Holding space for the hard during the holidays

By Andrea Schroeder / December 21, 2023 / healing

I'm back with a second blog post for today because I think this needs to be said right now!

The holidays can be hard and our culture isn’t good at holding space for that, which makes the hard harder.

This year at Thanksgiving (in Canada, Thanksgiving is different than the US and happens in October) I was right in the midst of a LOT of hard. My husband had moved out only a month a half before and I think I was still in shock. My step-son had been in ICU for three weeks and his situation was still life threatening. (He was in the hospital for almost three moths, and is at home recovering now)

While my mom prepared a lovely meal for us, Thanksgiving day just felt so weird and wrong for me. I went home and had a cry, and then my husband texted me about how weird his Thanksgiving felt, and we had a good talk about it.

It felt so good and reassuring to be witnessed. To not be alone in the holiday feeling weird and wrong.

And that’s what’s missing in our culture.

So, that’s what WE need to bring.

We need to validate our own feelings and experiences. We need to stop trying to cram our feelings, needs and experiences into whatever shape our culture expects them to be and let them BE what they ARE.

Creative Dreaming is about showing up in your life as your true self. Shining your light, sharing your gifts, making things happen AND ALSO feeling how you feel, being how you are.

Most of the new age and life coaching worlds draw from dominant culture and push this idea of perfection onto us. Like we are failing if we’re not excited about the holidays. Like we are failing if we can’t say that 2023 was our best year yet, but we’re going to make 2024 even better.

This is bullshit.

So how can you hold space for your actual feelings and experience this holiday season?

Start with VALIDATING THE FUCK OUT OF EVERYTHING.

How you feel is valid.

What you think is valid.

Yes of course there are a lot of reasons why you might want to work on having different thoughts and feelings.

But the starting point is to stop judging yourself.

I should be more positive. I should have done more to accomplish my goals this year. I should make REALLY BIG GOALS for next year to make up for my failures this year. I should be more forgiving.

This is what we do. And of course it’s what we do because we live in a culture that completely misunderstands how feelings work.

And then when we try to heal from the impacts of that, we end up in the new age/holistic wellness/live your best life world where the same values from our toxic dominant culture are twisted up, given some window dressing to make them look different, and pushed back on us.

But the answer and the way through are actually really simple.

We have the answers inside us.

We can find them when we stop judging and suppressing our actual thoughts, feelings and experiences.

We need to BE WITH.

This is how we hold space for difficult feelings at the holidays.

It’s not any different from how we do it at any other time of the year! During the holidays everything is just MAGNIFIED. That’s what makes it feel harder.

This week I got an email from someone in the Dream Book membership about this.

MARVELLING at how SIMPLE it is, all the magic and healing that come from BEING WITH…. but then also marvelling at how DIFFICULT it is, in the moment, to actually BE WITH.

She was super grateful for all of the tools I offer inside Dream Book - all these different meditations and journaling prompts that all really do the same thing: help you be with, and process, your thoughts and feelings. (And if you want to do this work with me in the new year, you can join us here.)

Because once you’ve done that - you’re in your magic.

THAT MAGIC IS ALWAYS IN YOU.The answers, the power, the creativity, the motivation, the inspiration, that inner knowing that YOU GOT THIS.

We naturally get in touch with all of that when we BE WITH.

This is how we alchemize the hard stuff into FUEL for our dreams.

So, since the holidays can be hard, it means there can be more hard stuff to alchemize - which is SO HARD in the moment but then also SO GOOD afterwards.

I am living proof.

Almost 4 months into my separation from my husband, I’ve been feeling like I should feel worse than I do!

Yes there is sadness but most of the time these days I feel so happy and free. And like I still love him and still feel loved by him but the relationship has space to change and become something totally new. And I am finding that, of course, without my marriage there are still a SHIT TON of things to love about my life.

And yet this one part of me still judges my process. Feeling like I can’t possibly feel this happy after such a devastating loss.

So, the work of BEING WITH continues. Tending to the parts that are still sad. Tending to the parts that feel happy and free and want to explore new dreams. Tending to the parts that are like “whoa how am I handling this all so well?”.

When Thanksgiving felt SO HARD for me this year, I was really worried about Christmas. But now that it's almost here, I feel good. It will be a much quieter and simpler Christmas and that feels really right.

So. If the holidays feel hard for you this year - how can you BE WITH and TAKE CARE of yourself and all of the different feelings that get sparked?

Where can you disengage from what dominant culture is telling you to do, and engage more deeply with your actual needs?

Holding space for the hard during the holidays Read More »

Why you can’t separate money from creativity, spirituality and dreams

By Andrea Schroeder / April 1, 2016 / healing

You use money every?day.

Money is real life. ?Grounded. Physical. Solid.

I mean, like real life it’s in a constant state of flux and can transform in any instant. ?But still you don’t get much real-er than cash. ?It has?universally-recognized value.

Just like if you’re walking through the park and you see a bench and you know that the bench is real, if you’ve got money in your pocket you know it’s real.

Which is?not always the case with?dreams, creativity and spirituality, which?tend to be more ethereal.

But having our dreams, creativity and spirituality be more real and grounded IS the dream.

Having a?spiritual practice that’s so solid it can hold you when things get hard.

Cultivating your creative gifts to the point where they can support you.

Turning?the dream into reality.

This is the point.

And money is one of the portals.

Money as a portal.

You have money in your life before the dream and you’ll have money in your life after the dream.

It may come from different sources. ?It may be flowed in different directions. ?But it’s still the same money.

So working with money now helps open it up and turn it into a portal that your dreams can come through.

Specifically – working with money as a part of your creative spiritual?practice.

You probably already know how you can combine your creative practice and your spiritual practice and how cool this can be.??(If you’re not sure what this means, I teach a simple creative spiritual practice for making dreams real in my free class Give Your Dream Wings)

Well imagine now bringing the magic of money into the mix.

Money takes all this stuff we dream about and makes it REAL.

So money tends to be scary because it’s so powerful.

If you had all the money you needed to make your dream real – then where would you hide?

Hiding inside of “I don’t have enough money” can feel like safety. ?Like it’s a giant relief that you won’t have to stretch and grow and be vulnerable and take risks to make your dream happen.

Because it’s so powerful we tend to make up all sorts of stories about it.

Figuring out how to have the money you need to do what you really want is just too hard (as though living with less is somehow easy?).
Wanting money means you sold out (as though there is something wrong with wanting to provide for yourself and your family).
Spiritual people don’t care about money (as though meditation will feed, clothe and shelter you).
Real artists don’t care about money (as though art supplies don’t cost money)
Happiness is more important that money (as though?you have to choose!)

These stories are bullshit but we do tend to live our lives by them.

Bringing the soul of money into your creative spiritual practice helps you see the bullshit more clearly, and then clear it away.

It doesn’t mean you become “money hungry” or anything like that, it means you see money as the powerful tool for creating your life that it is, and treat it accordingly.

It means seeing yourself as powerful enough to use this tool with creativity and soul and meaning.

Because yes, a lot of our money systems in this world are broken.

That doesn’t mean you can’t rise above them and use money in ways that nurture all the things that matter to you.

And I promise that doing this is closer than you think.

This is the work/play/healing we’ll be doing in the Creative With Money class, happening on April 21.

As a creative person – you can learn how to bring your creativity into how you manage your inner relationship with money.

And that will change everything.

Click here to read more and to join us.?

Why you can’t separate money from creativity, spirituality and dreams Read More »

When your inner critic just won’t let you move forward.

By Andrea Schroeder / March 31, 2015 / healing

I care about my Magic Journaling Cards very much.

So much that while I’m working on them it’s really hard for me to feel like I’m good enough to do them justice.

Even though I know that done is better than perfect.

Even though I know that these cards, with all of their glorious imperfections, are going to help people to enjoy journaling more and get more of the juicy benefits of journaling (like emotional healing and transformation and dream manifestation).

Even though I know that I have more than enough experience teaching this stuff to be able to design the cards in such a way that they are magically helpful.

None of that matters to my inner critic.

The more I care about something, the harder it is for me to create it.

The stakes feel too high.

I have so much love for the thing, and expect so much from it, it’s like I just can’t be happy with how it’s turning out, no matter how good a job I do.

When I feel this way it’s a sign that I have handed the steering wheel over to my inner critic.

And that in these moments my job is NOT to try harder, or get better or take a break.

My job is to take back the steering wheel.

So that’s what I’ve been doing for the past few days.

If I were to keep working on the cards, I’d be putting this weird fighting-the-inner-critic-trying-to-prove-my-worth energy into this project.? (And trust me – people CAN feel it when you’re creating from that place and it WILL impact the success of your project.)

So instead I’m meeting with my inner critic and with the heart and soul of the cards project.

I’m transforming the fear and doubt and filling up on the qualities of my project, so that they can light the path to fruition.

People are always asking me how to get around the inner critic.

They want to know how to out-run it – which is impossible.

But you can heal it.? And then you can transform it.? And then you can do your great work and bring your creative dreams to life.

And then you start again with the next thing.

In my opinion, getting good at the inner work is the only path to success.? That’s why it’s the thing that I teach – because I want all of us to succeed.

(So if you’re struggling with your inner critic – come and learn how to transform it!)

And today – I’m back.

The steering wheel is firmly in my grip.

My inner critic has been transformed into an ally – he’s busy creating an energy atmosphere of flow, delight and ease for me to work in.

So – I’m working.

In fact I’ve got over 33 of the cards done (I’m not sure how big the deck is going to be – I don’t want to pick an arbitrary number, I just want to make sure it includes everything that it needs to be a magically helpful deck).

And today I want to get a bunch more done…

When your inner critic just won’t let you move forward. Read More »

RADICAL healing and transformation

By Andrea Schroeder / December 18, 2014 / healing

Healing happens all the time. Every time you give space for your actual feelings or are honest with yourself about what you really want or make art or feel love you experience a taste of healing.

RADICAL healing and transformation speaks to working at a deeper level and reaping greater benefits – a healing so complete it transforms you and your whole world.

This is the realm of miracles, enhanced possibility and impossible dreams made manifest.

Because you truly are capable of anything, but you’re going to have to get out of your own way first.

The opposite of radical healing and transformation is spiritual by-pass.

Unfortunately, spiritual by-pass is often mistaken for radical healing and transformation, but it’s just a fancy and spiritual-sounding way of sabotaging your greatest potential.

It’s a really insidious way of sabotaging yourself because it keeps you in denial about what you’re doing which keeps you, and your whole life, in a holding pattern.

Spiritual by-pass means you are using spiritual concepts and ideas to by-pass your actual feelings and experience.? The problem is that you’re not usually aware that you’re doing this, you just think you’re “being spiritual” and “thinking positive”.

Being pulled out of spiritual by-pass is crazy uncomfortable because you are suddenly confronted with all this stuff that you’ve been in denial about, plus you’re confronted with how you’ve been lying to yourself about being in denial, which is embarrassing if you think of yourself as an awake and conscious human being.

It really sucks.? And it’s totally liberating.

Because once you see it you can do something about it.? Once you see it you can see all the ways that you have been in your own way, so you can get out of your way, and get to that place where there is no need to “think positive” because you’re too busy being in love with your life.

RADICAL healing and transformation.

Going in deeper.? Opening up wider.? Surrendering to the process and discovering inner gifts more amazing than you ever thought were possible for you to have.

There is no substitute for living from this place and until you get there your heart is always going to be longing for it.

Though you don’t “get there” of course.

The heart will always continue to lead you towards living on your own edge of RADICAL healing and transformation – just beyond what you think is possible.

Can you see how this transforms not only you – but your whole world?

I wish this for me and for you and for everyone.

But starting with me and you.

Starting with the people who are already connected to their creativity and spirituality.

Starting with the people who are already interested in exploring the fullness of their potential.

This is deep, big, hard work and it’s only for the people who are genuinely ready to dig in.? Starting with us, and digging in deep, we can create a whirlpool of healing and transformation that can eventually engulf the whole world.

This is what I am doing in 2015, in Grow Your Depth, Nurture Your Brilliance.

RADICAL healing and transformation Read More »

Lights shine more brightly in the darkness.

By Andrea Schroeder / December 16, 2014 / healing

When I decided to run The Peaceful Happy Holiday Season class, this was to grant myself a very big wish: to have my own peaceful, happy holiday season.

There is a lot of good stuff about the holidays. And a lot of stressful stuff.

This year I specifically did not want:

That feeling of buying gifts for people who don’t need anything, just because we’re supposed to buy gifts, and being stressed out about whether or not they’d like the gift.
That feeling of having eaten too much junk – you know that kind of stuff that’s at potluck parties or when I used to work in an office and there were sweets everywhere all the time and it’s like I was in a constant sugar coma.
Feeling rushed or busy, worrying that I “haven’t done enough”, doing things I don’t really want to do because this is what people do.

I got my wish.

I’m participating in The Peaceful Happy Holiday Season class, and finding my inner happy zen.

I’m making a point to appreciate the delightful things in my day-to-day life.

I’m doing yin yoga for an hour each day and appreciating sinking into the energies of this time of year that encourage stillness and turning inward and going deeper.

I feel peaceful, bright and expansive.

Lights shine more brightly in the darkness.

It’s so strange the way our culture in North America approaches the holiday season, because this is our dark quiet time of the year.

We’re fighting the natural energies by filling it up with parties and shopping and obligations.

Surrounding ourselves with artificial twinkle lights and ornaments instead of creating space for the brilliance of our inner lights to shine out.

Then again, it’s not so strange when you really think about it, because creating space for your brilliance means being more present in your inner world means dealing with your shit.? Nobody wants to do that, and so artificial twinkle lights and ornaments start to seem like a good substitute.

They’re not, of course.

There is so much magic in going into the darkness, being with the quieter, inward-focused energies that surround us at this time of year.

How can you give stillness more space in your holiday season?

And yes – if you join the Circle today you can still participate in The Peaceful Happy Holiday Season class.

Lights shine more brightly in the darkness. Read More »

Creating e-courses as an act of healing + transformation

By Andrea Schroeder / December 15, 2014 / creative entrepreneur, healing

In 2011, I created the Creative Dream Incubator e-Course.? This is an in-depth master class in the art of bringing ANY dream to life (I still get emails all the time from people thanking me for how that class changed their lives).

I actually created the Creative Dream Incubator for my own younger self.

The me who struggled with having enough time and money for her dreams.? The me who thought she was so good at thinking positive but was actually drowning in limiting beliefs and fears.? The me who thought she was following her heart but was actually vacillating between grasping at straws and listening to her inner critics.

Once I learned how to access and work with the magic within, I wanted to send this knowing back in time to me-from-then so that she didn’t have to struggle so hard.

Creating that course was deeply healing for me, and helped me close the door to the part of my life that was marked by struggle, and step more fully into the life I wanted.

And now here I am, creating another in-depth master-class.? And it’s just as big and healing as the first one.

Grow Your Depth, Nurture Your Brilliance is an in-depth master-class in the art of Creative + Intuitive Healing + Transformation.? It shows you how to go so deeply into the process of internal transformation that it changes your whole outer world.

I started working on this because I was becoming frustrated by how few people actually understand the depths, and how mistaking the shallows for the depths will limit your possibilities for your whole life.

But as I keep working on it I’m seeing that that’s not why I’m creating this.

I’m actually creating it for me.

Just like that love-wrapped experience of creating The Creative Dream Incubator for my past self, this time I’m creating for my future self.? The me who wants to go deeper into her own process next year.

I’m lovingly building a structure that will allow me to dive in deeper to my own depths, using the magic of creativity and intuition and deep soul communion I can see what I need next and build it before I get there.

As I’m doing this, I’m feeling so loved and supported.? All that love and support cycles back into my creative process, helping me build an even better structure.

So as I’m writing this program, I’m delighting in how these words are going to help lift me up when I need it.

That I get to invite people to join me in this adventure is the big juicy cherry on top.

Especially now that I have the experience of knowing that when I create something that deeply serves my own needs – that deeply serves the needs of other people like me, too.

Create what your own heart is craving.? I think this is the best way to work.

There is a special kind of magic in creating from this place, and all of the love and healing that you experience while creating the thing will be there for the people who buy it from you.

If you’re a teacher, it’s important to own your authority.? I’ve been studying this for 20 years.? I have in-depth training and accreditation as a spiritual teacher and energy healer.

When I place myself in the position of student, and create what I need, I’m still creating from that place of authority. You need to be in your own authority in order to create a space where people can really learn from you.

Your authority creates the container that holds the potential for transformation.

Teachers who don’t take the time to nurture and grow their own authority are not capable of holding space for deep transformation for their students.? Often they’re not even aware that they’re doing this, this is how shallow becomes mistaken for deep and everyone’s possibilities become limited.

So, holding your authority is important.

But putting yourself into the position of student at the same time is magical.? It keeps you vulnerable and awake and in touch with the needs of your students.

A teacher who isn’t willing to be a student can wind up being too harsh.? If your students don’t feel safe with you, they can’t go deeper into their transformative process and again – everyone’s possibilities become limited.

For me, the sweet spot with all of this is when I stay engaged in my own process and aware that my own work holds the space for my student’s work.

It turns the class into a living laboratory of healing and transformation – both for you and your students.

I am so deeply grateful that I get to do this.

Creating e-courses as an act of healing + transformation Read More »

On going deeper.

By Andrea Schroeder / December 8, 2014 / creative entrepreneur, healing

I’m doing a lot of writing and journaling and yin yoga and meditation as I explore what it means to open my heart deeper and then live and work from that place.

I’m noticing all of the ways that the whole universe supports me in this work and appreciating that inner sparkling feeling of being on the right path.

When something is off, when you’re hiding from yourself or staying too closed or avoiding your feelings, that inner sparkling feeling is inaccessible.? So I like to use it as a compass for knowing when I am on and off track.

So this is my main job right now: opening, deepening.

I have a dream for what I want to do next year.? And I need to offer this particular thing from a deeper place in my heart than I have offered anything before, which means I have to be deeper in my heart than I have ever been before as I create and share it.

Living and working as an open hearted person includes having the inner strength, power and sovereignty to be offering your creative gifts to others without collapsing into caretaking, over-giving and self-sacrifice.

Inviting other people into your creative work means being open and inviting and warm without giving them permission to stomp all over everything, or take more than you are offering or just generally make a mess of things.

That soft bright welcoming loving openness has to come through clear solid sturdy boundaries or else it can’t sustain itself.

And so, after having spent the last few years working more on power and strength and boundaries I am coming to a place where I can open my heart wider and deeper.

This means I can take my work deeper in 2015, which I am ridiculously excited about.

And what’s coming through that opening is so beautiful it is kind of amazing me: it’s Grow Your Depth, Nurture Your Brilliance which will be available in the Creative Dream Circle in 2015.

I’m hoping to actually be able to share what it is soon.? The deeper I go, the more everything needs to change about how I talk about it, so this is taking longer than I had hoped.

On going deeper. Read More »

Why Art Journaling Is Not Enough

By Andrea Schroeder / December 3, 2014 / healing, journaling

Art journaling is becoming popular out in the world and this is very good! People are waking up to the inherent healing benefits of being creative and only good can come from that.

It?s true that just making art is healthy and good for you.

And it?s also true that if you want to actually dig in and transform your self and your life, more is needed.? And that part keeps getting lost in the shuffle.

Starting a creative practice is only the first step.

And the skills, techniques and practices that you need to get started are different than the skills, techniques and practices that take you to the next level.

It takes a special set of skills to successfully navigate the process of internal transformation.

Engaging in the creative process is beautiful and magical but it’s only a doorway to deep down healing and transformation.

Obviously the doorway is super important, but the doorway is not the journey, it?s only there to get you started.

Too many people are taking those tiny bites of healing and then mistaking those tiny bites for all there is – which means they’re settling for much less than the full-blown bliss of inner healing and transformation.

To get to the next level, your creative practice has to stop being about the art and start being about the inner journey.

You can tell where you are in this by how you feel about what you?re creating.

Do you want it to look a certain way? If so, you?re staying on the surface.
Are you so immersed in your own brilliant depths that you don?t care what your art looks like anymore? If so, then you?re on the real journey.

Creating a gorgeous art journal as a record of your life is wonderful. But it?s nothing compared to learning how to skillfully navigate your own brilliant depths.

That?s what I wish for you and that?s where we?re going in 2015, in the Creative Dream Circle.

Right now I’m thrilled to be working on something new for the Circle:

Grow Your Depth, Nurture Your Brilliance: 12 months of deep-down creative + intuitive healing + transformation.

I’ll be sharing more details over the next month.? The magic will start in January, but if you join the circle today you can use December to work through the amazing classes that are already there which creates the foundation for where we’re going next.

Why Art Journaling Is Not Enough Read More »

Oh, hello procrastination.

By Andrea Schroeder / July 24, 2014 / healing

I just spent most of this afternoon thinking it was kinda weird that I was not doing the thing I wanted to do this afternoon.?? But whenever I sat down to do it, I would feel kind of, I don’t know – fuzzy or something.? And then I would end up doing something else.

I even took a really glorious nap.? (My bedroom loft has a floor to ceiling, wall to wall south window.? It’s ridiculously sunny which makes naps feel glorious to me.)

And I just made myself an iced coffee thinking… well maybe I’m just tired, maybe I’ve been cycling more than usual.? Maybe an iced coffee is all I need.

Then I did some art journaling.

And, like it does, my journal brought me right smack into the truth.

I’m not tired or fuzzy or anything else.? I’m procrastinating because I’m scared.

And I’ve been dancing around this fear because, well, I shouldn’t have it.? It’s not logical so I should be able to just ignore it, right?

Deep breath.? One Million Reminders that all feelings are valid and important.

OK then fear, pull up a chair, let’s talk.

Oh, wait, you’re not fear – who are you?

As if you didn’t know.? I’m your embarrassment.? You’re embarrassed about what you’re afraid of.

Embarrassment is wearing suspenders and a bow tie and he keeps popping in and out of invisibility, like it can tell I don’t want it to be here even though it dressed up for me.? Embarrassment tries so hard, it’s hard not to love him.? I give him a hug and he disappears.

OK, fear, it’s just you and me now.? Can we do this?

I don’t want you to make me do the thing like it’s no big deal. It IS a big deal.

You’re right.

Just because you’ve done it a million times before does NOT mean it’s not scary!

You’re right.

I need to go slower.? And be more deliberate.? And let this take up more space.? You want me to just *pouf* do it like it’s no big thing and it IS, IT IS A BIG THING.

Fear is a talking balloon head who gets bigger the more upset he is.? He’s taking up the whole dream loft right now (and I do have 20′ ceilings).

Yes, this is HUGE, I hear you.? I’m sorry, I didn’t want it to be big because, well, it would be easier if it was small.

That’s stupid.? You can’t just pretend it’s something it’s not.? It’s a BIG AND SCARY THING you are doing.? It’s not small, easy or fast.? Not physically or emotionally or in any allys.

I like what you said about letting this take up more space and going slower and more deliberately.? What if, every day between now and then, I spend lots of time just being with the thing?? I can write about it or work on it or journal about it or take a bike ride with it.

Yes- ACCLIMATE TO IT.

Fear, you are very wise.? I’m sorry I didn’t listen sooner.? Let’s go make a list in my art journal of all the reasons why this thing is HELLA SCARY.

Fear deflates down to the size of my hand, and his face is mostly a big smile now.

Hey, all I needed was for you to recognize the big scariness of this and to treat it accordingly.? You were treating it too lightly.? As long as you take it more seriously – you’ve got this.? It’s a big scary thing but you are a giant creative genius and you HAVE done this a million times before and you WILL do amazing at it.

Suddenly I notice that we are inside this cast iron fence which goes in a tiny circle around me, with the thing-I-am-afraid/embarrassed-to-be-afraid-of outside of the fence.? The fence is this really fantastical thing with pointy pointy tops and iron swirls between the posts and there is no way anything can get through it.

Then the fence disappears.

That was your procrastination.? So weird you couldn’t see it for what it was, until it was gone.

I notice fear isn’t really fear anymore, and he’s wearing a tiny badge on his tiny balloon body.? I lean in closer to see what it says….

Creative Guide & Fabulousness Mentor

Fear /CGFM is grinning from … well he doesn’t have ears but his whole balloon body is one giant grin.? He likes his new job.

My procrastination is gone.? My embarrassment is gone.? My fear is gone.? I’ve got a totally new approach for doing the thing.? I’m grinning from ear to ear.

100 Shares

Oh, hello procrastination. Read More »

I want to help teachers/healers/coaches/helpy-people help more people

By Andrea Schroeder / May 29, 2014 / creative entrepreneur, healing, Manifest Your Dream Life

One week ago today, I woke up with this beautiful idea: a small group mentoring program focused on helping teachers/healers/coaches/helper-people help more people.

Combining the benefits and attention of one-on-one coaching with the magic and synchronicity of a small group experience, the group is designed to support you wherever you are in the process of helping people.

Our goal: to enable your greatness, support your vision for what you want to bring to the world and and help you evolve into the best teacher/healer/coach/helper-person you can be. ?

This is for people who want to help other people: either help MORE people and/or get better at helping people.

Helping people is the BEST THING EVER, but it’s not an easy job!

Those of us who are called to this kind of work have unique issues to face.

You don’t want to tell people what to do: you want to empower them to create their unique path. Which is infinitely trickier to do than just handing them a set of instructions.

You don’t want to offer bullshit platitudes: you want to offer real, effective and grounded support. “Turn that frown upside down” doesn’t really cut it.

You don’t want to get depleted in the process. You know you need to nurture yourself and fill your own well in order to be able to serve from your deepest capacity. Knowing this doesn’t mean it’s easy to DO this.

Because people who feel called to help are innately un-selfish, sometimes we are TOO un-selfish and don’t set things up so our needs get met.? You may feel guilty about “charging too much” even though you know that your helping business needs to be profitable in order for you to be able to help more people.

What I’m seeing for this group: Support, Healing & Magic for the Way-Showers.

That’s a drawing I did in my journal last summer.? At the time when I drew it, it felt important but I didn’t know why.? This morning I flipped through that old journal to find it and when I saw it, I remembered the magic I felt in it.

I have so much love for the way-showers!

I mean, I am one of them, obviously.? But if not for other way-showers showing me the way I wouldn’t have found my way here.? And I just LOVE working with other way-showers/helper-people because we share the same mission: a heartfelt desire to help.

I would love to be offering these groups as a regular thing but have some experimenting to do to see how it fits in with the work I’m already doing.

Since this is my first time offering this, I am offering a Special Price For Brave Adventurers.? If you feel called to participate, you’ll help me shape this in return for receiving coaching + support at a special price.

This is not a program where I lead you through a bunch of steps and we work on the same things. This is custom-designed-for-you: you bring what you want to work with, and we’ll work with it together. You’ll have my guidance and support, but we’ll draw on YOUR unique skills, talents and approaches to create your path.

I’m seeing this group as a place where you can get support to:

strengthen your helping skills
step up your work to start helping MORE people
figure out what your next steps are in your growth as a helper-person
do your work with less depletion and more ease
find new ways of helping

But if there is something else you’d like to work with, send me an email and we’ll discuss if it will be a good fit for this group.? (Or if you’d rather work with me one-on-one, you can book a private session with me right here)

This is going to be amazing.

When I woke up with this idea, it felt so beautiful and healing and nurturing and needed.

I love that so many of us are feeling called to help others.? I know that helping others create happier & more fulfilling lives makes me feel so much happier and more fulfilled – it’s a self-fueling loop of delight. I want to invite more people into the loop!

And I want to encourage everyone who feels called to do this kind of work to get the support they need to help others effectively and joyfully and sustainably.

What you’ll get:

Four group calls: one call a week for four weeks.? The group is limited to 6 people, each person will get 15 minutes of coaching time on each call. Plus you get extra bonus insights from listening in on each other’s process.

Each week you’ll get a customized assignment/mission/challenge based on what’s going on for you and what you want to be working with.

We’ll have our own private forum inside the Creative Dream Circle for accountability and support. (The group will stay open for 1 week past our last call, then disappear – but you’ll still be connected to everyone through the Creative Dream Circle for the rest of the year)

You’ll get a playbook to help you get clear on where you are, where you want to be and what you want to work/play on during our time together.

The calls:

The calls are planned for Tuesdays at 2pm, Central, North America – June 17, 24, July 1, 8.

But if you want to participate and that time does not work for you, email me with some times that do work for you.? If I can get a group of 6 people together at one time – we’ll do it at that time!

The monies:

Membership in the Creative Dream Circle is the prerequisite for joining this group.

The?Special Price For Brave Adventurers for the first run of this group is $200.

So if you’re already a Circle member you can do this for $200, if you’re not a member yet the total cost is $300.

The Special Price For Brave Adventurers is a very special price!? A regular 45 minute session with me costs $175 for Circle members, $225 for non-members and does not include being a part of a gorgeous support group for 5 weeks.

There is only room for 6 people, it will be on a first-come, first-served basis.? The way to reserve your spot is to pay in full.? My regular coaching policies apply.? If you have to miss a call you’ll still get the recording, but you don’t get a make-up call.

Edited to add: Wheee! This group is full.

I want to help teachers/healers/coaches/helpy-people help more people Read More »

Creative Dream TV: Joy is important! Let’s have more of it!

By Andrea Schroeder / May 27, 2014 / healing, Vintage Creative Dream TV

Joy magnifies and magnetizes. Joy is the gas pedal for your dream machine.

And joy is an INSIDE JOB. That’s what this week’s video is all about.

The post I wrote last week about this is here.

You can read more about the Love Your Life Creative Journal Class right here.

Creative Dream TV: Joy is important! Let’s have more of it! Read More »

Today in my journal: Being in the hard part of the creative process.

By Andrea Schroeder / May 26, 2014 / healing, journaling

The Love your Life Creative Journal Class is in 2 weeks.? As I?ve shared here, my preparation is all about creating containers for the participants to receive what they need to receive.? As I’ve been doing this, I’ve been ridiculously happy.

Well – today I crashed.? I?m feeling lost. The doom and gloom feel bigger than me.

I?m sitting in a coffee shop wishing I hadn?t forgotten my headphones because it feels like I am extra sensitive today and I?m picking up everything from everyone and it sucks.

I feel heavy and like I can?t do the things I need to do.

This tiny, wise part of me is jumping up and down and saying: use the class!? Use the stuff in the Love Your Life Creative Journal Class!? It will make you feel better.

But I don’t want to. I want to mope and act like I don’t have the power to change this.? I want to eat nachos and watch a movie and try again tomorrow.

Wise me is not giving up.

She says:?you can go ahead and do those things if that makes you happy.? but it doesn’t, i can feel it.? being productive makes you happy.? shining your light makes you happy.? dimming your light is depressing.

Well, wise me is wise and I know it’s best to listen to her.? So I open up the Love your Life playbook…

(10 minutes later…)

OK, I did the first part in the playbook where I connect with joy and let joy do an energy healing for me and dissolve the gloom and doom in my energy field.? This shifted my energy enough that I decided to put earplugs in to block the sound around me and create a stronger boundary around my energy field so whatever is going on around me in the coffee shop doesn’t impact me.

Now I feel contained in a bubble of joy.? Ah, much better.? Now I see a list of things I want to do today, and I feel inspired and happy about doing them. I notice the sun is shining and the leaves outside are so gorgeously green.? I feel grateful for today.

Shift your energy, change your life!

Something I really want to say about the creative process:

I see images like these floating around online a LOT:

I hate posting any image without linking to the source, but these images seems to be posted everywhere with no one linking to the source so I couldn’t find it.

I think they get shared SO MUCH because they speak to how creative people feel and they reassure you that on those days when you feel the way I was feeling when I started writing this post.? They tell you that it’s ok, you’re not alone in feeling this way and this is totally normal.

That’s good, anything that reassures people is good.? And feeling resistance is totally normal.

But these memes reinforce the bullshit idea that you are powerless against resistance.

Notice what I did above, when I felt like eating nachos, turning on Netflix and giving up on today: I went to the tools I teach in Circle and did the thing I knew would get me back into flow IMMEDIATELY.? I took my power back, I didn’t let resistance steamroll my creative process.? I got back to work.

That is the secret to success.

You can’t wait until there is no resistance.? Or only work when you feel happy and inspired.? You’ve got to learn how to get yourself in the flow in the times when you fall out of it.

You’ve got to learn how to effectively and quickly deal with your resistance, fears and self-doubt.

This is the real work of being a creative person – creating fertile ground in your life for your work to happen.

So next time you see one of these memes, please remember that.? You’ve got superpowers.? Resistance is not bigger than you.

Today in my journal: Being in the hard part of the creative process. Read More »

The Cure For Writer’s Block

By Andrea Schroeder / May 14, 2014 / healing, Manifest Your Dream Life

I’ve been wanting to share some of the super-inspiring stories of amazing things that happen inside the Creative Dream Circle but I haven’t known how to do it. Working with dreams is working with heart – so vulnerable and delicate. It’s no small thing that people trust me with their dreams and I’m not going to betray that trust by trying to force anyone into the limelight.

But some of these stories keep tapping me on the shoulder, demanding to be shared.

So I’ve decided to share bits and pieces – without naming names or sharing photos or anything like that. So people’s privacy is protected, their dream remains sheltered from public view, while the essence of the story can come out and play.

The cure for writer’s block:

I received the following message from someone who was in my free Give Your Dream Wings course:

I know what my creative dream is and what the soul of it is, but I’m lacking the joy and flow to do it with ease and happiness. It’s still loaded with fear for me. I need to write and I want to do it but boy do I delay it every single time. That blank page is tough! Would your Creative Dream Circle help with that?

That question really hit me in the heart.? So many creatives know exactly what they want to be doing, but their dreams are, as this writer put it, LOADED with fear.

I hate knowing that there are people out there in this situation!? So much so that I’ve made it my life’s work to help people out of this situation.

Writer’s block, like all creative blocks, is an emotional block.

Facing the blank page is terrifying.? Going after your dream is terrifying. Starting is a terrifyingly vulnerable thing.

The secret?? Meeting your fear with creativity and love.

My response:

Yes! The Circle will definitely help with that. Fear is the biggest obstacle to dreaming, so I have a lot of material about it in the Circle. In the Creative Dream Incubator course (which you get in have circle) there is an in-depth module about how to work with fear effectively. Plus there is an “un-sticking station” to get quick help any time you get stuck. I use that almost every day.

It’s totally natural to be afraid, I find that learning how to work creatively with fear is one of the most important skills to learn to bring any dream to life.

She joined the Circle and one of the first things she did there was listen to my hour long audio class on How Meeting Fear With Creativity And Love Means You Never Have To Stay Stuck.

And then: she started writing!

She found the cure for writer’s block and she started writing!? This is from one of her first posts in the Circle:

Hello! I’m brand new here and decided this morning to get right into it by listening to the recording of “meeting fear with creativity and love”. I found it extremely helpful [removed for privacy]. I went on to write the piece I wanted to write…

She went on to write the piece she wanted to write.

Being un-blocked and in the flow really is that accessible.

Does this mean our heroine is never going to suffer from writer’s block, ever again?

Of course not.

She’ll have to keep meeting fear with creativity and love and learning new techniques for transforming fear and doubt and all the things that hold her back.

This is the secret to bringing any dream to life: to stay in the process of transforming the blocks.? To meet them there on the blank page – every day or every week.? To keep showing up no matter how hard your inner critics start to fight back.

I can promise that if you stay with it, it does get easier.

When I first left my day-job to be a full time Creative Dream Incubator, I had a major fear freak-out at least once a week.? But now?? In my fourth year of doing this full time?? I’ve had ONE fear freak-out all year. And it wasn’t even major.

You can transform your inner landscape.? You can make more space for freedom and glee and creativity and delight and trust and dreams come true.? You do not have to let fear stomp all over your dream garden.

This is what we do inside the Creative Dream Circle.

The Cure For Writer’s Block Read More »

Creative Dream TV: Creating A Self-Care Kit For When You’re In Crisis

By Andrea Schroeder / May 13, 2014 / healing, Manifest Your Dream Life, Vintage Creative Dream TV

How to make a self care kit

You need a self care kit because times when you really NEED self-care tools are exactly the times when it's the hardest to find them!

I'm doing something new - recording videos straight to YouTube instead of editing. With anything new, there's a bit of a learning curve, I lost the first 20 seconds and it's a little weird/wavy - not like my usual videos.

The best time to make a self-care kit for yourself is when you're NOT in crisis.

Because when things are rough it's harder to know how to take care of yourself.

But... I am editing this post in 2020 during a global crisis... if things are already rough for you - just do your best. Every bit of self care you do helps you get to a bit of a better place where you can do a bit of a better job of taking care of yourself... and so on and so on.

You can do this.

Your self care kit should be with you and accessible at all times.

I keep mine in my bag with my wallet. Those days when I don't take my bag with me, when I grab my wallet I also grab my self care kit.

It's in a handwoven zipper case, the same size as a pencil case. It's easy to have on me.

As I've gotten older, my self care kit has gotten more boring, lol!

This is for two reasons:

my body needs more attention to feel good
I know myself better so I can do better than aromatherapy, affirmation cards and little chocolate treats, which is what my self care kit used to be full of when I was in my 30s.

An ongoing commitment to self care over time WILL teach you what YOU need in your self care kit.

A question to ask while you're building your self care kit: What would be helpful, now?

Asking it at different times of day, in different places, in different situations, gives you different answers which give you different ideas for what to keep in your self care kit.

For example, in peri-menopause I can't always predict my menstrual cycle like I used to, so keeping Advil in my self care kit is helpful.

I have allergies to pollen and to some dogs. Having allergy meds in my kit is a must.

Some of the items in your self care kit should be boring! Just basic "how to take good care of my body" stuff that can help stop anxiety or overwhelm from spiralling.

Here's what's in my self-care kit right now:

ear plugs (I am super sensitive to noise)
Advil
allergy meds
a few packs of Emergen-C (a dose of vitamin C and electrolytes that feels good when I am overwhelmed)
ear buds (I usually have headphones with me, but for those days when I forget them, having the earbuds saves the day)
multiple playlists of brainwave music for different moods, like calm + focus (technically not in my kit, but I keep them on my phone)
favourite aromatherapy blends in small bottles (also convenient for days if I forget deodorant can use some EO instead and not feel self conscious - this is a small thing, but every uncomfortable feeling you've got going on adds a new layer of discomfort, so the more of them you can take care of, the better)
Kleenex in a tiny pack
Journal with paint pens and a huge assortment of ultra thin markers (also not in my self care zipper pouch, but I keep it in a separate zipper pouch, also always with me)

Other ideas for your self care kit:

chocolate
inspiration card or helpful affirmation/mantra written on a piece of paper
a meditation or visualization that works well for you, written down on a sheet of paper (it's easy to forget to use tools we know about, so this is a way to include them in the kit)
lip balm
moisturizer, bonus points if it smells like something that makes you feel happy
water bottle

This will help you create your self care kit:

The Self Care for the Pandemic e-course is free, you can get the whole thing right here.

It's five days of videos and journaling sheets, to really dig in and explore what kind of self care you need right now.

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Wheeeeee!

By Andrea Schroeder / April 3, 2014 / healing, money

The Creative with Money e-course starts today.? (There is no end date, since this is an adventure of healing & possibility – everyone is going to work through it in the timing that works for them.)

I know exploring money can feel scary/boring/superficial/sad and it’s natural to want to not look at it.

But not looking at it is not helping you.? You know that.

And healing money stucks is absolutely liberating!? Healing money stucks fertilizes your dreams and makes them grow like crazy.

The Creative with Money class is happening inside the Creative Dream Circle.? So when you sign up – you get a whole year of follow-up support.? With the tools and resources you’ll get in the Circle, one year from today you could be living inside a miracle, which is how I feel about my life right now and let me tell you – it’s the best thing ever.

The Creative Dream Circle is positively oozing with warmth and love and healing and possibility and support and creativity.? All the things that make exploring money easier and more interesting and more fun.

I hope you’ll join us today.

Wheeeeee! Read More »