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Up & Running

Running is more than a workout. It’s a portal to mind-body alignment.
It’s a source of community. It’s soul-searching & goal-setting.
It’s where wisdom meets wonder, with the wind in your hair.

And it’s not just for the skinny, the svelte, or the superhuman. It’s for YOU.

At Up & Running we’ve got all the goodies to help you. Our e-courses from 5K, 10K to half-marathon runs all come with expert coaching, unlimited support and a vibrant members forum.

Join us for our June courses and we’ll get you on your feet, out the door, and into the world… registration is now open!

“I can’t praise Up & Running highly enough. Being a part of the community has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had… I go out running now for the sheer enjoyment of it and every single time I have to chuckle a bit to myself at what I’ve accomplished. Me, a runner.” — Svava, UK

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Inner Moves — Maureen Clancy

Deep down you’re sensitive and brilliant, but you’ve been playing small.  For years, you’ve been fighting the feeling that you’re not good enough. But the more you fight, the bigger it gets.

Meanwhile, opportunities for happiness, love, and money are slipping by.

You secretly wish you could:
• Go after your dreams.
• Take more risks and delight in the rewards.
• Release negative habits like self-sabotage.
• Feel more compassion for yourself and others.

Inner Moves is a 6-week e-Course that’ll help you do these things.

Imagine how it would feel to:
• Stop fighting this feeling.
• Have specific tools to use when this feeling gets big.
• Belong to a community of women in which you’ll be encouraged, validated and safely held.
• Begin to accept — all parts of yourself (… even those you don’t like).
• Stop holding back and live the life you were meant to live.

My deepest desire for you is to love and accept yourself . . . no matter what.

Want to sponsor your friend, sister, mother, daughter? You are amazing, AND you get $50 off her fee. That’s a whole-life changing course for 100 bucks!
1. Visit http://www.maureen-clancy.com/inner-moves
2. Click Add to Cart.
3. Type sponsorasister in the discount box (as one word with no spaces).
4. Click Checkout to pay.
5. I’ll email you a gift certificate to send her.

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Kelly Rae Roberts

I’m Kelly Rae Roberts. I’m an artist, author + a Possibilitarian.

I believe that art has the transformative power to heal (both the maker and the receiver of that art).

I believe that we get to make the rules, that we get to choose, that we get to craft the exact life that has been waiting for us. And when we do, we become fully alive.

I also believe that we are meant for the complicated journeys of brokenness and wholeness, vulnerability and courage, wisdom and silliness. Sometimes all at once. But more on that, later.

An Accidental Artist

I spent my early career as a clinical medical social worker — counseling broken hearts, and helping others through the fights of their lives. It was powerful, important work — but my heart began to grow restless.

Until . . . I started playing with paint, at age 30. And everything shifted and changed and opened up. A new way of experiencing, translating, sharing & being in the world was born.

Come say hello at http://kellyraeroberts.com + use coupon code SUPERHERO for 20% off any purchase in the shop!

Holy moly. Best thing EVER. I’m in love with Kid President.

I was honored to participate in the Mother’s Day Rally for Mental Health on Katherine Stone’s blog (Postpartum Progress) this year. Katherine posted letters to new moms from 24 writers who have gone through postpartum depression or anxiety. Each letter is so moving + powerful… and a must-read for your mama friends out there. So many of us don’t realize what we’re going through until we’re on the other side. We don’t get the support we need because we think we don’t deserve it, or that it’s not that bad, or we’re too ashamed…

These letters bust through all of that and share the real deal. So proud to be a part of it. Share it with the moms in your life. My piece is getting more help thank you think you deserve.

Laurie listening to Ellen

I went to a birthday party for a dear friend recently. Since Laurie had been going through some major transitions this year, we wanted to gift her something really special and from the heart. Sherry suggested we all make her a “Love list.”

A Love list is pretty simple.

1. Write down 10 things you love about this person.
2. Tell them what you admire about them, what you appreciate, why they inspire you.
3. Read it to them in person, over the phone, or put a stamp on it and send it off with love.

As I wrote my love list for Laurie, I was filled with gratitude. There was so much to love about her! and I felt so lucky to be counted as one of her dear ones.

She didn’t know we wrote these lists. We surprised her by reading them out loud, one by one after dinner, and watched the tears fall from her cheeks. She received each gift so beautifully… and we were all a puddle by the end. It was a gift to all of us.

Lara and Sherry and Laurie

Laurie and Lara

Me reading to Laurie

Me and Laurie

Have you ever given a love list? Have you ever received one? What was it like?

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!

Self portrait, eyes closed

We have a “Ruffler.”

This is what Ben called him the first time it happened, the first time our car was broken into last year. We went to open the door of our car one morning and discovered that it was ajar. Trash was strewn all over the passenger seat along with owners’ manuals, registration papers, a swiss army knife, a few tampons and a number 2 pencil. All that seemed to be missing was the spare change. I explained to Ben that someone had rifled through our car in the middle of the night.

But who ruffled our car? Ben asked in disbelief.

I like calling him the Ruffler because it sounds more friendly, less like a violation and more like a person who simply makes mischief and mess wherever they go. We also have a name for this guy because he has done this to our car a good 7 times now. Every time we have forgotten to lock the doors– those occasions when I have extracted a screaming toddler from the car seat and hurriedly ushered him into the house (thus forgetting to lock up) the Ruffler strikes again.

It’s possible he is the most dependable force in my life. A law of the Universe. Pure cause and effect.

I’ve been more diligent about locking doors since the Ruffler came into our lives. Not just the car doors, but the house as well. He demands that I cross my T’s more than usual; he demands a kind of precision and excellence that perhaps I let fall by the wayside. I imagine he is a kind of angel, here for a purpose, to protect me from a much greater harm with his annoying shenanigans.

I have been tempted to leave the car door open and rig a camera in there, to film the Ruffler in action. He has left cigarette butts in the car before, garbage, and once a nice pair of sunglasses that I’m guessing he acquired from another vehicle. But I don’t really want to know who he is.

I prefer to think of him as a force or an energy, not a real person.

I prefer to think of him as someone who asks me to stay present and awake, who remembers to check the doors before falling asleep, who reminds me of the simple laws of the Universe.

You might remember a ritual I did with a few friends last year. We gathered feathers and let them go. For Myriam, pictured above, it was a long infertility journey on her heart – a lot to let go of – but we all felt so much hope as we gathered again on the sand. We knew that baby was on its way.

I visited Myriam last week in southern california and it was my total delight and joy to photograph her, her husband and that gorgeous belly on the beach in Laguna. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Myriam more beautiful, and that’s saying a lot.

I just wanted to share these photos today, to celebrate Myriam and also to celebrate how life can surprise us again and again.

My friend Lara and I got our kiddos together for brunch + a major lemon squeezing session.

At some point Nico got his hands on the garden hose outside. As you can see below, I took this photo from the safety of the inside of the house.

The kiddos then made a big sign that advertised free lemonade for Plant a Kiss day.

We set up shop and began giving away cups of free lemonade. Our first customer was Ben + Roan’s preschool teacher. She was so proud!

Turns out giving something away for free is disarming for folks. Many people tried not to look our way and when we would ask, Would you like some free lemonade? They wondered what the catch was. “The catch is love!” Roan exclaimed. So yeah, couldn’t have said it better myself. The catch is love!

You can read the rest of the Plant a Kiss Day blog posts by clicking here.

Self-portrait, shot with Canon 6D

I caught myself today, telling my sister a tired old story on the telephone. You know the ones I mean –the thing you have been complaining about for years, the thing that never seems to change, the one that always brings you anguish. When I hung up today (after venting at length) I noticed how my body felt- icky, tainted, like I had just eaten an entire bag of fritos.

I think I’m done telling that story, I thought to myself.

I need a new narrative. One that’s still true but makes me feel empowered + hopeful.

I went on a photo walk this afternoon. I wanted to shake my legs and get in the mood for the Treasure Hunt course starting in a couple of days.

I found myself taking self-portraits, click click click and then peering into the tiny screen to see how they came out. Sometimes it’s hard to look at yourself, isn’t it? My skin is mottled, my eyes are too small, I should wear makeup… the critic had a steady stream of commentary. Then I remembered something that Vivienne McMaster had shared with me, a self-portrait exercise where you look into the lens with total kindness + love.

I decided to try it, peering into the camera with the kindest part of my heart. I acted as if I were looking at my own boys, tiny and perfect and beautiful. Not only did it feel good to do this, but the shots turned out so much better.

I’m not sure what this new story is. (I will have to call on one of my life coach friends for this one)

What I do know, is that the key will be starting from this place of kindness and love. From this angle, things are bound to look so much more hopeful + beautiful.

Sad banana, shot with Canon 6D

Sad bananas over here.

Just one of those weeks! I’m thinking that some photo walks are in order. Would anyone like to join me?

Creativity is always the best way for me to find my joy again. Perhaps you need to find some joy too. Let’s do it together.

The Treasure Hunt begins May 1st.

30 days of photo prompts + photo tips. Here are a few more details.

Only $39 if you use this coupon code: HUNTFORJOY

Here’s what you’ll get:

• A creative photo prompt each day in your inbox

• Photo tips + creative musings to inspire your work

• A warm, encouraging community space on Flickr to share your work and support your fellow treasure seekers! (I will be popping in there each day to view your work and support your practice)

Benefits of treasure seeking:

• Jumpstart your creativity or add a new spark to your existing practice

• Come away with a collection of creative images illustrating your life right now

• A gratitude practice using your camera as a tool + beauty as your lens

• A whole month of drinking in everyday beauty

• Inspiring photos taken with your camera phone.

• Has your blog been collecting dust? Infuse it with new colorful content!

Only $39 if you use this coupon code: HUNTFORJOY