Free 7-Part Audio Course "Your Perfect-Life Focus" Discover the key to facing choices and creating your ideal life! Our pledge: your information will never be shared, sold or traded!    Privacy Policy

The most effective way to promote your products or services is through joint ventures or a co-promotion. As soon as we began to introduce our new board members to each other, things began to happen:

• Mompreneur and radio show host, Shelleen McHale, (www.metrochickradio.com) and Mike Jaffe, coach and “Human Wake Up Call”, connected about how to co-promote his teleconference slated for October 2007(www.momconference.com).
• Author and coach, Marilyn Schwader (www.clarityofvision.com ) offered to edit our Smart Women Talk™ interviews to create both an online e-book as well as a self published book on reinventing midlife. 
• Deborah Gallant (www.webpowertools.com) is helping my former financial planning colleague and me to create a new website, The Designated Daughter™, where we will be interviewing care giving experts. Again, Marilyn will be editing the interviews and helping us publish this book as well.
• Shelleen McHale (www.organizeyourworld.com ) is helping me create an organizer for daughters to use with aging parents. We will co-market/promote the organizer on both of our websites.
• Best selling author, Barbara Stanny requested ideas from her personal network as to how we get “unstuck”.  We all submitted our ideas to her.  The result: I am now a published author in her new book, “Breaking Through–Getting Past the Stuck Points in Your Life”.

The key to success is focusing on your unique talents and strengths and then partnering with someone else who not only has a complimentary product, service or skill set.  The key to our Smart Women’s Café is that we have done all the work for you by opening up our personal network of experts.  We have gone through the trial and error and invested the time and energy to pull together who we believe are the top coaches, consultants and experts to create a successful work-from-home, internet-based business.
To learn more, be sure to sign up for one of our teleclasses where you will learn about everything from:

• What type of business is best for you
• Where to start
• How to write a business plan
• Internet marketing
• Utilizing the technology of the internet
• Writing and Publishing
• Getting Known
• Networking
• Branding
• Websites, blogging and ezines

Be sure to check out Smart Happenings this month for our current offerings!

Recently, while enjoying my morning coffee with my husband, Mark, he turned to me and said, “You need to read this article.”  He handed me the May issue of Costco Connection. The cover story was called, Mom’s the Word.  My first thought was, “I’m not a stay-at-home-mom”, but as I began to read the article, I realized that the article was about work-from-home-moms. As I thought about it, most of my friends and colleagues fit this category. Later that week, I was talking to Shelleen McHale, radio show host of MetroChick Radio’s Monday morning “mom’s show” in Detroit.  I remember when founder, Lisa Marie, told me about her Monday show, I didn’t think I was interested in it because that’s not my niche… “I’m a Smart Women’s Coach…we help entrepreneurial women reinvent their lives”.  Was I ever ready for a surprise.

In her book, The Power of the Purse, author Fara Warner offers plenty of evidence why women have become such an important market:

Many of “these moms” I find out are not only starting new businesses at twice the rate of men, but women owned businesses now employ more people in the U.S. than are employed in all the Fortune 500 companies combined. 

In the U. S., women control far more money than they ever have in history–$7 trillion in consumer and business spending combined, to be exact-a number that exceeds Japan’s economy.

So why are women starting these home-based businesses?  The work-from-home phenomenon is gaining momentum.  With current technology the way it is many companies are allowing or even encouraging employees to work from home utilizing online technology to stay connected.  I saved thousands in rent when I moved out of my high rise corner office in Southfield, Michigan:

• I reduced the miles I was driving to work every day, which affected expenses like miles on my car lease
• I reduced tire wear, maintenance, gasoline
• I no longer had to sit in the rush hour traffic on the freeway twice a day
• As an added bonus, I was able to give most of my suits to a local shelter for women!

The best part of working from home has been the better quality of life for both me and my family. I am now working out regularly, eating healthier, sending my girls off to school with kisses, smiles, hugs and full tummies.  When they return from school, I am there to greet them with a snack and more hugs.  Let me tell you, this is very important to them. I can see it in their grades, their health and the fact that they even take my hand now and then when we are walking in public (these are teenage girls)! 
 
I feel very fortunate to be working from home. But it has not always been this way. When my youngest was going to preschool, I had a live-in nanny who used to get them up, make breakfast and take them to school.  One day I went to pick my youngest up at Montessori and was asked to show ID.  This was a wake up call for me…..a real blow.  How many of us are working so hard to make a living, that we are missing out on life?
 
“Most people go into business for themselves because they want to work less and have the potential to earn more. But this is rarely the reality—at least the working less part,” says internet guru, Michael Port.  One of the main problems with being self employed is you are normally trading dollars-for-hours…when you don’t work, you don’t get paid.  Owning an internet business can be different from being self employed and this is the key.
 
Smart Women’s Coaching is teaching women how to create a business that runs without them by utilizing the latest technology to create multiple streams of passive income through joint ventures, co-promotions and affiliates.  “The most exciting part of this process is learning to create income by doing what you are passionate about-and then delegating or outsourcing the rest”, stated my partner, Jill Jordan during a talk to a local networking organization.
   
In last month’s newsletter we announced the names of our Smart Women’s Advisory Board members who are some of the most talented internet based work-from-home men and women in the industry.  They were selected because they all share a similar mission: Helping entrepreneurial women learn how to live balanced and fulfilling lives while creating ongoing passive income through a home-based-internet-business. 
 
While we are adding the final touches to the Café, please begin to think of the women in your life who may be interested in learning how to reinvent their lives with purpose, passion and prosperity by starting their own work-from-home business.  You can check out the cafe yourself simply clicking here. Thank you for helping us get the word out!

What’s holding YOU back from living YOUR perfect life? 

Well, I am officially retired! I just signed the papers to hand the reins from my financial planning practice over to my wonderful partner of 13 years, John Steves. I must say, it is the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. I began to feel that there was something else that I was supposed to be doing with my life back in 2002, but I kept pushing the thoughts back down…ignoring them.

How many times have we done this to ourselves… ignoring our intuition that there is something else we should be doing in the world—our Life Purpose. Well, thank God that I finally listened to my intuition and walked through my fear to follow this dream. I am having the time of my life, my family is happier, my former clients and planning partner will flourish and Jill and I now attracting all kinds of people and companies that want to join us in our mission. It’s amazing!

Think about it…when we allow ourselves to play a larger role in life, everyone benefits:

• We grow and are able to contribute in a way that provides us with joy and satisfaction.
• Others benefit by the unique gifts we are able to bring to the world by fulfilling our life purpose.
• Often find that we love what we do so much and are inspired with passion, that we no longer even think of it as work—so this idea of “retirement” is not an issue. As long as we take care of ourselves, we may never even want to retire. This is the idea in Zelinski’s book, “Retire Happy, Wild and Free” which I highly recommend.
• When we are living authentically and focusing on our unique gifts and talents, we attract others into our lives with the same mission.
• Life flows effortlessly—our health both physically and emotionally is improved because we are producing endorphins rather than adrenaline.

Spring is just a few days away…a time for change, growth and rebirth. How do you want to live the rest of your life? Are you ready for a change, a new beginning, new friends, and inspiring work? If so, take action now. You do not have to do this alone…there is an entire community…a network here at Smart Women’s Coaching ready and waiting to support you.

What do you do first?

1. Visit our home page and sign up for our free 7- part audio mini course, so you will learn how to embrace the Law of Attraction, as seen in the movie, “The Secret”, into your life
2. Do all seven exercises…they are very simple…
3. Print out your Perfect Life Elements…read them every day.
4. Complete the assessment at the end of the series to get clear about where you want to start.
5. Take advantage of the 20 minute complimentary coaching session with Jill or me. It’s that simple!

Be sure to sign up for this course before April 1st since it will be changing - Secrets for Getting Ahead in Life and Business.

Theme: Go Red! Women and Heart Disease Awareness Month
Date: Thursday, February 1st, 2007
Time: 9 pm EST, 8 pm CT, 6 pm PST
Topic: “Living from Your Heart” Live Coaching and Live interview with heart attack survivor, Susie Dubin
Cost: Fr.ee!

Space is limited, so be sure to sign up for this FR.EE call now!

How can the Coaching Café and Smart Women Talk Radio help you in 2007?

• Help you keep your New Year’s Resolutions
• Give you access to Live Weekly Coaching
• Offer interactive interviews with amazing women, best- selling authors and more
• Connect you to a community of like-minded women in the Coaching Café Forum, on-line 24/7
• Easy downloads of missed sessions to your MP3
• Great discounts on coaching and other programs
• Access to special Member’s Only resources. Automatically enters you in a drawing for a chance to WIN a 1-hour private coaching session each month!
• All interviews and coaching sessions are recorded so you can download at your convenience!

Click here to sign up for this call!

Right now many of us are busy buying gifts and preparing for the holidays with our loved ones and friends. After reading Peggi’s “Letter from Africa” this month, I realized how fortunate we are as Americans and decided to give Peggi a call to ask her how we could help people in Africa who literally have nothing…not even food.

Peggi suggested a gift of food…literally a live animal! Great Gift Idea! There is an organization that will allow you to give a cow, goat, chickens, trees, etc to needy families all over the world. You give your family and friends a card with a picture of the animal in their honor. You could even include a small animal ornament or a stuffed animal like a cow or goat. Visit www.Heifer.org to learn more. Click on the gift catalog as well as to learn about their initiatives and projects. I think this is a wonderful gift idea and want to share it with you!

Hungry families from Appalachia to Zambia have used Heifer livestock and training to alleviate hunger and poverty and become self reliant. Heifer’s unique approach also promotes strong communities, sustainability, environmental protection and peace.

Peggi has returned to the US and has been working with a publisher on her book about her experience with the Peace Corps. We have had the treat of seeing a sneak preview all these months! She has earmarked her speaking fees to continue her project with her village in Lesotho, Africa when she returns in 2008.

My conversation with her was so interesting, that I invited her to be our guest on this month’s Smart Women Talk. Be sure to forward this newsletter to your friends who may be interested in being a part of our community and hearing from Peggi this month! She is truly an amazingly Smart Woman!

We would love to hear about your experiences of giving a live animal gift from Heifer.org this year! Please share you experience by writing to katana@smartwomenscoaching.com

~ Katana

Barbara Stanny, leading authority on women and money, brings her powerful workshop for women to New York City on Monday, January 15th 2007 from 9am to 5pm at St. John’s University, Manhattan Campus. Barbara uses money as a metaphor for power. This workshop is about stepping into your power. If you are serious about increasing your earnings and wealth this workshop is a must. Register today as a declaration of your intention to go to the next level. Monday, January 15th is Martin Luther King Day so celebrate your financial liberation! It should be easy to get the day off, or perhaps your office will even be closed. Space is limited so sign up now to guarantee your spot! We want you there! Join us to become a wealthy women warrior!

This workshop has been developed to help women overcome the psychological barriers that keep us from earning our potential. Past participants have called the workshop “insightful”, “provocative” and “empowering”. Based on Barbara’s book, Overcoming Underearning® (HarperCollins), the interactive workshop covers:

• Understanding the signs of underearning.
• Identifying the five simple steps to increase your income.
• Thinking bigger about what’s possible for your life.
• Uncovering the Big Lie you’ve been telling yourself.
• Understanding the signs of resistance and how to deal with them.
• Tailoring a specific action plan to your individual situation.

Registration is $275 for this all-day workshop and includes her 55-page workbook, a copy of her Overcoming Underearning® book (Harper Collins), lunch and hosted cocktail hour immediately following to allow participants to network. You can register by clicking on the registration form at www.barbarastanny.com/1592.html, calling Brandy at 360.385.0600. Space is limited so be sure to register today!!!

*St. Johns University, Manhattan Campus
101 Murray St.
New York, NY 10007
Workshop 9am-5pm, room 123
Cocktail hour 5pm-7pm, room 118

I will be heading out on Friday morning, January 12th. Let me know if you are going, and maybe we can get a Smart Women group together for this fantastic life changing event!

Have you always wanted to visit Costa Rica?  Are you ready to really pamper yourself for seven sumptuously relaxing days in paradise? 

Take a journey of personal discovery with Smart Women’s Coaching this winter and explore the magical beaches and jungles of Costa Rica where you will not only experience paradise, but return fully rejuvenated and ready to live your life with more purpose, passion and abundance.    

During this 7- day all inclusive retreat at Rancho Armadillo, situated high above the Pacific on a private 25 acre estate in Playa Del Coco, we have arranged for SWC to have exclusive use of this exotic resort where you and 10 smart women will enjoy a week long adventure of spa services, yoga, sailing and just relaxing…no cell phones, no emails and no demands on your time.  You will return home with a step by step plan to make time for yourself, get paid what you are worth and how to live the life of your dreams. 

We are so excited to be hosing this event for Smart Women’s Coaching.  If you have been reading our newsletters for the last three years, then you will know that Katana has written about her adventures in Costa Rica twice.  By winter, our days will be short and we will be starved for sunshine and warmth!

As women, we are natural caregivers…always taking care of everyone else’s needs first before our own.  This is why Vision Coach, Katana Abbott, Perfect Life Coach, Cynthia Zimber and Personal Branding Coach, Jill Jordan will each be creating very special retreats in 2007 specifically designed to help women create balanced lives filled with passion and purpose.

We hope you can join us for this very special retreat where you will arrive in Costa Rica on Sunday, February 4th just in time to spend a couple of hours by the pool.  Your first evening will begin with cocktails and appetizers as you watch the sun melt slowly into the ocean.  Later after a gourmet dinner in Rancho’s open air restaurant, you can star gaze at the brilliance of the Milky Way.  You’ll be amazed that you can actually see a star nebula in the belt of Orion with your naked eye because of the clear night skies!  Each morning when you wake up, your hosts Debbie and Rick will be waiting with a platter of fresh tropical fruit, home made breads, freshly squeezed topical juices and of course, freshly brewed Costa Rican Coffee!
 
During your Retreat, your days will be spent the way you choose with options like sunbathing at the pool, yoga, massage, spa services, gourmet meals or solitary walks along the beach.  We have also planned a few special excursions to give you a true taste of what Costa Rica has to offer the adventurous soul.

The Rancho Armadillo Estate is positioned on 25 acres of rich dry tropical forest in Playas del Coco, surrounded by mountains, exotic gardens, birds and howler monkeys.  Visit www.ranchoarmadillo.com to see why it is the #1 hotel in Coco, Ocotal & Hermosa.

Airfare is very reasonable right now, but could easily double or triple as time goes on, so it will be important to secure airfare as soon as possible.  This will be an all inclusive package (except for airfare), all the details of travel will be managed for you, so you will have nothing to plan for.  You will be pampered and taken care of totally…so you can just relax.  Here is what we have planned for you:

Reinvent your Life in Costa Rica!
February 4-10

Day 1
3pm:  Arrive at hotel in the afternoon; settle into rooms, change into tropical clothes, meet your wonderful hosts, Debbie and Rick (who will treat you like family) for a tour of property  Enjoy the gardens and pool.
5 pm:  Sunset & cocktail hour with appetizers
7pm Gourmet dinner at Rancho Armadillo

Day 2
7 am:  Breakfast is served on an open air, ocean view veranda which receives a constant breeze from the Bay of Papagayo
9 am:  “Secrets of Successful High Earners” This is an interactive workshop based on best selling author, Barbara Stanny’s latest book, “Overcoming UnderEarning”.  Barbara says even if you are earning six figures…if you are not being paid what you are truly worth or not passionate about your work, you are an under earner. 
11:30 am:  Leisure time and lunch on your own
2:30 pm: Canopy tour
Only 20 minutes from Rancho Armadillo…imagine yourself soaring through the air above the canopy of the rain forest surrounded by howler monkeys.  This is truly a blast…a must for everyone!
5pm:  Sunset & cocktail hour with appetizers
7pm:  Dinner in town - Louisiana Bar & Grill
 

Day 3
7 am:  Yoga class high above the pool in the open air library
8 am – 10 am:  Breakfast served
10 am:  Bagaces Waterfall & Wild cat rescue center
Leave Coco for a 45 minute drive to a 60 ft long / 40 ft tall waterfall in the jungle. The waterfall empties into a white sand pool where you can swim up and play in the waterfall. From there you will have lunch on the banks of the Corobici River where you will take 12 ft zodiac rafts down the Corobici River where you will get a chance to see crocodiles, howler & white faced monkeys, river otters, all kinds of birds and the Jungle Flora.  The tour will end with a visit to the oldest wild cat rescue center in Costa Rica where you will see up close and personal jaguars, ocelots, puma’s, marguay’s , toucans and monkeys. 
5 pm:  Return for sunset & cocktail hour with appetizers
7 pm:  Dinner at Pura Vida Papagayo

Day 4
7am:  Breakfast  
Sail & Snorkel Tour aboard a 50ft sail yacht – The DRUMS OF BORA:
Leave from the beach in Coco at 8 am and return around 2 pm.  Tour includes lunch, open bar, and snorkel equipment and will take you up into the gulf to beaches accessible only by boat. Along the way you will see turtles & dolphins.
2pm – Return to Rancho Armadillo; afternoon at leisure
5pm:  Sunset & cocktail hour with appetizers
7pm:  Dinner at Sol y Luna
 
Day 5
7am:  Breakfast served
9am:  Join Katana for this lively “Reinventing Midlife with Purpose, Passion and Abundance” workshop where you will learn to use our new Perfect Life Planner and Organizer, a tool that will help you stay on track when you go back home.
11am: Leisure time and lunch on your own (spa services)
5pm:  Sunset & cocktail hour with appetizers
7pm:  Dinner at Rancho 

Day 6
7am:  Breakfast served 
9am:  Day of leisure for beach, shopping, lounging and spa
7pm:  Dinner at Milanese 

Day 7
7am:  Breakfast served
11 am:  Depart for airport

WHAT IS INCLUDED:

Breakfast, gourmet dinners with master chef at Rancho Armadillo, dinner, cocktail at four restaurants, nightly sunset appetizer/cocktail hour, $50 spa services credit, group yoga class overlooking the ocean, lodging, transportation, six hour sailing trip with snorkeling, lunch and bar, zip line canopy tour, waterfall/rafting tour/animal rescue center and lunch, two interactive workshops with workbooks and optional follow up when you go home.  All tips will be handled by SWC.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:

Airfare is not included.  Airfare is currently running around $700, but it can change quickly overnight.  Spaces will fill up soon, so email us today if you are interested in being part of this wonderful adventure, at info@smartwomenscoaching.com As soon as you are confirmed with your retreat deposit, you will want to reserve your flight immediately.  We suggest something like this: 

Your Trip - 1Adult Flight - 1Round Trip Ticket 

Sun, Feb 04 Depart:7:05am, Arrive 12:35pm
Detroit,MI (DTW) to Liberia, (LIR) 
American Airlines Flight953 / Flight2123 

Sat, Feb 10 Depart:1:40pm, Arrive 11:30pm
Liberia, (LIR) to Detroit,MI (DTW) 
American Airlines Flight2124 / Flight1206 

Total Air, Taxes & Fees  $738.38