Teresia's Blog

“When I dare to be powerful- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid”

~ Audre Lourde

In reflection of the last two weeks since Kenny was born, I am in awe of the journey I have been on since my water broke on June 30^th.  The experience of giving birth and the first  weeks of being the main caretaker of a newborn has been both overwhelming and one of the most transforming times of my life.  As many of you know becoming a mom has been a long and not so easy journey, and it did not stop at birth.  I will not bore you with all the details but after 17 hrs of labour I had to have a C-section (I hate when that happens). We were so close but yet so far.  I have always had a fear of giving birth.  I remember in my “tween” years finding out how baby’s entered the world and remember thinking I will never do that!  Hmm perhaps that was part of the block of getting pregnant.

When we were in the depth of fertility treatments 3 years ago, one of my best friends died 8 months after giving birth to beautiful twin girls.  Her death was not directly related to her giving birth, but on some level I had the two associated.  With all that said, labour was not so bad.  What made the experience manageable and tolerable were these 3 keys factors.

1. Keeping my focus on the ultimate vision: holding my baby in my arms and being a family.

2. Being in the moment: Taking one step at a time, dealing with each obstacle one by one. “One of my main mantra’s was “I know I can handle one contraction at a time.”

3. Having an amazing support team: Having my mother, Brian, my midwife and the outstanding support of the nurses and doctors at  BC womens hospital made a world of difference.

As we experience any life passage, the above keys can provide a solid foundation to help us to the best of our ability, gracefully navigate our way through.

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“A baby is an inestimable blessing”

~ Mark Twain ( 1835 -1910)

Warning: Gushing Mother

I am honoured to share with you that our new addition to our family Kenneth LaRocque Terada, arrived on July 2^nd at 7:44 a.m.  I can’t describe how much I have fallen in love with him and am in awe with how the love continues to grow each day.  I can literally spend hours just staring into his big dark brown eyes and talking with him.  Every facial expression sends a shiver of love through my body.  (Having a wild imagination of interpreting the little smile of him looking at me, saying I am so happy to be here with you, consciously ignoring that my midwife says the smile is really him having gas and the opening of his little mouth reaching out for a kiss, the stretch of the arms saying mom, give me a big hug ).  All I want to do is spend hours looking at him.  I catch myself in the morning, when I awake before he does, wanting to wake him up so we can play.  I have quickly realized some of the most valuable advice I was given was when he is sleeping mom needs to rest!

Who would of thought an overachiever who in the past has missed very few days without having her priority of a ‘to do’ list front and centre, would be content holding her baby, breastfeeding, changing diapers and napping throughout the day.

I can’t wait to be a witness to the rest of his life. It is truly my honor and a gift from God.  Every day I count my blessings. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Photos by Christine Millington

www.bcweddingphotography.com

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As a blossoming MOMpreneur you get creative!

One of my greatest passions as a coach is to give back and help fellow coaches build their business. I started my business in 1996 when very few people knew what success coaching was. Many times I was asked are you a coach of a sports team? No “what a fitness trainer does for your body I do for your mind” was my common response. I built my business very quickly, (a huge dose of passion and an innate knowing of business savvy ) I had a full practice in my first year and was making 75,000.00 annually. It was a natural next step to share what was working for me with other coaches.

We have been offering the Passion into Profit program : (PIP) a customized business building program for coaches, for more then a decade. Embarking on my “baby leave” we have decided to make the PIP home study program available – a great way to serve coaches who are eager and ready to take their business to the next level NOW. In addition a great passive income source for my business.

I just had two inspiring conversations with two coaches who purchased the PIP Home Study program! Visit www.passionintoprofitforcoaches.com to find out more.

Or email us at info@passionintoprofitforcoaches.com  to book your consultation to find out if it is the next best step for you.

As an entrepreneur there are many ways to serve our clients.  Identify your ideal client, be clear of their greatest needs and have many options of how to help them meet those needs!

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I just completed a coaching session with a client who is taking her business from Virtual Assistant services to supporting her clients in Internet Marketing Strategies.

We talked about the important of having a clear concise answer when individuals ask you what you do.  Marketing starts when someone asks you “what do you do?” When this happens, what do you say? More importantly, how do you feel?

This is a pivotal moment; it is a chance to communicate your business to a captive audience that could very well become a paying client or a referral source.

Do you freeze up? Feel nervous? Walk away thinking, “I could have handled that better…”?  Do you know what your company stands for? Can you explain it with conviction and confidence? This is key, as entrepreneurs, one of our biggest challenges is getting the word out about who we are and what we do, and doing so in a way that makes people want to work with us.  If you don’t sound clear and confident when you speak about your own business, how is your listener or prospect going to believe in your work?

Your credo is the heart of how you represent your work to prospects – both in print and in face-to-face interactions. If you find networking a bit uncomfortable, it’s probably because you don’t have a strong credo to leverage in conversations with strangers.

As an entrepreneur it is important that you feel excited to share who you are, what you do, who you love to work with, and how you make a difference, this is the beginning of attracting business, the business you want. We like to say that a strong credo is the window to the soul of a business. In that one minute (more or less), you stand in the gateway to more clients, more business, more profit and more success.

To help you wrap your mind around this concept, here’s is an example of my clients credo:  

“My name is Tracey Ehman and I am a Virtual Marketing Director.  I work with established female entrepreneurs who are tired of watching their competitors get the edge through internet marketing. I help them move ahead of their competition by determining a strategy using social media, blogging and a variety of other online marketing platforms.    We work together to assess your goals, create a strategy and design a process to achieve them”.

 ~ Tracey Ehman, Your Virtual Marketing Director, http://www.done2atee.com/

 Make a commitment to yourself to devote time to developing or improving your credo.  Having a credo that resonates with your soul and captures the essence of your business is the first step in creating an effortless and fun marketing campaign.

 Visit www.passionintoprofitforcoaches.com for a complimentary recording on creating your credo. (Go half way down right hand column)

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Being self employed there is no such thing as maternity leave, at least not paid maternity leave. Well….that is not entirely true, if you are savvy enough to set your business up to create passive income, you could have paid maternity leave.  When we decided to start a family I became very motivated to have a passive income stream.  As I prepare for taking two months off completely from my business to be fully present as a new mom, I am taking some time to review my financial situation.  I have not quite reached my passive financial goals, but what I have created makes a difference!

Is it time for you to focus on passive income? If you are self employed why not incorporate passive income into your business plan.  Let’s first look at what is Passive Income? Passive income is money that comes in after you have completed working to get it.  It is income from work you have already performed versus work you are currently doing. Therefore, a passive income stream is a continued flow of income from a completed task.

One obvious source of passive income that illustrates the idea behind a passive income stream is a savings account.  You open a savings account with a certain amount of money, and that money gains interest as it sits there.  You never have to deposit any more money in order for that initial amount to continue earning interest for you.  Obviously the more money you deposit into the account, the more money you will make on it.

With access to the World Wide Web it opens up many options of passive income streams you can include in your business model.

Here are a few.

1. Affiliate Programs – passive income is derived from setting up a web site that pre-sell companies’ products or having other companies sell your products.

2. Information Products – ebooks, CD’s, books, ecourse, etc

3. Advertising commissions – on your website, newsletters or ezines.

4. Pay Per Click Campaigns – you can make money instantly by setting up a Google AdWords campaign for your product or affiliate program.

5. Referrals – create a network of people that offer services or products related to your business, set up an alliance where you receive a commission every time you refer someone.

6. Create a membership site – if you are an expert in your field and can provide the resources, knowledge and support, you can charge a monthly fee to gain access to your membership site. Because you are an expert in your field, you can also recommend other products and services to your members, from which you earn commissions.

7. Have associates – having a team of people working for your company that you receive a percentage of their service fee. If you are a coach or a self employed professionals check out our Creating your own coaching company ebook on how to incorporate associates as part of your business.

These are just some ideas of possible passive income streams.  Get together and brainstorm with your mastermind team (you have a mastermind team – right? If not read our blogs on the power of being part of a mastermind team) and decide which passive stream would best compliment your business and enjoy the benefits of this extra income.

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Last week I facilitated a conference call for the MOMentum organization founded by Lucila McElory on living your life aligned with your values.

Many of you know how passionate I am about designing your life around your true values. When we live a life according to what is most important to us (our values) we become very happy people.  My hubby and I both agree that the true purpose of life is to live a happy one, when we are happy we have so much more to give to those around us, and when we have an abundance to give, we naturally live our life on purpose.

OK that is our philosophy and we are sticking to it – at least in this moment

During the conference call with the MOMentum moms, I shared the distinction between means vs ends values. There were a lot of questions.  It inspired me to share a little more of that conversation.

Often, when I ask someone “what is most important to you in your life?” (a great question to uncover values) they will say things like family, having a beautiful home, my career, traveling, my marriage.  These are examples of means values – means values are vehicles that allow us to have an experience. Ends Values are the “experiences”.

For example, all your life you dreamed of being an entrepreneur – having a career where you were your own boss, working from home.  You achieved that goal but still do not feel fulfilled.  Why? Owning a business is a vehicle to something that is more important to you. The ends value (the experience) you may be looking for is “freedom”,  “independence.”  Until you are clear of the purpose of your goal it is a crap shoot if your goal will bring you satisfaction.

Another example, if your goal is to be married (means value) it may be a the vehicle  to experience sharing, connection.  You find yourself married, but unhappy, there is no connection and very little sharing.  Being aware of the ends value, we can consciously design our relationship to experience those values.

A client once said to me “Teresia, success looks the way I thought it would look but it does not feel the way I thought it would feel.” Unfortunately I know many people who can relate to her statement.  Guess what became the focus of our work together?  Clarifying and designing her life around her values.

Living your life around your values does not happen over night and there may be a lot of tough decisions and actions to take along the way, but what many of my clients would tell you it is worth every step.  It is our birthright to live a life we love!

Give yourself one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, the gift that keeps on giving, take the time to discover and design your life around your true values.  Accelerate the process by purchasing  my self coaching guide on A New Approach to Goal Setting.

Click here to find out more.

A New Approach to Goal Setting

Listen to a recording of the MOMentum Conference call:

(20 minutes)

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It’s 26 days before my due date and I almost had my first MOMpreneur emotional meltdown!

My first experience of panic happened today (my midwife suggested that I may have many emotional meltdowns during my pregnancy – so far, so good – not one).  Today however I was very close to breaking that streak. My business is still keeping me pretty busy and my love of  getting together with friends and family continues to fill my down time.  For the last month I have had the intent to simplify my calendar and create some white space to prepare for baby’s arrival.  It’s just not happening.  In the back of my mind I have been thinking I am taking a week off before our due date and my mom will be here for extra help.  Today it hit me WHAT IF BABY COMES EARLY?  I AM NOT PREPARED!

In addition, I began experiencing the Braxton Hicks contractions on a regular basis – talk about making it real.

I read my weekly pregnancy update, http://tinyurl.com/262adq9 this morning.  It covers what I may be experiencing, the growth of the baby and what I should be doing and what I need to do.  (If you are pregnant, I highly encourage you to sign up for this; it is a weekly delight…….most of the time)

The “what I should be doing and what I need to do” got me a little frazzled. We still need to put the car seat in the car.  We are getting curtains for our master bedroom (baby will be sleeping there in her/his bassinet until he/she is ready for the crib).  I added about 5 things to an already long to do list and I have not yet packed my hospital bag!  Between coaching calls I immediately began packing the hospital bag as I thought this would give me an instant sense of control.

I could not finish packing as I realized I need to wash the baby’s clothes that we will bring her/him home in and if I am going to wash those clothes I might as well wash all the baby clothes – but first I need to go buy baby detergent!  My thought process continued..  I should only wash the second hand items and necessities, but not the stuff still in packages or items that still have tags attached, a friend  told me that they grow so fast I might end up having to return some things to buy bigger ones. But if I open everything and remove tags to wash them I’ll end up with a lot of stuff that was never worn. Yes I know, over thinking!  I began to get into a spin.

Being an entrepreneur I am familiar with this feeling of overwhelm and not being sure where to start.  I stopped, took a deep breath, and acted on some strategies that have helped in the past.

1. Call a friend and vent! (tip: do request that you only need an ear and not advice – boy do a lot of people have advice for new moms – yes, I know it is coming from love and care but it can definitely contribute to the emotional meltdown)

2. Write everything down – get the to do list out of your head and on paper

3. Look at your calendar and block in when and where you spend time on your to do list

4. Journal – write about what you are experiencing and what you need to do.

(At this time my journal is my blog – lucky you).

Overwhelm and ongoing to do lists are part of the entrepreneurial world as I am sure it will be as new mom.  No matter how much is going on, how much we are stretching out of our comfort zone, the above 4 steps can give us a sense of relief and control – at least for the time being until we need to go through the steps again!

I know that having a baby will increase my quality of life, and with that in mind, check our complimentary Quality of Life Assessment. Visit www.teresia.com to download your free copy.  Committed to supporting you in living a life you love!

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Last night I went to my good friend and colleague, Cheryl Cran’s  book launch.  I met Cheryl when she and I first started our  businesses – 15 years ago.  During this time she has written 4 books! Her latest “101 Ways to Make Generations X, Y and Zoomers Happy at Work.” Cheryl’s business is keynote speaking.  Being the past President of the Canadian Association for Public Speakers, she has been a leader and a strong role model for up and coming speakers.  Over the years many of my clients and fellow colleagues have had the dream of becoming authors.  I have been intrigued of the process of writing, publishing and marketing a book as well.

I pulled the star of the night aside and asked “what would you recommend to new authors who are considering having a book launch?”

Here is what she said: do not expect your book launch to a profitable event, it is not about selling your books. A book launch is a time to celebrate the success of completing your book, your excitement of sharing the message with others, acknowledging your support team, and officially claiming that you are an expert in your field.  In addition, a book launch is a great time to invite and connect with some of your key centers of influence, individuals who will be great “raving fans” , potential clients and any media contacts you may have”.

I left the event inspired by Cheryl’s accomplishments and the great networking that took place.  I was happy to witness that even though Cheryl’s outcome was not to make a profit a lot books left in the hands of guests.

When your book is published – treat yourself,  throw a book launch and relish in the celebration of your accomplishment!

To purchase Cheryl book visit http://www.101waystomakegenerationsxyandzoomershappyatwork.com/

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I am writing my article for the upcoming Coach’s Corner In the Province to be published on June 13^th and I wanted to share this concept with you.  

As an entrepreneur you automatically default to being a leader. Strong leaders always uphold high standards – for themselves and everyone around them.  Why?  Because more often than not, the higher your standards, the better the results.  Clear, well communicated standards are a shortcut to an easier, more focused, less-hassled life.

Personal standards refer to the behaviour and actions that you hold yourself to – how you choose to ’show up’ in life.  For example, we have standards around finances (’I always pay my bills on time’), the way we relate to each other (manners, physical space, etc.), and just about everything else.  Professional standards serve as an unspoken understanding of what behaviour is acceptable and expected.

When standards are too low, people waste a lot of time and energy.  Morale sinks.  People walk all over each other.  Expectations slip and results slide.  A lot of tolerating (and managing) goes on!

Where do you need to raise your standards?  Watch for ongoing tolerations, frustrations, or places that feel out of integrity.  These are red flags for low standards.

Consider the main areas of your business such as sales and marketing, customer service, finances, and identify where clearly communicated standards would make a difference.

• For example:  Customer Service
• Higher Standard: Customers always comes first: return all calls within 24 hours.

Once you’ve identified which standards to raise, document and share them with your employees.  When everyone understands the ground rules, there will be a lot less refereeing to do and great results to be experienced.

Be sure to check out this Sunday’s Province and read the Coaches Corner. Better yet make it a regular Sunday routine and catch the coaches corner each week!

Have you downloaded our complimentary Quality of Life Assessment? Visit www.teresia.com to get your copy.  Take a closer look at your life and where you may benefit by raising your standards.  Take your life to the next level one step at a time.

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My friends threw me a wonderful baby shower – I am still overflowing with warm and fuzzies!

To be totally honest the thought of being the main focus of a baby shower was a bit out of my comfort zone. I felt uncomfortable about having an event all about me. (Hmm, well, I fully enjoyed it when Brian threw me a surprised 40^th birthday party and I have often arranged my own birthday celebrations –perhaps this celebration was just a tad too vulnerable.)  Also, the thought of a traditional shower where you play games such as “pin the sperm on the egg”,  “guess how many safety pins” and “wear a diaper on your  head,” is just not my cup of tea.  Not to mention not having any say in the organization of it was a bit of a stretch .

As the date grew nearer I leaned into trusting my friends and saying to myself “they know me well, they won’t make me do anything that is not me – will they?” I began to focus on what a wonderful opportunity to get together with some of the people I cherish most in my life and share this miracle of becoming a mom. Like my mastermind retreat, to have baby be part of an environment of such great energy and love, I knew would be a good thing. Also what an opportunity to “receive” which is not always easy – I know you can relate – receiving, especially for women is the not the easiest thing to do!

The night turned out to be everything I could of dreamed it to be. There was no pin the sperm on the egg, guess how many safety pins, or wearing a diaper on my head. There was laughter, heartfelt sentiments and intimate connections and conversations, and a room full of extraordinary women – my kind of night!

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The host, Christine a longtime friend of 27 years made me a cake in shape of a stroller, had everyone send her their “advice for me as I become a new mom” and took a picture of me with each friend and made a wonderful scrap book – I will treasure this gift forever.  During the evening a bracelet was made where each women picked a bead, one for me and one for baby and shared what they wished for me based on what they felt that bead represented. Too boot it has all my favorite colors!

The night flew by, so much to share, say and do that I did not have time to open my gifts.  In hindsight it was perfect!  The next day my love and I opened the gifts together.

It was like our first Christmas with baby! The first gift we opened was a jolly jumper – we both had a huge smile on our face – yes, soon we will have our baby jumping in this jolly jumper! Still hard to believe.

I felt I received so much from the sharing and connection at my shower, it has been overwhelming to have more gifts to receive, my friends have been VERY generous.  I loved each and every gift – yes even the practical gifts touched my heart! ( see previous blog)

As due date soon approaches (5 more weeks to go) I feel grateful for my friends, my support network and all the wonderful experiences I have in my life.

In spite of the daily heartburn, sore back, loosing my eyelashes and extra nasal fluid, the transition so far, from entrepreneur to mompreneur has been pretty darn good!

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