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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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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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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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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I just received a parcel at my door and it was a diaper disposal pale from my best buddy Sonia from San Diego - I cried like a baby! Hormones? The reality that I am actually going to be a mom? Sonia’s thoughtfulness? (she cannot make my shower and already gave me a gift when I was with her at our mastermind retreat) I am sure all of the above!

Who would have thought a diaper machine would have a grown woman in tears?? My shower is tomorrow night – will onesies make me cry?

Need to put on my entrepreneur hat on now and go see a client and then out for dinner with a client from Ontario.

Thank goodness I mastered “state management” (we feel what we focus on)  when I worked with Tony Robbins.  I have a feeling this skill might come in handy when baby is here.

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Another productive day of masterminding is occurring and as I mentioned in my previous blog, health and fitness is my number one value as I move into being a mompreneur.

Following that one is:

Quality time with Brian. (Sharing, connection, growth, fun)  I have read and heard that in many situations the father can feel left out or not a priority anymore when baby joins the family.  Many men have this fear, some are conscious of it and some are not.  Go figure - mom is exhausted, stretched out of her comfort zone doing her best to adapt to the changes and needs of this precious soul.  It is natural for a mom to bond and have a connection with baby, but to maintain this with daddy may not always come easy.

It is important to me to continue to cultivate a loving relationship between Brian and I.  I know that great relationships take commitment and effort.

Quality time with our child (connection, sharing, nurturing, fun, mentorship)

Quality time with my girlfriends (connection, sharing, growth, fun)

The day before I left for our mastermind retreat I had an ultrasound appointment.  Brian could not make the appointment; I decided to make it a girl’s event. It was very special to have three of my closests girlfriends there, after we went for dinner.  When I got home I realized how filled up I was to have shared this time with friends.  I get the same feeling when I am with my mastermind team.  When I am a mom, quality time with friends is a must!  Can I follow through?

The above priorities fulfill my values of connection, sharing, growth, and fun.  (Later I will share my insights around my values of inspiration and leadership and how they fit into my business priorities.)

Part of my reinvention from entrepreneur to mommpreneur is to truly step into designing my ideal life first and having my business it into that.  This concept is something I have been coaching on for years.  

As an entrepreneur, with no children I did not feel I needed to  be fully diligent with this concept – as my time was my time and  in every moment I felt I had choice of how I could spend my tim – I rarely felt like I was sacrificing what was important to me.

Becoming a mom I believe it will not be the same experience.  As I have coached many working moms to do so, it is important now for me to claim my personal priorities as number one.  I know it is a stretch.  It is easier said and done.  I love what I do in my business; my business has been my identity for many years.  Success, achievement and making a difference are important to me and have been a main driver for many years.

Can I really put the above priorities first and feel at peace with that? What will happen to my business when I act accordingly to these priorities?

Well I am ready to find out. This is my ideal life. This is what is important to me. I am ready to walk my talk!

I wrote this blog on a short lunch break on day 2. I am behind on sharing my insights with you. I have so many to share!

Well off to be part of another extraordinary conversations as we begin our afternoon of hotseats.

Talk soon!

If you are ready to truly leverage the power of the mastermind and want to be part of an already established, elite, paid mastermind, facilitated by two established business owners and experts in their own field, Teresia LaRocque MCC and Cheryl Cran, CSP, check out the Triple M Mastermind Program: Mind Money and a Life of Meaning.

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It has been a full day of masterminding, interaction and meaningful conversation.  My experience at this mastermind is a little different as it is noticeable my energy level is not the same as it has been at previous retreats.  I have been known for being the catalyst for outrageous, fun activities ( ex. impromptu enrolment of everyone running in the ocean at midnight, and……. hmmm what happens at the mastermind stays at the mastermind,well most of it ).  I have to keep reminding myself I am almost 8 months pregnant and I do need to pace myself.  My enthusiasm is sometimes bigger then my energy level!

 Three of us did our hot seat today.  For two of us a big part of our conversations evolved around the concept of making decisions and choices based on our true values.  It is very inspiring to be part of a group that each individual is very conscious of living their best life (which we feel a big part of that is making decisions and choices based on your values) and supporting each other in not settling for anything less.

I am a huge advocate for living valued based life,  a few years ago I wrote a  self coaching ebook called A New Approach to Goal Setting. Check it out by visiting  http://teresia.com/products/goal.html

I never had health and fitness as a value (even though my actions showed that it has always been important) but after my hotseat I have decided to officially claim it as my highest value at this time in my life.  Being a “mature” mom and wanting to experience much in my life – it is clear without energy,  and great  health, that will not be possible.

A mastermind buddy said “If I don’t put my health first everything else falls apart”.  Being in my early 40’s and becoming a new mom – this statement really resonated with me.

Before I left for my mastermind retreat I had a very inspiring coaching session with a client, his homework was to go through my New Approach to Goal Setting ebook.

We have been working together for over 7 years and our focus has been on leveraging his business and creating his ideal lifestyle.  It was great to discover that he is fully living his values and continues to move towards the ultimate vision of his life.  He also shared that health and fitness is at the top of his values list.  It began the process of my thinking Perhaps for all of us health and fitness needs to be our number one value.  If you are a high functionally individual and committed to living a full life – reality is we need our health to be in peak performance.

At this mastermind retreat I am claiming this is my number one priority – even writing this statement, it feels a little selfish.  What about being a mother, a wife – shouldn’t those roles be first? I am reminded of the anolgy of the safety procedure when flying, we are instructed to put the oxygen mask on first before we help our loved ones.  I see making my health a priority as my oxygen mask.   

My first step in reinventing as a mompreneur is to give myself permission to make working out and healthy eating the number one priority in my life.  I have journaled on what the specific actions steps are and one of the first things I will do is block these commitments into my calendar.  

 My other top values include:

• connection
• sharing
• growth
• fun
• inspiration
• making a difference

Ahh… it is getting late, I need my “baby sleep”.  I will continue to share the other insights of my reinvention and the “ah-ha’s” from the other hotseats tomorrow. 

Time flies when you are reinventing your life!

Nightie night!

Your coach in helping you live your definition of having it all!

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Know Your Values and Priorities

Sometimes, ambitious people need to slow the pace and harness their need to achieve in order to embrace other aspects of life. Like it or not, that’s called balance – and I think my pregnancy enrolled me in an advanced course at the School of Balancing Priorities.

More often than not, priorities come down to values. Because I strongly value family ( sharing and connection), it’s easier to set aside my professional ambitions (for the first time in my adult life – eek!). Because I value time with our child, it will be easier to close the office door.

Our values are a touchstone, a source of comfort and guidance that we can relax into and trust to steer us toward the life we really want. The more intense life gets, the more important they become.

When we are clear of our values it is easier to make decisions. We know what is important – we then say yes to what is important and no to the “shoulds” in our life.

What are your values? Discovering your values is a process. Check out our self coaching ebook on discovering and designing your life around your values.

A New Approach to Goal Setting

With all that said, the fact remains: Mompreneurs live on the fast track, and it’s going to take some time to adjust to a new pace. With knowing my values I am sure making the transition from entrepreneur to Mompreneur could be my biggest challenge yet… but I’m ready for it!

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