Author Archives: michelle

How Can I Help You?

michelle-thinking

I'm back. 

Wherever you've been, off in that creative and beautiful mind, on an exciting trip, diving deep into healing or thrown deep behind-the-scenes of a new program launch, I hope that you have had very real (and long) moments of feeling back…

Are you back?

  • In this season of life, are you feeling that you've landed back in your purpose?
  • Landed back into what really light's you up, and, therefore, what "business" will continue to be about for you?
  • Back to giving yourself more permission to express your true self, not just via your blog or on social media, but with all of your most important relationships?

In short, are you coming back to yourself and feeling even more you, even more honest and true to the person that matters most ~> you?

As I ramp back up from my most recent loss, this is what I've been diving into, a coming back to self. (For those of you who are new, it may not be what you expect to learn about in a business newsletter, however, when it's a part of my life, it's also a part of my business: I lost my Mom unexpectedly three months ago, and also lost my 22-year-old brother, unexpectedly, two years ago. The winds of change…).

And, in ways, I do feel — back:

~ Back and ready to share around what you need most support with in your businesses and brand expressions.

~ And back to, generally, give this life all that I got.

I do have a lot to give, and I know you do too.

So…how do we continue being the givers and the livers, the person who lives life to the fullest? (Sorry, I don't mean to make you think of liver pate :-).

So here's the thing that grief forces you to look at straight in the face ~> we can give more fully of who we are, be most generous of spirit and of greatest service when we have made time to give to self…to reflect, sit in stillness and, generally, make our enlightened no's a must.

Have you made saying no a must lately in your business and in your life? Have you been reflecting daily and weekly on what's working and not working for you? Have you made time to sit in stillness knowing there's as much creativity and strength in it, as there is in the drive you have to build am empire?

Over the last three months, I have re-designed what feels like my entire life and business:

I've tweaked my business model, changed my program launch plans, taken myself off of countless newsletter lists, further refined my weekly schedule and what types of activities I focus on during weekends, as well as let my team and family know, in no uncertain terms, how much self care and stillness will continue to be folded into it all…

I was pretty good at it before and, let it be known, that I will be exceptional at it now. Join me. Let's be exceptional at reflecting more often, at giving generously of our enlightened no's and at being more still, so we can really hear the space between the words and meet our most cared for self.

It's such a gift when we give to ourselves and are able to support others even more fully as a result.

So there it is.

Be exceptional at coming back to yourself and continue the exploration process by asking yourself: what may I need to tweak in my life and business so I'm expressing my true brand of woman?

What does my brand need to express that hasn't been expressed yet?

How does your marketing need to change or evolve to feel most like you?

What might you need to fold into your offerings so they include not just what you think will sell, but what will shine and most serve you?

As I shared with my Mom Mogul Success Society clients last month, success has many definitions and every week, every month and every year, we need to ask ourselves, once again, what our own definition really is. At different seasons, we have different versions of success and we need to base what we do (or don't do) based on that very definition.

Allow your current version to come front and center to really take care of you today. That's what true success does…it takes care of you.

Forget what others have told you success is, come back to yourself and make decisions based on what you, deep down inside, truly feel.

Today, my definition of success is based on how still I can be while still also getting after my passions, goals and serving some of the best clients around the world. (For those of you reading this — you are some of the favorite parts of my days).

Life and entrepreneurship call us to create and do every day, more and more in line with our values, however, the problem is that we're too busy to listen, most days. Today, however, I'm listening rather intently.

Which brings me to this. In the spirit of being back, really listening as well as doing things differently, I'd love to ask how I may best support you in my giving and sharing via my virtual love notes (aka newsletters)?

What are your most pressing questions around creating a meaningful business, while still having a life? To creating consistent income? What part of your authentic brand is yet to be figured out? What are your biggest obstacles as far as your expression is concerned?

Seize the moment — let me know! I'll be choosing a few of the most common themes and will reply with my Success and Brand Coach hat on.

Until we connect again, Creative Heroine, I wish for you, your own moments of radical (yet simple) stillness.

Here's to meeting the self whose way better equipped to serve, lead and guide with full heart because she's given herself the gift of time…

To your enlightened no's!

Life is good,

michelle-black-sig-md-light

 

 

 

 

p.s. Just post your comments below and let me know what's on your mind, as far as branding, expression and authenticity (or similar) are concerned. I'll be looking forward to hearing from you!

Your Brand of Woman “how-to’s” on PERISCOPE

periscope Periscope. It's truly all the rage. It's my favorite way to spend time on social media right now and I believe it will "stick" not just for me but for millions of other people. Be one of the early settlers with me!

As you can see above, I've been fairly active on the platform already and am on my 35th scope. I scoped at Oprah's VIP event a few weeks ago, scoped in Mexico, Iceland and more, all around how you can create (or re-create, as the case may be) your brand (apologies that I'm just getting around to sharing my channel with you!).

Come on over and I'll not only continue sharing how-to's around the topic we're all most united on ~> Branding/Your Brand of Woman but around how you, too, can grow your influence, visibility and brand on the new LIVE-streaming video platform.

Again, be one of the early settlers! Join me on Periscope. 

1. First, download the free Periscope app onto your smartphone.

2. The, create a username (matching your Twitter account), a killer bio for yourself (feel free to take a look at mine as just one example), upload a headshot, start taking notes around what your first video Periscope broadcast will be about and, voila, you're on your way.

3. Connect. In the search bar, look for my handle @michelleghilotti.com. 

Join me this week for my next three to ten minute brand training scopes where you'll walk away with specific how-to's and increase energy to take action on the way you truly want to be of support to others through your successful business and magnetic brand.

"See" you soon, Creative Heroine. Enjoy your business and enjoy your life!

Life is good,

michelle-black-sig-md-light

 
 
 
 
 
 

p.s. Can't wait to provide value in this new way #bizscope #brandofwoman #creativeheroine.

My Mom’s unexpected passing (where I’ve been and what I’ve been thinking)

the-only-constant-is-change

I have been quiet for a little while now.
 
Over a month ago, I lost unexpectedly lost my Mom. As many of you who have followed my journey the last two years, you also know that I lost my baby brother unexpectedly in a car accident two years ago.
 
Talk about an avalanche of change in the last 24 months. As you can imagine, these two physical losses are heartbreaking. I wouldn't be being honest if I didn't also tell you that that they have also broken me open in the most positive way. New ways, in fact, that I’m uncovering every day.
 
I’ve lost (physically) but I know that I have and will continue to gain a new (emotional and spiritual) perspective, everyday that I stay open.

Specifically, I know that I will gain a new and even deeper way to love, to serve and to transparently share.
 
In this time that I haven’t been communicating with you, I’ve gone inside, and in many ways, looked up. You could say I’ve looked up for guidance around how to best heal. I miss my Mom and Dino terribly! (The photo above was taken at our family home just two months ago before she passed).
 
Life will look up as I continue to look up. Thankfully this is just the kind of woman my Mom was and is also what she passed onto me…

One thing I know that helped me begin to heal from losing my baby brother was serving others (acceptance was met somewhere at the intersection of helping others and taking time to be still and also help myself).

I remember sharing this with my Mom many times over the last two years. She would ask me how I was “doing it” and this was almost always my answer: supporting and serving others.

One thing I will forever be grateful for is following each other’s grief journeys so closely. She was my confidante and I was hers, and for that, I am extremely grateful! Where there is love there is life, and, there is still so much love between us.


As happens with tragic or unexpected deaths, I haven’t made sense of it all yet, of course, but, I want to share as much as I can. Why? Because we can't do it alone (we aren't meant to do it alone) AND writing is my medicine. (It is great medicine).

You may follow my ongoing sharings on my personal Facebook page HERE.

I trust that pieces of what I share will support you on your journey of change. Because, as humans, the truth is that we are all on a journey of change…
 
Lastly, as always, I am acutely aware that in order to create your most powerful authentic brand as a woman, you must work, everyday, to create yourself. And sometimes this can come from allowing things, such as death, to show us how to live today, REALLY live, today.

If you have a choice. Choose really living today.

So, that's where I am at the moment. I'm happy to be back sharing with you. Thank you. Sending you all my love.

Life will look up as you continue to look up…

I'll be in touch again soon.

Life is good,            

michelle-black-sig-md-light

 

 

 

 

p.s. Where there is love, there is life. 
You can follow my writing on life and death HERE. 

 

What a Woman Emailed Me and What I Have to Say About It


I wrote the following over the weekend and shared it on Facebook. I hope it energizes you to swim deeper in the following truth: Happiness as an internal environment and choice, starts and ends with you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've found reason to live long ago, says a song by White Denim (listening to it now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApZ9AyD6580).

Josh and I were out the door for a fun, early workout this morning.

You could say that was topped by seeing Nolan's face eat the french toast I made him once I was back home ("ooooh, thank you Mama.").

Then, our puppy, Holland, slept in until 11am (truth: we had to wake him at 11am). Hollandleuia!

Sitting down to get through a few emails, I loved reading the following note from a lovely woman I met at one of my last speaking events:

Hi Michelle, I remember meeting you at Ignite in November and love some of your quotes. You really inspired me to believe more of my own creativity and I went on to write my book "Get Blissed" which was published on the 7th of April. I am so excited about inspiring others from the stage now. Something I never thought to be possible before. It was awesome receiving an award from Raymond Aaron and meeting Jack Canfield in Toronto, Canada last month. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. Natasha

But not all days are like this for any of us; where what's happening around us falls under the umbrella of the perfect environment or the perfect happening.

We've been alive long enough to know that not all days come with the perfect skiing conditions.

It gets windy, too cold, it's too wet, we get injured, we're too hot, it's slushy, too rocky, too…not happy.

But, what if I told you that you could be happy and at peace (one of my favorite feelings — peace), with or without the perfect ski conditions, and with or without the workout, the pup, that thank you, or thing in your life? And that there's one thing to do? Would you do it?

When asked what I believe contributes most to lasting happiness or success in life or business, I have one thing on repeat: "develop your spiritual practice", or said another way, "dive deeper into your personal development."

True self-realization.

And what I mean, of course, is not covered by simply attending feel-good, inspiring events though those can be red velvet icing.

It's about doing the work that doesn't always feel good and turning the finger back around to ourselves for why something is or isn't happening (no one else)…let's say, it's about acknowledging the shadow, sometimes over and over again.

Tending to the path (what are all these weeds doing here?), clearing it of all the tired, boring, and old stories and excuses we are choosing to keep alive. That's the work.

As my book How to Be a Walking Momtra says, focus on your happiness so you can RAISE happiness.

That's about one thing and one thing only: working on Self, getting to know who we are, light and dark, and what the real reasons are that we have or pose certain limitations on ourselves.

And, as importantly, allowing ourselves to create new, rich, fruit-bearing stories and limits (the skies are the limit), specifically all those that support what we say it is that we really want.

The more we do this, the more gems we find inside that will be expressed in what happens around us as well as in who we suddenly find sitting next to us, about to enjoy the next run with us.

Happiness as an internal environment and choice, starts and ends with you.

Find a reason to live every day, even just one reason to feel good. And may the reason, oh just maybe baby, be you.

Life is good,

michelle-black-sig-md-light

 

 

 

p.s.
Moms, if you haven't already received your call-in information for the FREE master training happening on June 11th, consider this your personal invite to make not only happiness your business but learn your 90-day Summer success plan to keep your dreams (your business and YOU) truly alive during the Summer months. You CAN have it and that at the same time. The master training happens June 11th 9-11am Pacific/12-2pm Eastern, and, if you're on the guest list, yes, there will definitely be a recording. Register to receive the call-in information and recording here: www.michelleghilotti.com/bemombemogulmasterclass/ 
To feeling good, mama. To feeling good!