2006 eNews 4nd Qtr. Dear Friends,
Wow, what a year it has been......I can't believe that it's almost
Thanksgiving! Let me catch you up on what's been happening at
IWL since my last newsletter.
After a wonderful, renewing 8 week sabbatical we immediately
launched the second annual WLC in Hawaii. As usual we were blessed
with a wonderful mix of islanders and women from the mainland.
Our native Hawaiian sisters brought the magic of Aloha to the
program and the turtles came to visit us in the water right outside
of the hotel. We also celebrated our IWL Alumnae reunion at the
Sheraton and can really see how the IWL community is growing on
Oahu. Stay tuned for the 2007 dates which will be released soon!
I continue to make well-being my highest priority and completed
my second week of-re-education at the Optimum Health Institute
(see below) [http://www.optimumhealth.org/optimumhealth/] In addition
to the raw food and juicing regimen that I had already adopted,
I was able to add the practice of dehydrated raw foods to my repertoire.
Now I know not everyone is excited about eating organic, raw,
dehydrated foods but I can tell you that the health benefits are
extraordinary. Please contact me if you'd like to discuss adopting
this healthy lifestyle.
October marked several big milestones........having signed the
book contract with Jossey Bass, we delivered the draft manuscript
almost exactly on my 55th birthday! The book will be released
in October 2007 and we are planning a great deal of promotional
activities across the 50 states so hope you will be a part of
that. The book itself profiles many IWL alumnae and will be an
invaluable resource for living the principles of Contextual Leadership.
Among other great luminaries we joined our fellow Enlightened
Power co-authors and rock star editor Ellen Wingard at the Omega
Institute in New York to deliver the Enlightened Power Women's
Conference.
http://www.eomega.org/omega/workshops/eeda7ce1552d85d9ef8b1c18b581d996/
Omega Institute is a fantastic setting to convene women committed
to changing the world through redefining power and leadership!
If you haven't read the book then I highly recommend you keep
it close during the holidays and sneak in a chapter every night:-)
During October we made 2 trips to Minneapolis/St. Paul to deliver
3 day programs sponsored by ELSCers, Krista Claude (Thomson Corp.)
and Deb Paterson (Wells Fargo). Both leaders have been long time
advocates of IWL and are creating a community of Contextual Leaders
within the Twin Cities area and beyond. Given our belief that
a sustainable world is only possible through he full partnership
of women and men, it is so important to train men in our methodology
and engage them in transforming organizational culture.
We finished out the month of October in beautiful Bodega Bay
with our most successful ELSC ever! We were thrilled to have 6
returning executives in addition to our slate of new participants.
Arians, Victoria, Catherine, Hilary and I partnered to deliver
a world class curriculum while the participants themselves demonstrated
a tremendous amount of trust and courage in breaking new ground
with each other. Reinventing oneself in the midst of extraordinary
success is truly a heroic act.......we continue to be inspired
and moved by the quality of clients we get to worth with.
November brought my semi-annual journey to the Women's Leadership
Board meeting at Harvard:[http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/wlb/] This
session was particularly meaningful because it marked the beginning
of my tenure on the executive committee as Chair of Mentoring
and Leadership Development. I am joined on the committee by several
IWL alumnae including Ellen Wingard, Lin Coughlin, and Amy Levine.
We are promising to provide breakthrough opportunities for both
the women students at the Kennedy School as well as their fellow
students across the larger Harvard community.
As if all that wasn't enough to shout from the rafters, we launched
the first in a series of quarterly ELSC Intensive programs. This
session was conducted in Phoenix and was sponsored by the dynamic
duo of IWL alums, Dr.
Colleen Brophy and Christi Coxley. They created an environment
that, by unanimous acclaim, allowed for a profoundly transformational
experience. The curriculum with which we engaged is called, "shadow
work" and we believe that it is an essential building block
for all great leaders. You can read more about this approach from
several resources but one of my favorites is:
http://www.alibris.com/search/books/author/Johnson,%20Robert%20A.
Additionally we are celebrating the completion of phase 1 of
our 2007 planning session! There will lots of new activities related
to the book launch and a special roll out of new 1-day programs.
I am so blessed to work with Hilary, Jill and Jessica who work
at IWL because it allows them the opportunity to make a difference
in so many lives. Each of them is your partner if you need any
support from IWL.
In December we are hosting the IWL holiday party at 5:30pm on
Thurs. Dec.7th At Arrividerchi's Restaurant in Redwood City. This
will immediately follow the Women Leading Change program so we
are looking forward to bringing 16 years of IWL Community together.
Stay tuned for more details but PLEASE save the date in your schedule.
On a personal note I am enjoying the return of my daughter Chelsea
to Redwood City to finish up her lower division courses at the
local community college. Having experienced the social and academic
opportunities of San Diego State, she has decided that she prefers
the warmth of her home and childhood friendships at this time
in her life. At Thanksgiving we will be discussing the possibility
of an international sojourn before she transfers on to finish
her B.S. Degree......having witnessed the value that the students
at Harvard report on their international exposure it seems like
a life enhancing experience for any young person.
In closing let me express my deepest gratitude for your partnership
over the years. Whether you are a new graduate of our curriculum
or a 16 year veteran I relish the community that we have created
together. It is a rare privilege to spend one's life in the service
of those who lead change in organizations, communities and the
world. Please stay in touch and let us know if we can be of further
service to you!
With love and appreciation..........Rayona
PS--We still have room in the December WLC if you have a friend,
family member or colleague who would benefit from this extraordinary
curriculum and community. http://www.womensleadership.com/women_leading_change.php
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