Teresia's Blog

Welcome to my personal journalling of my 2010 mastermind retreat.

Be sure to bookmark this url as your favorite and and come back to visit daily. May 19th I will be posting my first journal. 

I will be sharing my intentions for the retreat. Before any event, retreat, conference it is important to take the time to be clear of your intentions. An intention is: “to have in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, to aim.” This helps us to leverage and maximize the opportunities and learnings we are about to step into.

 Here are the steps I am taking to prepare for my retreat and I encourage you to do the same before you attend your next event.

 1. Get clear about something you want and write it down.

 2. Share your intention with someone in a way that will supportively hold you accountable to taking action.

 3. Do something today to demonstrate your commitment to your intention.

By setting an intention, you make it clear to yourself and others, just what you plan to do.  Setting an intention shows you are serious about your dreams.

Remember, be sure to add this to your favorites or place a shortcut on your desktop, and and follow my day to day insights: 

•       Find out what really makes a powerful mastermind.
•       Hear about the process and structure that creates an impactful, supportive environment.
•       Receive tips on building your business and living your best life.
•       Glean learning’s from my personal breakthroughs and ongoing clarity.

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I invite you to follow me as I share my day to day insights at my next mastermind retreat. See below for more details.

“You can spend your life planning for success or you can arrange for all of the support you need to actually become successful.”

~ Thomas Leonard, Founder of Coach University and the International Coach Federation

As many of you know I am a big advocate for being part of a mastermind team.

If you are an entrepreneur I believe being part of a mastermind team is mandatory. It is one of the most strategic moves you can make.

Nine years ago my best friend, fellow coach and my number one cheerleader, Sonia Stringer and I decided to start our mastermind team. We picked up the phone and called other like minded individuals and invited them to be part of our team. Each member still says the same thing: “Being part of this Mastermind is the best business decision I ever made!”

“When we started our group, we had no idea just how powerful an experience this would be.”

Our members are based in Canada and the United States. We are all six-figure coaches with well-established practices and are among the top 1% of coaches in the world, ranked by income.

We are committed to challenging and supporting each other to achieve… well, whatever it is that we really want!

We meet for an hour-long conference call three times a month and once a year we treat ourselves to breathtaking locations, such as staying at a Cabin in Whistler B.C, a beach house in San Diego or a cabin in Denver, Colorado for our in-person retreats.

This year we are off to La Conner, Washington for our yearly retreat!

I want to invite you to share in this weekend, as if you were there! I’ll reveal my personal experiences, insights learned from my mastermind buddies, new strategies and perspectives and areas I am personally challenged with, by posting my private journal on my blog.

Follow my day to day insights and:

• find out what really makes a powerful mastermind.
• hear about the process and structure that creates an impactful, supportive environment.
• receive tips on building your business and living your best life.
• glean learning’s from my personal breakthroughs and ongoing clarity.

Every year I walk away with a new perspective of what my life can be like, deeper insights of my dreams and personal obstacles, the gifts of unconditionally supporting others and a whole new appreciation of the saying “anything worth doing is not worth doing alone”. The level of vulnerability, tough love support, challenge and fun energizes and empowers me in a way that no other environment in my life can.

The Journey of an entrepreneur is really the journey of self discovery and to truly make your mark in the world we cannot do it alone!

“See” you in LaConnor!

Coaching you to achieve your definition of “having it all,”

Teresia

Resources:

Ready to Start Your Own Mastermind Team?

Learn from our mistakes….

The Magic of the Mastermind is the most complete guide available to forming and managing your own mastermind group – your personal board of advisors! Written from the voice of experience by my own mastermind group of coaches, this book includes tips, strategies and insights on what makes a group truly successful.

Learn how to create your own thriving mastermind team. Click here for more information.

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.

This Triple “M” Mastermind program is the first of its kind to be held in Vancouver, B.C., starting Fall 2010. Visit www.triplemmastermind.com for more information.

A highly effective Mastermind group could very well be the most powerful tool you ever apply to your business.

Think and Grow Rich was my inspiration to start our mastermind team.
Learn the “13 Principles” that research has identified as common to every successful person

Click here to purchase.

Testimonials
 “In one day with Cheryl and Teresia the chaos of multiple creative ideas and thoughts in my mind was transformed into a concise, compelling message. I now have the clarity and infrastructure for my business to move forward to create the keynote and consulting business I have envisioned. In two days we clarified my keynotes, rewrote the keynote descriptions and created new marketable content for my website! This clarity is something I have been working on all my professional life – it is a huge burden off my back!”
~Garry Oker, Business Consultant and speaker
www.garryoker.com 

“After just two sessions working with Teresia and Cheryl my whole business has turned around. I knew I needed help, I have always been successful but I had lost my confidence, my attitude was failing me and my business was slowly deteriorating. When I started working with Teresia and Cheryl I was so ready to get help and help is what they gave me.
Just one month later my confidence is way up, business is pouring in. I am stronger, more capable and I have cleared the path to regaining my success. The combination of Teresia and Cheryl is dynamite!”
~ Adri Miller Business coach
www.yourpinkoffice.com

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There are very few events that truly celebrate and empower the Magnificence of Women, but the Woman of Worth WOW Conference is one of them.  I was honoured to be a keynote speaker at a past WOW event and have attended many events since then and I’d like to invite you to join me this year on May 29th at  the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
 
See below, you can still purchase a ticket at a special rate.
 
Imagine the possibilities when you join with 800 empowered women and ignite your body, mind and spirit on every level for an entire day of world-class speakers, entertainment, food, fun, laughter, gifts, prizes, meaningful connections, celebration and … chocolate!
 
Just thinking about it fills me up. I always leave inspired, reenergized and tapped back into the possibilities of my life.
 
This year’s WOW is being MC’d by Kathy Kovacs, news anchor and media personality recently with CTV, and the event also includes a Prosperity Panel facilitated by television producer Candace Newton.  The panel is a dynamic and authentic conversation with a group of highly successful women who are living a life they love.  They face their own challenges, doubts and fears like everyone else, so what are these leaders believing, thinking and doing that allows them to shine?  How do they cope with a bad day?  How have they handled a challenged economy?  How do they make time for a LIFE?  You have the rare opportunity to ask them at WOW.
 
My friend, colleague and former coach, Brita McLaughlin, was honored a few weeks ago by being nominated and named a finalist for the 2010 Woman of Worth Award in the category of Leader of the Year.  Brita has extended an open invitation to me and my circle of women to join one of her “Women with Heart” Tables  (a group of fabulous women with great big hearts) Contact Brita at info@britamclaughlincoaching.com by Friday May 14th and quote ‘Teresia’ as your referral and she’ll add your name to one of the Women with Heart tables of 10 at a special group rate of $143/seat.  (Pssst- Right now the general admission advance price is $189 on the website, full price is $239, so Brita’s price of $143 for reserved seating is a STEAL) 
 
 
It’s THE event of the year for women
http://www.thewowevent.com
 
 
WOW Vancouver 2010
 
The 6th annual Woman Of Worth Conference
 
May 29th at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
 
 
Set your soul on fire.
 
 
Get WOWED.
 
 
I look forward to seeing you there!

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I have the pleasure of writing for the Vancouver Province paper in the Business section once a month, where I have the opportunity to address some questions and concerns that entrepreneurs have.

Here is how I answered the question I received about what traits are necessary to become a successful entrepreneur.

 The question and answer appeared in my latest Vancouver Province  feature on May 2.

I would love to hear your feedback.

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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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One of the things that gives me most joy is mentoring other coaches, helping them manifest their dream of building a successful coaching business. It is my honour to give back to the profession in this way.

We just completed a Passion into Profit program and I have witnessed great success.

One of our mottos here at TLC is “ We match your commitment every step of the way”

Hear what Mark Marcynuk, one of our graduates, is saying by clicking here.

To find out more about Mark here is his contact information:

website www.dynamitecoaching.ca
email coachmark@shaw.ca
phone 780-469-4800 bus.
              780-504-4886 cell.

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Construct a Container around the Business. 

This has been a message I have shared with every entrepreneur I have worked with. To experience balance and not be a servant to your business, you need boundaries.

When I’m with my child, I want to be 100% present, not dashing in and out of my home office to check e-mail, or planning a proposal in my mind as I sing lullabies.

The only way to do it is to declare my office hours – and KEEP them. I know this. The problem is that, until now, the business has been my baby. I’ve been on call 24/7, always available, devoted and attentive. Now, I’m just going to have to get comfortable with the idea that on some days, the “to do” list just might not get done. Waaaahhhhh.

Decide what your business hours are. As the owner of your business you can set it up exactly the way that you want. Are you a morning person, do you prefer to start early in the morning and be done by 2:00? Is Saturday mornings an option? Are evenings off limits because this is family time?

Decide your business hours now and educate your family and clients.

Design your business so that your business is serving your ideal lifestyle and you are not being a servant to your business.

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I am going to be a mom!

Am I excited? Yes! Am I grateful? Yes!! Do I have fears? YES!

For years I’ve told women just like myself – ambitious, established, and full of vision – that they CAN have it all, and keep a firm grip on their sanity too. Every fiber of my being believed it, and every day I helped women achieve it.

And yet today, as my belly swells bigger with every passing moment, I must confess: making the move from entrepreneur to Mompreneur looks like a tremendously daunting step!

Can I really do it all? Will I always be exhausted? Will the stress of being a new mom with a thriving business destroy my zest for life? Will I lose my passion for the work I do? How will I balance the demands of my business “baby” and my real-life, crying-in-the-next-room, needs-a-diaper-change-NOW baby?

These are the things that keep me up at night. (Well, ok – the heartburn does too.) But, when the fears subside and the next morning arrives, I stand up straight and tell myself, “Teresia, put on your big girl shoes and go make it happen!”

To tell the truth, there’s no reason to fear. As all my friends will tell you, I am a planner; a super-planner in fact. I designed my nanny plan and postpartum workout plan over a year ago. So it probably comes as no surprise that I’ve been working on strategies to help me through the transition from entrepreneur to Mompreneur. 

Yes, true to form, I’m bringing my professional principles into my pregnancy.  Here are some key ones that I’m counting on.  

Support Makes All the Difference

Women often find it hard to ask for and accept help, which is unfortunate because to truly do it all, we need an abundance of support. (And I am not talking about a good bra, although I sure could use a good one right now – my boobs have never been so big! (Ok I digress)

Whether you’re pregnant or not, do yourself a favor and S.E.T. yourself up with three critical kinds of support:

S: Strategic Support helps us shorten the learning curve, find resources and create faster, better results. It could come from a colleague, someone with more or different experience, a mentor, coach, mastermind group, even someone you hire such as an webmaster or ghostwriter.  Collaboration lets you do a lot more with less time, and that’s what every Mompreneur can use, right?

E: Emotional Support is something that every single person on this planet needs. Women seem to need an extra dose on occasion (okay, daily). But for a woman with a lot on her plate, emotional support is even more important. And if you’re an entrepreneurial woman with high standards and ambitions, well… emotional support is like oxygen! Make it a priority to build and lean on your emotional support team – a soul community of intimate, like-minded women who give you permission and encouragement to be all that you want to be. We owe it to ourselves to establish relationships at that level – because we need it.

T: Task Support comes from those who help us get things done – an assistant, housekeeper, babysitter, even the helping hands of those we love. This kind of support gives us more time and energy for the things that matter most. Did you know that the average woman in a family of four devotes 20-25 hours a week to running her household? That’s a lot of time! Is this the best use of your time? Work on your delegation skills, as well as systematization and automation. Get creative and dare to do things differently.

I used this model to help me build my business, but in truth, it applies to all areas of life – even my maiden voyage into the wild seas of Mompreneurship. “Honey, I’m going to need a lot of support through this transition… can you say, ‘Daddy Saturdays?’

Having the proper support system is key to making any dream come true!

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I hope you had a chance to join us as I interviewed Cheryl Cran, CSP on the Top Ten Tips for a Fantastic Keynote Speech yesterday, but if you didn’t, I invite you to take the opportunity to listen in on what you missed.

For those of you who did make it on the call, we trust you walked away with new ideas and inspired action.

For your files here is the recording

To take your keynote career to the next level, sign up for Cheryl’s special event “The Keynote Queen Retreat” on May 6/7- the first 10 who register will also get a 30 minutes pre-event call with Cheryl.

Register online at http://www.thekeynotequeen.com or email Dale Clarke at dale@thekeynotequeen.com

This 2 day retreat will cover how to put your keynote or speech together, how to market yourself with your elevator speech, how to make money from your speaking and much more……

As a review click here for Cheryl’s Top 10 Tips for a Fantastic Keynote Speech.

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This month I have gifted myself with a half day session with a consultant who will be supporting me in gaining clarity on my business projects for the next year. In May I will be spending four days with my mastermind team, masterminding around our personal and professional goals.

I don’t know about you but I love these kind of sessions, taking the time to be creative, thinking outside of the box, dreaming, it fills me up and continues to pull me towards my ultimate vision for  my life, not to mention when running a business it is important to build the habit of regularly taking time to debrief, plan and strategize about your top priorities. 

 As I prepare for these strategizing sessions I realize how critical the act of debriefing is.

Debriefing is a systematic process that gives you the opportunity to reflect on your experiences, activities, and past results and identify lessons learned.  In turn this enables you to gain the knowledge and insight to make more effective decisions and gain clarity on what has to happen to create what you want in your business.

 I have just spent the afternoon debriefing my business and I invite you to do the same.

 Debriefing can be used in many different ways.  You can debrief an activity; for example, you may debrief a presentation you just did, or after a client completes you may decide to debrief the coaching relationship.  I encourage my clients to make debriefing a regular part of “working on their business”. Debriefing your business at the end of each month will set you up with clarity and new insight for the next month’s priority projects.  Or you can debrief your whole business, just as I did to maximize my planning days.

 Debriefing can be a simple and fun process.  There are 8 categories to explore.  

1. Brief summary of the facts (objective only, no evaluations yet)

2. Key accomplishments (what, for you has been a key

accomplishment – look for little accomplishments, not just the big ones)

3. What has worked, or is working (please be specific)

4. What didn’t work or isn’t working (be more specific here)

5. What is missing (be most specific here – keep asking “what is missing such that that is missing,” driving it down until you get to a commitment, a priority or a structure . . . something that you have access to correct)

6. What opportunities do you now see (either new ones or to re-assert the one that may have already been there)

7. Where to from here (next action steps)

8. Anything else to complete the picture

 You may choose to do this process alone, or invite your virtual assistant to be part of it, or perhaps your coach or maybe your mastermind team. The key is make it a regular part of your business so that you set yourself up to leverage, maximize and capitalize on all your efforts and enjoy the results you truly desire for you and your business.

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