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Tag Archives: Inspiration

Living in Flow: Courage to Listen

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Andrea Hylen Leave a comment

Day 7 of 100 days of blogging

When I first wrote the draft for this blogpost, I was at a crossroads. I had been living in youth hostels and extended stay hotels with my youngest daughter while we explored living in California. I didn’t know if we would stay there or if we would return to Maryland and the community I had known for 28 years. This experience is an example of living in the void, between worlds, where one thing was ending and the new beginning was around the corner. I just couldn’t see it yet.

In the next two months, I would write 70 articles on grief transformation. Two months after that I would be hosting 44 blogtalk radio shows about Grief Transformation. And in January 2011, I would hear the words Heal My Voice and submit the paperwork to start an organization.

This is a picture of what it looks like when you are in the middle of the bridge from the past to the future.

*****

Burbank, California

July 2010

It has been awhile since I have written a blogpost about the journey I have been on since January. The main reason for not writing is I haven’t had the words to describe what has been happening. I have been going deeper into myself and exploring and discovering a new depth of who I am. I have been describing my life with the words silent retreat, inner journey, climbing a mountain and walking on the beach. Asking questions and listening.

I check in on Facebook. I talk to a few people at the coffee shop. There is an occasional phone call. But, most of my time is spent in silence. Listening, observing the feedback from the Universe, taking action and feeling the feelings.

For the past few weeks, I have had moments every day of feeling like a failure. I have had several moments of feeling like I am a f**k-up. I have doubted, feared, questioned and told myself I live in a la-la fantasy world where I should just get with the program. Not sure what the program is exactly but it feels like “get back in the box and do what everyone else is doing.” Not sure what that is either. It feels constrictive because I am looking for the path of someone else and not my own.

Instead of running from the feelings, I have played with them every day. I have felt them, rolled them around in my heart, looked at them and learned from them.

This latest wave of fears and doubts started with a situation with my cats. The couple who have been watching them in Santa Barbara, CA. can no longer take care of them. Their oldest cat is beginning to feel the stress of living with 7 cats in a small house. It has become Urgent for us to find another home for them.

Staying with my theme of Open to Inspiration, I thought that maybe it was time to find an apartment and make a commitment to a specific location. In January, I thought Hannah and I would live in temporary situations for a year. Part of being open to the inspiration and releasing the attachment of timing. I opened to the idea of settling down and planting roots in southern California. With an apartment of our own, the cats could come and live with us.

I started every day by asking the question, “What is the next step in finding a place to live?” I listened and took a step towards the inspiration. Every day I experienced a “failure”. The apartments were too expensive. I don’t have a job with an income and probably couldn’t qualify. I don’t want to commit to a year lease without having a job or solid income. I don’t have enough money in the bank to pay for a year of apartment expenses. The apartment with the lower price was filled already. Every inspired step led me to a closed door.

The next step was to look for sublets that would allow cats. Nothing in the area.

Every day, I took the inspired action step. I felt the place of discomfort within myself. Every day I took an hour walk, felt the feelings and began to shift the energy. I imagined myself feeling a connection to the Earth as I walked. I imagined the critical thoughts passing through me letting all of the critical thoughts pass through me and into dear Mother Earth. At some point, during the walk, I would release the fear, anxiety, doubts. Call it a connection to nature, Spirit, God or a deeper place inside of you. Whatever your belief is fine.

One day, as I was walking and beginning to feel a relief from the fear, a moment of feeling at peace with myself and with life, a thought popped into my head.

I remembered a moment with my son, Cooper. He was born with a congenital heart defect. At two weeks old, he had just received his first open heart surgery. The doctors came into the private room where they would give us an update on the surgery. The doctor said that they had done all that they could, Cooper was weak and would probably not survive the night. After a few minutes, I decided to go and sit with our son. I had made a decision. I sat next to him in PICU. With tears streaming down my face, I began to speak. “Cooper, I love you. You are at a crossroads in your life. I will be here with you, no matter what you choose. If you decide to fight for your life and heal, I will be with you every step of the way. And if you decide that you have to leave now and die, I will stay with you and love you. No matter what you decide, I love you.” Within a few minutes, his vital signs improved. He had chosen to live.

And I was always with him. For 19 months, I took him to doctor appts, sat with him at the hospital until the last hospital stay when it was time for him to leave. Soul mission complete.

In recalling this loss, I am reminded how I discovered strengths inside of me that I didn’t know I had, in the pain of loving and losing my child. Courage, compassion, unconditional love, and my warrior spirit.

Somehow in the depth of feeling like a failure right now, letting myself go into the depths of the emotion, clearing it to see the truth of who I am, I discovered something about myself that I really never understood until now. I see that the way I have lived my life, pushing out of the box, being willing to take a risk, walking on the path when I can only see a foot in front of me, embracing it all, has been the only way I can live.

This is authentically ME!

What I know about myself is that I am showing up. I am living in flow. I don’t know what is going to happen in the next hour, day, week, month, year. I do know that I am courageous, willing, resourceful, loved, and inspired. I will not give up.

I know there is something on the other side of this. Today I am courageous. Today I reignite my curiosity and childlike sense of wonder knowing that anything is possible.

Today I remember who I am.

*****

Andrea Hylen believes in the power of our voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, an organization that inspires women and men to heal a story, reclaim personal power and step into greater leadership. Andrea discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to live life fully after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. In addition to serving as Heal My Voice’s Executive Director, Andrea is an Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and Sexuality Coach.

She is following her intuition as she collaborates with women and men in organizations and travels around the world speaking, teaching and leading workshops. Her passion is authentically living life and supporting others in doing the same. To connect with Andrea and learn about current projects go to: www.andreahylen.com and www.healmyvoice.org.

Posted in Living in Flow

On Purpose Woman: A Workshop

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Andrea Hylen Leave a comment

Day 6 of 100 days of blogging

I had an opportunity to lead a workshop at the On Purpose Woman Conference in Columbia, Maryland this past weekend. It was called, “Using the Feelings of Failure As a Tool of Exploration.” It was birthed from a blogpost I wrote in August 2015.

To be totally transparent, I thought there might be 3 women in the Workshop. It was not the bright, shiny, juicy topic of feel good upliftment I like to present at this conference. I also felt like I was still in a current process of feeling this feeling of failure. So, who am I to teach it while living it in the moment?!?

As women began to enter the room, I could feel how wrong I had been about the number of women interested in this topic. The room was packed. We gathered in a close circle with rows around the circle. Failure was the exact feeling that many of us were feeling and I wanted us to feel intimate and cozy. A women’s circle with deep, real conversation. Lean in. Whisper it. Speak it. Heart to heart sharing.

There are many reasons for this feeling of failure or defeat. We have all had losses of jobs, clients, health, homes and loved ones. And we have had successes that have come to completion and we are not sure where we are going next. So, we feel deflated, confused and lost. No matter how many successes we have had there are expectations in our society and culture that tell us we have failed; the internal and the external feelings and reflections. Even our closest friends and family who love us and want the best for us, add to the feeling with questions. “So, what are you going to do now?” My inner voice when I am this place of not knowing is: I DON”T KNOW!!! STOP ASKING ME!!!

I am going to share a little secret with you: I have felt these feelings of failure or uncertainty so many times and I always come out of it brighter and shinier and more excited about life than ever! When I am in it, it feels like I will never get to the other side. Luckily, I have experienced this so many times, I have a big tool kit of resources, support and experiences to stay connected to when I am in this process.

And one more secret: On some level you know what is next, too. It is in your subconscious and is in the process of emerging. The key is allowing yourself to feel the feelings of not knowing in this moment. You need silence and stillness and time to let it bubble up into your consciousness. Your intuition will guide you to the people, resources, classes, business partners, coaches, and new ideas. All of this will arrive one step at a time or in a big rush of ideas.

CAUTION: When you have the big rush of ideas, write them down and let them become grounded. Keep them close to your heart and get to know them before doing anything with them. Be willing to go even deeper and give them time to reorganize into a structure. An hour. A day. A week. A month. You do not need to spin your wheels to make things happen.

This is a rich time to deconstruct your patterns. This is where the power and freedom is hidden. Deconstruct your patterns to release the old and embrace the new.

A few Tips to Navigating during this time:

Give yourself time.

*Walks in Nature.

*Meditation.

*Slow down (even with kids, simplify everything. Go to the playground and spend time emptying your mind or reflecting. Or get up 15 minutes earlier or stay up later just to have some stillness.)

Write down clues and signs.

*What is crossing your path? A friend from high school finds you on Facebook. Someone recommends a book. A film is released and you are curious.

*What lights you up, gets you excited?

*Just write it down and become a detective in your life.

Set Intentions.

*Go to bed with a question on your mind. Keep paper and pen at the side of your bed so you can roll over and write down insights.

*Talk less about your process while you are in it.

*Find a place where you can be messy and release an unorganized, emotional, incomplete process.

Create rituals:

*Write for five minutes a day (at least)

*Morning Pages: Inspiration-The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

*Coloring mandalas or blank paper with crayons, markers, colored pencils.

*Buy some art supplies and play.

Meditate or write at the same time every day.

When you do an activity at the same time every day, it activates something in the brain. With this repetition, there is a time when your ideas flow like turning on a faucet of overflowing visions.

*****

PS: After the 40 minute workshop, a few of the women told me they wanted more information. A workshop. A retreat. Something more. The next day I rode the Megabus from Washington, DC to New York for a week of birthday celebrations. On the bus, I had a flash of ideas and by the time I reached New York, I had the structure of a program I will be teaching in November. A workshop with an on-line group and a Secret Facebook Group.

How to Use Feelings As A Tool of Exploration

This will be for women who know they are pioneers and carving new pathways. It is time!

Thank you Ginny Robertson for inviting me to speak. Thank you to the women who had the courage to come to the workshop and for asking me for more…

I am ready!

To attend the On Purpose Woman conference in the future, get on the mailing list! http://onpurposewomanconference.com/

*****

Posted in An Evolutionary Woman's Journey Series, Andrea Hylen

On Purpose Woman: Are You A Feminist?

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Andrea Hylen Leave a comment

Day 4 of 100 days of Blogging

At an On Purpose Woman Conference this past weekend in Columbia, Maryland, a panel of women talked about the New Feminism. The panel consisted of six women ages 22-60. From the hour long sharing, it became clear that the new feminism is inclusive of all genders, all cultures, all ages, all humanity. We all want connection and authentic communication. We want to be seen and heard. We all have unique gifts to offer the world. AND New Feminism begins with loving ourselves first and sharing that love with each other and the world.

To attend the conference in the future, get on the mailing list! http://onpurposewomanconference.com/

*****

For more exploration of the topic of Feminism, listen to the 30 minute TEDx Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:

We Should All Be Feminists:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg3umXU_qWc

Some of her words:

We must raise our girls and boys differently. Boys are raised to prove their masculinity.

What if we raised boys and girls differently about masculinity and the connection to money?

We teach girls to cater to a man’s ego and the “harder” the man, the more fragile the ego. Girls must not be too smart or a man’s ego will be hurt.

Why should a woman’s success be a threat to a man?

We teach girls shame. Close your legs. Cover yourself. We make them feel as though being born female is something to be ashamed of already. As so, girls grow up to be women who cannot say they have desire. They grow up to be women who silence themselves.

They grow up to be women who cannot say what they truly think.

And they grow up~and this is the worst thing we do to girls~ they grow up to be women who have turned pretense into an art form. (masks, make-believe, pretending we are something or believe something that we don’t)

*****

The time is now. Feminism is not a dirty word. It is Humanity and it is Freedom for All.

“A Feminist is a Man or a Woman who says, Yes, there is a problem with gender today and we must fix it. We must do better.”

*****

Posted in An Evolutionary Woman's Journey Series, Feminist, women

Leadership: Three Girls in Flow

Posted on October 3, 2015 by Andrea Hylen Leave a comment

Day 3 of 100 days of blogging

On New Year’s Eve in 2013, I attended an event at the Agape International Spiritual Center in Los Angeles with two of my friends, Julia and Eric. During the evening, there was meditation, intention setting, music and dancing; lots and lots of dancing. As the New Year approached, we were in the front of the church watching three girls dancing on a set of carpeted stairs leading up to the main stage.

The girls, ages 10, 8, and 7 had us mesmerized. Each of them dancing in joy and harmony with each other. Dancing their own dance and connected in a natural flow, they walked up and down the stairs with each girl taking her turn on the top step and claiming the spotlight with enthusiasm while the other two danced together one step down. Then, as if they had practiced and pre-arranged the timing, the girl on the top step would switch places with one of the other girls. Over and over they took turns dancing on the top step while also enjoying the lower step.

It was gorgeous. It was like watching Diana Ross and the Supremes except that each girl had her turn at being Diana Ross and her turn at being the “back-up” singer. No need to compete because it was so beautifully shared.

It may seem like a little thing unless you look at this as a microcosm of a larger picture that is emerging on the planet. Girls and women learning how to be strong leaders, how to take turns in the spotlight, how to dance their dance without playing small or diminishing each other and having fun while doing it.

*****

Posted in Living in Flow

Tell Me a Secret…

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Andrea Hylen Leave a comment

Day 97 of 100 days of Blogging

Last spring, I was with a group of 100 people at a social event at the Hotel W in Hollywood. After everyone arrived, we broke into small groups of five and went out into the streets of Hollywood with a scavenger list of activities.

One of the “tasks” was to ask three people to tell you a secret. It was fun to see the different reactions on each person’s face from excitement to confusion as they shared a variety of secrets.

I approached a man, who looked like he was in his 30’s, standing in line to get into a club and asked him the question: Tell me a secret.

He looked around at the other people and looked at me asking if I was serious. I shared the details of our group activity and asked him again to Tell me a Secret.

He paused for a moment and then leaned towards my ear as he whispered, “I do yoga.” I was confused. “Is that a secret?” I asked him. He looked around to see if anyone was listening. “Yes. My friends would make fun of me, if they knew.” It really hit me in that moment how much we hide from each other and how it actually disconnects us from ourselves.

How many of us have secrets that we think we can’t share with the people who are closest to us? And what does that do to hold us back from speaking our deepest desires and connecting with each other. How does that stop us from living our fullest expression.

Today! Let’s connect!

In the comments section, post a secret desire.

Let’s see and feel each other.

Andrea Hylen believes in the power of a woman’s voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, a Writing and Transition Coach, Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and co- author of Conscious Choices: An Evolutionary Woman’s Guide to Life. Andrea has discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to celebrate life after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. She currently lives in Los Angeles following the inspiration to collaborate with women in organizations and to travel around the world speaking and leading workshops. Her passion is connecting women to support each other in the full expression of who they are.

Posted in Connecction

A Miracle and An Opportunity to Shift My Perspective

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Andrea Hylen Leave a comment

Originally written on Sept 4, 2013

**********

Day 90 of 100 days of blogging

Realize that today you and I have been given the greatest gift of life and that is choice. We get to choose how we will be with what’s happening. We get to choose whether we will grow. We get to choose whether we will give. ~Mary Morrissey

A few months ago I met a man at a community party at my house. A potluck with dance music and conversation. From the minute I met him, something went zing in my solar plexus. Heightened sensation in my whole body. Although our lifestyles and interests were very different, there was something pulling me towards him. After an initial conversation, I was curious about the wide range of feelings I was having and I noticed by his body language and how he hovered around me all night that he must be feeling something similar. Curious…

A week later, I had a chance to spend more time with him talking one on one over coffee in my kitchen and what I noticed was how much he…alright, I am just going to say it…how much he pissed me off. Seriously…he annoyed and angered and frustrated me over and over. I was also intrigued by his confidence, arrogance and clarity about what he liked and didn’t like in life as if it was the Truth and everyone else was wrong if they felt or thought something different.

So, what was going on?

“Every situation, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity to heal.” ~ A Course in Miracles

Instead of writing him off or ignoring him, I decided to text and ask if he would meet me for a walk on the beach. After a short walk, we sat down and moved our light conversation into deeper sharing. I asked him a few questions and listened, really listened to his words and felt his energy. In less than ten minutes, I had the beginning of an AHA that would continue to deepen over the next few weeks. I thanked him for his time and drove home to process the feelings by myself.

I could see how he embodied so many aspects of men from my past. While I listened to him, I saw glimpses of the first guy I had sex with in high school and felt the pain of disconnection and rejection. I saw elements of both of my husband’s and my father where I experienced emotional abandonment. I saw a glimpse of a business partner from last year and the secrecy he kept that I could not break through for deeper connection and collaboration. I saw the guy I fell head over heels in love with in college (or was it lust?), only to find out that he was using me to try to make an ex-girlfriend jealous. All of these men were a part of something unresolved in my past and connected to something that was my old story about issues, subtle and overt, that had kept me disconnected and fearful of men.

In that short conversation, I also saw an opportunity to heal. As he spoke, I could see a difference in our perceptions and the way we were processing information and feelings. I saw how I could use this experience to empower myself with forgiveness and love and acceptance and understanding. It wasn’t about him. It was about me and the power to shift my perception.

After that beach walk, I made a commitment to a practice of healing. Every night for two weeks, I lay in bed returning to the conversation with the man on the beach. I would recall a moment in our conversation and ask my higher guidance to show how I could transmute and alchemize the feelings. Every night a different man from my past emerged in my thoughts. I allowed myself to feel all of the feelings connected with the man and then to bring in love. First I felt the sadness, the anger, the hurt, the jealousy, saw the old patterning and felt my desire to be loved and seen.

I imagined a golden light entering the top of my head. Warm and dripping like honey, bright, expansive. I received it into every cell of my body including my heart. Soaking it in like a sponge and then I radiated it out to the man who was present in my thoughts. I brought in love and thanked him for being in my life, for teaching me something about myself, for giving me the opportunity to connect to my personal power and my voice.

I felt myself connected to the men at different ages and I radiated the love back to myself.

Sometimes I used the Ho’oponopono Hawaiian prayer:

“I’m sorry
Please forgive me.
I love you.
Thank you.”

I repeated it over and over and over until I felt my body completely relax and I felt the love pouring into and out of me with each breath.

I immersed myself in this healing and have returned to it whenever guided. Now, every day I see men who are gentle, caring, strong, connected, wise, vulnerable, funny, giving, receiving and I know that the inner work I was doing at night is now attracting a different type of man into my life.

I am grateful for all of the feelings stirred up by the man on the beach. I see him as a gift. A wise teacher who appeared at the time I needed to connect and reflect; at the time I needed to see the old wounding that was holding me back and at a time when he could show up in this role.

I send him love and deep gratitude…

and I thank myself for having the courage to show up and do the deep work. To see this practice and experience the power to shift perception.

It is a miracle.

Posted in healing, Miracle

I Am What I Am…the Journey of Life

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Andrea Hylen Leave a comment

Day 88 of 100 days of bloggingI feel like I just got kicked in the stomach. My youngest daughter called and left a message on my phone. Her car was parked on the street in front of her apartment and was rear ended by a hit and run driver last night. She is in college in California and living on her own. Her car insurance has a $1,000 deductible. Hard to tell what the damage is and if it is worth fixing.This is a mess!

For the last week, I have been working on the East Coast. Developing leadership in Heal My Voice. Listening to the words of women. Editing stories. Attending a baby shower for my oldest daughter. Leaping to the next level…

At this moment:

*I feel discouraged. Defeated. One step forward and two steps back.
*I feel like I am a bad mother.
*I feel I should be in California living with my daughter instead of living on my own and traveling back and forth to the East Coast to work with women at the Chrysalis House.
*I feel like my priorities are messed up and I should be more available to my adult daughters.
*I feel that I should have…

Actually… this is bullshit.

The truth is:

*My daughter wasn’t in the car and she is safe.
*She has a bike to ride to school.
*She has the money to get the car fixed, if she chooses to do that.

*I believe in the power of my daughter to figure this out.
*I believe in the power and strength of my daughter to learn and grow from this experience.
*I believe that she will survive and thrive and bloom.
*I believe that I am exactly where I am supposed to be doing the work that I feel called to do.

*I do not want to live my daughter’s life for her.

There is always an old story I can tell myself about all of the choices I have made in my life and here is the truth:

*I have no regrets that I home schooled my children instead of building a career.
*I have no regrets that I started Heal My Voice and have devoted my life to a mission of empowering women to heal and lead.
*I have no regrets that I divorced my first husband and gave up the security of his income.
*I have no regrets about the choices…

I AM WHAT I AM…

Posted in An Evolutionary Woman's Journey Series, Conscious Choices: An Evolutionary Woman's Guide to Life

New Beginnings by Nancy Kobel, Guest Blogger

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Andrea Hylen Leave a comment

Day 84 of 100 days of Blogging

GUEST Blogger, Friday

New Beginnings by Nancy Kobel

Wake up, our ship has been ice-bound long enough, the time has come to sail the open seas. ~ Rumi

I could see it so clearly in my mind’s eye: a beautiful garden, rich with colors that expanded beyond the horizon. I was standing at the entrance of the garden, ready, with an open heart (and a little bit of anxiety) to embrace the journey. It wasn’t an easy road to get to this garden, to have the garden gate behind me. There were a lot of tears, a lot of pain, a lot of challenges, a lot of courage, a lot of prayers, a lot of healing and a lot of help and support along the way. Paulo Coelho’s quote in the introduction to The Alchemist, writes: “the path of the personal calling is no easier than any other path, except that our whole heart is in this journey.”

The path in front of me is purely my own and the garden represents new beginnings in so many ways, so many possibilities of my future. I glance behind and am amazed at my journey, some of the tears and pain feel like such a distant memory yet I know how much my past makes this vision that much sweeter.

In the present, I have to admit, I was a little nervous with the start of this week. Transitioning from the gift of being able to play in the world of ‘being’ for 3 months to a more structured work opportunity and the start of school and activities for my kids. I really enjoyed the freedom of being, it was challenging to embrace after leaving the corporate world in May. I had to talk myself out of the desire to have an extensive checklist of things to do and be kind to myself if I didn’t get everything done. I had to revisit my own values and determine what was truly important to me and start making decisions about how I spent my time based on those values. Having the time was a gift and gave me the opportunity to dive deep into where I was holding myself back from living an abundant life.

I thought I had this abundance going really well – so many things were flowing my way, a work opportunity that seemed ideal, new clients, an amazing vacation in August, the completion of 2 certifications, an amazing class with an awesome coach and time to truly enjoy my children and the activities in their life without stress (and more). I was full of amazement and gratitude as I continued to work and move forward.

Boom – It was as if the universe, God, needed to get my attention and everything that was coming my way ended up in the land of ambiguity – the clients, the work opportunity, the vacation all ended up in chaos and uncertainty. It turns out my ‘ask’ button was broken…or stuck from non-use. I was on a coaching call – “does anyone have any questions?” Nothing, my mind was completely blank, and I tried to think of a question but still nothing. I couldn’t come up with anything yet I so wanted to talk — this was a stretch for me and one I wanted to tackle. “Ask if you need help.” Asking God, the universe, the angels, Mary, etc., was easy as my trust in the support of the higher realms was firm and unshakable. I knew it was always there, that I was never alone. Asking people was a whole new territory and one I needed to start playing in more, one that would open me up to deeper connections, vulnerability and more challenges (and joy) along the way. We weren’t meant to travel this journey alone, without help. Giving and Receiving is a dance for both the giver and the receiver. It is not one sided. What a gift it is to allow another to give and graciously receive. We need to be open to asking and open to receiving, especially if we are constantly giving and giving and giving. We know the joy in giving but do we know the joy in receiving? I know I am not alone in this mindset of being strong, independent, responsible, doing everything myself while giving everything I have, thinking I am not worthy to receive help, to receive love, to receive what I need and desire. I am excited to release that belief and see what is ahead. It has been new territory and I may falter along the way but I am ready to continue playing more with the feminine energy of receiving in balance with the masculine energy of giving. I have been out of balance for far too long…

“Put me in Coach – I am ready to Play!”

Nancy Kobel, CPC, ELI-MP

Nancy is founder and CEO of Leader Inspired. She is a certified professional life and leadership coach and a certified Energy Leadership Master Practitioner, speaker, author and workshop facilitator. She is trained through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) and is passionate about helping women who feel stuck in the ‘shoulds’, discover their true gifts, release what is holding them back and reclaim their feminine power, so they can lead a life they love. She has spent over 20+ years in the corporate world, with a background in leadership development (and engineering) and is a contributing author in HMV: Inspired Voices and HMV: Feminine Leadership project. She was a speaker at the On Purpose Woman Conference in September 2013, her topic: “Reclaim your Tiara”.

www.Leaderinspired.com

https://www.facebook.com/LeaderInspired

www.linkedin.com/pub/nancy-kobel/b/912/b40/

www.OnPurposeWomanConference.com

Posted in Heal My Voice

Liberating women, liberates men!

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Andrea Hylen Leave a comment

Day 76 of 100 days of bloggingEvery time we liberate a woman, we liberate a man. ~Margaret Mead

Funny the way that works. I was noticing how each time I receive support from a man, my ability to give back is exponentially increased. So all of the men and women in my life receive more…love, time and attention from me.

How about you? Do you notice this in your life?

Posted in Uncategorized

Oklahoma City: An Example of Peace on Earth

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Andrea Hylen Leave a comment

Oklahoma City: An example of Peace on Earth by Andrea Hylen

(This was originally published in Beloved World- Voices of Peace Newsletter Sept 2008)

July 7, 2008 – A journal entry

Words seem so inadequate on this day.

By spending the morning and the evening at the Oklahoma City Memorial, I feel that my life has been touched in a profound way. I sit here staring at the blank page feeling the stillness, not knowing how to capture this experience in words.

A field of empty chairs represents the lives lost on April 19, 1995. My heart felt like it was bursting open when I first entered the Memorial. Tears ran down by cheeks, as I opened to the emotion. I felt that my heart was bursting with love and gratitude. Love and gratitude? This took me by surprise. I found out later that the entrance we walked through was the Door of Hope. And that is what I felt.

Through the tragedy of loss, the powerful emotions of forgiveness, healing, hope and love have arisen here. Beginning with the people who responded with help immediately, to those who came from afar, to the words of love from children, this is an example of the hope and beauty that is arising on the planet.

The people of Oklahoma City have risen from the ashes and chosen peace. They are an example of peace on Earth as we each make conscious choices for inner peace.

An educator shared the peace that has been birthed here. Conflict resolution classes in schools; Cards and artwork from children, like the tile that reads, ”The world cares.” Sharing tools of peace with the children.

Every night when the sun goes down, the lights below each chair shine brighter and brighter. As the darkness spreads throughout the city, I see the moon at the highest point in the sky. There is stillness. The chairs that represent loss are transformed and emerge into brilliant candles of hope and light.

I see in this moment, it is in the greatest times of darkness that we become the brightest lights.

Posted in Oklahoma City