The biggest lesson that I've learned so far from this crazy tough year is:

When you're struggling with huge questions, invite others in.

There have been two moments this year (so far) when I found myself grappling with some overwhelming issues, and getting nowhere after several weeks.

The strategy I used to deal with these situations helped me move forward much more easily, and hugely enriched my life in unexpected ways.

Situation 1:*

What the heck should I be doing with my business given COVID-19?

March and April were crazy months for all of us to be alive.

For me, it was a huge challenge to be a mom of two small kids, to be living abroad, and to be a small business owner, and to be a coach.

There was so much uncertainty that I'd find myself at my desk -- in the few spare moments I had to work on my business since we now didn't have outside childcare -- in a state of muddled confusion.

All my pre-COVID plans now seemed irrelevant. What should I do now?

I had no idea how to answer that question.

In the weeks that followed, I attended webinars with other small business owners and coaches. I listened to podcasts and read articles. I journalled and looked within.

I found some helpful things along the way, but nothing that got me moving, with a sense of direction.

My business was really slowing and it was super scary.

The lockdown was strict in Spain, and in the midst of it, I decided the isolation was too much, I could not do this alone.

So I posted a message in an online business group asking if other coaches wanted to form a Mastermind/Support group to talk specifically about how we were managing our businesses during COVID-19.

There was a lot of interest, and in the end I chose five women coaches to join me. Two others are also in Spain, one is in Germany and two others were in the U.S.

Our first meeting was April 23. Getting off that call, I had such a sense of utter relief.

It felt so good to say, "I am struggling" to other business owners who would understand, and were also having a tough time.

It was cathartic. It was empowering, clarifying and motivating to keep on going.

They also gave me lots of great ideas and support.

Something obviously shifted, because in May, I had one of my highest revenue months ever.

I was shocked. There was huge power in being in community, in a moment in history when community was especially hard to come by.

My Mastermind group is still going strong. Even, on a recent weekend, one of my Mastermind members who lives in Barcelona drove up with her family to visit us on the farm.

We ate a picnic lunch outside and the kids played with water and made mud pies. It did my heart so much good to watch our children play together.

Friendship. That, especially in pandemic times, is priceless.

What are the biggest issues that you're grappling with right now?

Are you --

❓ Wondering how you're supposed to move ahead with your goals in this pandemic reality?

❓ Worried about how you'll hold it all together this fall when maybe stay-at-home orders return; you still can't travel and/or see family; or kids don't go back to school?

❓ Completely at a loss for how to continue to work remotely at a job that asks a lot AND have a personal life?

❓ Wanting to make some progress on something important to you before 2020 ends?

The doors are open now to Show Up Stronger, my new group coaching program designed specifically for this moment in crazy 2020.

(Check it out now! Enrollment for this session ends on Sept. 10, 2020.)

How good would it feel to meet regularly with a group of like-minded people who are struggling with similar questions?

This is going to be the place where you can:

✅ Continue move ahead on what you really want in life and work -- no matter the uncertainty that lies ahead.

✅ Set up solid self-care habits so you can deal with anything that gets tossed your way.

✅ Know that you are not alone, by participating in real conversations with others like you.

Interested?

Here's your first step:

Set up a quick 15-minute call with me. I'll ask you to share what you're working on, and we'll talk about whether this group might be a good fit for you.

I've created this program now, because I've heard so often in my conversations how much people are struggling, how much they still want the things they want in life, and how isolated and stuck they feel.

I know it doesn't have to be that way, and that the first step is to enter into community with others.

We will have your back - so you move ahead stronger, focused, and inspired, no matter what comes your way.

*Stay tuned for my next post, when I share the second time this year when I brought others in on my biggest dilemmas ... It's close to my heart.