Darling,
First, it was Portland on Sunday: A large pink ball of fire blazed through the NIA studios, igniting 200 women and their 8,000 nerve endings, hosted by Debbie Rosas.
Last night was another asteroid blast: We blew the figurative windows out of a wonderful, packed to overflowing yoga studio in West Hollywood, called City Yoga, celebrating the Womanly Arts and gathering even more of the West Coast Sister Goddesses. Tonight, the meteor that is Mama Gena will be sailing through LA along with Ricki Lake and Suze Yalof Schwartz, delivering a trio called “Women. A State of the Union,” as part of Amy Swift’s SMARTY, the preeminent network for women in business.
And what is the fuel, the firepower that propels this force of nature?
That would be woman.
Woman plugged into her power source, her core fire, her deepest truth and most profound connection to herself.
Otherwise known as: Sister Goddess.
I cannot tell you the joy, the energy, the delight, the fuel, the fire, the depth of gratitude, the passion that gets ignited in me every time I hear of a Mastery Grad who, on receiving her graduation wings, took flight to terrain that she never thought possible for herself.
At my recent Intro Day in NYC, my beloved Sister Goddess grads grabbed the mic and told the spine-tingling, soul-stirring, heart-exploding tales of their reinvention into the women they were born to become.
Click on their names below to listen to their tales. And if you prefer to read, scroll down for an excerpt featuring Sister Goddess Geetha. Let her take you inside the intricacies of what it means to make that transition from living a small, shrunken life to busting into the stratospheres of your potential with men, career, family, and real estate.
Listen to Suzi on reinventing her marriage and career
Listen to Yaf on meeting her husband, getting pregnant, and starting her own business
Listen to Paula on loving her body and starting over in her career
Listen to Elan on following her passion and meeting her fiance
Geetha, before Mastery
Sister Goddess Geetha’s story (click to listen to the audio version):
“I’m Sister Goddess Geetha and before Mastery, I was a total workaholic. My job was everything for me, it was my purpose in life. It gave me a sense of accomplishment. I was working 70-80 hours a week. Everything else came second—my family, friends, and most of all, myself. It wasn’t even that I was working for my own company, it was just a job. It was the only thing I had control over.
“I grew up in a very traditional Indian family, where the expectation was for me to marry a nice, Indian man. I tried to do that. I dated this guy for seven years—he was a successful Indian man. I stuck in there for seven years, and yet it was totally toxic. I felt stuck with it, because I wanted to make my parents happy, and I thought this was the way to do it. Basically, I spent my whole life making sure everyone else was happy. I just wanted to serve others. That was all I knew. But what was building up for me was rage and anger, and I took it out on myself.
“I hated my body, so I tried to hide it. I wore loose, boring clothes that put me in the background. In fact, I would never be up here [onstage] – this was the last place I would ever expect to be. Finally, I ended up ending the relationship, and it left me not trusting men at all. Most of all, I didn’t trust myself. I had no confidence in myself and just couldn’t trust anything, and I was completely stuck. A friend of mine told me about Mastery – I had no clue what it was about, I just trusted my friend and said, “I’ll do it”…
Geetha, after Mastery, in Greece
“After Mastery, my life has changed. I am living my life for myself. I am the top priority for everything. I’m traveling the world, I’ve hiked to Machu Picchu, I was cruising a couple months ago in Greece and Istanbul on a private yacht. I traveled to Hawaii, to Mendoza for wine tastings, surfing in Costa Rica. I’m doing things that I wanted to do for myself. Workwise, I stood for my voice and myself and found my confidence. I’m on the senior management team, making more money than I ever imagined, triple what I was making back then. I work less. I’m spending more time having fun, going out with friends, doing things that I want to do.
“The big thing is, coming from a traditional Indian family, I’m standing for myself, and it’s opened up my relationship with my family. I’m saying, ‘This is who I am, I’m not going to change, I’m not going to marry the person you want me to, I’m living my life for me.’ It’s changed the whole atmosphere. I have such a great relationship with my parents and my sister, everything is opening up, and by being who I am, I’m opening up the doors for the next generation, especially my young nephews, letting them lead their lives the way that they want, and I’m doing that for more and more people in my life. [audience cheers] I can’t believe the way my life is, I own two homes, I’m bi-coastal, I go anywhere I want, and most of all, I would not be wearing what I am right now, I wouldn’t be wearing these heels.
“I’m so comfortable in my own body, and it shows across every aspect of my life, and it continues to grow. I found my sensuality and pleasure, I’m so much more in love with myself, which has opened up my relationships with men. I’ve had so many different experiences and hot sex. I’m 43 years old and didn’t think any of this was going to happen. I’m having the time of my life. I feel like for the first time, I’m really living.”
Incredible, right? If you’ve got an appetite for more, check out these grad stories. And if you want to weave your own tale of reinvention, join me for Mastery 2013. In the comments below, tell me what these five women ignite in you. Which of your desires rose to the surface as you listened to their talks?
And if you’d like to asteroid blast another woman into the realm of her dreams and desires, please share this post.
With so much love and pleasure,
Mama Gena
P.S. Next week’s orientation in NYC is currently full with a wait list, but there is still space in the Mastery course. As you know, we offer it only once a year, so now is the time to figure out if it’s a fit for you. We have course graduates lined up to give you one-on-one attention. Schedule a time by visiting this link and entering your information.
Cover photo: lizlinder.com
