I came across an article the other day that both excited and downright frustrated me. It said that as of June, Fortune 500 companies have more female CEOs than ever – 33 of the high-grossing firms are now led by women. YES!!!! But… still only 6.6% of the total CEOs are women. NOOOOO!!!! (The link to the article is below.)

So what do we do about it? Does it matter? 

First, it matters. It matters because kids – both girls AND boys – need to see equality in potential. Today there are little girls sitting in science class or doing a research paper on the stock market, and they need to know that they can createthe seat at any table they desire.

It also matters because women employees need to know right now that you CAN speak up, ask for the promotion, and move forward. We all know the statistic that men make more than us, and the gap is even bigger for women of color. But if we as women learn to speak our strengths, share our wins, and confidently ask for what we deserve and desire, we can work to close that gap. 

Finally, it matters because there are feminine leadership qualities that the world needs now. Emotional Intelligence has become a “buzzword” in corporations, but Emotional Intelligence has always been a fundamental feminine strength! For thousands of years, women have been sensitive to others' emotions, feeling our own, and creating communities of compassion! 

The feminine is pausing to respond before you react in anger.
The feminine is connecting in compassion and communication.
The feminine is wanting to help others rise up with you. 
The feminine is fierce protection of our planet and humanity!
The feminine is following your heart, soul and purpose to make a difference in the world in your unique way!

And make no mistake, Feminine Leadership is needed now more than ever.

It doesn't matter if you're a CEO or manager or you're the lowest woman on the totem pole at work, because a “leader” isn't about having a title. 

A leader is having influence. 

And one thing I know about us women is that we have influence.
You influence your kids by showing them how to be brave, strong, and bold going for your dreams instead of sitting back in fear.
You influence your community by being kind to every soul you meet.
You influence your workplace by showing other women what it looks like to be a woman on purpose.

You don't have to be a CEO, but you do have to show up in your full purpose potential! 
Two weeks ago, on The PurposeGirl Podcast, I interviewed composer Amy Andersson who created the concert Women Warriors: Voices of Change, which chronicles 800 years of women standing in their full potential to make MASSIVE change in the world. 

• Fannie Lou Hamer, an African American voting and women's rights activist who was beaten for trying to register to vote in 1962
• Sonita Alizadeh, whose family tried to sell her into marriage as a child bride in Iran and who now does human rights work against child marriage
• Olympe De Gouges, a white poet and political activist who openly criticized the slave trade in the 1700's
• Greta Thunberg, a 12 year old who started a worldwide revolution to fight climate change and just recently spoke at the UN

None of these women were CEOs – but they were PurposeGirls. They are Women Warriors. And we can be just like them! (To hear their inspiring stories, click here to listen to my interview with Amy.)

Then last week, I talked about how to empower yourself and others at work with positive psychology, the science of flourishing. Using examples of work I've done with corporations like SAY Media, Victoria's Secret, and Capital One, I share how you can be the change at work no matter your position. You can be the one who brings Gratitude, Purpose, Kindness, Positivity, and more to your work. (Listen here.)

And right now on The PurposeGirl Podcast, I interview author of Grace and Guts, my dear friend and soul sister, LeeAnn Mallorie, who specializes in feminine leadership. She shows us that it's our intuition as women that makes us extraordinary leaders. She teaches us how to tune into our bodies so that we excel without burnout. (To listen, click here.)

I'm so passionate about women's leadership because WE are the ones the world needs now. 
The world needs Women's Influence NOW.
Women's deep love and compassion for humanity, animals and the planet – like a Mama.
Women's deep desire to help others – like the caring Sister and Friend we are.
Women's fierce protection of those who are underserved – like a Lioness with her cubs! 
Women's deep heart wisdom – like an elder Wise Medicine Woman!
Women's passion – like a Wild Woman who drums up change!

So it's up to us to show up as leaders and set the values for millions – for employees, for communities, for families, for the stock market, for the economy.

So my questions for you:
*Are you showing up in YOUR full leadership POWER?
*If not, why not? What will it take for you to step up fully?
*What is YOUR unique purpose?

In the meantime, if you want to read the article that prompted this blog article, click here.

I hope it INSPIRES and EMPOWERS you!

With SO much love,

XO,
Carin

Every few days for this past year, I’ve gone to the fertility clinic a bit anxious and uncertain. But last week, I did it differently. I asked the clinic if my women friends could join me and hold a women’s circle there before my appointment.

They said no one had ever requested it before, but they gave us a room. 

So some of my Soul Sisters met us there. From the moment I saw them in the waiting room, I calmed down, I laughed, I felt giddy and proud of having such great Sisters. 

Once in the room, they spread rose petals on the ground, played soft music in the background and circled around me and Josh.

Then one by one each read a poem or letter to our future baby, welcoming him and letting him know that he is wanted and welcome and loved by them all. Then my Soul Sister Stacey said “It wouldn’t be a ritual for Carin without dancing” so she turned the dance music UP, and we PARTIED!

IN THE FERTILITY CLINIC.

Where women usually cry and stress and are depressed and anxious…
The result? My BEST appointment yet. Everything flowed…
I felt happy.
Joyful.
Connected.
Loved.
Grateful.
Hopeful.
Alive.

This is the power of Sisterhood.

Our circle felt so ancient, so right. For thousands of years, women helped each other give birth; women nursed and fed each others' families, women helped each other weave baskets, dye fabrics, and CREATE together. 

IN THE FERTILITY CLINIC.

Where women usually cry and stress and are depressed and anxious…
The result? My BEST appointment yet. Everything flowed…
I felt happy.
Joyful.
Connected.
Loved.
Grateful.
Hopeful.
Alive.

This is the power of Sisterhood.

Our circle felt so ancient, so right. For thousands of years, women helped each other give birth; women nursed and fed each others' families, women helped each other weave baskets, dye fabrics, and CREATE together. 

While men went off to war or hunted for food, women supported, held, loved, celebrated and uplifted each other. Women were each other’s confidants and companions.

And because our DNA is based on what served our early ancestors, this need for Sisterhood is literally in our cells. 

Did you know that a Harvard study found that women are biologically wired to connect under stress? It's called “tend and befriend” and refers to the fact that during war or when men were out hunting, our female ancestors needed to tend to children and connect with one another to survive. This is why a UCLA study of 2,835 women diagnosed with breast cancer found that women with close friends lived longer and had more resilient health than those who did not. 

In order to live your purpose, you need a Soul Family, A Sisterhood. 

The right women take us higher. The right women help us believe in ourselves more than we ever could alone. The right women hold us when we cry, dance with us when we're celebrating, and want us to be bigger and bolder than even we can imagine!

Last week, one of my coaching clients came to me frustrated about drama and in-fighting in her birth family that the negativity was seeping into her daily existence. So we mapped out her Soul Family and she felt peace and happiness! She loves her birth family, but she also knows that they aren't her primary support to live her fully alive, big bold badass, glorious purpose.

So who is in your Soul Family? 

Who are your SISTERS who will go to the hospital with you and dance?

Send a love message to them today. And if you're craving a Sisterhood like this, then join the PurposeGirls Facebook group (click here), and be on the lookout. I'm officially opening doors to EMPOWERED soon – the group coaching program and Sisterhood to live your purpose, love yourself, and rock out life in 2020! 

XO,
Carin

PS: Just yesterday a woman posted this in the PurposeGirls Facebook Group: “I celebrate each of you PurposeGirls! My life has become so much richer since joining this network! God knows what we need and when we need it! ” If you haven't joined yet, please do! We're waiting for you!

A woman called me recently for coaching and when I asked what she most desired, she said “To be happy.” So I asked, “What does happiness mean to you?” She paused. Her eyes welled up in tears. Her voice got quiet. “I don't know.” If this resonates with you, join me for a totally free Women's Global Happiness Day Event (click here).

This happens way too often. As women, we focus so much on everyone else's happiness that we put our own joy last. We say self-care is selfish. We say we don't have money for the things that make us happy and then buy things for everyone else. We pretend our needs don't matter, and over time, we forget what they are. 

Put simply, we accept crumbs.

And then we wonder why we feel so irritated, angry, resentful, tired, burnt out and stuck?!
Well, we ALL get cranky when starving on crumbs!

I say “NO MORE CRUMBS!” Will you join me? Will you join me in saying you deserve the juiciest, most delicious cake, and the frosting, and the sprinkles and cherry too? 

See here's the secret sauce to having success in EVERY area of your life: Joy must come first. Think about it – when you feel juicy and alive, you're more tolerant, more people are attracted to you, ideas flood in! Psychology research proves that happier people have better marriages, get promoted more, have more friends, and make more money. In fact, joy makes your brain more creative and better at relationships. And we know from research that our emotions are contagious so our happiness LITERALLY matters to the well-being of our loved ones. 

Think about it – when you're burnt out, are you more temperamental? When you try to live on crumbs are you crankier? 
When you put your happiness last, you're impacting everyone else. 

That's why I created Women's Global Happiness Day. We need a day, and a way to have a constant reminder to put our own happiness first.

Saying “I CHOOSE to prioritize my happiness” isn't selfish – it's NECESSARY.

So on or near October 18, more than 80 groups of women are gathering around the world – from Egypt to New Zealand to Costa Rica to California and Canada – to learn proven happiness tools. At each event, women will identify what they desire, what makes them happy, and identify strengths. Plus, women will bond and create Sisterhood – perhaps the most important AND PROVEN happiness tool. Sponsored by Live Happy, Women's Global Happiness Day is the only worldwide event dedicated to eradicating women's depression once and for all! 

You can still host an event, attend a live event (if there's one near you), and/or attend the free online Women's Global Happiness Day event that I'm holding that night. And even if you can't make it on October 18, register for the online event to get the replay emailed to you afterwards!

Click here to host.
Click here to attend a local event.
Click here to attend the online event.

At the free online event, you will:
*Learn the 6 proven pathways to happiness
*Identify what you want more of in your life and how to get it
*Discover what brings you fulfillment and walk away with action to create it
*Bond with like-hearted women
More than 80 women have already registered. Register to join us here!

And here's the most important thing you can do: Share these links with female friends, relatives, colleagues, and groups. Women are twice as likely to be depressed as men, and the disparity starts in adolescence. We can turn this around NOW and you can help. Share this link and we'll change the world together, one woman at a time. 

I'm so honored and excited for Women's Global Happiness Day and for each of us to say “I CHOOSE” and “I matter!”

May you live purposefully, love yourself and love life!
I love you!

XO,
Carin

I'm SO excited to announce that we are are just a few weeks away from the second annual Women's Global Happiness Day and I'm hosting a totally free online event for you! (More info below…)

Women's Global Happiness Day is the only worldwide initiative dedicated to eradicating the women's depression epidemic. Women are twice as likely to be depressed as men, and even if not “depressed,” TOO MANY WOMEN feel stuck, overwhelmed and burned out, lacking confidence and hating their bodies. The madness must end because we deserve better! I love teaching you how with proven tools from positive psychology and feminine wisdom. (I'm hosting a free online event – get info and register here!)

A major tool is Sisterhood, so on Women's Global Happiness Day, women from Nigeria to New Zealand to New York and Mexico are hosting events to teach women proven happiness tools and to create local Sisterhoods so that we all thrive! Since launching Women's Global Happiness Day last year, we've had more than 150 events registered in more than 25 countries on 6 continents!!!

I created Women's Global Happiness Day last year after I became severely depressed following my second miscarriage. Deep in meditation one day, I prayed, “Show me what else I'm here to birth”… A picture of women gathering in small groups all over the globe came to me and Women's Global Happiness Day was born! The response has been amazing! I'm so honored and grateful – and I'm inviting you to join us!

You can participate in several ways:

1. Attend my online event 100% totally for FREE! On Women's Global Happiness Day, October 18, at 7:00 PM ET, I'll be hosting women worldwide for a free event to RISE together and uplift one another! You will:

• Clarify your goals and deep desires
• Identify where you're blocked and how to shift them
• Identify exactly what brings you happiness
• Declare your worth and commitment to self happiness! 
• Connect with like-hearted women worldwide! 

JOIN US!! Register for free here!

2. Host an event – It's simple… you bring together 1 – 100 (or more) friends and I'll provide everything else. Or if you work for an organization, ask them to host an event. My team will give you the marketing materials and invitation, and I've created a curriculum for you to use word for word. So, you don't need to know positive psychology. You just need a loving heart. Plus, I'll send you a recorded training for you to use! You can host your event any time in October or even early November! Click here to Host!

3. Attend a local event – There may be local events in your area that are open to participants. You can find out if there's one near you here!

4. In addition to all of the above, will you be an Ambassador? You do this by spreading the word on social media, to any media contacts you have, or to your friends. Email me and we'll send you an Ambassador kit.

I share more about Women's Global Happiness Day AND the TOP tools every woman needs to be her happiest self on this week's episode of The PurposeGirl Podcast. Click here to listen! 

The MOST important thing you can do for Women's Global Happiness Day is to commit to your own well-being. You deserve to feel alive, happy, and on purpose – and everyone around you will benefit. As I shared on a Facebook Live this week, JOY has been proven to make people more successful. We at PurposeGirl are committed to helping you do that. Remember, register for the free event here!

With so much love,

Carin

After sharing that I felt apprehension turning 45, several of you emailed me that you felt the same and asked what to do. So I created a podcast episode for you. We don't have to have an Age Crisis – we can use it as a Catalyst to live our most purposeful life instead.

One woman emailed that she's “achieved” a lot but still feels like something is missing; another said she doesn't feel as confident and happy at 38 as she thought she would. Then my favorite – a woman in her 70's told me that she had felt the same at 45, so she stepped back, figured out what would make her happy, and re-invented her life. (My kind of woman!)

There are many reasons that psychologists cite for the “Midlife Crisis”:

• Time Deficit: We worry we're running out of time to achieve all we want.
• Lack of Identity: Years into working and/or parenting, we wonder, “Who am I now?” Outside of “mom” or this career, “What do I really want?”
• Body Changes: Menopause, Peri-Menopause, wrinkles, gray hair — in a world that honors youth as beauty, it takes a toll.
• Society “Ignores” Us: We seem irrelevant for not knowing Instagram, and feel discrimination.
• Boredom: We're BUSY and bored at the same time. The routine gets monotonous and we crave adventure, freedom, and fun.
• Loneliness: We spend so much time caring for others that we lose track of friendships that matter.

As depressing as all of these can feel, none of these have to result in a “Crisis” – rather, we can use all of them as a CATALYST to intentionally create more joyful, more fulfilling lives. 

For instance, “time deficit” can be the biggest wake-up call, kick-in-the-butt, ENERGIZING MOTIVATOR we need to finally take steps to fulfilling a dream! One of my coaching clients said she'd always wanted to take piano lessons, but felt “too old” to start at 37. “Well how old will you be if you don't take the piano lessons?” (a question I learned from the brilliant Julia Cameron) My client laughed and promptly signed her and her two kids up for piano… She's been loving it and feeling happier ever since! 

Similarly, when I was robbed at gunpoint 10 years ago, I realized that I was going to die with my dream of being an Empowerment Purpose Coach and Speaker in my heart. I had been too afraid to follow my dreams. But that crisis became a CATALYST and now I get to do this work with you! 

Each of these “Midlife Crisis” points can become the CATALYST for you to begin living on purpose, with intention, as the CREATOR of your life:

• If you don't know who you are or what you want, use this time to step back, get to know your strengths, discover your passions, uncover your deepest wisdom, and choose to live your purpose now. Studies show that people who have purpose are happier, more resilient, and healthier. In fact, a 2011 study by Ed Diener and colleagues at the University of Illinois found that when someone feels like she has purpose, she feels life satisfaction even on crappy days! 
• If you are lonely, let this be the time to find or create a Sisterhood. Research shows that we all need close friendships, and women in particular need female friendships to live longer and be physically healthier. 
• If you feel ignored by society, don't let them. Choose to be the Wise Woman who shows up bigger and brighter, sharing your WISDOM with the world!

You're not a victim to your age! No more self-deprecating jokes about your age or hiding or complaining. YOU are the Creator, not the victim.

When I turned 40, a lot of my peers emailed me with similar angst and confusion, so I created a program called #THISIS40 to specifically empower midlife women to feel confident and create life on their terms. It was amazing – one woman wrote the fantasy novel she'd always dreamt of, another opened her own business, another cleared out old dating patterns and then met her now husband, and three went back to school, despite having kids! (They actually went back to school to MODEL purpose for their kids!) 

You can do it, too. You can turn any age into your ignition switch for purpose and a pleasurable life. In last week's episode of The PurposeGirl Podcast, I teach you how. I dive into each of these midlife “challenges” and share Purpose Power Tips for you to reframe every one of them into catalysts for creating your EMPOWERED life. The episode is PACKED with tools. Listen to it, or share it with a friend by clicking here.

And by the way, this isn't just for women in our 40's and 50's. I see many of these same fears in my coaching clients who are in their 20's and 30's, too. The Quarter or Third-Life Crisis is very real because we live at a time that is calling us for PURPOSE. We're no longer satisfied just checking off boxes. We know that we're here for MORE. We desire to make our UNIQUE IMPACT on the world. 

And we must. As long as we live in freedom (which many people – especially women – don't have in their countries), then our hearts and souls demand that we step up to live our legacy! 

No matter what age or stage of life you are in, remember that positive psychology, the science of happiness and human flourishing, comes down to 2 words: I CHOOSE. You get to choose just about everything in your life – who you spend time with, what you do for work, how you treat your body… And even with all that you don't get to choose — all the hardships and challenges and pain — you get to choose how you respond. For example, a recent episode of The PurposeGirl Podcast featured my dear friend and colleague Lisa Buksbaum, who flipped the pain of her child's illness into creating a global non-profit to help hospitalized children and their families. Listen here!

You, too, can choose. We all can. 

So, my love, how will you CHOOSE to make this the best CATALYST of your life?

May you live purposefully, love yourself and love life!

XO,

Carin

Most recently I've worked with Driven Woman (UK) and Famous Supply (Ohio), and coming up next I'll be at Babcox Media (Ohio), teaching their whole company positive psychology tools to have a growth mindset, overcome challenges, know their strengths, and live on purpose!

Does your company or organization host meetings, offer leadership training, or engage speakers and facilitators to elevate your team? If you're looking for a dynamic, uplifting, and powerful session, I would love to work with your business. I facilitate workshops on Success Mindset, Purpose-Driven Culture, Powerful Feminine Leadership, and Stress Resilience. Click here to learn more, and fill out the Speaking Inquiry Form at the bottom of the page.