A Mythic Feast

So what started as an intimate thank you birthday dinner for 6 … mutated into an extravaganza on Monday night when two friends (both chefs) decided they were going to throw me a Moroccan-Babette’s-feast for my birthday 48 hours later… They whisked, chopped, kneaded, strained, baked, roasted (and also used every pan, pot and platter in the kitchen)… I got in the way mostly and my other jobs were to shop a lot and clean sporadically… The talented duo collaborated (may we all learn to do this in such a seamless and creative way in our leadership roles)… and eventually produced a birthday dinner of mythic proportions… From the cardamon and vanilla infused Moroccan cocktails to the fresh pomegranates seeds… homemade za’atar bread with hummus and baba ganoush… a mountain of lamb and quince tagine, whole barramundi with chermoula and a to-die-for chicken dish – bisteeya with phyllo, cinnamon and sugar… they topped their loving performance off with a delicate rice dish with orange blossom and rosewater… oh and I almost forgot… a demonstration of tempering chocolate, creating almond rocher and spice infused truffles… (and everyone got a take home lolly bag)… THANK YOU to Katherine and to Jesse for a birthday of enormous love, care, friendship and generosity … I do hope how I kicked off my new year with such magic will translate into much work and abundance for me this coming year….

Read Full Post »

Proud of NZ

Watching the hideous footage of the Boston marathon and then the debacle with the gun debate, there’s this rare moment when the news delivers something we can be proud of… NZ – congratulations on being the first country in the Asia Pacific area to legalise same-sex marriage… It’s worth watching what has been described as an “epic” speech by a member of NZ parliament, Maurice Williamson…

Read Full Post »

So much sadness

I have dropped off the radar screen – and was intending to share some of my fascinating journey thus far… Unfortunately I don’t feel I can talk about anything else other than the horror in Connecticut… I have been in the US for under two weeks and there’ve been two mass killings… In the vigil in Newtown this evening, we just watched Obama’s speech which was a thinly veiled statement of intent to tackle the gun lobby – perhaps the death of 20 young children will finally force the lunacy of the gun culture in this country to be thwarted…we can only live in hope.

Read Full Post »

Reflecting on Boot&Soul Camp

Do you think I could make up a collective noun for a bunch of wombats? In my 22 years in Australia I have only seen a wombat in the wild once… the retreat seemed to be a magnet for these fat little barrels – so I decided on a plague of wombats… As for Boot&Soul Camp, there is something magical about stepping away from our day-to-day lives and going on retreat – whether you are the facilitator or a participant you actively step through a portal and transformation occurs in some way for all. It was an amazing few days with a beautiful group of women – generous, courageous, open and engaged… we ate healthily, worked hard, practised loads of yoga and also drank heaps of red wine, laughed like drains and gobbled plenty of chocolate… my sort of retreat really.

Read Full Post »

Phew..

I’ll talk about Boot&Soul Camp later this week (it was special and heartfelt).. just had to holler how excited I am that Obama is back for another 4 years…and looking forward to visiting the USofA next month…

Read Full Post »

Acts of Generosity

A friend arrived a week ago armed with her intellect and talent and an amazingly generous spirit. Bev spent hours with me reviewing the three group modules I had created… and did this with such care and thoughtfulness – an inspiring gift… then yesterday Steph arrived armed with gardening equipment and green thumbs and spent hours in my back yard repotting my plants or in her parlance “freeing my ferns”, planting herbs, and bringing her lightness to the garden… What a gift – this generosity of spirit…giving freely of your time, energy and talent. And as I talk about the importance of nurturing a sense of sorority in our workplaces – I am only reflecting the extraordinary generosity and support that I have in my own life… I hope I do the same in theirs…

Read Full Post »

if the tiara fits…

One of my archetypes is the Princess… now for those who know me that certainly won’t come as a jaw-dropping surprise… I even have a tiara to prove it… interestingly my physical injuries have a princess-quality about them… on Monday I went for a jog with my trainer – I am a really bad runner and it was cold and not being a gazelle I had this sharp pain in my lower calf… so end of training session and a hobbled home and ignored it… My days are spent in high heels with not a twinge of pain in the calf… finally this morning I stretched flat-footed to retrieve something and jumped in pain… back in high heels, no pain and so I jauntily went off to the physio with an archetypal tale of a princess-like calf injury that allows me to happily perch on heels… unfortunately I have torn my calf muscle and need an ultrasound to find out how bad. In the meantime tiara in hand and stiletto on foot my inner princess continues on her journey…

Read Full Post »

Secrets and Lies

Every woman I talk to seems to have held the secrets and lies of men – personally and professionally. I too have held these secrets and lies for others – it festers really and because I view myself as honest and trustworthy and authentic, these untruths or unspoken admissions weigh heavily. I had the opportunity yesterday to clear some of this unwanted internal clutter and I shared a pretty revealing truth with a visiting guest – the release at no longer needing to protect another’s lies or deceptions was profoundly moving for me… I couldn’t sleep though because it was so unsettling to really speak my truth and I felt enormously angry at 3 in the morning about how much energy and time is used to keep silent… So another threshold moment and one that in my work I hope I can share with others who may struggle with holding their truth gently and powerfully…

Read Full Post »

It’s launched…. Boot&Soul Camp 1 -3 June

The retreat feels like Curve of the World has come of age – it’s real, it’s out there and it’s a public statement about my passions… Mel and I are incredibly excited about the possibilities that Boot & Soul Camp may hold… and a huge THANK YOU to Michele for creating such a beautiful and whimsical piece to capture the essence…now all we need are 12 like-minded women to register….

Read Full Post »

Corporate myth

I love this idea of including archetypes into corporate work – the power of myth and storytelling in the cultural heart (or mind) of the organisation… this interesting article from the NY Times on Innovation specialist, John Kao’s presentation at Davos is a thought-provoking reflection of archetypes at work…

Read Full Post »