September 2017 - In This Issue:
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HOPE AND DESPAIR
This column is about something I have been thinking about a lot: hope and despair. I don't think I need to say much about despair. One need only open the newspaper or listen to the news. For me, hope often presents itself in the form of people helping people. The Cajun Navy headed to Texas to rescue people they do not know who were flooded out of their homes by Hurricane Harvey.

At the farmer's market this weekend, I noticed new vendors selling all kinds of new products and many of them are young entrepreneurs with an idea. One young man told me he was getting his business degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and was trying out his newly minted business skills. I am hopeful when I hear of college students, despite financial struggles, working hard to pursue their education.

This is the time of year when MIT Technology Review arrives in the mail. This issue profiles 35 Innovators under 35. Reading the stories of these thoughtful women and men gives me hope for the future. And I know that there are many others in the world like them who are pushing the boundaries, looking at the world in new ways, asking important questions, experimenting, and creating new ways of doing and thinking. They give me hope as do the creatives making dances and music, writing plays, and painting pictures.

How and where do you find hope?

Lagniappe
 
Queen of Katwe - Movie depicting hope and despair  
 
 
"Measuring Up" - MIT Technology Review - "Denied more lab space for her pioneering research, Nancy Hopkins whipped out her tape measure. What she found sparked a movement to address gender bias in science."  
 
WORKSHOPS

Designing Your Encore
A workshop for adults 50+ years old who are ready to design the next life chapter. Would you like to rethink your work? Perhaps you are planning for retirement or already retired and wonder how you will make this time of your life meaningful. How would you like to live your encore?

We will dive into fun and engaging thought exercises, discussion, and discovery to help you design your encore.

Tuesdays, 1:30 - 3:30pm
September 12, 19, 26, October 3, 10, 17, 2017
Six-week workshop series, 2 hours per session, $150 for series
Lafayette, LA. Address will be provided after sign up.

"Designing Your Encore creates space and time for enhancing your life in the context of community. Thank you for a wonderfully creative workshop. It was so thoughtfully organized and carried out, a treasure." N. McDaniel, participant Jan/Feb 2017

Some of the questions we will answer in the workshop include:
  • What's next for me in my work/life?
  • What action might I take to kick my life up a notch?
  • How may I make a larger contribution in my community?
  • How do I meet people who might be interested in my ideas or from whom I may learn?
In a small group, we'll explore these questions and more. We will have fun. We will be inspired and challenged. We will be curious together. The experience just might change your life.

This workshop is partially based on the book, Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived Joyful Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans.

For more information and to register, contact Sue 337.534-0954 or sue at oak-communications dot com. If you are interested in this workshop and the dates/time do not work for you, contact Sue as she will be starting other groups soon.

Photo of Sue Schleifer
COACHING AND CONSULTING SERVICES

Would you like someone to listen to you deeply, with compassion, and with questions that will break open understanding and new perspectives?

Would you like a partner to help you develop practices to live a healthy, creative, and vibrant life?

Would you like to feel greater satisfaction in your work life but are not sure how to make that happen?

Perhaps you want to develop better communication strategies with your team or learn how to apply the ideas of  Conversational Intelligence in your work or organization?

Contact me for a complimentary consultation to learn how we might work together for your success and happiness.
 
Cultivating a Mindful Life book cover
The Key to the Castle
BOOKS

 

Both books are available for purchase from Amazon (print and digital) and Smashwords and other digital download sites.

 

 

 

 

 
 

Sue Schleifer 
Oak Communications Coaching and Consulting
acorns with sprouts
CUSTOMIZED COACHING AND CONSULTING SERVICES NATIONWIDE