What would you do if you weren’t afraid to fail?  This was the most important question posed by the four young women who created The Empowerment Project, (Empowermentproject.com) a documentary about a team of four filmmakers who set out to tell a story about how women can be empowered to be the best they can be in the world, without letting their fear stop them or other things about our society that holds women back from going for their passions and dreams.  I saw this last night and I can tell you I was totally tuned into this question and very empowered by their work.

Here’s the link for this trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTIogIwn8U0

Learning to see your fears and name them is the first outcome of an empowerment experience.  Sometimes, as they expressed in this movie, it takes multi-level experiences to break through the stuck patterns of fear and low self-esteem that has been a part of women’s lives in our country and in the world.  Is it a man’s world still?  How are we making it our world? For these young women, the multi-level experience for them was their own personal empowerment through interviewing and experiencing powerful women in their documentary process.  The second level was their story going out to empower other women through their film in a ripple effect – it touched me last night and continues to have an effect as the film is watched by women all over the country.

Woman in Silence - Antelope Canyon Web OnlyLife Transitions, even very painful ones, are the perfect time to jump in and learn to face your fears.  What better time to see what holds us back than when we are challenged, feeling unbalanced and lost.   But, this is also the perfect opportunity to see our strengths and what we can bring to the situation that can allow us to grow.  When we grow, we expand our horizons and life changes forever.  Fear and its manifestations will no longer hold you back when you embrace it so personally.  In my work with Women in Transition, I know this to be true and my life’s work is about creating a toolbox and support so women can find transformation out of transition.  

Donna and Waterfall Balance PicDonna walking at Bear Lake FallI believe this so strongly that I am expanding my Programs for Women in Transition to include Nature Adventure Retreats & Workshops that allow for empowerment to happen through opportunities to face your fears head-on in nature. When we can find ways to respond through our bodies in the natural environment, we can experience how to bypass our negative bias built into our species.  This means we are always looking for the negative instead of enjoying and leaning on the positive.  When things are difficult, it’s easy to focus on what’s not right and try to fix it, without realizing that we have so much that is going right and that can give us buoyancy to stay whole and resilient when we are in pain and suffering.  Empowerment opportunities help us feel our goodness, our strengths, our power and that recharges us with positive feelings!  That’s what I am offering for you in these retreats.

“Your fear will take you to your next opening!”  This was spoken by Jeanie Manchester, yoga master teacher and gifted woman.  How many of you have found this to be true?

Woman walking balanced on a log in a field to promote our Midlife Makeover Weekend from Find balance in your lifeCan you see this vision and allow yourself to stay present and trust that you will find your way?  That is what my groups for Women in Transition will help you discover and learn for yourself as I guide you along with others just like you into your next opening.