Mama Renew

I’m feeling shy. This isn’t new – on the Meyers-Brigg scale I teeter just beyond the big I for introvert. I thrive with lots of alone time and in small groups, and struggle with larger groups.   Yet here I am, with a business that demands engagement, a blog that invites self-reflection and vulnerable sharing, and an ever expanding community of women who are sharing in this journey.

Our Virtual Mama Renew Retreat at the end of May was wildly successful – we received over 500 comments  in response to posts that invited reflection and intention-setting.  Our community of facebook page members also doubled in just a two week period. Amazing!  I am so overwhelmed by the response, and more than ever, excited by the potential for Mama Renew to create an authentic community of mothers.

Ok, overwhelmed – and shy.

I find myself not knowing where to begin with so many new women

(which is why I’m starting here…).

The sharing we enjoyed during the Virtual Retreat was exactly what I have been envisioning for Mama Renew.  I want this to be something we all feel a part of.

Please, please, please share your experience on these pages.  Your comment helps each of us feel a part of something larger.

Your words may just spark something in another woman, serving as a reminder or an inspiration. I look forward to learning from you

p.s. We’re in the running for SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year Award! If you like what we do, please vote for us – we have big dreams & the support this award offers will make all the difference.  You can VOTE FOR US HERE - each and every vote makes a difference.  We want to win this thing!

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Keep a list of everything that interests and excites you, no matter how insignificant.

Remind yourself that these are indicators or clues

that both the talent & the necessary Spirit assistance exist to bring them into your reality.

- Wayne Dyer

What sparks you?  We all have a mental list, some high priority and some all but forgotten.  On any given ordinary day we may come across something new for our list, catching us by surprise.

I, for example, have recently grown very intrigued by the idea of growing & wild harvesting mushrooms.  I know this is likely not high on most of your lists, but I really really want to learn.  I haven’t yet truly made the space to learn, and it may be a few more years before it happens, but it’s on my list.  Each time I hear about it I get these ridiculous flutters of excitement – about fungus!   I know the day will come.

At the retreat we did a fun sharing of all the things that interest or excite us that are not yet part of our reality. We went around the circle maybe 5 times, a marvelous discovery of the diversity of women in the room. Turns out we are interested and excited by some very cool things – and somehow just saying them out loud helped each of us feel that they are indeed possible.

Turns out we are interested and excited by some very cool things – and somehow just saying them out loud helped each of us feel that they are indeed possible.  There’s a reason that mushrooms excite me, along with quilting, weaving, sourdough, silversmithing, and a few more that I won’t mention in this very public venue

While part of what holds me back is certainly time, there is also a threshold or line that needs to be intentionally stepped over for each. Sourdough is my newest love to enter my daily life, and now that I have begun & gained confidence in it there is an ease to baking our family bread & the beautiful sourdough pancakes I made this morning.  There is real truth in the slogan “Just do it,”  and once we’re on the other side of that threshold the way seems to open.

What’s on your list?

This is no bucket list, friends, this is a list for Now.  What do you crave?

What began as a last minute inspiration has become a treasured experience.  Thank you to each of you who joined our Mama Renew Virtual Retreat.  While eight of us shared four days together at Hollyhock Retreat Centre on Cortes Island, almost 150 of you joined in for our Virtual Retreat on facebook posting over 500 comments – an experience that I treasure just as much as our time at Hollyhock.

Lessons learned:

1.  Listen to Creative Whims!

It was a whim, really, to create the Virtual Retreat, and I’m still in awe of what it became.  While my mind certainly pondered saying “no” to this last minute project in favour of all the other things on my “to do” list,  my heart knew better.  I’m so glad we were able to share in the retreat spirit with all of you who were unable to join us “live”.  What’s your whim?

2.  Just ask.

It’s one thing to envision a Virtual Retreat, and another to actually create it.  Within 24 hours we were “live”, with a fabulous array of prizes for Virtual Retreat participants.

Deep gratitude to Meghan Rathwell of Nourishing Arts Collective, Kyrani Kanavaros of Klik Photographic, Lisa Marie Bhattacharya of Ocean Light Cottage & Spa on Bowen Island, and Maria Mizuno with Mama Goddess Birth Shop

for their support in bringing the retreat to life and helping the four lucky winners – Megan, Mika, Genevieve & Katy – to bring some renewal into their lives.

2.  Make Room for Connection

It seems to me that we need far more openings for connection as women and mothers.  Your response & engagement blew me away, and I was surprised by the ways in which your virtual participation enriched our group experience at Hollyhock. Thank you all for reaching out – I hope we can keep the dialogue going here, through our RENEW newsletter & on our facebook page!

3.  Eat Oysters Whenever Possible

Ok, so they’re slimy looking & more than a bit intimidating, but we savoured every slurp, as seen in the finger-licking photo above.  While these won’t likely be appearing on our family dinner table on a regular basis, we appreciated the reminder to take risks and try something new.

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