.

Rebbekah White was an army wife for 8 years before her husband was medically discharged. Rebbekah currently resides in Sylvania, Ohio where she is the mother to three boys ages 14, 12 and 6.  Rebbekah started Heal Yourself Talk Radio out of a desire to reach out to others and teach them how to learn how to heal their mind, body and soul.

After years of dealing with depression and other physical ailments, Rebbekah realized she wanted to help others learn how to deal with depression and other areas of life.  Heal Yourself Talk Radio is a great starting point for information no matter what you are dealing with in your life.

Buffy Lauer is the newest partner, editor, pr rep and marketing expert for The Heal Yourself Network.  Buffy believes in self healing and like Rebbekah in spreading the word about holistic health and wellness.  Buffy brings to the table many life experiences, business experience and the excitement to help Heal Yourself Network grow to its fullest potential. In the past years she has turned 40 and have had a tremendous opportunity for reflection, healing, and growth.

She was born and raised in the Toledo areas, having the privilege of being adopted into a wonderful family.  Although she has had many years of understanding and working through her abandonment issues from her birth her parents, she is truly grateful for the family that she had been given and believes there are no mistakes - she is exactly where she is meant to be!  Which also includes being a single mom to her 11 year old son James, and her 8 year old daughter Ellie.

Join me Thursday April 23rd as Rebbekah and Buffy shares with us their own experiences of self-healing and their passion to help others do the same.  Listen live at 10am pst / 11am mnt / 12pm cst / 1pm est on Blog Talk Radio ~ http://blogtalkradio.com/journeytoself.

You can join the chat room during the show, use the “click to talk” feature, or call in (347) 215-8942 with your comments or questions.

If you can’t make it to the live show - no worries, all shows are archived and available with the show notes soon after the show on the Journey to Self Website ~ http://journeytoself.info

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Quote of the Week

Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it’s not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. it’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.”

~ Barack Obama

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If you would like to get LBD’s Weekly News and monthly Empowering You! Ezine delivered to your e-mail, sign up for Life By Design’s Mailing list or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Life By Design’s Weekly News
April 16, 2009
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News this week:

~ Get Out of Your Way
~ The Power of Focus on JTS
~ Get “Romance for Women” on Digital Download!
~ Quote of the Week

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Get Out of Your Way

On Monday night I co-hosted “Ladies, Let’s Talk” with a panel of amazing women.  We were sharing ways to creating the life of your dreams and discussing how sometimes it is ourselves that stand in our way, to which I responded that the best lesson that I every learned was how to get out of my own way.

Face it, doing a make over on your life requires change and change is scary even if it is for the better.  It’s delving into the unknown.  Sometimes it means stepping out of your comfort zone and taking risks. And to create the life of your dreams it may even require you to listen to and follow your heart instead of your head.  Sometimes we work against ourselves, against our dreams.  We all have that voice that creeps in when we are feeling the most vulnerable that tell us that we can’t do that, that mocks our dreams and instills the doubt that keeps us from going forward.  When we stop fighting ourselves and instead support our dreams by taking action - then we are half way there.

I firmly believe that if we can be our own cheerleader instead of our own worst critic we will truly have the key to unlock our dreams.

Here is to creating the life you want - because YOU CAN!!

~ Tonya

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The Power of Focus on JTS

This week on Journey to Self we are talking about The Power of Focus.  My guest this week Jody Marley will be joining me to share her insights and experiences of how gaining focus can change lives.

Jody has been a leader for over 8 years in the direct sales industry and has won several National awards. She has traveled quite a journey and overcome many challenges including a divorce, bitter custody battle, a total house fire and a heart condition. She has overcome it all and now has a new spouse and is part of a blended family with six kids.

She understands adversity and what it takes to be successful in your industry.

Jody is living her true passion of helping others achieve their goals. She is ready to help you achieve yours.

Her current activities include, frequent co-host on Ladies, Let’s Talk, Owner of Designed For Divine Destinations, an elite Circle Leader with http://www.AmazingWomansDay.com, and a published writer at http://www.Selfgrowth.com.

Join me Thursday April 16th as Jody and I discuss the Power of Focus.  Listen live at 10am pst / 11am mnt / 12pm cst / 1pm est on Blog Talk Radio ~ http://blogtalkradio.com/journeytoself.

You can join the chat room during the show, use the “click to talk” feature, or call in (347) 215-8942 with your comments or questions.

If you can’t make it to the live show - no worries, all shows are archived and available with the show notes soon after the show on the Journey to Self Website ~ http://journeytoself.info

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Get “Romance for Women” on Digital Download!

“Romance for Women” is now available as a digital download!  Surprise your special someone with this beautiful book of poetry.

http://www.urlfreeze.com/LBDEnterprises/romanceforwomenebook/

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Quote of the Week

We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”

~ Aristotle

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If you would like to get LBD’s Weekly News and monthly Empowering You! Ezine delivered to your e-mail, sign up for Life By Design’s Mailing list or subscribe to our RSS feed.