Mama Gena - This only happens once a year.

The energy is building over here, as we near the kick-off of Mastery 2016 in just a couple weeks! We’re currently over 90% full, and we expect to move to a wait list soon.

Before that happens, I wanted to make sure you have the opportunity to get answers to some of your questions, and find your clarity about joining us (or not). Lots of the same questions have been flowing in, so today I invited some of my grads to share their personal answers with you.

Thank you so much for being a part of this community—whether or not I see you in Mastery this year, I’m so glad you’re here.

Will Mastery help me bring in the relationship I desire, and/or a better dating/sex life?

For me, the biggest stuck place in my life was romantic relationships. I had degrees from Yale and Harvard and achieved great career success. But I felt like, “What’s the matter with me that I can’t attract love into my life?” Mastery was this adventure about loving every nook and cranny of my being, because that was the missing key to attracting a man into my life. Every weekend, I was lovingly pushed and embraced by sisterhood to love all the parts of me that I found unlovable. And I have to tell you, I created the most incredible love affair in Mastery. It was wonderful, but he wasn’t the “one.” Then, about a year ago, I met a magnificent man who I know will be the father of my children. It was the community. It was the tools. It was staying in the perfection of me that allowed this love into my life. If you have a pinch of attraction to this work, do it. This is your life, it’s not just a course – it’s really your life. ~ O.H.

When I walked through the doors of the School of Womanly Arts, I was getting a divorce at the age of 37. I was beyond devastated. On the other side of this journey, I am a proud new mama at the age of 41, partnered with my husband and best friend, and surrounded by sisters. ~ Leslie (Read more of Leslie’s story here!)

Before Mastery, I really wasn’t dating. I had my profiles up online, but I didn’t go out with anybody. I was scared. I was shell-shocked for 7 years after getting separated from my ex-husband. I never saw myself as attractive, and no one else saw me as attractive. No one ever looked at me in my 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s! Now I’m 65, and the men are lining up. It’s so amazing. I am amazed every time. ~ Sandi

Let’s talk money. Is Mastery worth the investment?

Not only did I not have the money, I didn’t even know how I was going to get to New York. I was 27 years old, living in Georgia, and making less than 30K a year. But I was clear: I’m going to make a way. Then, my best friend registered for Mastery, and she got a surprise bonus at work the following week. And I was like, “Okay, magic happens.” It was so scary. But I did it. And my financial life is unrecognizable now. I’m not gonna lie: it wasn’t easy, because I had to undo and re-learn everything I was taught about worth. In Mastery, I saw women who had created businesses from scratch. “Someday” became today. Post-Mastery, I remember the first time I did an $8500 month. Since then, I’ve earned that consistently, or better. This year, I’ll be attending as a Big Sister Goddess in Mastery because I’m ready to go even higher in my life, and stand for all of the women who are where I once was. ~ Denise, Age 36

Invest in yourself. Because you deserve it, and it will pay itself back in full. Investing in yourself is the best decision you will ever make, and it will pay you back over and over again. ~ Sade

The day I enrolled in Mastery, my intuition took hold of the reins and made the decision for me. I took a deep breath. Called back and said, “I’m in.” Yes, the price tag was insane to me at the time, but I got my ass into Mastery. When I think of my life now compared to the woman I was prior to the course . . . I am overwhelmed with gratitude. – Leslie

When I started Mastery I was a grad student, working to get my doctorate, and making peanuts. Mastery came together for me in so many ways because I decided to stand for myself. I didn’t have a penny to my name. But every month, things came together. Money came from out of nowhere. So it’s really not about the money. It’s the commitment that you make to yourself, and when you put that signal out, the whole universe comes to make sure that happens for you. A year since taking Mastery, that credit card that I used is paid off in full and I am connected to myself, to my sisters and to the divine. ~ Erika P., Age 31

When I heard how much Mastery cost, I said, “Well thank you so much, and goodbye.” But thank god I came back. It was worth every cent I have spent on it. ~ Karen Fitzgerald, Age 62

I didn’t have the money. But it was weird—the money just came. It just showed up every single month. After Mastery began, clients just started showing up. Halfway through the program, I got my first 5-figure paycheck—that literally triple-paid what Mastery cost. So yes, it was totally fucking worth it. If you are called to do it, do it. ~ K. A.

I’m super busy. How much time will it take, so that I can make sure to get the most out of it?

All I really had to do was show up and be in the room. I have to confess: I didn’t start doing the homework and all the things we’re supposed to do until Mastery ended. I mean, I’m a therapist, almost finished with my PhD in Clinical Psychology – and I tell you, all I had to do was show up for four weekends, and my entire life changed around it. – Sophie, Age 36

I’m not even sure what I want or desire. Should I wait until I’m clear on what I want before enrolling?

I thought, ‘I’ve been to therapy; I’ve done a lot of work; I’m not even sure what I’m going to get out of this.’ But the thing is, this community and the sisterhood seduces that out of you. Because there’s another sister in the room that shows you, through her story, what it is you desire and are called towards. That’s the beauty of it. They are your mirrors and you are a mirror for them. If you allow yourself to let those fires get stoked, it will be there for you. Just come in open to how you are going to unfold. – Ninna

I came to Mastery very specifically because I wanted to quit my job. But by the end of Mastery, I wanted so much more than I ever thought possible – things I didn’t even know I wanted, or could have. Mastery opens a lot of portals. There’s no limit. Desires and possibilities that you have no idea you have will open up for you. – Clare

Mama Gena annoys me. I can’t stand pink. But I still feel this weird pull. What if I hate it?

To say I was skeptical of this whole Mama Gena business would be a vast understatement. I looked at the website and figured all of the women in the pictures must be actors – all planned, I was sure – on some set somewhere. The pink? The feathers? “Ridiculous,” I thought, “they should have found something less ‘girly.’” The women in the videos, talking about how great their lives were now — good make-up, semi-good acting, and scripted poorly, I might add – who could believe all that? They should have made it more believable. ~ Patty (Read the rest of Patty’s story here.)

When I enrolled in Mastery, my husband had cheated on me, and we were in the middle of a divorce. I went to an intro weekend, and I hated every second of it. I hated Mama Gena. I hated all those women. And if one more woman stood up and said something like “I had sex last night, and he read me poetry!” I thought I was gonna die. Honestly, I signed up for Mastery because I knew that if I hated it so much, I belonged here. After enrolling, I immediately regretted it. Ten days before it was going to start, I started calling Hannah at the School. I was scrambling for any reason I could get out of it (and I tried a lot). Hannah and I spoke like every day that week, and she encouraged me to just come one morning and see how I felt. I walked out of there going, “Holy crap, this woman’s a fucking genius.” A year later, I’m in a much better place, and I’m starting to date. I’m taking it slow, and I’m using the tools to allow me to take it slow, at the pace that’s right for me. I’m so grateful I didn’t bail. ~ Tracy, Age 50

I don’t believe there is a word to describe how resistant I was before signing up. I turned around and went back to the hotel three times the first night of Mastery. I was ashamed of my sexuality when I came here. I hadn’t been in a relationship for 30 years. I can tell you now that I believe in love, and I believe in love for myself. I feel more accepted in this room than I ever have in my entire life. I am totally transformed. ~ Laurie Irwin, Age 65

I need more confidence, and have some big healing to do. Will Mastery help me on a deep emotional level?

I used to feel shame all the time. Shame for being a woman with no voice. Shame for feeling not good enough, accomplished enough, well-dressed enough. Most of all, shame at not standing for the life I knew I wanted and was capable of. When I signed up for Mastery, I had no idea who would watch my kids, or how I would pay for it. I only knew that I would be there. There was a woman inside me crying to come out and I knew it was her time. My time. I knew I would be better at relationships—and mothering, too—if I did this thing. Going through the Mastery program was one of the biggest miracles in my life. My shame has completely lifted and I now walk into a group, a party, an interview, into a store, the mechanic, anywhere, with a deep knowing that I am ok. Not only ok, but I have my power and my pleasure at my fingertips at all times. I have friends I call on; they will have my back and stand for my empowered womanhood, and I for theirs. I learned how to let go of indecision over every area of my life every day. I can tap into the places in my body that know my truth. I now know my truth. I now know what it’s like to feel fully alive. ~ Esther Fink

As a child, my stepfather molested me. And I was made to feel like it was my fault. And so I started to make my body small. And I started to cave. And I began to not move. And I began to make my hips and my butt tight. And I took that smallness, that narrowness, into every area of my life. I couldn’t breathe; I felt like I was girdled. When I stepped into Mastery, of course I thought this place was crazy. These women were alive, and I thought, “What is wrong with them?!” But what I felt in my body was that I wanted to be like them. I couldn’t stay that small; I was suffocating. Now, I move. And I am dancing every chance I get. And I am rolling these hips, and I am making grandmotherhood look really good. ~ Bernadette, Age 49

I’ve already done a lot of work on myself, and my life is pretty great already. Will Mastery go deep enough?

I came to Mama Gena’s as an Ivy League-educated feminist, a magna cum laude graduate of Barnard College where I intensively studied gender and race. On the first afternoon of Mastery, I sat in my seat pouring tears. Tears of disbelief, tears of rage, tears of deep sadness, and tears of relief. Because in one day, she gave me more wisdom toward the seat of my empowerment than I had gotten from 4 years of education at one of the world’s most respected women’s colleges. ~ Kelly

Before I came to Mastery, this course was a “nice to have,” not a “need to have.” I was happy and proud of who I was. I was a successful executive director, had an amazing partner who loved me, and a strong relationship with myself. And yet still . . . something was missing. Then here in Mastery, in this conversation, in this chaotic ebb and flow of longing, understanding, and history—I found my home, my voice, and my Self. I began to notice all the areas in my life that I had squinted past, all the ways I had compromised, the areas I had settled in, the chances I didn’t take, and the life I was ultimately too afraid to live. On this journey I’ve been able to create epic friendships and cultivate a fairy-tale romance with my fiance. I am finally pursuing my purpose on this planet, and am leading a life that fills my heart and sources my soul. Today I stand before you as woman who is madly in love with not only what she sees in the mirror, but with what she knows lies deep inside. I stand before you as a woman who is madly head-over-heels in love with herself. And that is a beautiful thing. ~ Sacha

Mastery begins the moment you sign up. I had not encountered anything more compelling or terrifying than that idea. Compelling, because it promised change. Terrifying, because it required change. I didn’t actually attend my first Mastery. I fled under the pretense that I would hate it. That no one would like me. I wouldn’t like anyone else. That Mama Gena would fall short of my expectations, thus ruining that which had already changed in my life when I read her book. I feared the people that loved me would think I was absurd and crazy. It would be better to simply acknowledge that at the root of my feeling of displacement in the world, there was some irreconcilable chemical imbalance. It was better to stay home. Thankfully, gratefully, all of us have paths back to ourselves. I had a sister standing for me. And when she invited me back to Mastery for what we shall call my “second Mastery,” I sobbed into her arms. I sobbed because I had proven to myself beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could not go any further without this work and this community. I sobbed because I had to show up. Mama Gena, you did not disappoint. ~ Kasha, Age 34

I don’t live in New York. Can I still do Mastery?

I’m Australian and I live in Singapore. I fly 24 hours every Mastery weekend. I have a husband and three children. It is not easy. It is a big sacrifice, every time. But it is that important. It’s worth it. You will not even recognize your life when you’re done. ~ Mirna

I’m a busy mom. Will Mastery support me in my parenting?

It wasn’t easy to take the time away from my kids, but I stood in my knowing that until I was whole, I could not be there for them. I know that when I’m good and whole, I’m giving them permission to be good and whole. And I’ll tell you what: my girls, they are rocking their teenage years, and we are connected in ways I wouldn’t have believed. Take care of you and they’re going to be great. ~ Sarah Sherwood, Age 50

Starting with caring for me has helped me to be more present for my family. Mastery has helped me be more mindful and deliberate about raising girls.~ Wokie

Could Mastery help me in my career?

What brought me to Mastery was that I received an evaluation from my boss that said I wasn’t performing. With the tools that I learned in Mastery, I’ve since negotiated 6 weeks vacation in the summer to be with my son, a salary and a title of Executive Vice President. A year ago I didn’t know if I would have a job. I now earn close to $250K after starting in the industry 10 years ago making 38K. I have a pink boa in my office. We do dance breaks. And it’s all because of a paradigm shift that happened in Mastery. All I can say is: Trust this woman. I can honestly tell you my life has changed phenomenally. ~ Victoria, Age 44

Will Mastery change my mindset?

Mastery is about unlearning everything you thought you knew. And finding the way that you always wanted it to be. Saying yes to Mastery is saying yes to having it all. ~ Leah Fisch, Age 37

Before Mastery I thought it was too late for me. I used to say, “I’ll never be one of those gorgeous women; I’ll never be in love; I’ll never be successful. I’ll never be, I’ll never be I’ll never be . . .” The greatest thing that happened in Mastery was that that voice shut the f*ck up. ~ Leslie, Age 47 (Read more of Leslie’s story here.)

Can Mastery help me with my relationship with my body and my health?

Honestly when I signed up for Mastery, I wanted to come out a size 6, and maybe with a ring on my finger. But you know what? That’s not what it’s about. Now, I have a healthier body image, and that’s huge, because those negative body image issues were not just mine—they are those of so many women living among us! Coming to this peaceful place I feel heals not only me, but somewhere helps to end that cycle of self-flagellation that exists among so many women, not just physically, on so many levels. Now, I look in the mirror and approve of myself. – Miriam

Before Mastery I pretty much hated myself, and every time I walked past the mirror and looked at myself, I found something that was not beautiful, that I found imperfect. It really was traumatizing to walk past the mirror. I didn’t even know what my own smile looked like. Now, after Mastery, I adore every part of my body. I adore my hair, my face, my eyes. I sometimes spend time adoring my body, and every time I look in the mirror I think, “Oh, you’re so cute.” And now, I’m using my body. I’m integrated with my body, and what I feel through my body is very important information. And much more pleasurable. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but now, I really understand what a gift I am. That’s the gift that I now freely bring to the world. ~ Tatiana, Age 39

Because of Mastery, I started taking a different care of myself. And now, I’ve just got a whole new body. 60 pounds gone.~ Ayodele Moore, Age 67

You have to know that this Goddess has avoided the beach for almost 20 years, unwilling to show my ample thighs to the world at large. Now, well, things have changed. Now I stand here for every woman who has a self-image issue, as I learned to love myself, every inch of me, just as I am in this moment. ~ Paula Liscio, Age 66

Will Mastery help my marriage?

My marriage of now 16 years is my work of art. My intense gratitude is to you for your intervention at year 15. Because I was very, very close to throwing it away out of sheer frustration and boredom. ~ T.W.

Nearly 7 years ago, when I began my studies at the School, I had one question I wanted answered: “Should I stay in this marriage?” At the time, my marriage was not working and we were very stuck. Recently retired from a successful business career, my husband had little sense of who he was, feeling lost and less. We were not having fun; I was unsatisfied with my sex life, and I was beginning to doubt whether that would ever change. I can now say that at age 78, I’ve never felt more happy, beautiful, sexy and sensual, or deeply connected to my husband than I do right now. Yes, 78! At a time of life when most women of my generation have retired their sensuality, I am proof that there is so much more that’s possible. Bob and I have been married 28 years, and it’s better than ever. – Jane

During the course of Mastery my marriage almost ended. For both of us, it really almost ended. We made an agreement to take the summer, instead of “working on our marriage,” to enjoy our marriage. Well, we’re still doing that. ~ Mim

What kind of community and sisterhood can I expect?

The sisterhood I discovered changed my life. Women who believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself. Women who held the vision for me when my desires seemed so far away. Women who put the mirror up in front of me, to keep me accountable to my truth. Our support for each other is deeply healing, paradigm-shifting. – Leslie

About 7 months before Mastery, my dad died. And that’s what brought me here, because I didn’t know how to deal with the grief, and I didn’t know what to do with all of the emotions I was having. And I got so much more than learning how to get through the grief. And I got this community. So when the grief comes up, and the rage comes up, I have sisters that I can swamp with. It’s a space where you have the permission to go to that point, and you can do it, and you’re held by so many people. ~ Lauren Joyce, Age 26

I’m not sure the timing is right. Should I just wait until next year?

I put off Mastery for about 17 years. I was intrigued, but I had a lot of reasons “why not” and they all boiled down to not being willing to give it to myself. I kept thinking it was about the money. It really took a lot for me to love myself enough to sign up. ~ Mim

I thought, “That is not for me. It’s pink and feathery and not my thing.” I finally went to an intro night. Something inside me lit up and I knew I had to be here. I didn’t know why; I didn’t know what was going to come out of it. Two months into the program I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I do not know how I would have gotten through that experience without the sisterhood of this community and without the tools that taught me how to go through these crazy times in our lives. Mastery gave me a pathway. I don’t always trust it and I still resist, but there’s something deeper that keeps pulling me forward. And each time I step forward, this community steps in to hold me. I am living a richer life than I have ever lived. Don’t wait. Stop putting off your life and your desires and your dreams. Start living today. It works. ~ Robyn