Stories From Women Who Walk
Diane F Wyzga * Podcaster * Communication Problem Solver * Story Strategizer * Founder Engaged Storyism® Method
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Daily 60 Seconds doses of hope, motivation, time out, imagination, wisdom, healing, story prompts, & more! Diane-on-Mic episodes offer tips on storytelling & communication problem-solving. Guests with true-life, practical, funny, heartbreaking, insightful human experience stories from (mostly) women walking their lives while Life walked them & the lasting difference their journeys have made. You’ll see yourself here. I’m your host, Diane Wyzga. "Come for the stories - stay for the magic!"
Available episodes
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15 hours ago
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: When Your Trust Has Been Trampled, Then What?
Hello to you listening in Bettystown, Ireland!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe this has happened to you: well-meaning family or friends tell you: just trust. And so you do. But what if your trust has been shaken? Trampled even?
There’s no help for it but to get back on the horse that threw you, grieve how you need to, and begin anew. I’m not fully into this practice myself; but I do know I’m headed in the right direction as the poet Thomas R. Smith writes in Trust:
Trust
"_It's like so many other things in life_
_to which you must say no or yes._
_So you take your car to the new mechanic._
_Sometimes the best thing to do is trust._
_The package left with the disreputable-looking_
_clerk, the check gulped by the night deposit,_
_the envelope passed by dozens of strangers—_
_all show up at their intended destinations._
_The theft that could have happened doesn't._
_Wind finally gets where it was going_
_through the snowy trees, and the river, even_
_when frozen, arrives at the right place._
_And sometimes you sense how faithfully your life_
_is delivered, even though you can't read the address_." ["Trust" by Thomas R. Smith, from Waking Before Dawn. © Red Dragonfly Press, 2007.]
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts
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1 day ago
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: How Is Your Life’s Work Story Shifting?
Hello to you listening in Antioch, Tennessee!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’ve been preparing a course for those who are curious about how to write a mini-legacy or, if they’re daring their obituary. What prompted the idea? My belief - honed over 30 years of story work - that “_What matters in life is not what happens to you, but how you respond to the plot twists and how you consciously tell your story setting the record straight_!”
Lately I’ve been wondering about my life’s work: who’s it for, what’s it for, what’s the direction, how come it’s turning out differently than I envisioned, and is it normal to stand at the cross-roads in doubt, or, feeling as if I’ve lost my dwarves, my wizard and my way? Maybe you feel like this, too.
The good news is this: we’re not alone. Even the masters of their craft struggle with figuring out their life’s work. Dizzy Gillespie was the king of American jazz! Trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer who created harmonies and rhythms previously unheard in jazz.
You know what he said? “_It’s taken me all my life to learn what not to play_.” Dizzy Gillespie]. Looks like we’re in pretty good company!
Question: What do you observe about the shifting plot twists that shape your life’s work story?
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts
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4 days ago
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What Might Happen if You Changed Your View About Something or Someone?
Hello to you listening in Colchester, Vermont!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
When I’m feeling less than my best, and more my righteous, opinionated, judgmental self I remember something Elizabeth Ellis, my friend and storytelling mentor said to me: “_When we feel like a hammer everything looks like a nail_.”
My teacher, the venerable Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh had this to say to us, "_For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them_.”
Imagine if we could change our view about some one thing or person, how might we shift our outlook? Maybe no more hammer.....
Story Prompt: If you could change your view about something or someone, what or who would that be and what would happen next? Write that story!
Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something. All that matters is you have a story.
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts
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5 days ago
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: How Do We Bridge a Language Gap to Understand and Be Understood?
Hello to you listening in East Cannington, Australia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Time out of mind I volunteered with ESL Program teaching English as a second language. I learned that trying to comprehend English is like wrestling an octopus. It is frustratingly difficult to get your arms around the rules, exceptions to the rules, idioms, colloquialisms, and expressions that have become part and parcel of 200+ years of expressing ourselves in many tongues.
All any of us want is to be seen and heard. Imagine what it feels like to be unable to express yourself clearly in a language that is not your first language, your mother tongue. Imagine the sense of shame about not fitting in, not getting the jokes, not understanding or comprehending what is being said or asked of you. Maybe even feeling stupid.
So, what do we do? How do we bridge that gap?
Practical Tip: We might try practicing Right Speech. Not right as in the opposite of wrong but listening deeply and carefully before speaking truthfully, speaking in a nourishing and compassionate way that relieves suffering and brings people back to themselves. Why? Our communication is our continuation.
Not too many days ago I reacted to what I perceived was a written insult. My response was rude and unskillful. I had to make amends to my friend. Here’s a good reminder that all is not lost: “Even those who have a good heart and don’t want to hurt others sometimes allow toxic words to escape from their lips.”
Question: What’s helps you communicate skillfully? To understand and be understood?
More Resources on Right Speech
Thích Nhat Hanh explains that “Right Speech” is a Buddhist term for loving speech, or speech that is nourishing, peaceful, compassionate, and ... Compassion, he proposes, is the key to both deep listening and “right speech,” and “the one goal of compassionate communication is to help others suffer less.” Right Speech: from “_The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching_”
Listen on YouTube: The Art of Communicating
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts
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6 days ago
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Would You Like to Know a Performance Secret?
Hello to you listening in Stanwood, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Over a decade of litigation consulting across the US taught me a great deal about the differences in the regional populations of people who made up our pre-trial focus groups. To work together in an unfamiliar city or town I chose to learn something wonderful, something unexpected about the place I was going to. It’s also my favorite performance secret.
Practical Tip: Ask yourself: _What uniquely wonderful aspect might set this group of people, this audience, apart from the last group or the one before that_? Learn at least one memorable thing about this audience that is different from your last audience. Something special that distinguishes one from the other. Hold it close to you when you are in front of them. Why? It makes them special to you, folks you are getting to know. Your story, speech or performance becomes a gift to them. You are no longer performing to your audience; you are performing with them.
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts
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Mar 21, 2023
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: How Do You Create Change Without Shouting?
Hello to you listening in Swansea, Wales!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
For all the many times you have soothed our souls with your photographs of life in a small valley in Wales, lifted our spirits with your poetry, and shown us how quietly life can be disrupted for the good thank you, Sue Heatherington. Most especially for all the ways you help us fall in love with the light.
As Ellen Meloy writes: "_Of all the things I wondered about on this land, I wondered the hardest about the seduction of certain geographies that feel like home - not by story or blood but merely by their forms and colors. How our perceptions are our only internal map of the world, how there are places that claim you and places that warn you away. How you can fall in love with the light.._." [Ellen Meloy]
Click HERE if you’re curious about Sue Heatherington’s blog.
And click HERE to access her published book, Quiet Disrupters: Creating Change Without Shouting.
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts
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Mar 20, 2023
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: What’s Happening Over at BabyBoomer.org?
Hello to you listening in Jaipur (The Pink City), Rajasthan, India!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga!
For anyone who is a Baby Boomer, knows a Baby Boomer or would like to be a Baby Boomer (if only for a few moments) head on over to BabyBoomer.org, a free online membership community with a plethora of practical resources for all areas of life! Click HERE to learn about the Baby Boomer goals:
We are _delighted_ to announce that this podcast Stories From Women Who Walk is now an affiliated contributor to Baby Boomer.org bringing over 800 episodes and counting as we grow together into the future!
Click HERE and HERE to access the links for this podcast. Please plan to return often and bring your friends, loved ones and colleagues. BabyBoomer.org is the place to be because there’s no other place like it!
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts
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Mar 17, 2023
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: When Did You Decide to Do It Your Way?
Hello to you listening in Hatboro, Pennsylvania!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As my mom told it I refused to transition from toddler diapers to toddler big girl pull ups the traditional way. No matter how they enticed me I was not going to sit on the Little Human pot. I wanted up on the Big Human’s porcelain throne. Maybe my mother saw genius in my independence or maybe she was just harried with more babies coming along behind me every 18 months or so. She gave in. I did potty training my way.
But sad to say “_my way_” was not as often as you would think. That little girl’s voice got shut down and at times, forsaken in the din of the other voices, voices of authority, duty, obligation, and responsibility.
But here’s the thing. Her voice always was and still is her very own. Do you realize there is no other voice like yours? And never will be. Choose to use it.
Story Prompt: Somewhere in the long ago is a story about how you decided to do it your way, with your voice. Write that story!
Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something. All that matters is you have a story.
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts
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Mar 16, 2023
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: What Might Penguins Teach Us About Conversation?
Hello to you listening in Weatherford, Texas!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
A man drives into a filling station and asks the attendant to fill the tank with gas. The attendant sees 3 penguins standing on the back seat of the car and tells the man, _Hey! You should take those penguins to the zoo_. The man says, _Good idea_! And drives away.
About a week later the same man returns to the filling station and asks the attendant to fill the tank. The attendant sees the same 3 penguins but now they’re wearing sunhats, sunglasses and beach sandals. He says, _Hey! I thought I told you to take those penguins to the zoo_! _I did_, replied the man, _And we had such a good time today we’re going to the beach_!
Practical Tip: We think we know it all, don’t we? Most of us haven’t heard the half of it when we speak with others. Conversation is a mutual exchange. To have clarity in our conversations let’s begin by asking ourselves:
_What did they say?_
_What did I hear?_
_Was it the same, or different?_
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts
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Mar 15, 2023
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: How Would It Feel to Consciously Boldly Deliberately Tell Your Origin Story?
Hello to you listening in Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
At one time our Greenbank Farm was slated for development: all 151 acres of hills, forests and grasslands to be churned into houses. The people of Whidbey rallied to purchase the land and today Greenbank Farm is a destination for walkers, gardeners, bird watchers, photographers, and those who might want a enjoy a nice piece of pie at the cafe.
Most especially it’s a wide-open space where well-behaved dogs are invited to run off-leash. Whether or not you are a dog lover there is something breathtakingly wonderful watching the Canine Kingdom cavort and chase, run and leap, free as the wind.
Like the Canine Kingdom I do my best work when I am free to run off-lease - figuratively - to say what I mean and mean what I say. If you are curious about how to consciously, boldly, deliberately share your message, mission, presentation, or origin story let’s chat. You can reach me on LinkedIn or Quarter Moon Story Arts. Let’s run free!
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts
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Mar 14, 2023
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: How Do I Matter if I’m Not at the Top?
Hello to you listening in Sparta, New Jersey!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
“_Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway_.” [Mark Kay Ash]
How often do we get caught up in our ego, our expectations of what we can or can’t do based on the next fellow or gal’s accomplishments. The next fellow or gal doesn’t matter.
To keep me on an even keel and headed toward my own horizon I find grace and courage in these words from M.F.K. Fisher because when I pay attention I know they are true:
"_I am more modest now, but I still think that one of the pleasantest of all emotions is to know that I, I with my brain and my hands, have nourished my beloved few, that I have concocted a stew or a story, a rarity or a plain dish, to sustain them truly against the hungers of the world_." [M.F.K. Fisher]
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts
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Mar 13, 2023
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: How Will I Ever Manage to Accomplish it All?
Hello to you listening in Antioch, California!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe you’ve heard someone caution you by saying, “_You’ve bitten off more than you can chew_” meaning that you might choke. Perhaps we’re being ambitious with good reason; or, maybe we’ve taken on more commitments than we can fulfill.
Right now I’m juggling this podcast, my Quarter Moon consulting practice, a new 100-hour volunteer training with Sound Water Stewards, a 6-month project production engagement, as well as losing the Whidbey 15 that crept on during our cold, dark winter months. It’s all good work; but you get the picture.
Maybe like me you lie awake in the wee small hours of the morning and wonder, “_How will I ever manage_?”
Practical Tip: I know this to be true: _I can manage for 1 day what appears to be daunting for a lifetime!_ Think back on all that you have overcome, achieved, accomplished, and created. If you still feel the fear of what you are facing you may choose to throttle back a bit; or, allow yourself the chance to manage for just 1 day. And then 1 more day. You will benefit. Guaranteed!
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts
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Mar 10, 2023
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What Gives You Pause About the Passage of Time & Priorities?
Hello to you listening in Reykjavik, Iceland!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday with your host, Diane Wyzga.
Recently, a friend and colleague asked me if I might have “_a balanced, introspective, and helpful word or two that would help us pause and think about the passage of time, priorities, where/who/what is the “center” around which life and time revolves_.”
This is the way I would say it if I could say it this way:
In the richly imagined novel, Mink River by Brian Doyle a medal is being awarded to a small town cop who helped stop a terrible man from hurting others but suffered terrible injuries himself as a result. Listen to what is said on pages 309 and 310.
Thank you for your prompt, David Reynolds. Click HERE to access David’s book, Lead Learn Change on Amazon.
Story Prompt: What would you like to say to “_help us pause and think about the passage of time, priorities, where/…
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Mar 9, 2023
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Why Do My Clients Get to Stand and Deliver Their Message?
Hello to you listening in Englewood, Florida!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
To this very day my clients from courtrooms to classrooms can repeat my opening lines about presentations:
“_Put down the paper and nobody gets hurt_.”
and
“_To stand and deliver your work is a privilege - a gift from you to your audience_.”
The human voice is the most powerful instrument we have to heal, inspire, comfort, entertain, and more. It’s the reason that Big Humans and Little Humans long to hear the same stories retold. I believe that our audiences are waiting to be gifted with our spoken words, not our notepad words.
When you write your words you are using your brain in a particular way to convey your message in words. But that all changes when you speak those same words out loud. Why? Because writer-brain and speaker-brain are different.
Speaking your words out l…
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Mar 8, 2023
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: What if Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother Wrote a Case Study
Hello to you listening in Burlington, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’ve been writing a few client case studies for my newly renovated Quarter Moon Story Arts consulting website. How does a case study differ from a testimonial. Testimonials are coach praise. Case studies are client proof.
Imagine that your client is Cinderella, the girl who sat in the ashes on the hearth but ended up married to the handsome prince and you are her Fairy Godmother coach telling the story of working together:
“_Cinderella was in a heap of sorry._
_Fancy dress ball to be held at the palace._
_No can go because she has no threads, no wheels, no confidence._
_She wondered if a wave of my magic wand might help._
_Yes. To a point._
_We got her all dolled up in the latest haute couture, hair and make up like a celebrity, coach with driver and 6 white horses, plus, th…
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Mar 7, 2023
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: Who Here Would Enjoy a Time Out Moment?
Hello to you listening in The Bronx, New York City, New York!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Listening to a Maven podcast the other day about scaling your business, this tip crossed my radar: keep an ear tuned to what people might want from you even if they don’t say that’s what they need or want.
What I’ve learned from you is that a few moments of music and uplifting words are welcome to transform your day, inspire your project, sooth your attitude, or just plain delight you! Following are 5 bits of practical and smile-making wisdom:
"_The world is full of happiness, and plenty to go round, if you are willing to take the kind that comes your way_." [Jean Webster]
“_Ever since happiness heard your name it has been running through the streets trying to find you._” [Hafez]
“_Don’t make a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion_.” [Anon]
“_Al…
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Mar 6, 2023
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Are You Wrapping Up Life or Just Getting Warmed Up?
Hello to you listening in Slatina, Romania!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I was asked the other day if Quarter Moon Story Arts (my consulting practice) and Stories From Women Who Walk (this podcast) are the end of the road for me. When might I begin to wrap things up?
In the immortal words of Al Pacino’s Academy Award winning character, Lt. Col. Frank Slade: “_I’m just getting warmed up_!”
This much I know: some folks spend the first half of their lives building a life and the second half trying to keep it from falling apart. As for me I’d like to be Under Construction when it’s my time to go.
Question: What about you? How are you getting warmed up for what’s next in your Life?
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” _Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your so…
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Mar 3, 2023
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What Could an Expert in Porcelain Repair Teach About Living Whole Again?
Hello to you listening in Alexandria, Egypt!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Time out of mind my used-to-be-husband left me for Wife Number 4. By and by - inspired by the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh - I learned to let go of my suffering. We suffer when we grasp and keep tight hold, instead of coming to a place to let it go. All is impermanent. That awareness doesn’t come easily; but it does come. Then we have to live our lives.
I remember attending a workshop for us poor divorced souls to learn how to piece together the remnants of our shattered lives. The speaker was a middle-aged divorced woman who repaired broken porcelain collectibles with one of two methods. The first was called a glue-up. Get the bits and glue them back together. It’s serviceable enough.
The other more time-consuming and expensive method involved painstakingly detailed and careful work: s…
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Mar 2, 2023
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: What to Do When Stuck in Treacle?
Hello to you listening in Costa Mesa, California!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you know molasses but not it’s British cousin treacle. Think thick, dark, viscous, sticky syrup. Good for treating snakebites and industrial food use.
Maybe there have been days when you’ve felt like you’re slogging through treacle to get to the other side; but can’t quite make it. Maybe progress on your project seems impossible. Or, you can’t work out the next step, figure out a course of action no mater how hard you try. Now what?
It could be as simple as recognizing that you’re at an impasse. This feeling is a red flag saying your state of mind has shifted, you will not do your best work by muscling through. It’s a good time to walk away, take a break, focus on something else, or invite help.
How long will it take to restore your sense of clarity? It de…
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Mar 1, 2023
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Origin Story for Stories From Women Who Walk
Hello to you listening in Ashland, Oregon!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Once upon a time I invested in a podcasting workshop without forethought or preparation. Out of the gate I was asked what’s the title, who’s it for, what do you intend?
Gulp! I know stories. I’m a woman. I walk. That’s it. Stories From Women Who Walk. As simple as that.
The cover art is a selfie walking out of a morning in Orisson, France toward the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain in the early days of my Camino pilgrimage.
Whether I’m interviewing a guest, shining a spotlight on the achievements of women foremost, or offering a daily menu of 60 Seconds episodes, my podcast is uniquely forward-looking and story-based for anyone charmed by and curious about the power of story to profoundly and positively shift our awareness, our behavior, even our culture as well as those who wish to…
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Feb 28, 2023
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: How Do You Go Lightly When Your Work Is So Serious?
Hello to you listening in Kiruna, Swedish Lapland!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Everyone everywhere seems intent on doing their unique bit to shift, dent, change, impact, disrupt, disturb or create a ruckus so that the world is a little better off when the sun goes down at the end of the day.
That’s all well and good. The world needs a hand up. But while you’re making your way in the world with all this serious work you have to do remember to take yourself lightly, not so gosh darn preposterously serious. It’s a lesson I’ve learned later in life. Take delight in your work! Have a good time with it. Relish the moments you are being of use. Savor the pleasure of being alive.
Aldous Huxley took his own advice to heart. “_There are quicksands all about you, sucking at your feet trying to suck you down into fear and self-pity and despair. That’s why you must…
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Feb 27, 2023
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: What Might it Feel Like to Ascend at the Speed of Surrender With Author Zen Benefiel?
Hello to you listening in Hickory, North Carolina!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
My very grounded astral friend and colleague, Zen Benefiel, has published a book entitled Ascending at the Speed of Surrender. As he wrote to me: “_I'm going into realms most don't travel with this one_.”
What could he mean? Zen is a world-bridger. His work embraces the process of a planetary civilization in evolution and the “other-worldly” help it receives along the way. If you are someone who looks deeply into the conundrum of the human condition and finds answers beyond your scope of understanding Zen can help. How? Research, a lifetime of personal interactions with non-human intelligence, and the willing suspension of belief systems about so-called inner and outer realities to investigate our collective quest for a better world.
Instead of holding back out of fear of rej…
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Feb 24, 2023
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Who Told You “You Can’t Because You’re a Girl?”
Hello to you listening in Tamuning, Guam!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more for the story) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Charley Darkey Parkhurst was about 40 years old when hired on in the 1850s gold rush as a six-in hand stage coach driver with Wells Fargo & Co. working some of the most treacherous routes in Northern California. These rugged teamsters held rein over six wild-eyed horses as they tore along precipitous mountain trails. Charley was one of a breed of skilled and fearless stage coach drivers who pushed themselves and their horses to the limit. For 15 years Charley battled outlaws, fought, drank, smoked, and gambled with the best of them.
Charley’s death from cancer in 1879 revealed the disguise: Charley was born Charlotte Parkhurst in New Hampshire, escaped from an orphanage at age 15, and seeing that the world of work was better for men adopted the role. Charley was…
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Feb 23, 2023
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: What Are Those Listener Locations and Are They Real?
Hello to you listening all around the world!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga!
Several years ago I started the practice of opening each episode with a shout out: “Hello to you listening in ....” I’ve been asked whether there really are listeners in these locations and why do I say “Hello”?
Yes! Each and every location is really real and represents folks listening from where their feet touch the ground or road they are walking. How do I know? The Simplecast platform provides its users with a global map that highlights in yellow the cities and towns where folks are listening to my podcast. I’ve collected some 68 pages of global locations.
I say Hello to you listening! to recognize, acknowledge and thank you for listening in on our global community, even if we never meet. I research each location to learn something more about your home. Then I share a URL in…
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Feb 22, 2023
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: What if I Was Telling Myself I Didn’t Want to Work That Hard?
Hello to you listening in Chanhassen, Minnesota!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more for you) for Wednesdays on Whidbey with your host, Diane Wyzga.
I heard the podcast guest say: _I’m a yoga instructor; not a techie type. I teach in person. I don’t know how to - nor do I want to - create an online yoga course. I just didn’t want to work that hard_.
That’s me! I shine in person-to-person settings. The sorcery of stories comes alive when people are face-to-face, collaborating in a physical space. I just couldn’t see how to translate that collective magic to the Zoom Room screen.
And then I heard the podcast guest say: _I learned that I was standing in my own way. COVID would be here for a long while. After that we can expect a new way of being in the world. I figured I better figure out the online process or get left behind_.
I knew she was talking to me. I was standing in my own way - I had to…
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Feb 21, 2023
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: What Can You Do When You’re Stuck? Move and Draw!
Hello to you listening in Pamplona, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I was asked the other day what do I do when I’m stuck? When the client work isn’t as robust as I’d like? When the podcast episodes don’t seem to flow from a place of creativity but feel bogged down in muck.
You know what I mean. We’ve all been there. I have an idea to share and I bet you have some, too.
Research has shown that movement, not language, is the foundation of thought. [Mind in Motion: How Action Shapes Thought by Barbara Taversky] Action shapes thought. There’s a lot of neuroscience I don’t understand about how it works; but I can say this: while I don’t know how it works I do know that it works. Motion is the lotion for our thoughts. Maybe we’re a species of movers and shakers first. Think about it! We were cave drawing before we began talking in words.
When you g…
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Feb 20, 2023
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Spotlighting Susan Sneath & Gail McDonald with Guest Diane Wyzga on The Change Zone Talk TV
Hello to you listening in City of Bethel, Alaska!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more because it’s important) for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
What happens when you bring together an award-winning actress and facilitator with a world class speaker and coach and give each of them a microphone? Two of my newest friends and colleagues, Susan Sneath and Gail McDonald, are the professional brains and flames behind The Change Zone Talk on Bold Brave TV. Their ability to entertain while educating is legendary!
What’s their Change Zone end game? _Creating the community that embodies change, one conversation, one story at a time_. How? By exploring challenges to change; and leaving people at a higher level of awareness and a lot more in love with themselves than before because they resolved those challenges.
When you have a really grand time laughing, discovering, provoking, storying, learn…
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Feb 17, 2023
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: SB Rawz, Biz/Empowerment Coach & Zine Designer, Part 2
Hello to you listening in Ramat Gan, Israel!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and maybe 29 minutes more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Welcome back to my conversation with Business and Empowerment Coach SB Rawz who joined me from Roanoke, Virginia. When last we spoke I was beginning to pose a question to SB about a favorite topic of hers: Shifting From Gremlin to Golden Buddha. Let’s hear what this talented, insightful, and fabulous coach has to share, along with networking as discomfort (so now what?), her Legacy, and more. Click HERE in the Episode Notes to access the interview, Part 2. Remember to check out the many resources in the Episode Notes to get in touch with SB to move in the direction you might not even know you need to go. Welcome back to the podcast, SB!
Story Prompt: I didn’t forget you and your Story Prompt: If you had a chance to refine your life story to better learn who yo…
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Feb 16, 2023
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: SB Rawz, Biz/Empowerment Coach & Zine Designer, Part 1
Hello, to you listening in Moelon-sur-Mer, South Brittany, France!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and maybe 25 minutes more) for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you enjoy re-reading a wonderful book, settling in to re-watch a favorite movie or even re-listening to a podcast because of the fun, insightful, practical, inspiring or even comforting conversation you heard. Like chatting with a friend.
Let’s dip back into our conversation with SB Rawz who joined us from Roanoke, Virginia. You might remember that SB and I met up on LinkedIn drawn by a common interest in life adventures, self-empowerment, and becoming your best or baddest self. Since our conversation was first recorded in late 2020, SB has refined her name, added a few more tools to her coaching portfolio and embarked on creating and selling handmade booklets or zines on the Etsy platform. [] Let’s circle back and listen t…
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Feb 15, 2023
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: What a Coffee Roaster Taught Me About Business Messaging
Hello to you listening in Everett, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Looking for a home in Belfast, Maine I stumbled on Green Tree Coffee and Tea of Maine in Lincolnville. I ended up moving to Whidbey Island but my coffee beans come from Green Tree.
Why, in a region overflowing with coffee roasters would I support a business across the country? Carbon footprint discussions aside, because they know what they’re About from Purpose to Mission.
Purpose: _To produce gourmet coffee / tea products with effective environmental sustainability strategies._
Vision: _To ensure viability of future generations by permanently conserving land._
Mission: _To produce small batch daily roasted gourmet coffee, with tea and related products that help support social, cultural and environmental responsibility, including dog adoption_.
In addition, they are fine, friendly…
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Feb 14, 2023
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: All I Want This Valentine’s Day Is ...
Hello to you listening in Gaevle, Sweden!
Coming to you from Whideby Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
It seems like Christmas was only yesterday and the holiday tune All I Want for Christmas was looping on play lists.
Here’s what I want for Valentine’s Day. No, more than that! This is how I want to give my heart to the world, as in the compassionate words of the Nobel Prize winning Polish-American poet, Czeslaw Milosz:
“_Not that I want to be a god or a hero_
_Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone_.” [ ~ Czeslaw Milosz]
Question: What about you? To what are you willing to give your heart this Valentine’s Day?
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the…
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Feb 13, 2023
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Spotlighting Dr. Nadine Kelly & Her Newest Podcast for Wise Women: Health Raisers
Hello to you listening in Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories from Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a wee bit more for you) for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
What if I told you that my friend and colleague, Dr. Nadine Kelly, MD, is a former medical doctor.
What if I told you that Dr. Nadine left a soul-crushing medical career that depended on a sickness model to become a health advocate for Wise Women, helping hundreds of women find their healthy!
Why? Because she believes in a broader and more holistic definition of health, including body, mind, and spirit, but also emotions, intellect, and relationships.
Dr. Nadine’s manifesto reminds Wise Women that they are much more than their dress size. Her advice: _stop putting up with toxic relationships, swallowing your true emotions, and sacrificing your mental health. Stop using your body as a battlefield! You're always giving. You deserve to put you…
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Feb 10, 2023
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Remember a Time When You Were Willing to Trust Your Dreams & Jump?
Hello to you listening in Madaba, Jordan!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’ve known my friend Gene since we served together on pediatric wards at the US Naval Hospital Portsmouth. We went our separate ways after being honorably discharged; but, because the world is small and the Internet is large Gene found me and we’ve become fast friends.
He reminded me the other day: "_Before you can fly, you have to be willing to jump from a high place_."
Which, in turn, reminded me of a much loved song: The Cape by Guy Clark. [YouTube link and lyrics are also below in the Episode Notes.]
And the song, in turn, took me to memories of friendship, stories, dreams, taking a leap of faith, the passage of time, and the joy of it all.
Story Prompt: Take a listen to Guy Clarks’s song, remember a time when you were willing to trust your dreams and jumped. Write that story!
Pra…
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Feb 9, 2023
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Let the Good Times Keep on Rollin and Be Glad for Them!
Hello to you listening in Kildare, Ireland!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I began another circle around the sun on February 4th. In my family we are agreed: why celebrate your Happy Continuation Day for only 24 hours? Why not claim a whole month of Happy Birthday!
As I move through the 30 days and 30 nights of birthday gratitude I can’t help but be glad for my many years of life. Good times, rough times and all the in-between times. Some of those times are foggy with age, some feel like they happened only yesterday.
Would you join me in a toast until it’s your time to celebrate your Happy Continuation Day:
"_Here’s to the days and nights_
_we might never remember_
_with family and friends we’ll never forget_!"
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rati…
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Feb 8, 2023
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey Are You Attracting Clients Like a Lighthouse Signals Boats? Or Chasing Them?
Hello to you listening on Orcas Island, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I volunteer as a story docent at Admiralty Head Lighthouse. Sailing in from the Pacific Ocean through the treacherous Strait of San Juan de Fuca ship captains would look for the blazing lighthouse beacon 127 feet above Admiralty Inlet warning them to steer a hard right to starboard, avoid the cliffs, and continue safely south to Puget Sound and on into Seattle, Washington.
How did the captain know he was seeing Admiralty Head Lighthouse? Each lighthouse - no matter where in the world - has its very own distinctive light pattern, or signature. Like your fingerprints. Lighthouses mark points of navigation, warn about dangerous coastlines, and guide boats into safe harbor.
But no one harbor serves all boats. Different boats - different harbors. Lighthouses don’t chase boats; why do…
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Feb 7, 2023
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: It Made a Difference to This One! Big Benefits From Small Acts of Connection
Hello to you listening in Layton, New Jersey!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
They say that we are a disconnected society, culture, even world. What one small gift can we give to each other increase our connectedness with each other? What about a simple note of gratitude?
The other day I received this message entitled:
“_Here are a few words for your day._
_As I try to push forward with the book, I hit speed bumps. Other things always seem to jump in the way. There are so many projects to be done at this house._
_I see a long trail of work work work...._
_With little time for the important things I have set aside for decades._
_So as I was leaving church this morning I went to open a podcast by a priest I’ve been listening to only to find that the site was gone from my phone. Instead, your podcast came up. _
_So I knew I was meant to listen._
_There was a who…
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Feb 6, 2023
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Are You a Solo-Professional Who Could Use More Connectedness?
Hello to you listening in Munster, Germany!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As the song goes, “_One is the loneliest number_.” It’s not just a song; the research supports that while many folks have taken on freelancing / entrepreneurial roles, the solo side of working alone can take a toll. It can be a lonely endeavor.
While it’s courageous to be a solo-professional, you might feel isolated, even lonely or FOMO. When working from home you don’t interact with others as much as you might working in an office. Connecting, networking and learning from others - especially those in unrelated fields - improves the quality of our personal and professional lives.
How do we do that?
Join Susanne Mueller (Take It From the Iron Woman) and me, Diane Wyzga, on _Thursday February 9th 2023 at 10:00AM PST / 1:00PM EST / 19:00 in Europe_ for a 30-minute Zoom meet-up episo…
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Feb 3, 2023
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What Will It Take for You to Leave Your Valley of Comfort Zone?
Hello and thank you to my friend and colleague Sam Ardery listening in Bloomington, Indiana!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories from Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe it’s true and maybe it isn’t but once there lived a woman in a small valley who was known for her weaving. Her artful weavings were purchased and displayed and celebrated by the people in that valley and those who came from away to visit that place.
One day a man who’d heard of her remarkable weaving skills traveled across the mountains to invite the weaver to return with him to his valley. But she declined. He said, there are many more people there and opportunities. No, she said. We have many more visitors, too. No, she said. You will make so much more money. No, she said.
What is it, then? Why not come with me? Because, here in this valley I am well regarded as a skillful weaver. But if I were to leave and go to another place I…
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Feb 2, 2023
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Keep On! Because Someone Needs to Hear Your Good Words
Hello to you listening in Ooltewah, Tennessee!
Ooltewah Pronunciation Guide
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you look at the analytics, downloads, and likes; they’re not measuring up to what you would like. You ask yourself: What am I doing wrong? What am I missing? Why am I even bothering? What is the point of all this effort? Who really cares?
I can tell you this about that. The other day at a very low moment I received a message from a woman I didn’t know who had listened to a 60 Seconds episode and wrote to thank me being a divine messenger who somehow knew what she needed to hear in that moment. She received a much-needed spiritual reflection. And I received a reason to persevere.
My stories may not hold all the answers; nor are they intended to. This much I can say: we all struggle. Our struggles are strikingly similar even though we might t…
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Feb 1, 2023
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: How Will You Find Your Story Words With the Time You Have Left?
Hello to you listening in Woodinville, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
We are not used to people of advanced years, seniors, elders, crones, old folks becoming prolific in the waning years of their lives. And yet, witness recently departed 81 year old musician David Crosby who in 2014, when he was 72 years of age released his first solo album in 21 years, “Croz,” which debuted in the Billboard Top 40. Following that Mr. Crosby released five solo albums, most recently “For Free” in 2021 at the age of 79. He was quoted in 2019 saying that his late-in-life resurgence was sparked by his realization that “_at this stage, you don’t know if you’ve got two weeks or 10 years_,” adding, “_Really what matters is what you do with whatever time you have._”
As I get ready to celebrate my Happy Continuation Day on February 4th I know I’ve not yet…
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Jan 31, 2023
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: What Is the Magic You Have to Share or Regret Leaving Inside You?
Hello to you listening in Yigo Village, Guam and on Anderson Air Force Base!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Perhaps like me you are curious about the mysterious ways in which the Universe works delivering a timely message in Divine Time.
I owe thanks to my friend and colleague Leanne Gordon listening in Perth, Australia for this quote which answered a question Leanne, Tania Marien and I had been kicking around only a few hours before: _How do we summon the courage to take that leap and share our magic_?
“_There are a million ways to climb Mount Everest, there are a million ways to run a marathon but the only way you are going to do it is in your own special way. Believe in yourself and go for it. You will never regret the race you run or the book you write, but you will regret leaving your magic inside you and not sharing it with the world or at least the people who…
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Jan 30, 2023
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Who Here Loves a Dog? With Lesley Osborn, Canine Consultant and Author
Hello to you listening in Dunedin, New Zealand!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’d like to shine a spotlight on my very motivated friend and colleague, Lesley Osborn because she is a special woman and author doing a great deal of good for the world of dogs and their dog parents. How? By providing dog parents with simple, effective solutions to everyday issues all dog families encounter.
Lesley is the founder of Lesley Osborn Canine Consulting offering education, advice, and guidance on fostering, adopting, and caring for adult, senior, and special needs dogs. Her 40 year dedication to dogs began at a very early age. Rescued dogs continue to be sheltered at her home. All that caring and experience has combined with Lesley’s love of writing to create My Dogs Talk, a book series of humorous and engaging stories from the dogs about the dogs.
In th…
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Jan 27, 2023
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What Happens When We Invite the Silence Between the Spoken Words?
Hello to you listening in Stillwater, Oklahoma!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As a storyteller I’ve had many opportunities over the decades to learn about and use the power of the pause. I’ve come to know that inviting the space of silence in a story creates an opportunity for teller and audience to rest, live and breathe inside the story. Our job is not to rocket along to the end, but to sit together quietly in the beating heart of the story. To inhabit that world together. That’s the sorcery of stories I work with.
Story Prompt: Pause. Be. Here. Now. As long as it takes. What happens next? Write that story!
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop b…
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Jan 26, 2023
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: What Can You Do When You Don’t Have Work to Do?
Hello to you listening in Jablonne nad Orlici, Czech Republic!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you have spaces in the year when you are not overly busy. In fact, you might be underly busy. Perhaps your reaction is to scramble to be productive. But productivity is not always related to action.
What if there’s another valuable way to use the underly busy times? Amos Tversky, an expert of decision making, wrote, “_The secret to doing good research is always to be a little underemployed. You waste years by not being able to waste hours_.” [Amos Tversky — An Amazing Man]
Practical Tip: Think about this for a moment. What’s the rush? There is time to devote to day dreaming or staring out the window while giving our wonderfully creative imaginations time to breathe, show up, solve a problem.
Question: What would be so wrong about giving ourselves…
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Jan 25, 2023
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: What Is the Story That Highlights Your Values, Purpose & Vision?
Hello to you listening in Blaine by the Sea, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories from Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As one who helps socially conscious professionals and organizations by drawing out the stories that highlight their values, purpose, and vision, I’m always curious about your untold story.
What does it FEEL like? Does it nag at you? Does it hover just out of reach and speech?
Admit it: you have something to say; but you can’t find the words. So, your story can’t create the change you want to see.
For 30 years, I’ve helped people take their story from a message only they could hear to the publishing world, the courtroom, hospitals, board meetings and more.
Stories that swayed juries. Built markets. Spread ideas. Changed things.
Today, I help socially conscious professionals and organizations build their story with the spirit of who they are.
If you can sense the sto…
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Jan 24, 2023
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: What Might the World Need to Hear From You?
Hello to you listening in Front Royal, Virginia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’ve been asked, What one thing do you offer that no one else does? Here’s my answer: “_I listen keenly and then tell the world something it needs to hear_.” Perhaps like these borrowed words:
_"Lord, make me a channel of disturbance._
_Where there is apathy, let me provoke_
_Where there is mindless compliance, let me bring questioning_
_Where there is silence, may I encourage voices to be heard_
_Where there is too much turning away and too little action, grant me disruption for community’s sake_
_When laws dictate that pain is ignored_
_When tradition speaks louder than need_
_Grant that I may seek to do some good rather than talk about what needs doing_." [Anon]
Question: What about you? What one thing do you offer to the world that no one else does?
You’re invited:…
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Jan 23, 2023
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: What If You Had Nothing to Do But Walk?
Hello to you listening in Billericay, Essex, England!
And a short YouTube
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Folks ask me: What was the most difficult lesson on my Camino de Santiago pilgrimage? Letting go. Letting go of the way I was. Letting go of my old self. Giving myself over to the walking.
You think it’s easy? Get up in the dark, pack in the dark, head out in the dark. Walk 15 or 20 miles a day, no matter how hot or cold or wet. No matter how rocky or lonesome or tired. Nothing prepares you for walking Camino but to walk Camino. How do you do it? Here’s a tip: surrender. Give yourself over. You are here now. Make the most of it. When you want to stomp around and make furious gestures, make the most of that. Make the most of your joys and complaints. Give voice to them all.
And then give yourself back to the only job you have: to walk. Every day my Camino l…
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Jan 20, 2023
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: How Do You Discern the Spirit of the Law From the Letter of the Law? Conclusion.
Hello to you listening in Dhaka, Bangladesh!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As both lawyer and litigation consultant I’ve been faced with discerning the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. Welcome back for the Conclusion of our story [The Fire on the Mountain] about a rich man, a servant and a bet which came to mind after reading this line by Henrik Ibsen: “_A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed_.”
Story Prompt: When in your life have you struggled with the difference between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law? How did you resolve the struggle? Write that story!
Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something. All that matters is you have a story.
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope yo…
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Jan 19, 2023
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: How Do You Discern the Spirit of the Law From the Letter of the Law? Part 1.
Hello to you listening in Jaipur, India!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As both lawyer and litigation consultant I’ve been faced with discerning the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. Welcome to Part 1 of a story [The Fire on the Mountain] I’ve often told about a rich man, a servant and a bet, a story which came to mind after reading this line by Henrik Ibsen: “_A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed_.”
We’ve come to the end of Part 1. Please join us tomorrow for the conclusion of the story and your very own Story Prompt!
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a…
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Jan 18, 2023
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Which Comes First? Curiosity or Courage?
Hello to you listening in Kirkland, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
My Camino de Santiago pilgrimage is never far from my thoughts. Folks ask me all the time about the courage it took to walk 500 miles across Spain. But the courage was preceded by curiosity: What’s out there? Who might I meet? How will I manage? Do I have what it takes? What if I quit?
Following are some good words to help you step into the adventure that’s waiting for you:
“_You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes_.” [A.A. Milne]
“_One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight, for a very long time, of the shore_.” [Andre Gide]
“_Within all of us is a varying amount of space lint and star dust, the residue from our creation. Most are too busy to notice it, and it is stronger in so…
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Jan 17, 2023
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: How America the Dream Came to Be With Award-Winning Recording Artist and Composer Steve Schuch. Part 2
Hello to you listening in Ocean City, New Jersey!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more because it’s a great story) for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Welcome back to a special bonus episode because The Boys Are Back in Town with my guest award-winning recording artist and author, composer, musician, the creator of America the Dream, and my brother-in-law Steve Schuch. At the conclusion of Part 1 I asked Steve: “_You use the analogy of a baseball game when you were talking about America the Dream. What does that mean for people who haven’t yet been to the America the Dream website_?” Let’s rejoin the conversation to hear more music and how this remarkably talented project came to life.
Click this LINK to access Part 2 of our conversation, links, resources, America the Dream website, downloadable music, and get in touch with Steve and Night Heron Music!
Easy-to-access resources:…
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Jan 16, 2023
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Celebrating Martin Luther King Day. How America the Dream Came to Be With Award-Winning Recording Artist and Composer Steve Schuch, Part 1
Hello to you listening in Weare, New Hampshire!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more because we’re celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day) and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Today we have a special bonus episode because the boys are back in town. My guest Steve Schuch is joining us from Hancock, New Hampshire. Steve is a former Peace Corps volunteer, Audubon naturalist, award-winning recording artist and author, composer, musician, and the recipient of the Parent’s Choice Gold Award for his CD Trees of Life. You’ve heard his music on NPR, PBS, and 2 compositions right here on this podcast. But mostly I’ve known Steve as my delightfully droll brother-in-law. Barry in the 3rd grade wrote:"_I really likt your songs and storeys. What do you do for a liveing_?" I’ve invited Steve to share with us a most wonderful story about how his musing on Martin Luther King, Jr. and America the Beautiful traveled all…
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Jan 13, 2023
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Take a Risk - Show Up - Say Yes! - Leap Into the Unknown with Susanne Mueller, Part 2
Hello to you listening in Boischatel, Quebec, Canada!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit enjoyably more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Welcome back to Part 2 of my conversation with Susanne Mueller who shares what is at the root of luck. Susanne revealed that her luck was born of a willingness to see life’s challenges for what they really were: an opportunity to show up, say Yes!, take it on, and help others. I asked Susanne who taught her the courage to risk. Let’s rejoin the conversation as Susanne shares with us her Life journey and how risk-taking and saying Yes! informs her podcast, Take It From the Iron Woman, her blog, and her international CEO consulting and coaching practice.
Click HERE in the Episode Notes to listen to Part 2 of Take a Risk - Show Up - Say Yes! - Leap Into the Unknown with Susanne Mueller, access links and resources and get in touch with Susanne.
Stor…
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Jan 12, 2023
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Take a Risk - Show Up - Say Yes! - Leap Into the Unknown with Susanne Mueller, Part 1 & Celebrate Lipstick Leadership’s 2 Years
Hello to you listening in Danvers, Massachusettes!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more because we’re celebrating!) for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
2 years ago I wrote this Advance Praise for Susanne Mueller’s book, Lipstick Leadership: Empowering and Inspiring Women Who Dare to Lead: “_When I asked Suzanne if she was luckier than most having been born in the shadow of a castle in Thune, Switzerland she said her luck was born of a willingness to see life’s challenges for what they really were: an opportunity to show up, say "Yes!", take on the challenge, and help others. Leadership is a privilege. Suzanne's skillful leadership comes from a deep well of confronting challenges which taught her what's indispensable to bringing out the very best in people: curiosity, cooperation and collaboration_.”
Today I believe in Susanne Mueller and her work more than ever because she c…
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Jan 11, 2023
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: How Did a Spring-Butt Learn to Stand Down?
Hello to you listening in Ferndale, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Earlier in life I had tendencies toward behaving like a spring-butt. You know the type. The over-eager know-it-all with her hand in the air. _Teacher! Teacher! I know! I know_! Think Hermione Granger in the early years of Harry Potter.
Over time I learned to take to heart what my mother always said: “_Just because you thought of something, Diane, doesn’t mean you have to say it_.” I can still hear her voice as mom continues to pull me back from “_I know! I know_!”
Practical Tip: Prompted by Jim Burke in a recent BizCatalyst 360 Friendship Bench discussion, I offer 3 questions that might have the same effect on you that mom’s voice has on me:
_Does it need to be said?_
_Does it need to be said now?_
_Does it need to be said by me?_
I know. I know .....
You’re invited:…
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Jan 10, 2023
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: How Do We Keep Heading True North?
Hello to you listening in Boise, Idaho!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
We’re still in the early days of Begin Anew Year 2023 where it might feel like we are going through a shakedown cruise. What’s a shakedown cruise? For the sailors among us you know that shakedown cruises are performed before a ship enters service or after major changes such as crew, repair or overhaul. For those of us who proudly served in the US Navy it is the final critical stage that tests and confirms the combined operational and material readiness of a Navy ship and her crew.
Are we ready for the voyage ahead? To leave our safe harbor? Are we prepared to sail outward bound to the high seas? What might steer us when we falter? How do we keep heading True North? Perhaps a solid belief in what we take along - our extraordinary lives.
“_I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my…
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Jan 9, 2023
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: What Does It Take to Get to the Finish Line?
Hello to you listening in Keenesburg, Colorado!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
If you followed my New Year’s Day Polar Bear Dive story published in Episode 774 and Episode 776 it might have sounded all too easy: show up, scream, run, dive in, go home.
I’m here to tell you that I’m a dyed-in-the-wool introverted kinda gal. I do not do well in settings where I have to show up alone, don’t know anybody, have to make small talk, and may end up looking the fool.
The Polar Bear Dive was a real challenge for me. Not the part where I dove into the 43 Fahrenheit degree water of Puget Sound but showing up. I could have stayed in bed, stayed at home, walked onto the beach and turned back, stayed on the beach but hung out in the background watching the others. You know what I’m talking about. And, no one would have known. I could have lied about what I did or didn…
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Jan 6, 2023
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What Would You Do to Belong? Part 2
Hello to you listening in Quintana Roo, Mexico on the Yucatán Peninsula!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
January in the Pacific Northwest is generally raw, cold, overcast. The first day of 2023 was no different. Especially at Double Bluff Beach with the snow-capped Olympic Mountains across the water.
At the 3 minute signal folks began stripping down to bathing suits. At the 1 minute signal we clambered over driftwood logs and found a spot to stand on the narrow strip of cold, wet, gritty beach. At the sound of the gun there was screaming and yelling as we splashed our way into Puget Sound. 43 degrees Fahrenheit. What the Coast Guard calls treacherously cold! Run! Run! Run! Get to deeper water fast so you can - close your eyes - and dive.
Welcome to Polar Bear Dive 2023!
Link to photos in the Episode Notes.
[A little to the south of us in western Seattle, the Alk…
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Jan 5, 2023
60 Seconds For Thoughts on Thursday: Do You Have Something to Say But Can’t Find the Words or How to Begin?
Hello to you listening in Chatel-Saint-Denis, Switzerland!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories from Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Do you FEEL it inside? Nagging at you? Just out of reach?
You have something to say. But you can’t find the words. So, your story can’t create the change you want to see.
For 30 years, I’ve helped people take their story from a message only they could hear to the publishing world, the courtroom, hospitals, board meetings and more.
Stories that swayed juries. Built markets. Spread ideas. Changed things.
Today, I help socially conscious women professionals and entrepreneurs build their story with the spirit of who they are.
If you can feel the story in you, that’s enough to get started. We’ll get to the heart of your message and the message of your heart. We’ll forge your story into what it’s meant to be.
And then we’ll launch it so you can create the change…
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Jan 4, 2023
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: What Would You Do to Belong? Part 1
Hello to you listening in Issaquah, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Who could resist an invitation like this one: _Polar Bear Dive 2023__ – Benefitting Island County 4-H Teen Leadership Club! Start the New Year off with a splash! Join a fun-loving crowd for a bone chilling dive into 2023. WHY? It’s fun. Seriously! Plus, it benefits the Island County 4-H Teen Leadership Club. A New Year’s tradition since 2004. Swim at your own risk; no lifeguard on duty. Registration opens at 10:30 a.m. Splash at noon. FEE – Only $10! – includes coffee, cocoa, cookies, bonfires, music, and a downright festive event_.
That’s for me. Sign me up! I’m in! A chance to belong to a community event supporting a very good cause.
And since I’m recording this episode in advance as I do please tune in on Story Prompt Friday January 6th for Part 2: Did I show up? Did…
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Jan 3, 2023
Time Out Tuesday: What Beckons You Forward on Your Path?
Hello to you listening in Okatie, South Carolina!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As I walked the Camino de Santiago I often repeated these words by Antonio Machado:
“_Pilgrim, there is no path_
_The path is made by walking_
_By walking you make the path_
_And when you look back_
_You see the path_
_You will never travel again._
_Pilgrim, there is no path._
_Only waves upon the sea_.”
My Camino pilgrimage (5 weeks - 500 miles across Spain) is with me every single day. For those of you who have walked this podcast path alongside me you will have heard many episodes where I recall the lessons, trials and tribulations that still unveil themselves years later beckoning me to keep walking.
Question: As you set out on the path of this Begin Anew Year what beckons you forward on your path of 2023?
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!…
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Jan 2, 2023
60 Seconds For Motivate Your Monday: Are You Ready? Are You Prepared?
Hello to you listening in Saint Jean Pied de Port, France!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I had been traveling for almost 72 hours before arriving at L’Esprit du Chemin, a gîte in St. Jean Pied de Port, France to begin walking the Camino de Santiago.
At dinner I was asked: Are you ready?
Yes, I believed I was ready. I broke in my boots, invested in a sturdy backpack, assembled good gear, read my guidebook, practiced some Spanish, and so on.
Yes, yes, yes ..... you might be ready. But, are you prepared?
Prepared?
Are you prepared to learn from every direction? Are you prepared to open your heart, your mind to receive what Camino has in store for you? True, the only way to prepare for Camino is to walk the Camino; but are you prepared to walk willingly?
The next morning I set out on my pilgrimage prepared to learn how to walk willingly.
Question: You might b…
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Dec 30, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What Caught Your Heart This Year?
Hello to you listening in Vigo, Galicia, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Not too very long ago I saw a man wearing a tee shirt that read: “_Many things in life will catch your eye but only a few will catch your heart. Follow those_.”
He was gone before I could ask him: What’s the story behind your tee shirt? How did you come to have it? What many things in life have caught your eye? What few have caught your heart? And when you followed those then what?
Yes, he’s gone but you’re here.
Story Prompt: What few things in life have caught your heart this year? And when you followed those then what? Write that story! And I’ll see you next year.
Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something. All that matters is you have a story.
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for t…
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Dec 29, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: As the Year Winds Down What Marks Your Truest Success?
Hello to you listening in Gurugam, New Delhi, India!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories from Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As I walk the snowy woods on my island I am reminded that goals, clients, contracts, income, even podcast plays are only a singular measure of how successful I’ve been this year.
Instead I’m asking myself who did I lift up, set free from their negative thoughts, invite to join in the circle. When did I take time out for a mindful walk around the lake, pick up the phone and call a friend, or even do something quite silly? When did my decision to set aside my righteous, opinionated, judgmental self make life a bit easier for someone else?
I keep walking past these legacy trees that have witnessed so much evolution. And that’s the point, isn’t it? We are spiritual beings living a human existence and trying our best to walk ourselves and each other back home.
Question: As the…
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Dec 28, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Can You Feel the Story You Want to Tell?
Hello to you listening in Port Angeles, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories from Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Do you FEEL it inside? Nagging at you? Just out of reach?
You have something to say. But you can’t find the words. So, your story can’t create the change you want to see.
For 30 years, I’ve helped people take their story from a message only they could hear to the publishing world, the courtroom, hospitals, board meetings and more.
Stories that swayed juries. Built markets. Spread ideas. Changed things.
Today, I help socially conscious women professionals and entrepreneurs build their story with the spirit of who they are.
If you can feel the story in you, that’s enough to get started. We’ll get to the heart of your message and the message of your heart. We’ll forge your story into what it’s meant to be.
And then we’ll launch it so you can create the change you w…
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Dec 27, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: In This Moment What Belongs to Whom?
Hello to you listening in Bang Bai Mai, Surat Thani Province, Thailand!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories from Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
This poem by Margaret Atwood feels like a welcome antidote to claiming all that we believe belongs to us:
_The Moment_
_"The moment when, after many years_
_of hard work and a long voyage_
_you stand in the centre of your room,_
_house, half-acre, square mile, island, country,_
_knowing at last how you got there,_
_and say, I own this,_
_is the same moment when the trees unloose_
_their soft arms from around you,_
_the birds take back their language,_
_the cliffs fissure and collapse,_
_the air moves back from you like a wave_
_and you can't breathe._
_No, they whisper. You own nothing._
_You were a visitor, time after time_
_climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming._
_We never belonged to you._
_You never found us._
_It was always the other…
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Dec 26, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: What the Hell Is Water?
Hello to you listening in Thornleigh, Australia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories from Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more because it’s worth it) for Motivate Your Monday with your host, Diane Wyzga
The following is excerpted from This Is Water By Jenna Krajeski, published September 19, 2008.
“_In 2005, David Foster Wallace addressed the graduating class at Kenyon College with a speech that is now one of his most read pieces. Click __HERE__ in the Episode Notes to access the speech. _
_In it, he argues, gorgeously, against “unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing.” He begins with a parable:_
_There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at…
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Dec 23, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Late One Snowy Night in Poland, Conclusion
Hello to you listening in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga
_The next morning when Babcia awoke it seemed to her all a dream. Surely the great Kings had not come; surely she had not refused to follow them. And she jumped from her bed._
_Babcia looked for her broom. It was not in its usual place in the corner, nor in the cupboard or behind the stove. Where was her broom? Then she remembered. She was sweeping the doorstep when the Three, when the dream came. She opened the door. There was her broom standing in the snow. Snow had fallen through the night. There was no trace of wagon wheels or footsteps. Babcia felt puzzled...._
Story Prompt: No matter your religion, creed or belief this remains a world-wide season yearning for hope, peace and goodwill toward all Creation. Imagine that place. Write that story!
Practical…
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Dec 22, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Late One Snowy Night in Poland, Part 1
Hello to you listening in Warsaw, Poland!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
_Late one snowy night in Poland, more than nineteen hundred years ago, Babcia was sweeping her house. She was the best housekeeper in the village. And although she lived by herself, her little cottage was as bright as a groszy. Her painted walls were gay with color. Her carved doorway, her carved bed, her little carved chairs were waxed and polished until they shone like the soft satin of some rich lady’s gown. From sunup to sundown Babcia was at work in her tiny house, so it was no wonder that she was still sweeping late this snowy night..._
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! R…
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Dec 21, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Why Do You Do What You Do? A Technique From Brand With Simon.
Hello to you listening in Port Townsend, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Recently I was inspired by my London-based friend and colleague Simon Ratcliffe, podcast host of Turning the Tables, and the genius behind Brand With Simon (also on LinkedIn) who suggested a 5-Why technique to further clarify what you do and why you do it.
I took the challenge. Following is my working draft version:
_Why do I use my Story Doula skills at Quarter Moon Story Arts to help others?_
_Because a quarter moon is just the beginning; you may have an image of an idea but don't know how to translate that into words or action._
_Why?_
_Because 30 years as an RN, JD, Storyteller and Podcaster has taught me how to successfully help those who are committed to consciously developing their story messaging but don’t know the words to shape the value of their work._
_Why?_
_Be…
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Dec 20, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: Sharpen Your Message and Amplify Your Impact! with Dafna Gold Melchior, Part 2
Hello to you listening and celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in Jerusalem, Israel!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Welcome back to Part 2 of my replayed conversation with my guest Dafna Gold Melchior - founder of Let's Clarify It! - who joined us from Jerusalem, Israel. Dafna is a clarifier. As a clarifier Dafna teaches researchers and entrepreneurs how to sharpen their message and communicate with clarity so they are prepared to clearly and concisely speak about the value of their work to high stakes audiences. As an entrepreneur herself who is striving for a global client base I asked Dafna, “_How do your clients find you?_” Let’s hear what she has to say about this vital building block for any enterprise as well as becoming a podcaster, reaching for the almost impossible, and the bold shift into her professional dreams.
Click HER…
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Dec 19, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Sharpen Your Message and Amplify Your Impact with Dafna Gold Melchior, Part 1
Hello to you listening and celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in Jerusalem, Israel!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Welcome to Part 1 of my replayed conversation with my guest Dafna Gold Melchior - podcaster, blogger and founder of Let's Clarify It! - who joined us from Jerusalem, Israel. Dafna is a Clarifier. As a clarifier Dafna teaches researchers and entrepreneurs (or “_ResearchPreneurs_” as she calls them) how to sharpen their message and communicate with clarity so they are prepared to clearly and concisely speak about the value of their work to high stakes audiences. What helps drive this mission? Dafna’s belief that “_We're the happiest and most fulfilled when our work in the world is at the intersection where what we love meets our superpower_.” For Dafna it means helping others toward crystal clear expression and col…
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Dec 16, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: How Might It Feel to Be Seen by Another’s Gesture?
Hello to you listening in Flat Rock Village, North Carolina!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
A year ago I was sitting in traffic at a stop light in Oak Harbor. I remember that on the sidewalk to my right was a man, homeless by appearance, standing in the rain with his shopping cart of belongings. He held a cardboard sign: _Please buy me lunch_.
I rolled down my window to hand him a few bills when I saw a woman get out of her car and walk toward him with a bag of food and beverage cup from the local takeout. As she approached him she smiled and asked: _What is your name_? She handed him the food and drink and then reached up to hug him.
Two things: Anyone can give money; but when she asked him, _What is your name_? she recognized his humanity. When she reached up to hug him the word that came to mind was .... divine. As in Divinely ordained.
Story Prompt: When has s…
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Dec 15, 2022
60 Seconds For Thoughts on Thursday: Who Here Would Like Feeling Less Agitation and More Solid?
Hello to you listening in River Forest, Illinois!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me this time of year catches you unawares. How did it get here so soon? So much to do and so little time left! How will I ever wrap up the year?
My teacher Thich Nhat Hanh would point to the trees and say, “_When you look at the tree during the storm you can see that the top of the tree is not solid. You can only see the tiny branches and a number of leaves on the top of the tree swaying back and forth under the effect of the wind. You have the impression that the tree is very vulnerable but if you look down to see the big branches and the trunk of the tree you see that the tree is strongly rooted in the ground. The impression that the tree is vulnerable will vanish. You see that the tree is much more solid than it looks at the top. We are like that too._”
Practical Tip…
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Dec 14, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: How Far Do You Imagine Your Particular Gift Will Go?
Hello to you listening in Lake Chelan, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Unpacking boxes of Christmas decorations the other day I came upon a faded red folder I had first received in early December of my freshman year when I was away at college. It held faded multi-colored sheets of construction paper. On a side of each one was carefully glued the face of a re-purposed Christmas greeting card and under each card was text in mom’s careful Palmer style handwriting. A poem, a quote, a few favorite remembered lines. The cover sheet reads: “_Kris Kringle Vitamins One-a-Day Brand. Take 1 while supplies last_.” It was mom’s way of helping me prepare for the Christmas Season so I didn’t get lost in the bright lights of the HoliDazed.
This is the verse I read today:
“_The weakest among us has a gift, however seemingly trivial, which is peculiar to him…
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Dec 13, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: How Often Do We Take the Time to Stand and Stare?
Hello to you listening in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Walking home from a trip to the library and post office the other day in the damp chill that has settled on Whidbey Island I heard them before I saw them. Looking up I could make out two bald eagles hunting over Holmes Harbor. Like a child I held steady in silent witness and thought of this from Kenneth Grahame:
“_All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered_.” ~ Kenneth Grahame
If you are curious and would like to learn more about the bald eagle, click HERE to watch 11 minutes on the Nature Here TV show featuring bald eagles wintering in Oregon and Washington.
Question: What has prompted you to be still, live breathless and wonder?
You’re invited: “_Come for the stor…
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Dec 12, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: How Would You Like to Join Passionate People Making Meaningful Climate Change Differences?
Hello to you listening in Memphis, Tennessee!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Imagine this: 300 Contributors + 90 Countries + 2,000 Global Changemakers came together as a global community eager to make meaningful change. The result? The Carbon Almanac - a powerful tool of facts, connection and action to create the change we say we want but don’t know how to go about doing.
Click HERE in the Episode Notes to become part of the action by subscribing to The Daily Difference, a free email that will connect you to the Carbon Almanac Network. Every day, you will get an opportunity to join thousands of people from all over the world in taking action and making a significant positive impact on behalf of the Earth.
As the movement grows we will be able to claim Barry Lopez’s words for our own:
"_To include nature in our stories is to return to an older form of human aw…
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Dec 9, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Horse Manure or Something Better?
Hello to you listening in Trabuco Canyon, California!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Perhaps you’ve heard the old joke about two boys each of whom is brought into a room in the middle of which is a staggeringly high pile of horse manure. The first boy looks at the pile in disgust and says, “_What’s the big idea here? This is nothing but a pile of horse manure_!” But in the other room the second boy is down on his hands and knees gleefully scooping away at the pile saying, “_I just know there’s a pony in here somewhere_!”
We all face unfairness, misfortunes, difficulties, challenges, and worse. And yet these might not be wasted moments if we can see a chance to learn from our misfortunes. The School of Hard Knocks is not an easy place to get an education but the lessons learned might help us to overcome, perhaps even thrive in what Life throws our way.…
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Dec 8, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: How Does a Second Arrow Magnify Our Suffering?
Hello to you listening in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Recently I was in a situation where I felt like I was way out of my element. Not quite like a fish on a bicycle but certainly tongue-tied, feeling foolish, even stupid in a place I clearly did not belong. I should not have agreed to be there; but I did and that was the first arrow. For hours thereafter I churned my painful feelings over and over in my head. That was the second arrow.
“_If an arrow hits you, you will feel pain in that part of your body where the arrow hit; and then if a second arrow comes and strikes exactly at the same spot, the pain will not be only double, it will become at least ten times more intense. The unwelcome things that sometimes happen in life—being rejected, losing a valuable object, failing a test, getting injured in an accident—are analogous…
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Dec 7, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Why Merely Seek a Niche When You Can Create Your Own With a Story Doula.
Hello to you listening in Paradise, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Recently my friend and colleague Tania Marien of Talaterra and The Carbon Almanac sent me an email with the salutation “_Dear Doula_.” Tania knows I’ve created a niche as a story doula who is adept at listening out your story in your voice so you can develop your values, purpose and vision. My clients get to stand in the power of their own voice - their own words. With that power they create a successful niche for their work, their service, their business.
Why is this important? Because YOU WANT TO BE THE ONLY PERSON WHO DOES WHAT YOU DO! Be the niche you want your work to fill.
Practical Tip: When you’re ready I can help you create your story messaging niche in service to your values, purpose and vision so you, in turn, may help others.
CTA: "_Come for the stories - Stay for…
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Dec 6, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: What Did Saint Nicholas Leave You?
Hello to you listening in Almaty, Kazakhstan!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
For decades now my family has celebrated December 6th as the Feast of Saint Nicholas; a reminder that Christmas is on its way and someone is watching us - from a distance. On the night of the 5th we each set a pair of shoes or slippers outside our bedroom door and on the morning of the 6th we awoke to find a small gift left by Saint Nicholas himself.
But what if it isn’t enough of a gift? What if we still have concerns, anxieties, worries about assets, resources, and the like. I know this place. And even though I left my rock of poverty on the Cruz de Fero when I was a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago, I can feel a sense of lack, unreasonable as that may seem. Now what?
Practical Tip: Begin to think of everything you are grateful for, appreciative of, beginning with “A” the first lette…
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Dec 5, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Who Believes in You More Than You Do?
Hello to you listening in Lohr am Main, Bavaria, Germany!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Several Christmases ago my brother Paul gave me a copy of his favorite book: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy.
It has become my daily habit to select a page from the book to help guide me through my day.
Here is one of my favorites:
“_Sometimes I think you believe in me more than I do_,” said the boy.
“_You’ll catch up_,” said the horse
You feel it, too, don’t you? That same sense that we rely on another’s sturdy hand until we are ready to see and believe what they see and believe in us. We will catch up. We do catch up. And, then we can offer our sturdy hand to another. Because "_Each One Lift One_!" is how we roll here!
CTA: "_Come for the stories - Stay for the magic_!" Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share…
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Dec 2, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Are You Lost or Exploring New Territory?
Hello to you listening in Bedford, England!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’ve known my friend Gene, a former US Navy hospital corpsman, many years since we served together at Portsmouth Naval Hospital. Gene’s eyesight isn’t what it used to be but fortunately the Veterans Affairs offers skills training, products and services to help him better navigate obstacles that come with living daily life. All this takes place on a hospital campus where military veterans come to spend a few weeks or more.
Some of those military veterans are totally blind as well as new to the VA facility. One task is to learn how to get around the campus, figure out how to make it from the dorms to the mess hall to classes. Gene said that he remembered when he got lost finding his way around. And he remembered being told that he could not say, “_I am lost_” when he asked for help. I…
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Dec 1, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Podcast Episode #750 Just Landed!
Hello to you listening in Morogoro, Tanzania, South Africa!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
You read it right. This is episode number 750! A lot of work. A lot of words.
People have asked me whether my podcast is monetized. Well, yes and no. Earnings for Stories From Women Who Walk is still small beer if that’s your measure. Not a lot of coin just yet; but my podcast has opened up an abundance of doors! And that’s what I measure.
I’ve discovered people, places, opportunities, ideas, creativity, diligence, persistence, and stories too numerous to number. Your listening and sharing of my podcast keeps me going through thick and thin.
Practical Tip: If you’re wondering how to keep on keepin on with your idea, project or service here’s my best advice: Find a place where folks want to hear your story and then give *them* a story to hear. They will be back for…
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Nov 30, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: This I Believe About Stories - Maybe You’d Like to Learn How
Hello to you listening in Spokane, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
“_I will tell you something about stories, he said_
_They aren’t just entertainment._
_Don’t be fooled._
_They are all we have, you see,_
_all we have to fight off_
_illness and death_.” ~ Leslie Marmon Silko, Haida Ceremony [The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant, p. 145]
Haida Nation
I may be an old fashioned storyteller clinging to the oral tradition, especially when working with your narratives that function as origin stories, creation myths, messages of all kinds to be seen, heard, understood, repeated and followed, as well as cautions for the young and memories for the elders.
Why do I insist on the music of the spoken word? Because that’s where the magic happens: at the intersection of the story, the listener, and the teller’s voice with its cadence, tone, inflectio…
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Nov 29, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: What Better Time to Slow Down Than This Time?
Hello to you listening in Paris, France!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
It’s staring us in the face: the Holidazed; the end of year corporate everything; so much to do, so little time to do it and here’s Diane suggesting a Time Out! Yes, it is okay - to slow down - for just a minute - right now - and breathe some healing into your anxiety - by welcoming The Peace of Wild Things:
The Peace of Wild Things
“_When despair for the world grows in me_
_and I wake in the night at the least sound_
_in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,_
_I go and lie down where the wood drake_
_rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds._
_I come into the peace of wild things_
_who do not tax their lives with forethought_
_of grief. I come into the presence of still water._
_And I feel above me the day-blind stars_
_waiting with their light.…
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Nov 28, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: If Coca Cola = Happiness, What Human Emotion Does Your Product or Service Evoke?
Hello to you listening in Alhama de Granada, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Recently my friend and colleague branding maven Simon Ratcliffe of Brand With Simon wrote an interesting post about the branding strategy behind Coke, the beverage.
According to Simon the branding minds at Coca Cola chose to position their product around the fundamental human emotion of Happiness. You might disagree with a company that’s pushing sugar, caffeine and empty calories under the guise of Happiness, but that’s what they are doing. Successfully.
Simon says: _Position your brand around one fundamental human emotion and see what you come up with_.
Here’s what I came up with: When my clients work with me they experience the deeply felt human emotion of _ACCOMPLISHMENT_. Every single one of them.
Question: What singular human emotion does your product or service evoke a…
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Nov 25, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Is There a Secret to Life? If So, What Is it?
Hello to you listening in Ordu, Turkey!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Yes, I’m aware that today is national Black Friday, a time to join a frenetic holiday shopping spree for stuff we probably don’t need or want but it is part of our consumer culture. How about if we gently resist that urge to buy?
Our local Lutheran church posted this message on its outdoor billboard: “_To put everything into perspective begin to number your blessings ... and keep on going until there are no more to number_.”
I don’t care which store - online or on land - you go to, but the secret to life won’t be found in more stuff. But, you might find it here: “_Something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for_." [Alexander Chalmer]
Story Prompt: What memorable gift were you given that didn’t come from a store? Who gave it to you? How come you remember it? Write tha…
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Nov 24, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thanksgiving Thursday: Today Is ThankfulGiving Time, For What Are You Thankful?
Hello to you listening in Nonthaburi, Thailand!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Thoughts on Thanksgiving Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As the old ones say, “_If we are not grateful for what we have in this present moment, what makes us think we will be happy with more_?”
Maybe it’s true and maybe it isn’t but long ago and far away there lived a man in a small country village. He had everything he had ever asked for: friends, livelihood, wife, family - and yet and yet something was stirring in him: Looking around he asked himself, Is this all there is? Perhaps he was meant for something more. Perhaps he should go and seek it.
One summer morning he left his home, carefully closed the garden gate behind him and walked away. He walked for miles and miles until he could no longer see where he had been. Night fell and he found himself deep in a dark forest. Having no other shelter he too…
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Nov 23, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: What’s the Mobile Turkey Unit?
Hello to you listening in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
If this is the day before Thanksgiving I’m elbow deep in roasted turkeys carving generous slices for upwards of 700 turkey dinners being prepared by 200 volunteers who have been busy cutting pumpkin pies, peeling potatoes for mashing, stirring the stuffing, spooning up cranberry relish, bagging rolls and butter, napkins, utensils and even coffee. On Thanksgiving morning I’ll help to deliver some of 700 *complete* turkey dinners to those who otherwise might not have one.
Each year the Mobile Turkey Unit exceeds the hundreds and hundreds of dinners it prepared and delivered the year before. We are celebrating our 24th year since this nonprofit community event was founded by Tom Arhontas, who had a special place in his heart for people in need.
Click here to shar…
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Nov 22, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: What Might Happen Should You Pause?
Hello to you listening in Vohma, Estonia!
(Visit Estonia)
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
When this time of year comes around with falling leaves covering the ground my East Coast heart remembers a childhood delight of heaping dried leaves into a pile to jump into or burrow inside becoming one with the late autumn sweetness, a memory I can summon up to this very day.
As James Carroll writes, “_We spend most of our time and energy in a kind of horizontal thinking. We move along the surface of things...[but] there are times when we stop. We sit still. We lose ourselves in a pile of leaves or its memory. We listen and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper_.” James Carroll, novelist.
Question: What if you were to pause and summon up a good memory? What might happen next?
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magi…
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Nov 21, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: How Would You Turn a Climbing Obstacle Into an Ally?
Hello to you listening in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you’ve asked for help from a friend or loved one and they said, “_Tie a knot in the end of your rope and hold on to that_.”
It’s a good bit of help. With enough rope to tie a knot and enough strength to hold on you'll probably be okay. But what if there’s nothing to hold on to?
I remember being on an Outward Bound mountaineering trip high in the Canadian Rockies with 5 other women. In pairs we were climbing up and then rappelling down the sheer face of a mountain. The guides were far above us and out of sight having climbed beyond a cliff edge to secure the ropes. Caught midway between the top of the cliff edge and the rocky ground far below my partner, with fear in her voice, stammered out: “_I can't find anything to hold on to_.” Time passed.…
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Nov 18, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Feeling Story Blocked? What if You Took a Sentence For a Walk?
Hello to you listening in Mount Evelyn, Australia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Perhaps like me those of us who are writers, artists, creators experience Story Stuckness, Creative Burnout, or the “indefinite indescribable terror” 19th Century English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge first described at not being able to produce work he thought worthy of his talent.
I produce 5 60 Seconds podcasts each week. Each set of 5 podcasts takes me about 2 days from idea to scheduled episode. Many times I cannot think creatively. I feel stuck.
Practical Tip: When this happens there is only 1 solution: go for a walk. But don’t go alone. No. Take along a sentence. Start with a word, string on a few more words to make a decent sentence and then set out to see where the sentence takes you: where does it meander, stop and ponder, skip ahead gaily or sit to gaze. What interesti…
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Nov 17, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: If This Isn’t Happiness, What Is?
Hello to you listening in Lake Villa, Illinois!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As the old ones say, “_If we are not grateful for what we have in this present moment, what makes us think we will be happy with more_?”
Maybe it’s true and maybe it isn’t but long ago and far away there lived a man in a small country village. He had everything he had ever asked for: friends, livelihood, wife, family - and yet and yet something was stirring in him: Looking around he asked himself, _Is this all there is_? Perhaps he was meant for something more. Perhaps he should go and seek it.
One summer morning he left his home, carefully closed the garden gate behind him and walked away. He walked for miles and miles until he could no longer see where he had been. Night fell and he found himself deep in a dark forest. Having no other shelter he took off his s…
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Nov 16, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: What Lesson Did I Bring Home From My Camino?
Hello to you listening in Mukilteo, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
When a Camino pilgrim finally arrives in Santiago she finds herself in a great square gazing up at an even greater Cathedral of St. James the Apostle. The cathedral seats 1,000 persons. A tradition for pilgrims is to attend the Pilgrim Mass whether they are of the faith or not. On the Sunday I was there we were packed in with many pilgrims, some still burdened with their backpacks, seated on steps, in the aisles, leaning against the massive walls. A celebrant welcomed all pilgrims by country according to those who had recently checked in to receive their Compostela - the proof that they had walked the Camino.
The gist of the homily was to say “_Thank you_!” for everything: for sun, moon, stars, rain, mud, rocks, bedbugs, aches, pains, trials and tribulations, songs, food, rest, stra…
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Nov 15, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: What Might We Get if We Didn’t Walk a Mile in Another’s Shoes?
Hello to you listening in Hillerod, Denmark!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying about being unable to understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. The saying is attributed to Native American tribes and from the 1895 poem by Mary T. Lathrap, Judge Softly, with its well-known closing line, “Take the time to walk a mile in his moccasins.” Until “woke” culture hijacked publication, this poem was so embedded in American public education that almost every American often used the expression “_Walk a mile in his moccasins_.”
Prompted by an art display in our local Sno-Isle library I offer you a different perspective: “_Yes, I could walk a mile in your shoes; but I imagine that they are as ill-fitting as mine. What if we take off our shoes, walk the road side-by-side and share our stories s…
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Nov 14, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: BusinessWoman Charlene Norman Launches Exploring Compassionate Capitalism Podcast for Business Leaders
Hello to you listening in Lenexa, Kansas!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Question: Where does climate change intersect with business? Would you believe that the answer can be found in the newly launched podcast Exploring Compassionate Capitalism?
Exploring Compassionate Capitalism is a fresh, well-informed and problem-solving podcast hosted by my friend and business colleague Charlene Norman! Charlene’s background is business; what she brings to the table is researched information supporting practical tips for corporate leaders who are seeking effective ways to tackle climate change challenges.
Perhaps like many of you we want to understand - in layman’s terms - how we got the planet to this tipping point. More importantly we want to know what part we can play to make things right; “_not a do-over but a do-better_” as Charlene says. Charle…
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Nov 11, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: How Could I Have Asked the Fellow About the Hoodie and Truly Heard His Answer?
Hello to you listening in Portage, Wisconsin!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
A few weeks ago I volunteered in the Ticket Booth at the Haunted Fort fund-raising event in support of our Admiralty Head Lighthouse. An older fellow with a young boy came to the ticket window. The older fellow was wearing a hoodie on the front of which were these words: "_Just a regular dad trying to raise a non-liberal son_."
Of course there was no opportunity to ask this dad: Tell me more about your hoodie! How did you come to have it? What does it say to you? What do you think it says to others? As my mom would have said, "_This place will be a lot quieter when Diane is gone_." But I really was curious about the story he might have shared with me.
And what if his views were different from mine? I could practice sitting on my tongue. I could set aside how something different or even distasteful makes me feel in exchang…
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Nov 10, 2022
Thoughts on Thursday: How Do Artists and Writers Engage Us to Advance Society?
Hello to you listening in Canandaigua, New York!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Question: What connects art and literature? The answer might sound too simple to be true. Imagination. And yet, the answer has never lost its truth.
This from Australian artist, writer and filmmaker Shaun Tan: “_Being able to exercise your mind to imagine other ways of existing, and being able to get excited about that, to pre-visualize, to feel in advance something hopeful. Facts and logic don’t seem to cut it with humanity. Even fear and crisis don’t afford the proportional response – in the face of slow death we drag our heels and turn inward, we elect false leaders, we make excuses. The real motivation for change has to be positive, being able to imagine things already getting better. Stories have a huge role to play here, given that every significant change that’s ever ha…
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Nov 9, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: How Do We Overthrow Ourselves?
Hello to you listening in Leavenworth, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
“_The revolution begins at home. If you overthrow yourself again and again, you might earn the right to help overthrow the rest of us_.” [~ Rob Brezsny]
How do we overthrow ourselves? By engaging with our own story to consciously transform the superficial to authentic.
I invite you to leave behind the mere telling of story lines we habitually parrot to delve deep into emotions, images, and experiences with compassion, insight and humor. When we consciously engage with our story we practice authentic communication with ourselves. When we learn how to authentically communicate with ourselves, we can use these same tools to authentically communicate our message, values, and truth to others inviting them to be seen, heard, understood, and listened to by us.
Practical Tip: If you ar…
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Nov 8, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: We Are the Good Who Continue to Come Forward! Who’s With Us?
Hello to you listening in Okayama, Japan!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’m in the mood for hope. I don’t own a tv, not since 2004. I limit reading headlines to the news that’s fit to print. And still it seeps in: the many trials and tribulations we are causing each other and all of creation.
This from Alberto Rios:
“_The bad do not win—not finally,_
_No matter how loud they are._
_We simply would not be here_
_If that were so._
_You are made, fundamentally, from the good._
_With this knowledge, you never march alone._
_You are the breaking news of the century._
_You are the good who has come forward_
_Through it all, even if so many days_
_Feel otherwise_.” [~ Alberto Rios]
Question: Who here is willing to invest their imagination, creativity, and commitment right here, right now to say, “_We are the good who continues to come forward. We are a multitude and we will not be v…
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Nov 7, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Hang On - This Too Will Pass! How Do I Know?
Hello to you Dane McCormack listening in Canberra, Australia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday with your host, Diane Wyzga.
The other night fierce winds and rain came rip-roaring down the Strait of San Juan de Fuca taking out trees and power on the island as well as blocking roadways, causing landslides and making a general mess of things. For the past several days we’ve had to rely on generator power during the day and adjusting to cooler indoor temperatures and candlelight for the nighttime. It’s always something, right? I don’t need to remind anyone who’s listening because you’ve been there with your own troubles. Now what?
I don’t know how electricity works. I can’t see it until it shows up in a lightbulb; but I believe it’s there.
I don’t know how faith works; but I believe in ”_the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen_” [Hebrews 11 King James version] because faith has hel…
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Nov 4, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What if Everything in Your Life Had Changed?
Hello to you listening in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you’ve been seeking changes in your life: partner, purpose, prosperity, or something else. It doesn’t matter. But so far whatever it is you think you want and have asked for has not yet manifested. What’s up with that?
I might have an insight. They say, “_We don’t get what we ask for. We get what we dream of_.” Imagine this: what if - everything - in your life - had actually changed - at this moment - as a result - of what you dreamed?
And, what if - you decided - to act - at this very moment - as if everything had changed?
Story Prompt: What happens next? Write that story!
Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something. All that matters is you have a story.
CTA: "_Come for the stories -…
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Nov 3, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Was it Worth the Risk to Tell The Cat That Walked by Herself?
Hello to you listening in Casablanca, Morocco!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’ve been thinking about the risk I took last week to interrupt our usual broadcast to tell you Rudyard Kipling’s story, _The Cat That Walked by Herself_, in 5 parts. In case you missed it here is the link to Part 1 and the subsequent episodes.
Listeners responded with delight, insights and unexpected observations: “_It's addictive! Perspective shifted. I imagined entrepreneurs as the cat who think they have to "go it alone." Something magical happened when the cat was willing to continue "negotiating" with the woman. They both benefited_.” [Lynn Miller]
Listeners discovered problem solving; imagination; curiosity; language; “_the music of the spoken word;_” sharing with friends and family; contemplation; reflection; mystery; an awareness that “_We each play a role in life.…
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Nov 2, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Celebrating a Podcast Milestone: 102,875 Plays!
Hello! To you each and every single podcast listener and “_Thank You_!”
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Once upon a time I launched a podcast inviting you to listen to the stories of women who were walking their lives while their lives walked them and the difference that made. And every day their stories traveled around the world. But one day I decided to add a daily episode because I heard that you wanted a small something to tuck in your pocket for your day. And because of that I created 60 Seconds (and maybe a bit more): story-based episodes designed to delight, inform, provoke, inspire, comfort, and motivate. Until finally as I was creating and you were listening we arrived at this _collaborative podcast milestone of 102,875 plays_ in just 2+ years!
Thank you, and each of you for walking along, sharing the sorcery of stories side by side!
We have courses t…
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Nov 1, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: Why Are You Still Chasing Your Shadow?
Hello to you listening in Mwanza, United Republic of Tanzania, Africa!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
My podcast cover art is a photo of my shadow in the early days of walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. That’s me going up and over the Pyrenees Mountains from France into Spain.
A pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago walks from East to West, sun behind, shadow in front. No matter how hard you try you cannot get ahead of your shadow. But still we try. Until we harmonize our head, heart and feet we will keep trying to outrun our shadow.
Pilgrim, relax. Invite your shadow to lead you. Give yourself over to that singular purpose of walking and becoming that which you do.
I’ve been so caught up in all the daily details of building a robust story coaching business to serve my clients that days go by and I’m startled by the appearance of a deep sense of longi…
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Oct 31, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Hello to You Listening In! How Do You Connect With Your Audience?
Hello to you listening in our wide and wonderful world!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Question: What’s behind my "_Hello_!" at the opening of each 60 Seconds episode? Connection.
Your purpose determines the response of your audience. I created Stories From Women Who Walk to help each of us to be seen and heard, to understand and be understood. That’s the sorcery of stories. Together with my daily 60 Seconds I offer opportunities to connect around universal themes such as imagination, inspiration, hope, story, wisdom, and practical tips for life and business both.
The podcast platform provides a global map that lights up with my listeners’ locations. Over the past 2+ years I’ve watched little pinpoints of light become a large yellow mass of connected towns, cities, states, and countries around the world where you are living and listening. I’m here becaus…
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Oct 28, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: A Wild and Magical Story, Conclusion
Hello to you listening in Deurne, Belgium!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday where we take a deep into autumn break from our usual podcast to offer you a telling of Rudyard Kipling's story, The Cat That Walked by Himself (Herself), and your story host, The Witch of Whidbey. This is the Conclusion.
No prompts. No questions. Nothing to do but listen and drift on the waves of your imagination as you once did once upon a time....
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moo…
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Oct 27, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: A Wild and Magical Story, Part 4
Hello to you listening in Attadale, Melville, Western Australia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Thoughts on Thursday where we take a deep into autumn break from our usual podcast to offer you a telling of Rudyard Kipling's story, The Cat That Walked by Himself (Herself), and your story host, The Witch of Whidbey. This is Part 4 of 5.
No prompts. No questions. Nothing to do but listen and drift on the waves of your imagination as you once did once upon a time....
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F…
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Oct 26, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: A Wild and Magical Story, Part 3
Hello to you listening in Spokane, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Wednesdays on Whidbey where we take a deep into autumn break from our usual podcast to offer you a telling of Rudyard Kipling's story, The Cat That Walked by Himself (Herself), and your story host, The Witch of Whidbey. This is Part 3 of 5.
No prompts. No questions. Nothing to do but listen and drift on the waves of your imagination as you once did once upon a time....
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter…
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Oct 25, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: A Wild and Magic Story, Part 2
Hello to you listening in Den Hague, Netherlands!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Time Out Tuesday where we take a deep into autumn break from our usual podcast to offer you a telling of Rudyard Kipling's story, The Cat That Walked by Himself (Herself), and your story host, The Witch of Whidbey. This is Part 2 of 5.
No prompts. No questions. Nothing to do but listen and drift on the waves of your imagination as you once did once upon a time....
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Mo…
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Oct 24, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: A Wild and Magical Story, Part 1
Hello to you listening in Minehead, Somerset, England!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Motivate Your Monday where we take a deep into autumn break from our usual podcast to offer you a telling of Rudyard Kipling's story, The Cat That Walked by Himself (Herself), and your story host, The Witch of Whidbey. This is Part 1 of 5.
No prompts. No questions. Nothing to do but listen and drift on the waves of your imagination as you once did once upon a time....
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Q…
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Oct 21, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Who Are You to Influence Human History?
Hello to you listening in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
"..._human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness._
_What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places - and there are so many - where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction._
_And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us is itself a marvelous victory_." [Dr. Howard Zinn, inspired by…
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Oct 20, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: What Do You Get When You Open the Unwanted Gift?
Hello to you listening in Treviso, Italy!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I can count on one hand the number of gifts my grandmother chose to accept from her 7 grandchildren. Something was always wrong; or, if not wrong then just not right. She’d had a very tough life and maybe the idea of being shown expressions of love was too much for her, felt foreign, perhaps scary.
I was thinking of her the other day in a moment of reverie recalling gifts I’ve received, an overwhelming abundance of gifts, the ones I couldn’t wait to unwrap. Gifts of prosperity, health, purpose, friendship, adventure, support, and more.
And then there were the gifts of disappointment, loss, betrayal, failure, grief, and defeat. Gifts I preferred to “Return to Sender - Address Unknown” but there they were. Unwrap them I did. Over time. Not all at once. Some took years as I picked away…
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Oct 19, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: How Does it Feel to Vibrate in Tune With Stillness?
Hello to you listening in Fidalgo Island, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
There is nothing quite so still as an old growth forest. I know the forest and it knows me. When I walk there the stillness deep in the woods beckons me to stop and listen deeply. Be still. Be silent. I’m not lost here; the forest knows where I am. The forest stillness enfolds me with the immense power and depth of its silence. Here all sounds arise from silence and fade back into silence.
When we take the time to stop and experience silence we calm our mind, still the crazy chatter, breathe more easily. Stay here as long as you can. Allow silence. Tune in to your intuition, see clearly, resonate with your heartbeat, feel the blood coursing in your fingertips, and sense the steadiness of your breath coming and going easily. Know that you are alive and connected to all beings.
Q…
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Oct 18, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: How Did a Tee Shirt Kick My Cranky Self Out the Door?
Hello to you and Happy Birthday, Steve Wyzga, in Gaithersburg, Maryland!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
My brother Steve is one of the very few people I know who consistently converts a moon shadow into moon glow. I’d been fighting “kennel cough” - the plague of Camino pilgrims sharing close quarters in 40-bed dorm rooms - and this early morning was very cold, very dark, very wet. In the tightly packed albergue kitchen warmly dressed pilgrims prepared to leave. My gear was meager, my breakfast was a mug of hot water, and my mood was black. What would Steve do?
A fellow wearing a dark tee shirt stepped into the kitchen as I was weighing the odds of heading out or waiting for a break in the downpour. He turned away from me and just then I remembered these lines from another morning, another place: “_In life many things will catch your eye but few will catch your…
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Oct 17, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: If I’ve Not Yet Begun How Did I Get “Well Done!”?
Hello to you listening in Arroyomolinos, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As the plane began its descent into Madrid, Spain I had made up my mind that I could not, should not, would not walk the Camino de Santiago. I would pick up my pack and catch the next flight home. I was no pilgrim.
What changed? I opened a card from my friend Lorraine that slipped out from between the pages of the guide book I was holding. The card read, “_WELL DONE_!”
Her words continued: "_As you read this thousands of feet above the earth_ (how could she have known that?) _you may be wondering why I gave you a “WELL DONE!” card to start your Camino de Santiago journey. Regardless of what does or doesn’t happen from here on out, you will be forever changed simply because you showed up. And that, my friend, is “WELL DONE!” You have been given so much and have shared that…
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Oct 14, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What About the Meal That Lingers in Your Memory?
Hello to you listening in Pascoe Vale South, Melbourne , Australia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Leaving Navarette in the early morning dark I was guided back to the Camino by a very old woman leaning over her geranium-potted balcony, “_Peregrina, ve por ese Camino_.”
The albergue served no breakfast but the coffee machine produced a pretty fine double espresso for 1 Euro - enough to get going. Along the way I met up with Claire from Ireland. Together we walked on in the early morning delighted to leave the fields for a small village with an open café.
I ordered an Aquarius Naranja, a bocadillo with jamon and queso - basically a big fresh crusty roll with a big slice of ham and another of cheese, plus a wedge of Spanish tortilla which is like a deep-dish, sliced potato quiche, and a chocolate croissant ... for later.
Wha? I was walking 15 or more miles a da…
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Oct 13, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: How Do You Demonstrate Being a TrustWorthy Partner?
Hello to you listening in Oregon City, Oregon!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Trust is the gift someone offers to us when we have demonstrated that we are worthy of that trust. As a professional storyshaper helping clients find their story, I’m determined to provide a safe, trusted space to encourage their work. How does it come about?
I believe that we begin to demonstrate trustworthiness with curiosity, deep listening for the emotional meaning - not just facts - in conversation, and keen sensitivity to the careful process of engaging *with* people.
As we engage with those we want to know and nurture those relationships over time with kindness and integrity, some people will become friends, colleagues and clients.
When you market your skills and services to clients be aware of your particular values, mindset, and skill set. Whether you offer to fill a need, me…
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Oct 12, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: How Are Stories Like Animal Tracks?
Hello to you listening in Mukilteo, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
The other day I took myself over to the Whidbey Institute to quietly walk the Legacy Forest trails before taking a meditative turn in the medieval Chartres-style labyrinth. As I often do I kept my eyes open for animal tracks I might discover on the forested trails: chipmunk, vole, pileated woodpecker, Douglas squirrel, perhaps a slinking coyote, a soft stepping deer, or even an elusive fox.
“_Animals, as they pass through the landscape, leave their tracks behind. Stories are the tracks we leave_.” Salman Rushdie
If you are curious about how to begin to discover and uncover your origin story - the tracks you will leave - contact me on LinkedIn or Quarter Moon Story Arts for a consult. The doors are wide open while great changes are afoot on the website and newsletter.
You’re invi…
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Oct 11, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: Lost on the Camino - Now What?
Hello to you listening in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
One morning on the Camino I called ahead to inquire about an available bed in an albergue I hoped to reach by the end of my day. The hospitelero who answered the phone asked, “_How many pilgrims_?” I realized he meant me; I was no tourist, I was a pilgrim. And like pilgrims who have gone before me I was learning to rely on the kindness of strangers and Camino magic when I most needed it.
What do I mean? It was still quite dark when I set out on Sunday morning leaving town on the dirt path that led me to the Laguna - a place where witchcraft had been practiced since the 16th Century. I kept walking as the dense mist over the water obscured the path until I looked up to see that I was lost - in an industrial area - shuttered for the weekend - a few chained dogs who lunged and…
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Oct 10, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: What Will Move Your Angel?
Hello to you, my friends and colleagues listening all over Canada while celebrating your Happy ThankFullGiving Day!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I was told that even before I was born I had been given my very own guardian angel. My guardian angel’s job is to guide, protect, and direct me. To help my guardian angel are a multitude of even more angels.
Maybe you believe in angels and maybe you don’t. But I can tell you from personal experience (and a little help from Rilke) that guardian angels usually don’t respond to a snap of the fingers or a shout for help. No. It’s more like a dance.
“_The Angel is not moved by your tears; but by your willingness to begin anew. If the Angel decides to come it will be because you have convinced her, not by tears, but by your humble resolve to be always beginning; to be a beginner_.” [Rainer Maria Rilke, translated…
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Oct 7, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: How Are You Playing the Hand You’ve Been Dealt?
Hello to you listening in Davos, Switzerland!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I was preparing a storytelling workshop series for professional women who wanted to craft their origin story when I came across a scrap of paper with these lines:
“_No life, however charmed, is un-visited by searing disappointment, numbing grief, chilling betrayal, dull routine, crushing defeat, or exasperating detail. And there is a great restorative dignity and holy self-empowerment in playing to the best of one’s ability the hand one is dealt, however unwinning it may seem_.”[William Sebrans]
It’s the perfect workshop opening. Why? Because these words call on us story makers, shapers, keepers, and tellers to face the rough stuff, heels dragging in the dirt, kicking and fighting along the way for no other reason than to restore our holy selves by playing the hand we’ve been dea…
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Oct 6, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: How Might We See With Another’s Eyes?
Hello to you listening in Faridabad, India!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I came across this line by Anne Carson:
“_I will never know how you see red and_
_you will never know how I see it_.”
I continued to think about why this line stayed with me. This line stayed with me because it asked for something more.
Here is the something more: “I will never know how you see red and you will never know how I see it.” And yet, and yet we know enough, we know enough the color red to say: "_I see it, too. I see it with you_.”
Perhaps ‘seeing with’ is the best we can hope for.
Question: How might we see with another’s eyes?
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by th…
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Oct 5, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Why Are You Chasing Clients Instead of Signaling Them?
Hello to you listening in Port Townsend, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Admiralty Head Lighthouse harkens back to the day of sailing ships powered by wind. When the ships entered the Strait of San Juan de Fuca from the Pacific Ocean the ship captain would know to steer a hard right to starboard when he saw the blazing beacon from the Lighthouse high on a bluff 127 feet above Admiralty Inlet before continuing safely south to Puget Sound and on into Seattle. Each lighthouse - no matter where in the world - has its very own distinctive light pattern, or signature. Lighthouses mark points of navigation, warn about dangerous coastlines, and guide ships into a safe harbor.
But not all harbors are created equal for all boats. Some are for deep draft vessels, others for pleasure craft, and so on. Here’s the thing about a lighthouse: it doesn’t run up and d…
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Oct 4, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: What Is the Elemental Water of Your Life?
Hello to you listening in Perugia, Italy!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I can still remember the first time I heard David Whyte recite Rilke’s poem, The Swan, a poem that showed him a clear way ahead after living exhausted from lack of belonging, of wholeheartedness.
Others have taken a turn at interpreting what they think Rilke’s poem means; but that would be presumptuous on my part. I prefer that you listen deeply so you might ask yourself: What is the elemental water of my life?
_The Swan_
"_This clumsy living that moves lumbering_
_ as if in ropes through what is not done,_
_ reminds us of the awkward way the swan walks._
_ And to die, which is the letting go_
_ of the ground we stand on and cling to every day,_
_ is like the swan, when he nervously lets himself down_
_ into the water, which receives him gaily_
_ and which flows under_
_ and after…
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Oct 3, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: What Makes a Good Pilgrim?
Hello to you listening in Navarette, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I have been retracing my boot steps across Spain as I remember the anniversary of my Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. 5 weeks - 500 miles - border to border.
My journal reminds me how hot, tired, fatigued and doubtful I often felt. Early on in the first week I wrote this line, “I don’t make a very good pilgrim.”
What was I thinking? At that point I was still walking in my old shoes, my old habits, my old thoughts. I had not yet put my head and heart and body into sync. Until you learn this lesson you will likely feel that you don’t make a good pilgrim - whatever that means for you. It is both the curse and the blessing of the Camino; but the only way that you will learn.
I can’t say today whether I make a good pilgrim or not. I can say I have walked a path I will never walk again a…
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Sep 30, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Boost Your Business Communication Confidence and Charisma with Author and Coach Catherine Johns, Part 2
Hello to you listening in Prague, Czech Republic!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Welcome to Part 2 of my conversation with Catherine Johns, radio broadcaster turned professional speaker, communication expert and author. We were talking about changes in business communication as a result of COVID when I asked Catherine what will be the same and different for business. Let’s hear what Catherine has to say about key points to keep in mind as we navigate the future as well as simple steps to boost your confidence and charisma when you communicate in business.
Click HERE in the Episode Notes to listen to Part 2 of Boost Your Business Communication Confidence and Charisma with Author and Coach Catherine Johns, access links, resources and get in touch with Catherine.
Story Prompt: The more willing we are to make a mistake, to be seen as quite huma…
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Sep 29, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Boost Your Business Communication Confidence and Charisma with Author and Coach Catherine Johns, Part 1
Hello to you listening in Marrakech, Morocco!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Welcome to Part 1 of my conversation with Catherine Johns, radio broadcaster turned professional speaker, communication expert and author. Catherine brings her powerful experiences as a broadcaster in large radio markets to coaching executives and entrepreneurs who want to make meaningful connections at every turn, real or virtual. Catherine also turned her professional speaking skills to a book: Show Up and Shine to help women who’ve been overlooked and unheard in their professional lives. If you are curious about personal presence and charisma, how to become more confident being heard and listened to in the business arena, and knowing what to say to get the professional connections you seek, then this podcast episode is for you.
Click HERE in the Episode Notes to…
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Sep 28, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Are You Writing for Yourself or Your Peers or Likes?
Hello to you listening in Bangkok, Thailand!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Are you writing, blogging, podcasting for yourself for your peers or social media likes? The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are doing what you came here to offer, as this story might reveal....
Call to Action: If you are curious about how to get to the heart of YOUR message contact me on LinkedIn or Quarter Moon Story Arts for a consult.
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga…
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Sep 27, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: To Whom Are We Beautiful?
Hello to you listening in Chandigarh, India!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Here on the island the sun is still shining, the temperatures in the high 70s, unusually dry for this early autumn season although the trees are shedding leaves, folks are readying their gardens for colder weather, and soon there will be the familiar sight of us in our wool coats and rain boots. I paused in my walking to feel the leaves brush by me on their gravitational dance toward the forest floor. A few lines by the poet David Ignatow stirred in my memory:
“_I wish I understood the beauty in leaves falling._
_To whom, to whom are we beautiful as we go_?”
Whomever you are and wherever you are perhaps pause a moment, take a time out from what is occupying you, distracting you, busying you, and ask yourself: to whom, to whom are we also beautiful before we go?
You’re invited: “_Come…
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Sep 26, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: How to Keep on Going?
Hello and Happy Birthday to Patrice Kealy listening in Castine, Maine!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
This is episode number 702. I have produced one episode a day, five episodes a week, 702 episodes over 2.5 years. Do I have what it takes to keep going, even a little?
I am reminded of walking to Zubiri on the Camino de Santigao. It was a very long, hot, rocky trek. What kept me going? A Korean man who spoke no English but sang _O Solo Mio_ as we walked. A French woman who laughed at the drying clothes pinned to the outside of my pack and said she should do some shopping while walking. A local woman who spoke no English but said “_poco_” meaning it was just a short distance to go.
The necessity of these times is for us to look back in wonder and fall on our knees in gratitude for all the help from all the places and all the persons who - unbeknownst to us - ar…
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Sep 23, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: How Might Vulnerability and Openness Benefit Leadership?
Hello to you listening in Muscat, Gulf of Oman!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
We’ve seen the movies, we’ve read the books and maybe like me you wonder: what is it about the very best of them that draws us in? I have an answer: the more vulnerable and open the character, the more relatable the character is to us. It takes such courage to be vulnerable and open that we can’t help but draw closer to the heat of the human flame, curious about its nature.
Ironic, isn’t it? Decades of training as cold, aloof, unapproachable leaders has rebounded such that leaders are now questing for like-minded souls who see the merit of vulnerability and openness in leadership. “_What? You, too? I thought I was the only one_.” [C.S. Lewis]
Leaders might take a page from C.S. Lewis: “_Friendship arises out of mere Companionship when two or more of the companions discover…
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Sep 22, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Why Are You Yelling in the Basque Country of Spain?
Hello to you listening in Basque Country, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
My Camino pilgrimage took me from France into the Pyrenees Mountains before entering the Basque Country of Spain. Today I’m celebrating the anniversary of that stage of my pilgrim passage as well as offering a poem translated from the Basque.
15 Reasons to Yell
“_Because you haven’t let out a yell in ages._
_To make sure all your vowels are still in their proper places._
_Because you’re alone and in desperate need of an echo._
_To measure the height of a Gothic cathedral._
_To cheer on an Italian cyclist._
_To shoo off a grouchy mouse._
_So they hear you from the last row of the theatre._
_So they hear you from the other side of the creek._
_So the fishes caught in the fish net hear you._
_When you’re in water up to your neck, to call for the ring buoy._
_To measure…
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Sep 21, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Your Story Falls Flat Because We Simply Do Not Care
Hello to you listening in Mukilteo, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
You’ll likely never meet a Hobbit but I wager that you cared about this fictional fellow on adventure far from home. We also care about believable characters; big themes; rags to riches to rags; journeys of personal transformation; risk taking.
As I was deciding whether to put a certain book on hold at the library I read this review: “... _though many things happen to the characters and the third person point of view provides ample room for all their inner thoughts, the reader cares not at all about any of them. I cannot put my finger on it, but not one of them stands out as real or fleshed out or interesting at all. Even if I wanted to find out what happens, it’s a very dull reading experience_."
You are a fantastically flawed and favored individual. You know how to fall down 7…
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Sep 20, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: What Happens When We Stay Among the Trees?
Hello to you listening in Istanbul, Turkey!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
The splendid green leaves of summer are slowly giving way to the more subtle golds and russets of fall. At higher elevations you might find vibrant reds and purples. No matter the season or the reason I find myself most at home among the trees. Perhaps they beckon to you as well to come, stay awhile.
This from Mary Oliver:
"_When I am among the trees,_
_they give off such hints of gladness._
_I would almost say that they save me, and daily._
_I am so distant from the hope of myself,_
_in which I have goodness, and discernment,_
_and never hurry through the world_
_but walk slowly, and bow often._
_Around me the trees stir in their leaves_
_and call out, “Stay awhile.”_
_The light flows from their branches._
_And they call again, “It's simple,” they say,_
_“You too have come…
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Sep 19, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Ready or Not It’s Time to Walk Into the Unscripted Day
Hello to you listening in Roncesvalles, Kingdom of Navarre, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
It took me 48 hours of traveling to arrive at my Camino de Santiago departure point. A flight from California to New Jersey and on to Madrid, Spain, a bus across Madrid to the train station for the trip to Pamplona, a taxi to the overnight albergue, another bus trip across the border and on into St. Jean Pied de Port, France, for a final overnight on the cusp of the Camino.
Before setting out that chill September morning I felt exhausted, uncertain, anxious, even intimidated by the unknowns ahead, and a bit courageous none the less. They say the only way to know Camino is to walk Camino. Ready or not I’m a pilgrim. Better get on with it. I laced up my boots, shouldered my pack, zipped my rain jacket, and headed up the first of many hills into the rain for whatever ca…
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Sep 16, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What Ruckus Might You Accomplish With Your Very Own Blowtorch?
Hello to you listening in Whitefish, Montana!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Julia Child charmed the icing right off my cake with her singular voice and culinary life story. Julia said, “_Every woman should have a blowtorch_.” I imagine she meant a kitchen blowtorch for caramelizing sugar, blistering peppers or melting cheese.
Julia came to mind some years ago when I was working as a shepherd at Juniper Moon Fiber Farm. One summer day it fell to me to clean out the elevated chicken coop. With my bandit-style kerchief in place I scrubbed the floors and walls with a wire brush before flooding the coop with a hose to wash out all that dust and debris. Now, how to get it dry? Blowtorch!
We happened to have a professional grade propane blow torch on the farm. I fired it up, aimed it inside the coop, and using a sweeping back and forth motion it was soon dry as a bon…
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Sep 15, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: What to Do While Waiting on the Cosmic Chef?
Hello to you listening in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As some of you know I’ve been wandering around in the Desert of Creative Drought. I feel a deep sense of groundlessness, uncertainty. Maybe you recognize this, too, when the Shadow Side is upon us, when it appears as if the rest of the world is marching along just fine without any sense of fear, anxiety, discomfort, or disconnect.
So, what’s a gal to do? Maybe I begin by agreeing to sit with the Shadow Side, invite it to teach me about what I don’t know. Perhaps, the Cosmic Chef is still working on my order.
Think about it: when you dine out and place your order with the waiter you expect that - unless she returns and says we are out of the item you want - the chef is preparing your order and in due time it will arrive at the table.
Yes, I've placed a pretty tall order wi…
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Sep 14, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesday on Whidbey: Tania Marien & Diane Wyzga on All Things Story and Engaged Storyism® Method
Hello to you listening in Seattle, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Today I’m delighted to bring you a recent podcast conversation with my dear friend and colleague, Tania Marien of Talaterra, who asked me about storytelling, my Engaged Storyism® Method, and how to get to the heart of your message with story - not in a cold, impersonal business sort of way, but in a real way, a way that reflects who we are as individuals, environmental educators, and professionals.
As Tania asks her guests: "_What is your story? How do you find it? Let’s find out_."
Click HERE in the Episode Notes to listen to our conversation.
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic!_” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remem…
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Sep 13, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: How Did Ice Fishing Show Me a Way to Break Through?
Hello to you listening in Minneapolis, Minnesota!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
On my bucket list of fun things to try is ice fishing. Imagine sitting in a little shack on a frozen body of water practicing to catch fish with a line through a hole in the ice.
I was thinking about this the other day as I was resisting yet another day of trials and tribulations wondering just when I’d catch a break from Life picking on me because it ain’t fair, it ain’t right.
Whether it’s fair or not Life is Life. When challenges mount up the best we can do for ourselves is to find a way to break through the ice of our resistance to catch the strength we have deep within us. Or, maybe we stop and feel some compassionate loving kindness for our good self who has handled so many challenges in the past and managed to prevail.
Question: When you have found yourself up against a di…
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Sep 12, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday : Are You Sure About That Perception?
Hello to you listening in Rock Springs, Wyoming!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
What does Buddhist teaching have in common with the 1992 movie, My Cousin Vinnie? Perhaps you remember the scene where defense counsel Vincent Gambini, played by Joe Pesci, is cross-examining a witness about the robbery and murder he believes he saw take place at the Sac-o-Suds. Repeatedly asking, _Are you sure_? got the witness to finally admit, “_I may have been mistaken_.”
My teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh the venerable Vietnamese Buddhist monk invited us to write this question beautifully on a piece of paper and post it where we might often see it: _Are you sure_?
What did he mean? We rely on our perceptions - a lot - although for the most part they are unreliable. In light of that it’s a good idea to ask ourselves: _Are you sure_? Because we may have been mistaken.
Question: What…
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Sep 9, 2022
60 Seconds For Story Prompt Friday: What Are the Three Ways We Die and What Is the One Way We Live?
Hello to you listening in Sydney, Australia and New South Wales!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
The old ones say that we die three times: the first time when our heart and lungs cease; the second time when our empty body is placed in the ground or on a pyre; and, the third time when there is no one left who remembers us.
Memory. That is why we tell the stories. To keep those we love alive for as long as time and memory allows.
Stories are not empty gestures or a mere form of entertainment of a winter evening. No. Stories are alive! They are as alive as the person you are remembering. If you pause in the telling and listen carefully you might hear them begging you to continue the tales.
Story Prompt: Let’s imagine that you are gone. Let’s imagine that someone is telling a story about you, a good story, a memorable story, a keeper of a story. What is it? What wo…
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Sep 8, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Did Steve Jobs Steal Ideas?
Hello to you listening in New London, Connecticut!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Steve Jobs is quoted as saying, “_We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas_.” In fact, some of his early ideas were lifted from Xerox; but he went on to develop his own products using his own creative thinking and intelligence. Copying is just a cheater’s game.
What do I mean? Decades ago one of my story mentors, the inimitable Jay O’Callahan, wrote a story called Orange Cheeks about his childhood days visiting a beloved grandmother. Imagine hearing someone else tell your personal story onstage - as he did - as if it were their own experience, their own work, no permission, no attribution.
Drummed into me at a very early storytelling age was this: you do not co-opt, conscript, copy, mimic, or take someone else’s work and call it your own.
As a well-regarded…
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Sep 7, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: What Can You Learn From the Museum of Failed Products?
Hello to you listening in Gig Harbor, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Tucked away in an unremarkable business park in Ann Arbor, Michigan is a warehouse of hundreds of thousands of failed products. One of each. Think of it as a graveyard for stuff that just didn’t make it. All those failures.
But, the Mother of Invention knows failure holds promise for beginning anew. The Museum of Failed Products is open to marketing clients who are privileged to troll the vast shelves of failed products scoping out where the competition bottomed out because of poor design, marketing, experimentation, or research. Now they are ready to transform failure into fulfillment!
People are no different. We’re taught not to fail and so when we do fail we feel like we’ve failed. Rather, if we take the approach of “Fall Down 7 - Get Up 8" we can learn from our failures a…
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Sep 6, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: For What Did the Deceased Have Affection?
Hello to you listening in Mexico City, Mexico!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you’ve been set the task of writing an obituary or delivering a eulogy for a loved one. Perhaps you’ve sat staring into space wondering where and how do I begin?
I have a suggestion for you. Put aside the numbers, the credentials, the framed diplomas, and the run-on list of who begat whom. Ask yourself: What did the deceased hold in his or her affection? What brought them to light and life? How did they move through the day? Where did they turn for solace and inspiration? What dreams did they realize? What dreams stayed beyond their grasp? What is it that you recall about them celebrating delights, weathering challenges, exploring the mystery that was given to them to live. Some foibles, some mistakes, some pretty good times, some not so bad after all.
After the mourners ha…
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Sep 5, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: How Is Our Life Like a Kaleidoscope?
Hello to you listening in Arkadelphia, Arkansas!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you've been mesmerized by a kaleidoscope watching those little bits of colored glass tumble about to create stained glass window patterns. Click HERE in the Episode Notes to learn a bit of history.
What if we could put the kaleidoscope of our life up to our eye, turn the barrel and feel a sense of wonder as we gaze at all those images - some gorgeous, some not so much - laying out the constellation of the life we have lived to date. I wonder if we would feel more inclined to cherish each bit of our life if we could see the overall this way. These bits that are unique to us, that emerge, coalesce, continually shape shift, creating the patterns of our life.
Practical Tip: What if, just for today, we receive each moment as a small cherished piece of the whole pattern, make i…
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Sep 2, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What If Life Turned You Around and You (Eventually) Walked On Better Than Before? Part 2 with Lisa Morales
Hello to you listening in _Catania, Italy_!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
This is what happens when you keep a highly successful podcast burning in your window: your guests come for a visit! In a few days I’ll be meeting up with Lisa Morales sharing time together walking this island.
Lisa is a Camino de Santiago peregrina, hospitelera, world class travel blogger, and photographer. At the close of Part 1 I asked Lisa: _How did the Camino shape your experiences as you were living the tempest story of your life_? Let’s listen as this wise and wonderful woman draws us further into her life showing us what tomorrow can look like when you agree to go with the flow!
Click HERE in the Episode Notes for Part 2 of our conversation, to get in touch with Lisa and subscribe to her Photo Media The Travel Blog.
Story Prompt: Consider this: When you le…
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Sep 1, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: What If Life Turned You Around and You (Eventually) Walked On Better Than Before? Part 1 with Lisa Morales
Hello to you listening in Ankara, Turkey!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
This is what happens when you keep a highly successful podcast burning in your window: your guests come for a visit! In a few days I’ll be meeting up with Lisa Morales sharing time together walking this island.
Lisa is a Camino de Santiago peregrina, hospitelera, world class travel blogger, and photographer. Some of us may never walk Camino, some may walk only once, and then there are those for whom Camino is a lifelong adventure. I invited Lisa to talk about the decidedly unexpected Life turns that led her to walking the Camino estoy solo, volunteering in Camino albergues, pivoting to travel photography, and designing her new life.
Click HERE in the Episode Notes for Part 1 of our conversation, to get in touch with Lisa and subscribe to Photo Media The Travel Blog.…
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Aug 31, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: What if Your Story or Message Was Not Merely a Product But Your Presence?
Hello to you listening on Fidalgo Island, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Many folks can string words together and hand you a message or story product. But “_you’re not a product; you are a presence_!” What would it feel like to work with someone who invites you to reclaim your presence whether you have a case to win, a story to tell, a message to shape, or a vision to relate? We’ll walk the road together with the understanding that “_you know what it is you want to say; you just need someone to listen it out of you_.”
That’s what a story guide does: listens, observes, intuits, validates, breaks complex and complicated thoughts into the clear, concise and compelling heart of the message. “_Getting to the heart of your message reveals the message of your heart, your presence_.”
CTA: If you’re curious about “_getting to the heart of…
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Aug 30, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: How Might Nature Relieve Some Feelings of Despair?
Hello to you listening in Bellows Falls, Vermont!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe when it comes to setbacks and despair you’re the impatient type: shake it off, get on with it, enough with waiting, let’s move move move!
But what if there’s something to learn from Nature? What if there’s a clue to show us a less stressful way to be in the middle of the muddle?
“_Does anything in nature despair except man? An animal with a foot caught in a trap does not seem to despair. It is too busy trying to survive. It is all closed in, to a kind of still, intense waiting. Is this a key? Keep busy with survival. Imitate the trees. Learn to lose in order to recover, and remember that nothing stays the same for long, not even pain, psychic pain. Sit it out. Let it all pass. Let it go_.” [May Sarton]
Practical Tip: Give it a go. See if “_letting it go_” is a fit f…
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Aug 29, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: What Can You Do When You Don’t Wanna Do?
Hello to you listening in Burgos, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you open your eyes some Mondays and whine to yourself, “_I don’t wanna ...._” Wanna what? Doesn’t matter. You just don’t wanna.
Now what? I’m reminded of my 5 weeks on the Camino de Santiago. Whether you wanted to or not, whether the weather was warm and sunny or freezing cold and pouring icy rain, whether you had breakfast or went hungry you were out the door of the albergue and back on the Camino by 7AM! Those were the rules. Live and learn.
What did I learn? Pull on my socks, lace up my boots, put my eye on the prize and set off. Sometimes the very act of putting one foot in front of the other was enough to shift my attitude. And, finding an early morning café or bakery for a café con leche.
Practical tip: Whenever you “_don’t wanna_” don’t think, just d…
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Aug 26, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Trekking Life with Jeffrey Tan, Pathfinder & Transformation Coach, Part 2
Hello to you listening in Burlington, Vermont!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (a quite a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Welcome to Part 2 of my conversation with Jeffrey Tan: Pathfinder, Transformation Coach and Leadership Mastery Facilitator/Trainer who is joining us from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We were talking about walking our lives with courage, and finding our way when I asked Jeffrey where his name, Pathfinder, came from. Let’s hear what he has to say on this, on leadership, parenting children as a single dad under COVID, and more.
Click HERE in the Episode Notes to listen to Part 2 of Trekking with Jeffrey Tan, access links, resources and get in touch with Jeffrey.
Story Prompt: Where and how have you gained the courage to walk your life? Write that story!
Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something. All t…
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Aug 25, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Trekking Life with Jeffrey Tan, Pathfinder & Transformation Coach, Part 1
Hello to you listening in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (a quite a bit more) for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Welcome to Part 1 of my conversation with Jeffrey Tan: Pathfinder, Transformation Coach and Leadership Mastery Facilitator/Trainer who is joining us from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Years of managing and working with people from all walks of life led him to a deep understanding of human behaviors and attitudes. Helping people develop their best personal and professional selves became his passion. Let’s hear what he has to say about changing the narrative that no longer works for you, trekking Nepal, and more!
Click HERE in the Episode Notes to listen to Part 1 of Trekking with Jeffrey Tan, access links, resources and get in touch with Jeffrey.
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a n…
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Aug 24, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: What if Your Message Was a Presence, Not Merely a Product?
Hello to you listening in Port Townsend, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Many folks can string words together and hand you a message or story product. But you’re not a product; you’re a presence. What would it feel like to work with some who invites you to reclaim your presence whether you have a case to win, a story to tell, a keynote to shape, or a vision to sell? We’ll walk the road together with the understanding that you know what you want to say; you just need someone to listen it out of you.
That’s what a story guide does: listens, observes, intuits, validates, breaks complex and complicated thoughts into the clear, concise and compelling heart of the message. Getting to the heart of your message reveals the message of your heart, your presence.
CTA: If you’re curious about getting to the heart of your message and the message of your h…
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Aug 23, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: Who Are You if You Are Not I?
Hello to you listening in Penobscot, Maine!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’ve been curious of late wondering just who is me? Maybe you’re curious about you, too. I can’t answer the question for either of us; but I can offer us something delicious to ponder that might guide us to what we seek.
I Am Not I
_I am not I._
_ I am this one_
_walking beside me whom I do not see,_
_whom at times I manage to visit,_
_and whom at other times I forget;_
_who remains calm and silent while I talk,_
_and forgives, gently, when I hate,_
_who walks where I am not,_
_who will remain standing when I die_.
[Juan Ramón Jiménez - from Lorca and Jiménez: Selected Poems. Beacon Press (1973). Translation copyright © 1973 by Robert Bly.]
Question: Who else might you be when you leave behind “I”?
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Spe…
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Aug 22, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: What If You Could Create Powerfully Collaborative Communication?
Hello, to you listening in Laconia, New Hampshire!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe this has happened to you. You’re explaining your idea or sharing your thoughts when someone says, “_Yes, but_” How did you feel? Discounted, defensive, invisible as if they had a better idea or one of greater value.
"_Yes, but_" communicates judgment. “_Yes, but_" is heard as negating what’s been said. Even if our intention is not judgmental, the speaker hears “_Yes, but_” as a critical response.
See what a difference it makes when we change one word to “_Yes, and_.” The entire communication dynamic shifts to being seen, heard, included, and valued. "_Yes, and_" is heard as conveying a willingness to expand upon the speaker’s idea even though we might not necessarily agree with the speaker.
Practical Tip: When we consciously practice eliminating “_Yes, bu…
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Aug 19, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What if You Could Risk Being Broken for Love?
Hello to you listening in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec, Canada!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
“_Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and being alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You have to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes too near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could_.” [Louise Erdrich, The Painted Drum]
Story Prompt: Imagine you have been broken. Imagine you have tasted as many of the sweet apples as you could. What did that experience feel like? Write that story!
Practical Tip: The magic o…
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Aug 18, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Getting From Spark to Solution
Hello to you listening in Novi di Modena, Italy!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
So often we forget how much we’ve accomplished with our very own curiosity, imagination and tenacity. The next time you confront a problem these 7 questions might remind you how to go from “_What if_?” to “_Ah Ha!_”:
1. Imagine a recent tangled up problem you solved; something you doubted you had the tools for.
2. What was the “_What if_?” that inspired you to tackle the problem?
3. Where did you encounter setbacks?
4. What insights revealed the way ahead?
5. What solution emerged from your process?
6. How did you apply the solution to solve the problem?
7. What’s the lasting result of your work?
Question: What are you planning to tackle next?
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share…
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Aug 17, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: What if I Could Help You Express Yourself as Precisely as You Can
Hello to you listening in Bengalaru, India!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
“_Over time I began to get a sense of how much we all must secretly have in common. How many of us must be burdened by the same uanswerable questions, muttering the same thoughts to the steering wheel or the shower wall. And whenever I felt alone, or confused, or like a stranger to myself, I knew I was tapping into an undercurrent of humanity that connected me invisibly with so many others who feel exactly as I do, each in their own lives. That’s the magic of expressing how you feel, as precisely as you can. If nothing else, it can serve as a powerful reminder to all of us that we’re not alone_.” [John Koenig - The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows]
One of my earliest story mentors, the incomparable Jay O’Callahan would exhort us students to choose choose choose the perfect word, the…
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Aug 16, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: Out of Shatteredness Blooms the Unshatterable
Hello to you listening in Stalybridge, UK!
And check out this fun video about the most famous service on Britain's railways: the Stockbridge to Stalybridge Parliamentary Train.
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Sometimes when we are in the thick of it we are hard pressed to make sense of the darkness, the loss, the confusion, the uncertainty. When you are ready the poet Rashani has words you can lean on to help you begin anew:
The Unbroken
"_There is a brokenness_
_out of which comes the unbroken,_
_a shatteredness_
_out of which blooms the unshatterable._
_There is a sorrow_
_beyond all grief which leads to joy_
_and a fragility_
_out of whose depths emerges strength._
_There is a hollow space_
_too vast for words_
_through which we pass with each loss,_
_out of whose darkness_
_we are sanctioned into being._
_There is a cry deeper than all sound_
_whose…
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Aug 15, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: The Time to Set Out Is Now
Hello to you listening on the Camino de Santiago in Castrojeriz, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Camino means “_the way_.” Maybe you have been waiting for the invitation to set out on your way. Here it is. Pack what you need. Lace up your boots. Bid farewell to those you leave behind, the ones you hope will be waiting - or, maybe not. Take your best measure of the path ahead. Whether it’s for a day or a year of days, the time is now. Set out. Be glad for it come what may. This time - this way - beckons; if you never go you will never know.
Question: Where are you headed, how come it beckons you, and what do you hope to discover along your way?
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!…
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Aug 12, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Change Agent and Author Leanne Gordon, Part 2
Hello to you listening in Upper Mount Gravatt, Brisbane, Australia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Today we continue with Part 2 of my conversation with Change Agent and Author Leanne Gordon. We had been talking about Leanne’s consulting practice, Changing Futures, when I asked her: “_What’s important to know about uncertainty and change in the workplace?_” Let’s hear what she has to say about this, writing and publishing a book, and so much more on all things Change.
Click HERE to access Part 2 of the interview, detailed Episode Notes, Links and Resources.
Story Prompt: Imagine that you have become a fearlessly courageous Change Agent. What and how will you change for the better? Write that story!
Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something. All that matters is…
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Aug 11, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Change Agent and Author Leanne Gordon, Part 1
Hello to you listening in Perth, Australia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Today we’re taking a break from our regularly scheduled podcast broadcast to bring you Part 1 of a conversation with Change Agent Leanne Gordon, founder of the consulting practice Changing Futures and the author of Change Seekers - Making a Difference. To her clients Leanne is a change facilitator and coach who guides individuals and teams in making successful change happen in their work and lives, through writing, speaking, coaching, and workshops. To me Leanne is a thoughtful, generous listener who intuitively gets to the heart of a problem and gently points you in the direction of a solution as if you discovered it yourself. Listen along as Leanne talks with us about the unexpected changes Life created for her as she changes futures for others, claiming her Page as…
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Aug 10, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Engaged Storyism® Method Is the Process for Your Communication Product
Hello to you listening in Fredonia, Upstate New York!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Recently, a friend and colleague asked what sets me apart from other Story Strategizers and Communication Problem-Solvers.
I successfully guide my clients to the heart of their message and the message of their heart. It’s the process that creates the product. Over 30 years I have helped lawyers with trials, presenters with keynotes, authors with back-of-book content, entrepreneurs with messaging, advocates arguing for rights, origin stories, and more.
When we work on discovering the heart of your message and the message of your heart my clients end up saying what they mean and meaning what they say so they are seen, heard, understood and listened to.
If you are curious to know more about how my Engaged Storyism® Method will help you transform story messaging from superficial…
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Aug 9, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: What If ... ?
Hello to you listening in Big Bear City, California!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
_What_
_If_
_Someone_
_Liked_
_You_
_For_
_No_
_Particular_
_Reason_
_?_
Practical Tip: Try it on. Feel it gladden your heart and brighten your Time Out Tuesday.
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic!_” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on Linked In.
Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attributio…
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Aug 8, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Each One Lift One Is How We Roll Here!
Hello to you listening in Ellsworth, Maine!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Imagine this: you’re a podcaster, storyteller, communication coach, or entrepreneur. You have talent! Honest-to-goodness talent. If ever there was someone in your field who could outshine the rest of the competition, it’s you! But, what if talent isn’t quite enough? What’s your option?
We all have a collective of allies, friends and supporters who believe in us, who want us to succeed, who will go the distance for us. Think of it as your very own collective of cohorts. When we are belong to a collective that embodies our beliefs, dreams and values we can ask them for a trusted hand up. Each One Lift One is how we roll here.
Question: How do we know someone will respond to us? Before you ask for a hand up, give one yourself. Look around for those talented unheard voices you want to h…
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Aug 5, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Walk With Me - On Pilgrimage With Elena Marsh, Part 2
Hello to you listening in Finisterre, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
About this time some years ago I was preparing to walk across Spain. 5 weeks - 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago. My life is truly BC and AC: Before Camino and After Camino. I learned that pilgrimage is much more than a walk.
When asked the question, “_What would you do if you were fearlessly courageous?_” Elena Marsh said, “I would walk Camino." At that moment she was committed. Elena Marsh walked the Camino de Santiago de Compostela beginning in August 2019.
Today we continue Part 2 of our wonderfully engaging and insightful conversation with friend, colleague and peregrina Elena Marsh who takes us on her Camino pilgrimage.
Click HERE to access the Part 2 of the interview, detailed Episode Notes, Links and Resources.
Story Prompt: What would you do if you…
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Aug 4, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Walk With Me - On Pilgrimage With Elena Marsh, Part 1
Hello to you listening in Santiago, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Today we’re taking a wee break from our regularly scheduled podcast broadcast to bring you Part 1 of a wonderfully engaging and insightful interview with friend, colleague and peregrina Elena Marsh who takes us on her Camino pilgrimage.
When asked the question, “_What would you do if you were fearlessly courageous_?” Elena Marsh said, “_I would walk Camino_." From that moment it began to get serious. Elena Marsh walked the Camino de Santiago de Compostela beginning in August 2019. And I’m delighted to invite you to join us as we walk together and retrace her footsteps across Spain.
Click HERE to access the interview Part 1, detailed Episode Notes, Links and Resources.
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I h…
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Aug 3, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: If I Had Charged Ahead Instead of Slowing Down
Hello to you listening on the highways and byways of Washington State!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Life seems to be going at breakneck speed. The more deeply I inhabit Middle Earth Age the more aware I am that life is short and the antidote, paradoxical as it may seem, is to go slow. The slower we go the more we gain. Gain how?
If I had charged ahead instead of slowing down I would have missed picking the first sun-stroked wild blackberries on the path behind the hardware store; plucking the first juicy plum from the branch of a neighbor’s tree over-hanging the sidewalk; two red-tailed hawks carving lazy circles high above me oblivious of the crazy lives we are living here.
If I had charged ahead instead of slowing down I would have missed the bounty of sweet-peas growing in pastel profusion in roadside ditches, and a wide as the horizon view of the Cascades…
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Aug 2, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: What Is the Very Best Use of This Precious Day?
Hello to you listening in Setubal, Portugal!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I seem to be getting a little long in the tooth. Don’t quite know when it happened but it has. I’m more aware that death is certain, yet the time of death is uncertain. So, how should I be living now?
While I’m getting older and somewhat wiser I have no clue how much time is left to fulfill the potential of my precious human birth. Some nights before bed I wonder where did the day go? What do I have to show for these hours? How was I of use? Maybe this happens to you.
Practical Tip: At any moment in the day when feeling anxious, unsettled, clueless stop and ask yourself: What is the best use of this very short day in my life? Take 3 deep breaths to create a still space, slow the worrying, the mind chatter, and sit quietly. Silence will dawn on you with all its magic and sacredness. In th…
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Aug 1, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Our Work Is Ourselves - That’s What Makes Us Different
Hello to you listening in Nashua, New Hampshire!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you recognize that our work is ourselves. We are the work and the work is us. We identify with how we show up in the world. How we show up is also our identity. No wonder we might feel scared to put our work out there. Especially as a creative or entrepreneur. Offering ourselves to the world can be scary and might serve as an excuse to hold back.
One of my very earliest story mentors was Doug Lipman of Story Dynamics who taught us a short song which was sung in a round with each line repeated 3 times: “_What I have to offer is what’s uniquely mine. What’s uniquely mine is that which makes me different. That which makes me different is what I have to offer_.”
Practical Tip: Keeping the lyrics in mind consider that your work - your identity - is a tall, cool drink o…
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Jul 29, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Before I Go Solutions With Jane Duncan Rogers, Part 2
Hello to you listening in Lewiston-Auburn, Maine!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Today we continue with Part 2 of my conversation with Jane Duncan Rogers about her life’s work: Before I Go Solutions; the very best way I’ve found for you & your loved ones to plan well for a good end of life. Click HERE to access the interview, Part 2.
I was prompted to re-post this engaging, heartfelt interview by my friend and colleague Carolyn Lebanowski who posted an intriguing essay on BIZCATALYST360 about your story as legacy.
Practical Tip: Click HERE to purchase a copy of Before I Go: The Essential Guide.
Story Prompt: You have a story. It is still unfolding. What is it you can say in this moment about the life you have been given to live? Write that story!
Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something. All that…
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Jul 28, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Before I Go Solutions With Jane Duncan Rogers, Part 1
Hello to you listening in South Jordan, Utah!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Today we’re taking a wee break from our regularly scheduled podcast broadcast to bring you Part 1 of a delicious conversation with Jane Duncan Rogers about what some might call a decidedly unappetizing subject: what to do before you go ... to the Great Beyond. Click HERE to access the interview, Part 1.
I was prompted to re-post our engaging, heartfelt interview by my friend and colleague Carolyn Lebanowski who posted an intriguing essay on BIZCATALYST360 about your story as legacy.
I hope that you find much richness in my conversation with Jane, are inspired to check out her website, take her practical 10 question test, and give some thought to how you might proceed from here.
Practical Tip: Click HERE to purchase a copy of Before I Go: The Essential Guide. You will be glad you did!
You’re i…
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Jul 27, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: My Engaged Storyism® Method Invites You to Overthrow Your Own Story
Hello to you listening out on Lake 22 beyond Granite Falls, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
“_The revolution begins at home. If you overthrow yourself again and again, you might earn the right to help overthrow the rest of us_.” [~ Rob Brezsny]
How do we overthrow ourselves? By engaging with our own story, our own message to transform the superficial to authentic, the ineffective to influential, the muddy to memorable.
My Engaged Storyism® Method invites you to leave behind the mere telling of story lines we habitually parrot to delve deep into feelings, sensations, emotions, images, and experiences with compassion, insight and humor. When we engage with our story, our message we practice authentic communication with ourselves. When we learn how to authentically communicate with ourselves, we can use those very same tools to authentically communic…
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Jul 26, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: I’m Inhabiting Middle Earth Age
Hello to you listening in Sweetwater, Tennessee!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you are feeling too old to be young and too young to be old. Maybe like me you’re wondering how to fit into this neither here nor there landscape where you look in the mirror and see a girl with a grandmother face but you are still kicking it with the best of them!
I’ve decided that I am going to inhabit Middle Earth Age. It’s mystical, magical, mysterious and mythical. It beckons intuitive, intelligent, insightful beings. It rewards artists, wordsmiths, storytellers, creatives, dreamers, sages, visionaries, do-ers and ruckus-makers. It is home to expertise, skill, learning, experience, competence, curiosity, and desire. Above all else the mirrors of Middle Earth Age reflect the internal fires, the beneath-the-surface beauty, cauldrons of charm, grace, heart, and spirit!
The doors are wide open! You ha…
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Jul 25, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Nothing Better Than a Summer Picnic!
Hello to you SB Rawz listening in Roanoke, Virginia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I was chatting the other day with my friend and coaching colleague SB Rawz catching up on this and that when she mentioned that she and her partner recently hosted a slurpy, drippy, juice running down your face Tomato Sandwich Picnic Party!
Looking ahead to the weekend what about hosting a picnic with your loved ones to chill in this year’s sizzling summer! You might have to camp out in a cool basement, on an apartment fire escape, tucked in a child’s wading pool, or perhaps a shady grove by a river. We could all use a break. And, no matter how bad it gets nothing beats love, good company, and good food!
To give you a hand with preparations check the episode notes for SB’s Homemade Mayonnaise recipe (from Mark Bittman with an SB twist):
_ 1 egg yolk_
_ 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard_
_ 1 cup neutral oil (SB us…
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Jul 22, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: There Is Value and Worth in Our Cracked Pot Selves
Hello to you listening in River Forest, Illinois!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Do you get the feeling that maybe things around us are broken or, at least cracked? Maybe you feel this way. Maybe like me you also complicate the feeling of being cracked by creating inner stories about worthiness while trying to ignore pain and hide flaws.
Maybe it’s true and maybe it isn’t but once there was a woman who rose at dawn to carry water from the river to her hut. Her pot was cracked while her neighbors had perfect pots. The water carrier felt ashamed that her pot was flawed and therefore she was flawed as well because she could not afford a perfect pot. What if this women was you? What if a friend pointed to the many flowers that had sprung up from the daily watering and asked, "_How would these flowers have bloomed here unless your cracked pot had watered them_?"
Sto…
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Jul 21, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Mindfulness Training Lessens Suffering and Restores Joy
Hello to you Patrice Kealy listening in Montague, New Jersey!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
My teacher, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh lived deeply in each moment of daily life, a practice born of bearing the wounds of war and offering a lifetime of mindfulness training to lessen our suffering and restore our joy. His words sustain me in these times; they may do the same for you.
This is what Thay taught: "_Aware that life is available only in the present moment and that it is possible to live happily in the here and now, I am committed to training myself to live deeply each moment of daily life. I will try not to lose myself in dispersion or be carried away by regrets about the past, worries about the future, or craving, anger or jealousy in the present. I will practice mindful breathing to come back to what is happening in the present moment. I am…
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Jul 20, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: My Engaged Storyism® Method at Work
Hello to you listening in Twisp, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
“_The revolution begins at home. If you overthrow yourself again and again, you might earn the right to help overthrow the rest of us_.” [~ Rob Brezsny]
How do we overthrow ourselves? By engaging with our own story to transform the superficial to authentic.
My Engaged Storyism® Method invites you to leave behind the mere telling of story lines we habitually parrot to delve deep into feelings, sensations, emotions, images, and experiences with compassion, insight and humor. When we engage with our story we practice authentic communication with ourselves. When we learn how to authentically communicate with ourselves, we can use those tools to authentically communicate our message, values, story, truth with others - and invite them to be seen, heard, understood, and listened to by us.…
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Jul 19, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday Drop Your Shoulders - Drop Your Burdens
Hello to you listening in Mason, Wisconsin!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Walking home around Holmes Harbor I stopped to look out at the still water, boats at anchor, an eagle soaring the updrafts, not a cloud in the sky. Taking in a deep breath I found that my shoulders had bunched up around my ears with all I had been carrying.
My silly human ways reminded me of a story about a team of pack animals struggling their way up a mountainside. The last pony in line was wearing just a saddle but the horse ahead of him was burdened with boxes and bags and baskets. The pony said: _Hey brother, that’s a heavy load you’re carrying_! The pack horse turned it’s head and asked: _What load_?
Like that pack horse we get used to carrying so much we don’t even realize it.
Practical Tip: Stop. Right here. Right now. Drop your shoulders. Breath deep. Smile to your shoulders.…
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Jul 18, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Today Is Your Very Own Parade Day
Hello to you listening in Henderson, Nevada!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you know all about holding up the roof for others, giving a hand up instead of a hand out, applauding the achievements of friends and colleagues, and so on. But what about you? We do not even begin to give ourselves credit for all the ways in which we add to the good of the world.
Today you totally deserve your own parade! Not just any parade but a turn-out the city in your honor ticker tape parade with high school marching bands, street dancers, fireworks, cheering crowds, and you standing tall and proud on your very own Mardi Gras style float.
Bravo!, Well done! and High Five! for being the most wonderful, brilliant, creative, resilient, imaginative, productive, kind-hearted, generous, playful, curious, funny, supportive, and energetic spirit that you are.
Let’s all reac…
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Jul 15, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: The Language of the Ancestors
Hello to you listening in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Storyteller and mythologist Martin Shaw says: “_Stories with weight to them have what Carl Jung terms ‘the lament of the dead,’ which in our frenetic culture we can no longer have time to hear_.”
What are we missing when we have no time to hear? We are missing the stories of our ancestors. When we disregard or deny the words and stories of those who have gone before us, we deprive ourselves of a store of wisdom that can help in times of crisis. And lord knows we are in crisis.
But nothing in the world is new. Human are humans; they will touch fire to see if it’s hot. The stories from the dead may help us from being burned alive. These stories are the collected thoughts of the world; think of them as a river of wisdom. All we need do is dip in and welcome the souls who ar…
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Jul 14, 2022
60 Seconds For Thoughts on Thursday: Lipstick Leadership
Hello to you Susanne Mueller listening in Thun, Switzerland this Bastille Day!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Equality, sisterhood, liberty ... and lipstick! Lipstick? Believe it or not the lipstick industry will be a 10 billion dollar industry by 2025! Why? In part because when the economy is struggling a new lipstick is an affordable purchase. As Susanne Mueller, my friend, podcasting colleague and author of the book, Lipstick Leadership says, “_If you don’t feel good at least you look good as we push forward together to lead to better times_.”
But what does lipstick have to do with leadership? Here is what one reader, Mel in the US, said to accompany her 5 star review on June 4th 2022: “_Reframe Your Thinking - Lipstick Leadership is not like a typical leadership book that you would read like a story, beginning, middle and end. Instead, it is full of bit…
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Jul 13, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: If It Were Up to Me I’d Re-Write the Story
Hello to you listening in Anacortes, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
We talk about our own stories, origin stories, our family stories. But it’s the rare moment when we consider the narrative of a nation and its cultures. Maybe that story feels removed, remote, part of an imagined past, once upon a time.
But looking deeply at the narrative of a nation opens a window into its cultures, some of them so deeply ingrained that we take them for granted. Here in America the gun culture is a symbol of a way of life based on myth, legends, fantasy, and slick marketing. Guns are not just tools but a means to access power, conquest, celebrity, supremacy, equality, freedom from poverty, crime and weakness.
Gun control isn’t a Second Amendment argument; it’s a cultural argument. Until we understand our own history we’ll keep reaching for guns to hold at bay…
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Jul 12, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: Somewhere There’s a Day at the Beach
Hello to you listening in Blue Hill, Maine!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Sometimes art and beauty are all I have to offer. There is always time for poetry; and more so in these days of interrupted summer.
_A Day at the Beach_
_“If he had been paying more attention_
_to whatever my mother was saying_
_from under her hat beneath the umbrella,_
_or watching more closely over my brother,_
_off playing somewhere with his shovel and pail,_
_or me, idly tracing my name in the sand,_
_if he hadn't had that faraway look,_
_gazing out to where the freighters crawled along_
_the horizon – so that when he suddenly_
_pushed up and off, sand in his wake, visor_
_taking wing behind him, you could believe,_
_as he churned toward the glassy water,_
_that it had just come to him to chuck it all,_
_this whole idea of family, and make_
_for those sout…
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Jul 11, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Step Away From Your Expectations and No One Gets Hurt
Hello to you listening in Ambler, Pennsylvania!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
This much I know. I have come to expect too much - of myself, of my plans, of my aspirations. My expectations were giving me heartache. It was time to step away, create some distance between me and my expectations.
We are taught to exceed our expectations! And yet when we let go a bit, make room for the possibility that an event, an objective, an outcome might unfold in ways we could not have expected we are inviting a variety of possibilities! If outcomes do not conform to what we expected does that mean we failed? No.
Practical Tip: The unforeseen gives us a chance to be flexible, to see something positive in the unexpected outcome. Now we get to adapt. The more we strengthen our adaptability muscle the more resilient we become. The more resilient we become the more capable we are of…
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Jul 8, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: You Have Power & Voice to Inspire & Influence - Use it!
Hello to you listening in Greer, South Carolina!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
"..._human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness._
_What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places - and there are so many - where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction._
_And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us is itself a marvelous victory_." [Dr. Howard Zinn, inspired by the l…
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Jul 7, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Do the UNreasonable!
Hello to you listening in Bromma, Stockholm, Sweden!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I look at what is falling apart around us and I wonder, “_Really? Is this the best we can do_?” I seek to put aside how I feel so I can better listen, ask questions, begin what will be a very long process of gentle defiance. And, maybe not so gentle. When I stand for something I will not fall for just anything. And today there is a lot of nonsense that can trip us up, make us want to quit.
As my dear friend and colleague Brandi Heather reminds me, “_Never, ever, quit, as unreasonable as it seems_!”
Someone else who did not quit, as unreasonable as that seemed, was Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) a prominent Lutheran pastor, and a most complicated figure in German history. First as ally and then outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler Niemöller spent the last seven years of N…
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Jul 6, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Feel Nature Alive in Her Stillness and Silence
Hello to you listening in Fairhaven, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Humans are not meant to squirrel away in offices and cars, in front of computers, heads bent to glowing devices. Humans are intended for Nature! What are you doing wasting your precious life with one more task, one more social media ping, one more email.
Nature is elemental. Nature is offering all She is and all She has for our benefit. Take part before it’s gone and we wonder what happened to clear skies, wading in tide pools, looking up to claim the stars in the Milky Way, hiking far from the bustling crowds.
A place I call home are the old growth forests on my island. Nothing is quite so still as an old growth forest. When I walk the stillness deep in the woods beckons me to stop and listen. The stillness asks if I can hear the immense power and depth of silence. I am reminded th…
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Jul 5, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: Brush Your Teeth to Experience Brushing
Hello to you listening in Farnborough, North Hampshire, UK!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories from Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
At his retreats you would see my Zen Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh ask all the children to come and sit with him.
This was his way of inviting the children to hear a short Dharma talk before he excused them to their activities and spoke to all the adults in the retreat hall.
I remember one of his questions to the children: "_Why do we brush our teeth_?"
Of course they’d respond with answers like, “_So we don’t have bad breath_.” “_To keep them healthy._” “_My brother said I have to_.”
Thay would smile and say, “_These are all good answers; and the real reason we brush our teeth is to brush our teeth. For the experience of it. To pay attention to what we are doing in those few minutes.._.”
Question: It might seem silly to seek thinking of nothing as we b…
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Jul 4, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Pack Up the Babies & Grab the Old Ladies - Everyone’s Going to ENCOUNTER 360° TAMPA BAY
Hello to you Dennis & Ali Pitocco listening in Lutz, Florida!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
This news is better than fireworks! The very first ever ENCOUNTER 360° TAMPA BAY shines and sparkles on March 22nd and 23rd, 2023.
What is ENCOUNTER 360°? A Close Encounter of the Very Best Human Kind to re-discover humanity together. Dennis and Ali Pitocco have re-imagined a program unlike any before it. Come for rich conversation, real connection, authentic engagement, human interaction, and powerful relationship! In short, a window of time to experience belonging and then carrying that sense of community back home where you can continue to create for good.
Click HERE to get all the details and buy your ticket; only 50 seats available and they’re going FAST!
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic!_” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subsc…
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Jul 1, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: As Carriers of the Stories We Connect to Past and Future
Hello to you listening in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’ve been thinking about a line in Clarissa Pinkola Estes’s poem, A Simple Prayer for Remembering the Motherlode.
“_We do not become storytellers._
_We came as carriers of the stories_
_we and our ancestors actually lived. We are_.”
What strikes me - and perhaps you, too - is that this sacred obligation looks to the past as well to the future. Lives lived. Who were our ancestors? Do we know what they stood for, where they came from, their trials and tribulations? How do these stories inform our lives, consciously or unconsciously? How do we carry all of it?
And, what about our own story? Some might call it origin story, creation story, or the story that shines through in our business, our practice, our way of being in the world. How does our story connect us to those wh…
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Jun 30, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: It’s Time to Close Doors That Lead Nowhere
Hello to you listening in Liberty, Kansas!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Here we are mid-way through 2022. While many of us are seeking Be-ing over Do-ing there is still a great deal of pressure to open a new door, more doors, better doors to your life, your business, your heart, your relations... It’s exhausting! Might there be another way? Yes.
Perhaps you’re familiar with Paolo Coelho de Souza, a Brazilian novelist. At the very least I imagine you’ve read his best seller The Alchemist, and the prequel, The Pilgrimage, about the road to Santiago. I walked that very same road to self-discovery. I spent a night in the albergue Coelho sponsors.
So, when I read what he had to say about doors I paid attention. "_Close some doors today. Not because of pride, incapacity, or arrogance, but simply because they lead you nowhere_."
Question: Which doors will you cl…
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Jun 29, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Work With Me to Advocate, Lead and Influence
Hello to you listening in Mazama, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
When I introduced my Engaged Storyism® Method to my litigation clients they thought I was quite mad; but they learned I was quite right. Engaged story skills connect the plaintiff’s story to the stories of the decision-makers to find common ground and win the case.
But more importantly, my clients learned that before you tell your client’s story, be aware of your own. Do the hard work. The archeological dig on your narrative. Once we understand how our narrative shapes and re-shapes our life, our purpose, the relationships we have with others we are well on our way to standing up for what we stand for. Now we’re prepared to contribute our narrative to advocacy, leadership, and influence. Advocacy, leadership and influence shift attitudes, behaviors, cultures.
Practical Tip: If you…
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Jun 28, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: How to Feel Better With G.L.A.D.
Hello to you listening in Carlsbad, California!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you feel the escalating local, national and international tensions. Has the world gone mad? Whatever happened to kindness, to patience, to manners? These better sides of ourselves are just waiting for us to invite them out of the shadows.
As always, putting the Big G of Gratitude front and center in our lives helps us create the feeling of good for what we have even when we don’t feel so good or grateful. How to do that?
Practical Tip: Donald Altman developed an effective technique for creating a positive attitude toward life called GLAD! All you need is a journal to record daily some Gratitude that you have; 1 thing you Learned; 1 Accomplishment you did; and 1 thing that Delighted you. Gratitude - Learned - Accomplished - Delighted! GLAD! Guaranteed!
You’re invited: “_…
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Jun 27, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Release Monkey Mind and Invite Productive Calm
Hello to you listening in Green Valley, Arizona!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you’re challenged by Monkey Mind: that restless, unsettling, jibbering part of your brain that becomes easily distracted, making you feel like you’re going crazy. You’re not crazy. Monkey Mind is simply an annoying thought process, a habit of useless mental chatter that interferes with productive calm.
Practical Tip: When Monkey Mind shows up pause and breathe. When we pause and take 3 conscious breaths we invite space into our mind.
When we invite space into our mind there is less room for worry, anxiety, fear, uncertainty. We can actually experience calm in the sacredness of the space we create for ourselves. And then we smile.
When Monkey Mind shows up connect with your calming power. Monkeys are gone. You are here restored, renewed, productive.
You’re invite…
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Jun 24, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Life Is Like a Roll of TP or a Big Red Bus Ride
Hello to you listening in Wellingborough, North Hamptonshire, England!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
They say that life is like a roll of TP: the closer you get to the end the faster it goes.
Maybe you feel this way, too. Zoom Zoom! How do we slow it down? Pay attention to what’s still there? Savor the days even when they taste like cardboard, or worse?
Imagine this: Life is like a big red bus and some of us get on fighting for the best seats to see the best view from the best vantage points when all of a sudden the bus ride is over and we saw nothing. Others are content to stand in the aisle and experience the ride as best they can, being grateful for having gotten on the bus in the first place.
Story Prompt: We are given a life we have no right to expect. Now that you’ve boarded the big red bus what’s your ride going to be like? Write that story!
Practic…
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Jun 23, 2022
60 Seconds For Thoughts on Thursday: Who Did We Come Here to Be?
Hello to you listening in Wood Green, London, England!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As the story goes the likelihood of any one of us being conceived is like that of a sea turtle swimming in the ocean and rising to the surface once every one hundred years and putting her head through a loop of seaweed floating there.
Whether Life is chance or destiny we come with purpose. This from Clarissa Pinkola Estes:
"_We do not become healers._
_We came as healers. We are._
_Some of us are still catching up to what we are._
_We do not become storytellers._
_We came as carriers of the stories_
_we and our ancestors actually lived. We are._
_Some of us are still catching up to what we are._
_We do not become artists. We came as artists. We are._
_Some of us are still catching up to what we are._
_We do not become writers.. dancers.. musicians.. helpers.. peacemakers…
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Jun 22, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: A Story Is as Alive as the Person Telling It
Hello to you listening in Lake Chelan, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Some 30 years ago I was taught that story is a gift to the listener. This never-forgotten advice has shepherded me through decades of professional speaking, litigation consulting, communication coaching, and story strategizing.
Perhaps you’ve experienced someone telling a story and it feels forced, it does not ring true. What’s going on? A story is organic. It will manifest in a certain place or time when it is ready to be told and the teller is ready to serve as the conduit for the story.
If a story feels forced the teller isn’t ready to release it. If this was my client we would continue to collaborate on the key questions: who is it for, how did it come to be, why does it want to be heard, where does it begin, what does it mean. This is how we get to the heart of your messa…
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Jun 21, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: A Tip For Creating a Story That Others Relate To
Hello to you listening in Nassau, Bahamas!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’ve been asked: How does one create a story that others relate to? The one where someone says, “_What! You, too? I thought I was the only one_!”
Start by listening for the story that wants to be told. The story you share is actually you discovering what your own story wants to say through you so that you connect with yourself and connect with others.
Maybe your story is an opportunity to find out who you are, who you want to be, where you are going. Others want the very same things. When we invite our vulnerable, curious side to express itself our story can help cure others while it heals us. That’s why I say, “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!”
Question: How does this work for you: Discovering the stories that want to be told and then telling them for yourself and the r…
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Jun 20, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: How Do You Handle a Cranky Supervisor?
Hello to you listening in Greeley, Colorado!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Way way back in the day when my friend Gene was a hospital-based respiratory therapist a department supervisor took a dislike to him and rode his butt day in and day out. Why? Who can say. I’m betting you had (or have) one of those people in your life.
Gene took it as long as he could but that supervisor was after him like a dog with a bone. Which gave Gene an idea.
One day he walked into the hospital and handed his supervisor a brown paper wrapped gift. Inside was a note and a pork-chop shaped squeaky toy for dogs. Gene wrote: “_Chew on this for a while because my ass is pretty sore!_”
What happened next? They say that hard lessons are best learned with humor and in this case the pork chop squeaky toy worked. The two were not friends but somehow the tension eased.
Question: What m…
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Jun 17, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What Happens When Someone SHOULDS Us?
Hello to you listening in Cascais, Portugal!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
A man drives into a filling station and asks the attendant to fill the tank with gas. The attendant sees 3 penguins standing on the back seat of the car and tells the man, _Hey! You should take those penguins to the zoo_! The man says, _Good idea_! and drives away.
About a week later the same man returns to the filling station and asks the attendant to fill the tank. The attendant sees the same 3 penguins but now they’re wearing sunhats, sunglasses and beach sandals. He says, _Hey! I said you should take those penguins to the zoo_! _I did_, replied the man, _and we had such a good time that today we’re going to the beach_!
Story Prompt: When did someone *_should_* you? What did you choose to do instead? What happened next? Write that story!
Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also i…
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Jun 16, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: When in Doubt Look Up and Out to See Differently
Hello to you listening in Milan, Italy!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories from Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Here on Whidbey cleaning house gutters is a regular event. From up here on the roof of my house the whole neighborhood looks different. This bird’s-eye view reveals what I can’t see with my feet on the ground below.
Up on the roof is a good way to escape from the everyday and pretend, much as you might have as a child climbing trees, finding a secret space, creating a fantasy world between you and the sky. I know I’m up here to clean the gutters but it’s also where I get an insight into a difficult situation, an answer that’s been eluding me, or even the Ah Ha! of a new idea.
Practical Tip: You don’t have to climb up on the roof to become inspired. Maybe there is a balcony, a hill, a tree you can perch in; or, close your eyes and imagine you are in a safe space between the ground an…
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Jun 15, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Stand Still as a Lighthouse and Signal Your Clients
Hello to you listening in Lopez Island, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I volunteer as a story docent at Admiralty Head Lighthouse. Sailing in from the Pacific Ocean through the treacherous Strait of San Juan de Fuca ship captains would look for the blazing lighthouse beacon 127 feet above Admiralty Inlet warning them to steer a hard right to starboard, avoid the cliffs, and continue safely south to Puget Sound and on into Seattle.
How did the captain know he was seeing Admiralty Head Lighthouse? Each lighthouse - no matter where in the world - has its very own distinctive light pattern, or signature. Like your fingerprints. Lighthouses mark points of navigation, warn about dangerous coastlines, and guide ships into safe harbor.
But no one harbor serves all boats. Different boats - different harbors. Lighthouses don’t chase boats; why do you chase cl…
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Jun 14, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: A Triplet of Take-Aways
Hello to you listening in Santurtzi, Basque Country, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Choose a quote to muse on today:
_The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore_. [~ Vincent Van Gogh]
_To avoid straining your eyes when you’re continuously working follow the 20-20-20 rule: after 20 minutes of work look at something 20 feet away, then spend 20 years in the forest_. [~ Anonymous]
_You can’t cross the ocean standing on the beach. Once you stop wasting your time wondering if it’s possible that you can, that’s when you will_. [~ The Witch of Whidbey]
Question: Which one of these resonates with you just now and how come?
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout o…
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Jun 13, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Taking Things Personally Is a Major Time Waster
Hello to you listening in Villafranca de Los Caballeros, Spain!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
As much as I try to be an easygoing, stretch your wings and fly type, I just can’t stop trying to burst people into flames with my mind.
What sets me off? Something someone said or did which I perceive as an insult, a slight, an affront. We hear this all this time: _Take nothing personally; the stuff that folks say and do by and large has nothing to do with you_. Yes, true, and their “stuff” triggers our insecurities. What happens next? Meltdown!
Practical Tip: When you are tempted to take something personally, step back, give it some breathing room because most likely whatever was said or done is of their making and not yours.
Or, as my dad used to say: "_Diane, Nie mój cyrk. Nie moje małpy. Not my circus - not my monkeys_!"
You’re invited: “_Come for the…
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Jun 10, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What Dogs Know About Being a Leader
Hello to you Lesley Osborn listening in Ocala, Marion County, Florida!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Once upon a time, long before man walked the Earth, the Dog Nation decided to elect a leader. Under the full moon of a summer eve they gathered in a clearing in the woods. One by one each dog stood up and told the others why he (or she) should be elected leader.
Greyhound said she could run the fastest. The Dog Nation agreed Greyhound was a very fast runner!
Bulldog said he had the fiercest growl. The Dog Nation agreed that Bulldog was a fierce growler!
Hound Dog said he could sing the best. All the dogs were good singers but they agreed it wasn’t a party unless Hound Dog was singing!
All night long the Dog Nation howled and barked and woofed about what to do; but they could not agree on who to elect as leader.
Finally, little Chihuahua stood up on a log and s…
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Jun 9, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Quarter Moon Story Arts Website Make-Over
Hello to you listening in St. John, U.S. Virgin Island!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursdays and your host, Diane Wyzga.
This from Carl Rogers: “_You are a fluid process, not a fixed thing. You're a continually changing constellation of potentialities. A person is a fluid process, not a fixed and static entity; a flowing river of change, not a block of solid material; a continually changing constellation of potentialities, not a fixed quantity of traits_.” [Carl Rogers, On Becoming a Person]
How we present ourselves in business is also a fluid changing constellation. It’s time for my Quarter Moon Story Arts coaching website to undergo an extreme make-over.
Stay tuned for big news, big ideas, big plans as we revamp the look, feel and user-friendliness of Quarter Moon Story Arts website to better serve professional women who want to confidently create and convey their influential mission-base…
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Jun 8, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Seeking Language Large Enough With David Whyte
Hello to you listening in Langley Village, Whidbey Island, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
A few cold Decembers ago a friend and I were wandering in and out of the shops in Langley Village on Whidbey enjoying Christmas decorations, holiday gift shopping and lunching as ladies do when I heard the unmistakable voice I’d been listening to since the first poem in 1990! “_I want to write about faith_”, he said. And there he was! I knew David Whyte made his home here on Whidbey Island and not too far from my own home. Still and all, to meet him in person, on the sidewalk, shake his hand, play fan girl over his poetry was that long imagined gift under the Christmas tree.
I’m delighted to share with you the rebroadcast of David Whyte’s interview with Krista Tippett for On Being which first aired in 2016. Their conversation brims with language large en…
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Jun 7, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: This Age of Not Knowing Is Impossible to Know; So Now What?
Hello to you listening in New Westminster, BC, Canada!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
In this age of not knowing we often turn to art for answers. The following is from the ever-wonderful Maira Kalman, Israeli-born children’s book author and illustrator.
The Age of Not Knowing
_"What era are we in?_
_The era of not knowing._
_In that there is so much to know,_
_the only recourse is not to know._
_Or, we are incapable of knowing what we need to know._
_Which, like everything, can have a good side and a bad side._
_The bad is that we don’t know what will happen._
_And the anxiety this provokes is vast and constant._
_What new terror lurks?_
_The good is that we don’t know what will happen_
_and it could be a pleasant surprise._
_The other good is that we can decide what we need_
_to have happen in the moment. And take action._
_Go down the stairs and…
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Jun 6, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Sharing Good News! Don’t Give Up!
Hello and thank you Dennis & Ali Pitocco, Chief ReImaginators listening in Lutz, Florida!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Imagine it’s another Monday morning, you power up your computer, open the Inbox, and read this from the good folks at BIZCATALYST360 who have brought us A DECADE OF STORYTELLING POWERED BY THE BEST WRITERS ON THE PLANET:
_Re: BIZCATALYST360.COM LUMINARY SHOWCASE | YOU ARE NOW FEATURED!_
_Dear Diane:_
_CONGRATULATIONS! – We’re pleased to confirm that following a spirited discussion amongst our Editorial Team, you are the Featured Contributor that has been singled out for “showcasing” front & center on our __Home Page__ within our “360 NATION LUMINARY SHOWCASE” through SEPTEMBER 2022. Beyond the caliber of your writing, primary consideration supporting your nomination/selection for this prestigious ranking was your active reader eng…
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Jun 3, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: What if You Put Down What You’re Carrying
Hello to you listening in Mandaluyong City, Philippines!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more ) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
The other day something pretty rotten happened to me. I felt taken advantage of. How dare she? Who does she think she is? After all I’ve done! My anger and resentment continued long past their shelf life. What happened next? I remembered something.
Perhaps you’re familiar with the story of two Buddhist monks, one older and one younger, walking a dirt road back to their temple. Arriving at a wide river they see a woman standing on the bank unsure of how to cross. She asks for help. Without a word the older monk lifts her in his arms, carries her across the river, sets her gently on the other side and nods farewell.
The younger monk is shocked! An hour of walking, then two, then three, and finally the younger monk explodes in rage: “_We took a vow as monks…
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Jun 2, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Animal Companions Teach Us About Living Free
Hello to you listening in Camrose, Alberta, Canada!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
He’s making himself known calling from across the house, standing and staring in my office doorway until I notice.
My kitty is a senior fellow. Been with me some 17 years or so since I brought him home from the shelter. Someone had dumped the litter in a bin outside a convenience store. He’s weathered many changes: losing his sister, moving from household to household, now age and kidney disease.
The thing about him is that he asks for what he wants when he wants it. He doesn’t waste a sunny afternoon wondering what I think. He snoozes in a warm space. He’s figured out how to claim his spot on the bed and the pillow so I adjust to him. No matter my mood or attitude he’s there ready to hand out his personal brand of affection.
Question: What if we could live as well? Would…
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Jun 1, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: A Tribute to Reading
Hello to you listening in Wembley Downs, Australia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
My local Sno-Isle library in Freeland has supplied me with books of every size, author and topic for the past 5 years. Inside a book I roam around the world, through destinations near and far, ideas, challenges, cultures, mysteries, thrillers, other lives. I gain perspective, points of view, attitudes, stories, winners, losers, heroines, and dastardly deeds. That is just the beginning. There is something more.
From Alan Bennett’s play, The History Boys: "_The best moments in reading are when you come across something—a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things—which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours_."
Ques…
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May 31, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: Happiness Is Here and Now
Hello to you listening in Manassas, Virginia!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Maybe like me you’ve been so busy with stuff that you defer your happiness - until tomorrow. Maybe you think that the faster you go the quicker you’ll get ahead but actually the behinder you get.
What if we choose to begin anew by slowing our busy lives. What if there was a way to remember to slow down. I have something that might help from the good monastics at Deer Park Monastery where no one hurries but everything gets done:
“_Happiness is here and now_
_I have dropped my worries_
_Nowhere to go_
_Nothing to do_
_No longer in a hurry._
_Happiness is here and now_
_I have dropped my worries_
_Somewhere to go_
_Something to do_
_And I don’t need to hurry._”
Practical Tip: Give it go. See how it helps you!
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!…
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May 30, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Your Abundance Mindset Begins Here
Hello to you listening in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday with your host, Diane Wyzga.
Call it what you will: abundance; prosperity; good fortune. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you can choose to decide to invite abundance as a constant in your life, a welcome guest at your table.
A very good way to encourage a mindset of abundance is to imagine it as a warm and friendly energy, maybe a favorite color or cherished fragrance. Imagine that this warm and friendly energy can find its way into your home, your workplace. How? By invitation. It will swirl in through the doors and windows, down the chimney, up from the basement, through the mail slot, enveloping you with hope and imagination.
Pause here a moment to reflect on this warm and friendly energy before offering gratitude for the abundance that graces your life right now. Little by little more abunda…
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May 27, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: Be Willing to Trust Your Cape and Jump
Hello to you listening in Brescia, Italy!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’ve known my friend Gene since we served together at the US Naval Hospital Portsmouth on pediatric wards. We went our separate ways after being honorably discharged and then because the world is small and the Internet is large Gene found me and we’ve become fast friends.
He reminded me the other day: "_Before you can fly, you have to be willing to jump from a high place_."
Which, in turn, reminded me of a much loved song: The Cape by Guy Clark.
Which took me to memories of friendship, stories, taking a leap of faith, the passage of time, and the joy of it all.
Story Prompt: Take a listen to the song (The Cape by Guy Clark), remember a time when you were willing to trust your cape and jumped! Write that story!
Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share…
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May 26, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Own Your Own Life - Live Your Own Life
Hello to you listening in Orange Walk, Belize!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Still deep into Oliver Burkeman’s book, Four Thousand Weeks, Time Management for Mortals, I am keenly aware of choosing to live one’s own life, right here, right now.
From the writer Carol Cassella: “_You’ll make a lot of choices in your life - some like mine, some different. But you can’t know who you are unless you know who you are not. Meet your limits and overcome what you can. On your own_.”
From Rumi: “_And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?_”
It’s high time to live your life, not your parents’, your ancestors’, your bestie’s. Why? Because it will take too much wasted effort to figure out how to do it their way instead of your way. So, maybe it’s taking you long…
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May 25, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: My Creative Process, Part 1
Hello to you listening in Tacoma, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Many folks have asked me about my podcast writing practice. As of today there are over 600 Episodes in just two short years.
I can tell you this much: it’s a lot of creative work over two days’ time each week producing 60 Seconds: drafting, finalizing, recording, adding effects, top and tail with music, researching listener locations and images, before finally posting to the Simplecast platform.
I begin with something I’d like to learn or ponder or experience. I trust that you’re interested as well. I have to think deeply about what I want to say so that it resonates with your life, is useful to you. The more open and vulnerable I can be with my explorations, the more I hope to inspire, encourage, motivate, provoke and delight you.
Creativity requires discipline, organization, s…
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May 24, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: Life Will Break You & You Will Survive
Hello to you listening in Rotterdam, The Netherlands!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
Louise Erdrich writes: “_Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning._
_You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up._
_And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could_.” [Louise Erdrich, The Painted Drum]
Question: If you’ve not yet been broken, what do you want to ask? And, if you have been broken, what do you want to say?
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the m…
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May 23, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Getting Out of a Deep Creative Rut
Hello to you Marilyn Wyzga listening in Hancock, New Hampshire!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
The other day I was thinking about a time when I had fallen into a deep creative rut. No, not a rut, a ditch. Not a ditch, a gully. Not even a gully but a steep, deep ravine, a canyon, an abyss! Have you ever tried to climb your way out of an abyss? Even a creative one? Can’t do it. There I was with no way out.
No one heard me call. No cell phone access. No one to help me. No options, solutions, or ideas.
Just then I heard my name being called and way above me I saw the face of my friend. _Hey, I’m down here, can you help me out_? Something fell alongside me. When I looked up I saw it was my friend. _What the heck did you just do? Now we’re both in this abyss_! _Yeah_, says my friend! _But I’ve been down here before and I know the way out_.
Question: Who has hel…
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May 20, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: An Elephant to Deliver Us From Our Writing Comfort Zone
Hello to you listening in San Diego, California!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday with your host, Diane Wyzga.
The other day over coffee with my friend, Barb Mosher, acclaimed abstract artist and podcaster our conversation took an unexpected turn when Barb asked if I saw myself as a writer. Well, no, not like Anne Lamott, John Irving, Robin Wall Kimmerer. But, you do write, she said. Magazine articles, stories, behind the scenes book editor, and let’s not forget your 600+ podcast episodes, right? Well, yeah.
Enough, said Barb! If I was giving you advice (oh, boy, here it comes) I’d tell you to do something illogical, wild, and fun! I want you to devote 30 carefree minutes to this prompt so you can step away from pre-conceived notions and expectations. Okay listeners, if I have to do it, so do you.
Story Prompt: There’s an elephant, dressed in plaid, sitting in my kitchen, eating grapes, out of the dog’s dish! Now what?…
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May 19, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: Time to Choose What You Really Want
Hello to you listening in San Rafael, California!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
I’ve been slowly making my way through a sobering and humorous book entitled Four Thousand Weeks - Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. According to Burkeman the average human life span is only 4,000 weeks. Now what?
Now we get to choose what we need to accomplish and what we want to accomplish. The world is awash in possibilities. We’re taught that we can have it all, do it all. They got it wrong. Just because it’s there does not mean we need it, want it, or will get it.
What we can do for our peace of mind and productivity is to reorient our understanding of time and our place in time by embracing ‘finitude’. Yes, there’s a finish line dead ahead. But, instead of experiencing despair because we’ll never get to it all, we can ask, “_What is the best use for…
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May 18, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Diane Wyzga & Jeff Ikler Talk Story & Stuff
Hello to you listening in Burlington, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host Diane Wyzga.
Recently, my friend and colleague Jeff Ikler invited me to share some air time with him on his podcast: Getting Unstuck - Cultivating Curiosity.
Over a tenuous network connection (because sometimes 2 cans and a piece of string work at least as well as Internet up here on Whidbey) Jeff and I explored pulling back the curtain to help professionals get to the heart of their message, their authentic self and story; critical listening; my concept of the Engaged Storyism Method®; and helping Jeff articulate how come he was finally ready to take a 50-year delayed semester abroad.
Check out Jeff’s blog post: Click HERE
Or, take a listen Click HERE on Apple
You’re invited: “_Come for the stories - stay for the magic_!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout…
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May 17, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: Accept “For Now” and Lessen Your Suffering
Hello to you listening in Port Orange, Florida!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga!
We have become a most impatient lot. It used to be that we might stand in a line at the market or bank or elsewhere and be okay with that; but now we tap our foot, sigh loudly, look at our device, and wonder what’s keeping me from my stuff.
It used to be that we would write a card or letter, affix a stamp, send it off in the post where it would be received by a loved one some distance away; but now that’s too much. We text them: Happy Birthday. Get well. Congratulations.
It used to be that we would place a call on the phone, leave a message on the answer machine, wait for the response when it came; but now we get agitated when the person we want to speak to is not available when we want them to be.
I invite you to add your own experiences here.
Meanwhile, a Practical Tip: You may not…
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May 16, 2022
60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Lost Everything? Time to Go for a Walk!
Hello to you listening in Laconia, New Hampshire!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga!
Imagine this: you are 88 years old, in poor health, your husband and best friend have died leaving you quite alone but for a son who lives some distance away. Now what?
You go for a walk to clean up politics. My friend Doris “Granny D” Haddock started walking across America in her 89th year. It took her 14 months to walk 3,200 miles from Los Angeles, California to Washington D.C. By the time she arrived in Cumberland, Maryland the biggest snowstorm in 4 years shut everything down so she sent to New Hampshire for her cross-country skies and skied all the way to the capitol steps where she met then Senator John McCain. Granny D had walked to bring attention to the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Bill.
Yes, these are troubling and troublesome times. While tim…
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May 13, 2022
60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday: "Each One Lift One!" Is How We Roll Here!
Hello to you, Chelle Shapiro listening in New York, New York!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
The other day I received a message on LinkedIn from a new-ish connection who offered kind words on a recent 60 Seconds episode before asking, “_If you are open to it, may I make a suggestion to increase your visibility_?” How could I refuse such a gracious post?
Chelle actually *listened* to a Time Out Tuesday episode - the whole package which I create to bring you hope and imagination - before reading my Episode Notes and checking out the URL for my LinkedIn profile!
Chelle discovered that the LinkedIn URL was not active and sent me a screenshot visually explaining what she found. Apparently, I had failed to update my Episode Notes after personalizing my custom URL for my Profile.
I corrected the URL going forward but I simply do not have the bandwidth to correct over…
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May 12, 2022
60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday: I’m Here Because You’re There!
Hello to you, Kimberly, listening in the middle of the Florida Peninsula!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga
Maybe like me you are working diligently at your craft, sending your work out into the world with the hope that it gets to where it’s going like a river moving under frozen ice. But you’re never quite sure where it’s landing, who it’s helping, what difference it’s making to the world.
One morning you get an email with “_Good Morning and Thank You_” in the Subject box. It’s a note from a woman who listens to the podcast every morning as she heads out for a walk. Imagine that!
She says that one of my 60 Seconds episodes spoke to her “_as if you had heard me_.” Imagine that!
Then she shares a bit more about herself, her challenges, and some uncertainties before asking how to stay steadfast in a daily creative practice.
Once I wiped the tears f…
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May 11, 2022
60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey: Breaking the 4th Wall Brings a Story to Life
Hello to you listening in Oak Harbor, Washington!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey with your host, Diane Wyzga.
Question: What’s the difference between a stage play and storytelling? Storytelling removes the 4th Wall.
Imagine 3 intersecting rings each one representing the teller, the listener, and the story. The magic of storytelling happens where all three elements come together to organically create the story that wants to be told. The listener is engaged in the creating, not passively observing behind the 4th Wall.
What’s the 4th Wall? The 4th Wall is a theater convention in which an imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. The actors never acknowledge the existence of the audience, the story, the play, or scene. Instead, they focus all of their attention on the fictional world they’re in.
Looking at a stage play through the invisible 4th Wall the audience can know the sto…
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May 10, 2022
60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday: Solitude Is a Precariously Worthy Challenge
Hello to you listening in Liege, Belgium!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seco