Are You Guilty of Care-taking?

CLICK TO TWEET: So when is it time for you? Ain’t no body happy if mama ain’t happy – and the only one who’s in charge of that task is YOU.

Women have a pattern of behavior I find quite interesting.  It’s not our fault per se – it’s something that’s been domesticated into us from the time we’re small. Especially if you’re over 45.

I’m talking about care-taking. That means taking care of everyone else in your life first – and putting yourself at the bottom of the list. I’m aware that not every woman does this – but I can say with certainty that the majority of us do to varying degrees.

Biologically we’re programmed to take care of our children – and for humans that is a looooooong process! If you do something the same way for 18 years – for sure that’s going to be a pretty difficult habit to break. We also care for aging parents, our partners and our pets.

So when is it time for you?

When is it time to stop spending every extra dime on everyone else and start investing deeply in yourself, your dream, and your life? One thing I know for certain is ain’t no body happy if mama ain’t happy – and the only one who’s in charge of that task is YOU.

I don’t care how old you are or aren’t – it’s never too late to create an audacious and magical life for yourself. And it’s never too late to create that business or dream you’ve always wanted to! I can’t tell you the number of women who are in the middle of their life that have no idea of the direction they want to go – or even how to begin to figure that out. Wow. That’s a serious issue.

Perhaps the kids are finally out of the house, maybe you just got let go from your corporate job, perhaps that inauthentic marriage is finally over, or a special partner or loved one has passed from your life. Whatever the situation, in all likelihood you’ve got at least another 40 years to go in your life – keeping in mind that the average woman lives to at least 80 years of age if not 100 these days.

So what you are going to do – sit around in a rocking chair watching your life go by? Are you going to continue to live your life vicariously through everyone else? Or are you going to take a chance, believe in yourself, and invest the time and money into creating a sustainable, audacious life for yourself filled with new challenges that constantly feed your soul and invigorate your heart?

Look, I’ve been a doctor, a spiritual teacher, and now I’ve re-branded and changed direction yet again and I’m 55. So don’t tell me you’re too old to be starting from scratch because I have no patience for indulging that kind of limiting, non-truthful, mumbo-jumbo. And neither should you because that’s a serious lack of self-respect!!

I learned something quite profound while I was practicing medicine from my 90+ year old patients. Over and over they’d remind me to live my life without regrets and fully live life my way regardless of what anyone else thought about it. That kind of talk gave me the courage to leave my practice back in 1999.

So ladies, what are you waiting for?

I for one am on a mission to stamp out mediocre lives and encourage every person to reach their awesome potential before it’s too late. So I want to hear from you – are you a caretaker? Have you been sublimating your dreams for so long your can’t even remember them? Do you think it’s too late to start something new?

Are you ready for the next chapter of your life? I’d love to know what’s been on your mind. And remember – what you share below could change someone life – so don’t forget to post below.

To your success,
sheri-sig2
PS: More women than men are caregivers: an estimated 66% of caregivers are female. One-third (34%) take care of two or more people, and the average age of a female caregiver is 48.0. The gender balance shifts to close to equal participation among 18 to 49 year-old-care recipients (47% of caregivers are male), while among the 50+ recipients, it tips to females (32% male, 68% female). [The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP (2009), Caregiving in the U.S. National Alliance for Caregiving. Wash, DC.- Updated: Nov 2012]

On the days that they did household activities, women spent an average of 2.6 hours on such activities, while men spent 2.1 hours. On an average day, 19 percent of men did housework—such as cleaning or doing laundry—compared with 48 percent of women. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Dept of Labor]



Got a Petty Tyrant in Your Life? You Should!

CLICK TO TWEET: Everything life puts on your path is there to help you become a better, more enlightened and happy person IF you chose to see it that way!

I believe one of the most difficult tasks we face on our personal growth path is dealing with our own self-importance and ego. I think most of us would agree that it’s important to honor our heart and inner guidance rather than our thinking mind – especially since our mind can harbor fear-based beliefs that limit our expression in this life. Most folks find it can be pretty challenging to listen to that feisty internal dialogue all day long without believing that’s who we are.

It’s takes a bit of experience and practice to be able to detach from our mind – with the ultimate understanding that the voices in our head are simply a repository of information and points of view rather than the ultimate truth of who we really are and can be.

But I’ve found a nifty way to deal with our ego and that’s to engage a petty tyrant in your life!

At this point you’re probably saying what the heck is she talking about! So hang in there with me and let me explain. Basically, a petty tyrant is someone who has the ability to irritate us and annoy us to distraction. An example of this is someone who you must interact with in your life – like your spouse’s business partner, an in-law, your father, or a client. Now, you could allow them to annoy you – or you could get over yourself, stop judging that person and trying to make them wrong – and just accept them and even love them, just the way they are!

It’s a tall order isn’t it to think that you might actually use someone who drives you crazy to further yourself on your spiritual path – right? But look at it this way – everything life puts on your path is there to help you become a better, more enlightened and happy person – IF you chose to see it that way!

Simply put, petty tyrants torment us.

They’re difficult people who often end up in positions of power where they can abuse others – often because they were abused themselves. They have an uncanny way of stepping on our wounds and getting us really pissed off.

If we have the opportunity to argue with a petty tyrant we’ll argue with them – it’s so tempting to get our ego riled up and want to be right with these kinds of people. However – you can try to be right or you can decide to be happy. I know you know what I’m talking about here!

The great thing about petty tyrants is that they reflect to us the beliefs we hold that imprison us and cause us to lose our personal power rather than being at peace.
So here’s the deal – you can take these people personally and allow them to get you upset or you can find another way. A truly aware person knows that the petty tyrant is not her problem – what she thinks and believes about the petty tyrant is her problem. She uses the situation to examine her thoughts and emotional reactions and rather than projecting her anger outward. She realizes it’s more productive to use her energy to change HER inner world than to try to change everyone else.

To be clear, I am not suggesting you stay in a situation that’s abusive – absolutely not, I’m saying to learn to use the difficult situations and people in your life to get over yourself. So please don’t use what I’m sharing to justify remaining in an abusive situation that you’re too afraid to get yourself out of. That’s not self-respect.

Ultimately, the more we continue to hone our connection with source (whatever that is for you), the more we see the insanity of our need to control others. Instead we focus on dealing with our own mind and limiting thoughts, which is our main responsibility. In doing so we change the world because we’ve changed ourselves.

So I encourage you to have fun with your petty tyrants and see if you can observe yourself without judgment in your interactions with them. You might be surprised at what you learn! I’m so anxious to hear what you have to share about the petty tyrants in your life – don’t forget to post below and let me know what you do to deal with them!

To your success,
sheri-sig2



What Message Are You Sending With Your Current Style?

CLICK TO TWEET: Are you sporting an old tiresome look – or are you putting yourself out there without fear + does your style reflect your message?

There’s a saying out there – “clothes make the man.” But I can’t say that I particularly agree with that statement. I don’t think that clothing makes us anything – but I do believe that if you have a message that you want to get out there – or a business you want to grow and expand – your clothing must align with that message or business if you want to be heard and trusted.

Subconsciously we’re always looking for alignment.

We evaluate whether the emotions a person is putting out there matches the words they’re saying. For example I can say I love you, or I can say I love you – one sounds genuine and the other does not. We use the same method when we evaluate the way someone looks to see if their message matches the quality and level of their service.

Keeping this in mind it’s important to be aware of the message we’re putting out there. If you want to create a juicy and audacious life for yourself, then it behooves you to be aware of how you’re being perceived. Now I want to be clear here and say this isn’t about being a certain way to please others to be accepted. No. It’s about creating the dream you want to create being fully aware of the actions you are taking and the reactions you are making.

If you insist in dressing in a corporate environment in a way that’s not appropriate, rather than trying to fight the man so to speak – consider why you’re in resistance to looking corporate. Maybe you really aren’t meant to be there in the first place and the clothing isn’t truly the issue. Perhaps you’re meant to be an entrepreneur and let your image be part of your branding. Maybe that’s a bit of honesty you’ve been avoiding looking at – or maybe not.

Whatever the case may be – it can be challenging to evaluate our wardrobe because when we look at ourselves in the mirror we often don’t see ourselves the way others do – and that can be a problem. That’s why we have stylists and folks who can help us to express our message more effectively, tastefully, and gracefully – or – help us let our freak flag fly.

Women I think, often get comfortable with a particular look.

We style our hair a certain way, use the same makeup colors and before we know it 20 years have flown by and the message we’re putting out there is that we aren’t paying attention to – and caring about ourselves – in the way we could be. And that’s NOT the message we want to put out there in our businesses and lives.

For me at least, living audaciously means being present fully in the now, not in the past. This requires my attention and constant re-evaluation of the direction I want to go and IF the actions I’m taking are getting me there. That includes my image and my branding both on my website and on my person.

So I’m curious – are you sporting an old tiresome look – or are you putting yourself out there without fear or trepidation and does your style reflect your message?

Let me know below! And if you’re interested in upleveling your look keep your eyes open for our next Style Elixir in LA – join me + an Emmy award-winning make-up artist for an audacious weekend of food, fashion + self-expression.



Sacred Sanctuary or Malevolent Maelstrom?

CLICK TO TWEET: In the end either your life is running you or you are running your life. So which is it? @Sheri_Rosenthal

I believe that the state of your living space reflects the state of your mind. Am I on to something here – I think I am.

These days – it’s critical that your home be your personal sanctuary. That it be the place that you can retreat to after a long day in the trenches of life. But if you walk through your door and your place looks like WW III just took place, papers are all over every surface of the house, the closets are filled to the brim, the fridge is a science project, stuff is stuffed under the bed – you’re never going to be able to fully unwind, recharge and chill-out.

To live a truly audacious life it’s critical to remove all limiting and conflicting thoughts, be clear about the direction we are going in life and have a plan on how to execute the actions necessary to create the desired outcomes. We can’t do that if our homes are as filled to the as brim clutter as our minds are.

There’s a reason why most monasteries, ashrams and cloisters are austere and basic. By simplifying one’s surroundings and taking the focus off all the stuff and clutter, one can expand ones consciousness, quiet and empty the ego-mind, and better connect with infinite consciousness. AKA god/spirit/source, whatever language you prefer.

Now – it’s obvious that most of us do not live a monastic life style – however we can learn from that model and take from it the most salient points and apply them to our lives.

So I have three questions for you to answer:

  1. Have you surrounded yourself by beauty or clutter? By this I mean are the walls of your home covered with art that makes your heart sing – or just any old pictures placed there just to cover the walls? Do you have a carefully curated collection of items throughout your home that evokes a particular set of feelings inside you – or do have a house filled with meaningless tschotskes? Your life and living space is like a beautiful painting – you get to chose what’s desirable in your painting and what’s an eyesore.
  2. Do you have a once-a-year ritual for cleaning out your closets and letting go of what is old and no longer used? Truly, your closet is like your mind – and if you don’t let go of what is no longer serving you there won’t be room for what’s new and fresh to enter your life. It’s remarkable – but I’ve seen people clean out their closets and then watch everything in their life shift. Trust me on this one.
  3. Do you have systems in place to process the amount of junk that enters your home on a daily basis? I am an absolute believer in systems and since I entered menopause I can’t even imagine what my life would look like without them. For example, as soon as I pick up the mail I open and sort it. Bills go into the bill folder to be paid (if they are not signed up for auto-pay) – and nonsense goes into the trash. I realized long ago it’s best if I don’t order piles of magazines. I don’t have time to read them and it only creates piles of paper in the house. But if you absolutely can’t do without your subscriptions get them on your ipad and save a tree.

So I’d love to hear what you do to create sanctuary in your home – so if you’ve got some great tips do share them – we can all benefit from your wisdom!



The Enliven + Energize Women’s Retreat: Maui

Maui, Hawaii :: March 18-23rd, 2014

Join me for 6 days/5 nights of delicious spa services, serious mojo + unrestrained vitality.

We’ll be focusing on how to uplevel…
our inner vitality
(what keeps us energized and alive) +
our personal sanctuary
(what allows us to deeply relax and recharge in our home)
through heart-felt circles, ceremony, experiential exercises, and so much more!

If you’ve been feeling a bit down and lacking passion in your life – this retreat will have you recharged, centered, and ready to create magic in your life and business!

You’ll learn how to…

Pool + jaccuzzi at Lumeria

  • Make your home the ultimate no-drama-zone to keep you recharged + revved.
  • Find out the hidden places in your home that are sucking the life from your creative energy.
  • Infuse your business with energy and verve.
  • Get the low-down on how to eat healthy, micro-nutrient filled, make-your-skin-glow food.
  • Create sacred space and why an altar in your home is perfect for focusing your intent.

And you’ll have time to curl up like a cat in the gorgeous Hawaiian sun, catch some rays (with your sunscreen on of course) + celebrate being fully alive.

The Top 8 Reasons for Not Missing This Event!

Dining at Lumeria1- Delicious, healthy, farm to table food. If being a healthier you is part of your New Year’s resolution – this is the place to be. You’ll be well nourished, and learn new ways to feed your busy and often over-stressed body! The Lumeria Maui Gardens are nothing short of a tropical and edible paradise – and you’re going to enjoy the best of them!

2- Spa services. That’s right – we’re including a delicious, muscle melting, Lomi-lomi massage in your retreat package to make sure that you’re relaxed, chilled-out, and laid-back – island style. Learning to treasure our bodies more deeply and taking more time for ourselves is something most of us women could REALLY benefit from! (Value: $150 USD)

Spa services at Lumeria3- One private one-on-one sessions. You’ll get a powerful 60 minute session with Sheri. We’ll make sure that your personal questions are answered, all queries quashed, and if you need some powerful new strategies for your life – we’ll make sure you’re empowered and ready to go! And if you like – schedule an add-on VIP day to your retreat and take your life to the next level. (Value: $500 USD)

4- Down-time to unwind. There’s plenty of time to relax, do nothing or simply watch the clouds float by. You can also journal, take daily yoga classes, indulge in spa services, have time for hanging out with your new girlfriends, walk the land, explore the gardens, draw or catch up on your sleep. (Value: priceless)

Living room at Lumeria5- Rejuvenating beautiful rooms. Each room has been individually designed with unique furnishings and artwork, hand selected from around the world by interior designer Xorin Balbes, author of the book SoulSpace. The intimately designed environment facilitates deep relaxation, inner peace and tranquility.

6- Daily Mojolious Circles. There is nothing like a group of awesome women to support you in whatever process you are going through right now – whether it’s in your business or personal life. This is your opportunity to connect more deeply and authentically in a circle where you can be heard, honored, respected, and encouraged to be the juicy woman that you are.

Gardens at Lumeria7- Enliven + Energize. Most women tend to run non-stop in their lives. Of course that’s all fine and good – but believe us on this one – if your body and mojo has been run into the ground we can assure you that you are not going to have that life you’ve been dreaming of. Creativity – the feminine juice that your business runs on, is the key to your success! We’re going to make sure you recharge and refuel so you can go home and create the life and biz that you’ve been dreaming of.

8- Magic + Miracles. There’s something extremely magical that happens when we come together with the intent to uplevel ourselves and our lives. Ideas emerge that inspire and illuminate. Business connections blossom into being. Possibilities reveal themselves. Tears, laughter, and hugs embellish conversations. The combined energies conspire to create something exponentially greater than our individual beings. You’ll see.

**You’ll also have the opportunity to either come a day early
or stay a day later and have a special VIP day with Sheri to deepen your experience!
Limited spaces available – so book your VIP day early.**

Hawaii Spiritual Retreat

What’s Included

  • Five luscious nights at the stunning Lumeria Maui Retreat Center (featured in O magazine)
  • Fifteen delicious meals as indicated on the itinerary!
  • Daily group women’s circles
  • A delectable Lomi-lomi massage (Value: $150)
  • All transformational teachings & ceremonies
  • Transportation to and from the airport
  • One private one-on-one session with Sheri (Value: $500)
  • Signed copy of Sheri’s book
  • A special goodie bag (yum)!

Your Amazing Itinerary!

Day 1 – Arrival in Maui, Hawaii (-/-/d)

Maui Womens RetreatToday we arrive in Maui and transfer to our luxury hotel. Wander through the lush tropical and edible organic gardens that supply their farm-to-table dining experience. Participate in extensive daily yoga and meditation classes, and take advantage of thoughtfully selected adventures and wellbeing offerings. **Our hotel provides complimentary airport shuttles from the airport.

This six-acre private sanctuary overlooks the North Shore of Maui, just outside of Paia. With stunning ocean and island views, they are close to world-renowned beaches, famous surf spots, and Maui’s best biking and hiking trails.

After settling into our luxury accommodations and enjoying a fresh, healthy dinner, we’ll gather together in circle. Our women’s circles are where we can let our hair down, get to know each another, and set our intent for the rest of the journey. This is the time where we drop all our worldly cares and become completely focused on ourselves. It’s the time to drop deeply into our desires, feel connected to a community and conjure up the parts of ourselves aching to be expressed.

Day 2 – Mojo! (b/l/d)

Maui Womens RetreatAfter breakfast we have our morning session in group. You head to lunch fully alive and open.

After lunch it’s time to chill, pamper, and rejuvenate! Relax with a massage or spa treatment. Frolic in the ocean. Take your experience another level deeper and have a 1:1 session with Sheri. The choices are all delicious because this time is for you. Fortunately our retreat center’s distinctive Spa Services Menu offers just the right treat for every personal taste. (Remember you have a Lomi-Lomi massage as part of your package!) This is the perfect way to rest, relax and nourish your mind, body and soul. Ahhhhhh…..

After dinner, we’ll have a blessing ceremony to ask the ancestors of the land to join us during our special time here. This sacred ceremony is where we remember our spiritual self. We call in the sacredness that is always present. From this place, deep clarity, inner peace + fierce self-love is restored.

Day 3 – Sanctuary (b/l/d)
Maui Womens Retreat
After a delicious fresh breakfast we’ll all share in a burning bowl ceremony. Here we’ll have the opportunity to release the thoughts, perspectives and concepts that are no longer serving us. We allow the power and strength of the land to support us by transforming any fear, doubt or worry that’s lingering in our hearts, minds or bodies.

After lunch, our focus on sanctuary turns to our personal home. In this crazy world it’s critical that our homes be a respite where we can recharge and nurture ourselves. Having a small area in your home that is designated “sacred space” is incredibly empowering. Today you’ll learn how to create an altar that will support your dreams and a home that supports your goals and intentions (your personal tower of power). When our homes are treated with love, care, and intention – they can in turn support our deepest desires becoming manifest.

Day 4 – Vitality (b/l/d)

Today we’ll explore how we nourish ourselves with food. We’re all busy women – how many times have we grabbed something fast to eat without thinking about the consequences of that food choice?
Maui Womens Retreat
If we’re going to participate fully and vibrantly in our lives we need to make sure we are nourished and fed on all levels, physically and spiritually. So the question becomes how can we make sure we are eating well without stressing ourselves. Today we’re going look at juicing and some other great ways to get high powered awesome micro-nutrients into our bodies without cooking for hours!

In the evening, we’ll meet for a sharing and meeting of hearts. We’ll have the opportunity to sit in circle as powerful women and share our experience, wisdom and goddess nature. Who knows what will come up – but it will be magic.

Day 5 – Integration (b/l/d)

Today we’ll explore all the different roles we play as women. Mother, lover, entrepreneur, executive, assistant, yogini, dancer, wife/girlfriend, etc. It’s here that we source new layers of strength within. Each role you play in life has purpose. Each role has her own unique voice, movement and expression. In most cases, we don’t have the resources or the confidence to experience ALL the mojo we possess. Here, we give you the tools and show you how to bring every part of you to life. This is where you get to be fully expressed – and praised for it.

Hawaii Womens RetreatAfter lunch it’s time for pampering and integration of all you have taken in during our time together. Relax with a massage or spa treatment. Read a book, take a walk along the beach, breathe in the salt water air, dig your toes into the volcanic sand. If you haven’t had your private session with Sheri make sure you have one this afternoon.

In the evening, we’ll meet for our final dinner together and celebration. Full, juicy, alive and now present to the brilliance within we express all that’s been integrated at our own private dance party. Here is where you get to show off your roles, ignite your soul, and shine brighter than ever before (and have a heck of a lot of fun).

Day 6 – Home (b/-/-)

Today we depart for home, rested, and nourished from our time together. Ready to bring forth our inner Mojo and create some serious juiciness in our lives!

What’s Not-Included

Hawaii Spiritual Retreat

  • Personal items such as phone calls, laundering services and souvenir shopping!
  • Spa services
  • Your round-trip air flight to Maui, Hawaii is not-included
  • Tips for the hotel maids are not-included.
  • Any activities not listed in our itinerary

Your Fabulous Facilitators:

About Sheri:

My personal adventure began in 1998 when I was going through a challenging time in my life. I realized on some level that I had never been truly happy. Although I changed: husbands (twice), cities (five moves), podiatric practices (three different offices) and friends (should we go there?), I still had no real joy in my life.

A leap of faith was the last resort – I sold my practice, boy-friend (only kidding), and home – and closed the surgical residency program I was director of (yes, that was a pretty big deal and yes, the medical community thought I was nuts).

After leaving behind the world of medicine, I spent nearly 8 years on a transformative spiritual quest. I rolled across the western US in my car, and began to explore the landscape of my inner world. It was a rocky, unforgiving place. (Sometimes, it still is.) But over time, I’ve gained skills + tools to shift my own reality — from the inside out.

My personal exploration and apprenticeship time with don Miguel Ruiz inspired me to write: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Toltec Wisdom, Banish Mind Spam! and to create the How to Forgive eCourse, a heart-opening online program.

This journey is an invitation, from me to you — an opportunity to explore the quality of what you put forth in the world. And, if you’re looking for a chance to escape the ordinary + step into a life of rare adventure — this is the program for you.

Your Investment:

Double Occupancy: $2997 USD
Single Occupancy: $3927 USD

**This retreat includes: 5 nights double occupancy in luxury accommodations at the Lumeria Maui Retreat Center, all meals, all ground transportation, your incredible workshops with Sheri, a luscious Lomi-lomi massage, one rock your world private session with Sheri, and much more!

A deposit of $500 USD is needed immediately to hold your place. Second payment of $1000 USD is due: January 1st, 2014 and final payment due February 1st, 2014. **This is high season and we have to have everyone registered early!

Place your deposit NOW:

Click the white “Add to cart” button, then scroll down and click the “FINISHED? CLICK HERE” link to complete your transaction in our secure cart.

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Any cancellation received in writing from December 1st, 2013 to January 1st, 2014 will result in a total loss of the $500 USD deposit. Any cancellation received in writing between January 1st, 2014 and February 1st, 2014 will result in a loss of 50% of the trip price. Any cancellation made between: February 1st, 2014 and the trip departure will result in a total loss of funds. We reserve the right to cancel the trip if it is not meeting the trip minimum (if we do so your deposit is refunded). Trip cancellation insurance is always recommended when making travel plans. You can use our suggested Travel Guard Insurance online and choose from several policy options.