No capes. Just courage.
Sean Hayes playing at the UC Botanical Garden, Berkeley, CA
Sean Hayes playing at the UC Botanical Garden, Berkeley, CA
Sean Hayes playing at the UC Botanical Garden, Berkeley, CA
You can hear more music from the incredible Sean Hayes here!
Rainbow buddhas, in Anado’s gorgeous studio, San Miguel Allende, Mexico
Have you ever wondered who is responsible for the gorgeous rainbow colored buddhas on my home page? They were created by the phenomenally talented Anado McLauchlin in San Miguel de Allende.
You might remember I was there last January for a painting retreat with Flora Bowley. The colors in San Miguel are the most spectacular I’ve ever seen – mustard walls with peeling paint, green taxis and pink churches, orange houses against bright blue skys. My color obsession was finally satisfied. But we had the chance to take it to another level when the leader of our trip suggested we visit a talented expat artist whose home was made entirely of mosaics. Now we’re talking! I thought.
Anado and Rebecca, San Miguel de Allende
Anado’s shoes, San Miguel de Allende
Of course he had me at hello. A creative wizard of a man with a long beard and pink tennis shoes greeted us. His house was nothing short of miraculous. Here are some peeks into his colorful world. May they inspire you! And if you ever find yourself in San Miguel, I hope you get to see his work firsthand.
Thank you Anado! For sharing your colorful vision and your home!
Me, running to the water, Stinson Beach, CA
Me/Andrea in the water at Stinson Beach, photo by John Nieto
Me jumping at Stinson Beach, photo by John Nieto
I’ve been craving the ocean for days, feeling melancholy and drained. For me, the best and only antidote is the ocean. I’m a California girl through and through, born in Los Angeles and grew up in Santa Cruz. The ocean is in my bones and has been my constant companion (and healer) for as long as I can remember. There is nothing on earth that rearranges me like walking for hours in the sand, feeling the water lap at my feet.
Yesterday, when I saw the forecast was 80 degrees, it occurred to me that I work for myself! And that I could make the hour drive to the beach just like that. No need to ask permission. (I sometimes forget this) I collected my dear, old friend John and off we went.
Rock we found at the beach with a face
We walked barefoot and took photos. We combed the beach for seaglass and beautiful rocks. We found one with a remarkable face! and John told me about a time when he was at Ocean Beach and found dozens of baby sand dollars, all perfect and unbroken, strewn all over the sand. The image enchanted me and I silently wished for tiny sand dollars to appear. Within minutes, I found the tiniest sand dollar imaginable. It was the size of my fingernail! Then I found another and another… they were everywhere.
As we walked back, I did a ritual. I wrote the names of all the people in my life who need healing right now. (There are a lot of them) I sent each of them blessings and asked the ocean to help…
Baby sand dollar
We can amplify our positive emotions by sharing them – our gratitude, our joy and our well-being. My joy was amplified by sharing it with John yesterday. My gratitude + well-being were amplified by the simple ritual of sending love + healing prayers out to friends. We can amplify our appreciation by having a gratitude buddy and sharing lists each day.
This morning, when I told one of the other moms at the bus stop that I played hooky and went to Stinson beach, her eyes got big. “That is so inspiring!” she beamed. As I shared more about our day, she got more and more excited. “Thank you for sharing that,” she told me. “You are encouraging me to do this for myself this week!” I walked away smiling, my own joy amplified…
And so I share this with you as well. A reminder to do something healing for yourself, something that makes you come alive this weekend. Share it and watch it ripple out to everyone you touch.
The amazing John Nieto, Stinson Beach, CA
John Nieto jumping, Stinson Beach
Ben at Asilomar beach
Matt + Nico on the boardwalk, Asilomar
Nico laughing with Matt, Asilomar State Beach
Nico + Ben in the sand
Windy Nico, Asilomar State Beach
Selfie on the way to Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, CA
The Big Sur coastline is ridiculously beautiful, Big Sur, CA
White sand beach in Carmel, CA
Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, CA
Nico and his muffin, Pacific Grove, CA
Kickin it with Dora at the hotel room, Asilomar conference center
King of the mountain, Asilomar State Beach
My feet in the sand, Asilomar
Me and one of my favorite dudes, Asilomar State Beach
Jellies at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I know, I know. That one looks phallic.
Ben looks good in blue.
Beautiful light in the ice cream shop, Carmel, CA
Pooped.
I’m a California girl.
I grew up near Santa Cruz and since my parents owned a retail store in Carmel, I spent many a weekend wandering in and out of the boutiques and rolling down the white sand hills of Carmel beach. My sister and I used to pretend we were elevator operators at the old I. Magnin department store and gather tips that we would later spend on candy and toys around town.
I haven’t been back in many years but this time I saw this part of California with brand new, grown-up eyes. It is amazing. The beauty of the Big Sur coastline is almost hard to wrap your head around… the wild coast, the big rocks, the turquoise water. Crazy beautiful.
For any of you looking for a gorgeous little family adventure, I highly recommend the little 3- day tour we did:
Thursday: Stayed at Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove and played at Asilomar State Beach.
Friday: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Big Sur, Pfeiffer Beach, back to Pacific Grove
Saturday: Drove to Santa Cruz and played with friends and went to the tide pools at Pleasure Point
Sunday: Home
Highlights of our trip: Seeing the jellies, the white sand beach of Carmel, every beach we went to, watching movies in the hotel room, seeing old friends in Santa Cruz
Low point: Nico climbing up onto the desk of our hotel room and pooping (+ peeing) on Matt’s laptop.
All in all it was an awesome vacation. I completely fell in love with California again. Such a beautiful place to live!
I’m beyond thrilled to announce a LIVE in-person workshop coming up in October!
Opening the Creative Channel is a gathering of kindred spirits who will share stories, gorgeous food + creative exercises. We’ll write, we’ll pull out cameras and pens, we’ll put words to paper, play with color and even take a field trip, all in the service of opening the creative channel and waking up our intuition so we can hear the sound of our own music. Only 20 lucky peeps!
I’ll be collaborating with my dear friend and writing teacher, Laurie Wagner. Besides being a great teacher, Laurie is also a coach, author of 7 books, a mixed media artist and a mother of two. She is also one of the kindest + wisest people I know. It will be love at first sight, promise.
When: October 4th- October 6th, 2013 October 11th -13th Saturday and Sunday
9:30-4:30pm each day.
Bonus: Friday evening we’ll meet up in for an opening circle + tea + cookies
Where: Laurie Wagner’s gorgeous home in Alameda, CA (close to SF + Oakland) See photo above…Doesn’t it make you want to pull up a chair and a make a friend?
What: A gathering of kindred spirits for sharing stories, gorgeous food, and creative exercises. We’ll write, we’ll pull out cameras and pens, we’ll put words on paper, play with color and take a field trip to a magical place, all in the service of awakening our intuition and our joy.
Easy Peasy: No previous experience or expertise required. We are not here to create brilliant art. This workshop is about opening ourselves to the creative channel that lives inside each of us, and which, when we tune into it, allows us to hear the sound of our own music, find our authentic words and ultimately be free to live with more creativity, intuition and joy. You just need to bring an open heart + a willingness to share.
Your guides: Andrea Scher + Laurie Wagner
Who: Only 20 lucky peeps! Register now!
Cost: $450 This includes Friday evening + all day Saturday and Sunday. Catered lunch is provided + all the coffee, tea + snacks your heart desires. Plus, 20 of the most lovely humans you just met!
Why: Because we’re so much more alive when we’re turned to the channel of our own intuitive magic. To connect with other women in a fun, cozy and creative environment.
Refund Policy: The bottom line is we want to play with YOU! If it turns out your plans change, please know that your ticket is non-refundable, but you can always transfer it to a friend.
Where to stay? Any hotel in SF, Oakland or Alameda will be great. We’re happy to send over some suggestions.
We promise: Deep connection, creative play + lots of laughter. We hope to have you!
heart in the sand, Manzanita, OR
Right now I’m listening to my Angel session with Laurel from Illuminating Souls. Laurel and I met through SARK several years ago and then reconnected at WDS last year in Portland. Recently, I couldn’t get her out of my mind and knew I needed to book a session with her. It was quite extraordinary and I am still taking it all in. She gave me deep insight about my guides + my work in the world. Thank you Laurel!
Although I have cultivated a strong intuition and trust it deeply, I often feel lost + confused. Especially when I am in a transition. That’s when I reach out to one of the many talented healers that I know. I always leave feeling empowered and clear, hopeful and strong, confident that everything is unfolding perfectly. It’s a great source of comfort and an important part of my creative process.
1. Angel readings from Laurel Bleadon-Maffei at Illuminating Souls. She channels angels. How awesome is that?
2. My longtime spiritual advisor Lauren Miller. I have been having sessions with Lauren by phone for over 15 years — since we met in New Orleans in 1995. She is kind + wise + highly intuitive. She has guided me through many passages in my life. 985-727-0071
3. Theresa Reed (aka The Tarot Lady): I had my first reading with Theresa last year and was super impressed. She works fast and gives you great insights about where you are in your life and what’s coming. I highly recommend her!
4. Bodywork with Satyam: If you live in the Bay Area, you are in luck! Satyam works out of her studio in Mill Valley and is one of the most incredible bodyworkers/healers I have ever known. She gets all of her information from your body — your body will literally tell her what is going on with you spiritually/emotionally and otherwise. She is clairvoyant + wise, nurturing and insightful. A spiritual reading while you are getting a full body massage. What could be better? 415-302-0497
5. Cowrie shell divining with Mbali Creazzo: The book 29 Gifts
Inspired by this book, I went to see the shaman — Mbali Creazzo. Our session was very much outside of my realm (more woo-woo than I usually go) but at the time I needed a type of healing that bypassed my intellect. A healing that was so outside my realm I couldn’t even begin to understand it. She rolled cowrie shells and spoke to my ancestors. They gave me messages. They told me exactly what I needed to hear. I left her house feeling lighter than I had in years. I still don’t quite understand what happened in there, but I trust Mbali.
Let us know in the comments below.
Michelle Allen, Leigh Standley and Flora Bowley, Manzanita, OR
Recently, I attended a miraculous weekend retreat with a group of friends. We spent five days sharing stories, making collaborative paintings, taking gorgeous beach walks and coaching each other around our businesses + creative work.
We called it the “Radiate Sessions.”
Each person had a turn bringing something to the group they needed support with or guidance around. We created a loving circle around them and radiated pure possibility (plus all of our best collective wisdom) straight from our hearts to theirs. Whether it was your turn or not, you were transformed. Whatever medicine was being offered was somehow just what the rest of us needed too.
Kelly Rae Roberts and Mati Rose McDonough
We ate a lot of cheese, Kelly Rae, Flora, Mati, Hannah, Jess, Michelle
Photos at the magic hour are a requirement for any retreat, Manzanita, OR
Photography lesson by Vivienne McMaster
This retreat was incredibly heart-opening for me. The kind where you feel cracked open in the best way… crying lots of cathartic tears and expressing the most tender parts of your soul. While I feared that Zoloft would numb me out, it has done quite the opposite – it has calmed me down enough to feel the deeper layers of my heart –the unprocessed grief of the last 6 years, the profound love I have for my family and new hope for what’s possible in the future. My radiate session was about where my work is headed, but what these women really helped me do was open my heart.
As we left the house on the final morning, we all scrambled to get the sheets in the dryer, the dishes in the washer, and all of our bags packed and out the door. When I did a last scan of the house, I noticed that we had left one thing behind- a wishbone sitting on the kitchen counter.
“Who wants to do the wishbone with me?” I asked.
I haven’t wished on a wishbone since I was a kid, but as Leigh and I put our hands on each side of it I remembered the rules – that when it breaks, whoever gets the bigger piece will get their wish.
“Wait!” I said urgently, concerned that only one of us would get their wish, “Let’s make wishes for each other!”
So Leigh closed her eyes, and I closed mine, and I thought of the most wonderful secret wish for her. As we leaned backwards my worry returned, Oh no! What if she doesn’t get her wish?
The center of the wishbone flew into the air, leaving two perfectly even pieces in each of our hands.
We all gasped.
For all the magic of the weekend, the wishbone moment is the one I keep coming back to. And I think it’s because the message was so beautiful and so clear:
And that my friends, is something to celebrate.
P.S. If a retreat like this is calling to you, stay tuned. I was so inspired by this weekend that I am planning my own intimate gathering for the end of September. If you want to be the first to know, email me here: superherosf@gmail.com
Me and Nico at the beach, Bodega Bay
Grant with oysters, Bodega Bay
Nico watching the ocean, Bodega Bay
The kid’s table at dinner on Saturday night, how did we make all these tiny humans?
homemade pasta hanging to dry
Camie and Cenovia, Bodega Bay
Sasha and Talia eating oysters and drinking bloody Marys by the sea
The magic hour in Bodega Bay
Our dear friend Viola turned 40 this weekend and celebrated in the very best way: She rented a beach house for her dearest friends and we all spent the weekend together. It was like pure oxygen. Beach, fog, ocean, good friends, good food, tuna sashimi, homemade pasta, kiddos galore, hilarious conversation. It was SO SO GOOD.
A wise reader right here on this blog said to me recently, “Can you find some time to just goof around? To do something for no good reason? That isn’t productive at all?”
That comment stuck with me and has been tossing around my brain ever since. I have been so focused these days: The launch of the new site, the brand new e-courses, the usual drive and striving and ambition of being a solopreneur. It can all get overwhelming and serious and leave very little room for joy. In an effort to be good and responsible, I haven’t given myself room to take a break. To celebrate. To take pleasure in life and fill up with laughter and joy. I’m taking that reader’s advice and I’m going to build in time to goof around. This weekend was a great beginning.
Speaking of joy, I was asked to be interviewed for the Joy Telesummit. I said yes (my brave move for the day for Cultivating Courage) but I was nervous. Is she going to ask me how joyful I am? Is she going to ask me to give tips on having a joyful life? Hilariously, I even felt pressure to be joyful on the call with her! and wondered if I would come off as dark or depressed if I was just myself.
On the contrary, this might be my all time favorite interview to date. It was a transformative conversation for me and I hope it will be for you too.
You can stream the interview here. Enjoy!
The bride and groom, Aptos, CA
I don’t normally shoot weddings, but I couldn’t resist saying yes when Niki + Dave emailed to ask if I would shoot their small wedding in Aptos- the tiny little beach town where I grew up. It is gorgeous there. Just south of Santa Cruz and full of big beaches where you can walk for miles and miles. I still remember seeing those surfer boys in homeroom with wet mops of hair, salt dried in little beads on their arms from their early morning ocean adventures.
This wedding was unconventional and thoughtful, every detail meaningful and beautifully thought through… All of it infused with love and play. Their spirits were contagious… At one point I found myself thigh deep in the ocean (in my jeans) whooping it up and photographing them.
It was pure pleasure to celebrate with them and I’m excited to share some of their joy with you!
Dave + Niki diving in, Aptos, CA
At the farmer’s market earlier that day getting the bride’s bouquet
The gorgeous bride and groom, Aptos, CA
bride and groom at the ocean, Aptos, CA
Lovely ceremony, officiated by a dear friend, Aptos, CA
Into the sunset they go…
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