Coach Cassandra Rae

I would love to connect with you at one or all of these upcoming events:

Blogging Basics 101
Learn how to use blogging & other internet tools to rock out your life & business!
Sponsored by the Silicon Valley Coach Federation
Tuesday, September 30 from 10:00-11:00 am
FREE for Bay Area Member Coaches & $15 for guests
Campbell Community Center – Board Room
1 W Campbell, Campbell, CA 95008
Led by Cassandra Rae, founder of Simple Ways Coaching and known as “The Blogging Queen”
Email me at Cassandra@SimpleWaysCoaching.com if you’d like to join us

Simple Ways Coaching Group
Focus topic: FEAR
Led by: Coach Cassandra Rae
Over the phone on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 12pm Pacific Daylight Time {this call will be recorded}
In person on Monday, October 6, 2008 at 7pm in downtown Sunnyvale {space is limited to 6 participants and spots are reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis}
FREE for people who are ready to rock out their lives & relationships!
Learn more & register here

The Impact of Forgiveness in Living One’s Life
Presenter: Dr.Fred Luskin, Stanford University
Sponsored by the Silicon Valley Coach Federation
Location: The Clubhouse at the Isle Cove Complex, 825 Dorado Lane,
Foster City, CA 94404
Date/Time: Thursday, October 16, 6:30-8:30 pm.
FREE for Bay Area Member Coaches & $15 for guests
Registration required & space is limited to 39 people – register now because this one will sell out
Click here to learn more & register

Simple Ways Solopreneur Group
I am so excited to invite you to participate in the next Simple Ways Solopreneur Group! The first group filled up and the second group already has 2 participants, which means there are only 4 spots left! We are meeting on 6 Thursdays from 11am to 12:30pm beginning on October 16, 2008 in person in downtown Sunnyvale. Click here to learn more & register

Tags: blogging, fear, forgiveness, Life Coaching, solopreneur

* Create a new and empowering definition of fear
* Learn how to transform it into a helpful tool
* Brainstorm simple ways to take powerful action
* Connect with others who champion the same goal

Dedicate an hour to yourself and join us for:

Simple Ways FREE Coaching Group
led by Coach Cassandra Rae
Focus topic: Fear

Over the phone on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 12pm Pacific Daylight Time {this call will be recorded}

Tags: courage, fear, Life Coaching

Deeply Personal Transformation
Photo artwork by me

I have been blogging since 2004. I’ve always loved blogging. In fact, I’ve even taught 2 teleclasses on the subject and was part of a team who brought blogging to the coaching academy I went to. Quite by chance (or is it divine order?) I’ve been giving presentations on blogging and how to use it as a business development tool. I’ve even begun coaching people on blogging and the writing process. Put all of this together and people in have started calling me The Blogging Queen and I’m ready to own it! So what would a blogging queen have in place? What would she do? And who would she be?

A blogging queen would:

1. Post at least once a day
2. Participate in meme’s like Thursday 13
3. Have one blog where she focuses her energy
4. Have multiple blogs representing different parts of her personality
5. Regularly attracts new subscribers
6. Shows the number of subscribers & owns that number – is grateful for the subscribers she does have and openly asks people to sign up
7. Shares her process – personal & professional alike
8. Gets REAL!
9. Optimizes her blog for readership & followship
10. Have a clearly defined set of standards for her participation (i.e. reply to every comment or not)

Not only am I ready to embrace the fact that blogging is a major part of who I am, but I’m also ready to accept that the focus of my life coaching practice is changing. I’ve been insisting for years that I am here to serve parents, teens, and families (and maybe I am). At the same time, things have taken an amazing and unexpected turn. Along with speaking about blogging, I’ve also launched the Simple Ways Solopreneur Group which has sky rocketed with such ease and momentum.

As you can see, I am in the midst of a powerful transformation and I’ve got some amazing stuff in the works. But, before I move forward I’d love to receive your helpful comments. What do you think of the 10 things a blogging queen would do, be, and have? Do you have anything to add? And what do you think/feel/believe about blogging?

Tags: blogging, change, personal transformation

The Photo Bliss channel on Blissfully Domestic has a Funny Photo Friday Contest so Carina and I decided to snap a few funny photos in our hotel room. It was fun!  Check out more here & enter your own for the chance to win a cool prize.  I like prizes :~)

Tags: funny photo friday

Catherine sent me this link to a really cool website called Shutter Sisters.  She told me I would love it and I absolutely do!  Today’s post is about finding love and this question is asked:

How is it that Love finds you?

The first thought that came to mind is through my sister Nancy.  We’re actually going through some tough challenges right now as her son Alex lives with me and it didn’t happen on the best of terms.  However, she consistently acknowledges my accomplishments, comments on my blog & photos, and reaches out to me.

So, Nancy, even though we are venturing into new and frightening territory, I super appreciate your love and support.  Things might be rocky, but you are always my big sis.  Thank you.  And I love you.

*HUGS*

{Photo credit: “Snap Shot” by Grant Family}

Tags: Family, love, Relationships, sisters

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” ~ Anna Quindlen

Life truly is better when you give up the perfection and simply shine in your unique self!

This is what I have been doing lately and it is working beautifully. People are showing up in my life. Opportunities abound. And I feel so free to be me :~)

I’ve also been able to accomplish a whole heck of a lot in an incredibly short amount of time. Take a look…

• 1. I created a whole new blog, newsletter, and coaching group for Solopreneurs.

• 2. I gave a presentation to the Natural Healers Network about using blogging and facebook as tools to grow your personal and professional lives. It was so much fun and they were a fabulous crowd:

• 3. I became a contributing writer/photographer for Photo Bliss – a channel on Blissfully Domestic – and my very first article went live today! Please go check it out and post your thoughts. Your support means a whole heck of a lot to me.

And I didn’t sacrifice my personal life in the process. In fact, last weekend I went on a camping trip with my family – including Gracie – and my daughter’s boyfriend, Noah. I hope to post photos soon.

The bottom line is that life is better, easier, simpler when I let go of the suffocating pressure of perfectionism. I know there will still be times when I will succumb to the lure of perfectionism. But, now I know how to pick myself up, dust myself off, and get back to shining! And I invite you to do the same.

Tags: confidence, freedom, perfectionism

{click the photo to read Art’s bit of wisdom to me}

This is Art.  I met him on a photo expedition that turned into more of a friend expedition!  You see, a few months back I found a group on flickr.com that was all about asking people you don’t know if you can take their photo and find out a little about them.  What a fabulous idea!  And even though I really liked the idea, I didn’t go out and do it myself.  Until yesterday.

I had a meeting in downtown Campbell at 10:30.  I arrived about 35 minutes early and decided that this was the perfect opportunity to walk around and take some photos.  So I grabbed my camera and as I was walking across the street I saw a man sitting on a bench sipping his coffee drink.  I thought to myself, “Why not ask him if you can take his photo?”

As I got closer he made eye contact and I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity, “Hi there,” I smiled as big as I could, “Can I take your photo?”

“Sure,” he replied without hesitation.

“What a relief,” I thought as I hadn’t even considered what I would have said or done if he had said no.

I snapped two photos and then walked up to tell him about what I now call The Stranger to Friend Project.  He went on to tell me how he took on a similar project where he went out and asked homeless people if he could take their picture.  He wanted to put together a book of black and white photos of homeless people.  But, he told me that the project was thwarted when no one would allow him to take his photo.  This actually worked to my advantage because he said that he couldn’t say no to me because he knew first-hand what it was like.

“So what inspired you to take photos of homeless people?” I asked.

“Well, I’ve always been fortunate enough to have a job, enough money, and a place to live.  I wanted to put the book together to help increase awareness about homelessness right here in our community.”

“Oh wow!  That’s pretty cool.”

We went on to talk for at least 15 minutes afterwards and he told me that he is a retired iron worker from Local Union 377 – this is not to be confused with a steel worker.  An iron worker is out in the field erecting buildings and bridges; whereas, steel workers are in the factory shaping and molding the raw materials into useable shapes.  He is also an avid golfer and a crazy cyclist – he doesn’t call himself a “crazy cyclist” but anyone who attempts to ride from Mexico to Canada is a crazy cyclists in my book!

It was so neat talking with an absolute stranger and feeling so comfortable.  Art was so easy to talk to and he had a lot of really interesting things to say.  Connecting with Art turned out to be a great way for both of us to be heard and validated.  We both got to share about ourselves and it was so interesting because we didn’t know one another.  We were very curious about one another and open to listening to what they other person had to say.

You know, we all need to be heard and validated and sometimes our friends and family are too busy or too close to the matter to do it all the time.  So I encourage all of you to get out there and connect with a stranger.  You never know what you will learn and it can actually  lighten the load in your personal relationships!

Tags: connecting, friendship, photography, Relationships, stranger, talking

Tags: Blissfully Domestic, photography