Category: Events

Déjà Vu All Over Again

posted 23rd May 2012    Written by: Jill    CATEGORY: All Posts, Events, Jill, Life Lesson, Quarterlife Crisis, Season 6, What I've Learned

It’s time for a little confession: this isn’t the first time I’ve been “lost.”  I just forgot that I had visited this island before.

This particular brand of “oh yeah…” nostalgia was lying dormant in a slightly water damaged cardboard box in the corner of my closet.  It was rediscovered during the cleaning out and packing up process of moving apartments (how cliché).

The box was designated as the “donate to something” box almost a year ago when I graduated college and moved on into QLC land.  The memory of what exactly was in it was a hazy compilation of “crap,” so to pull out a few milestone mementos felt like a hoarder’s Christmas.

I found a few textbooks on marine mammals, matched up with some scholarly journals on baleen whales.  There was a hot pink binder containing the script to The Vagina Monologues with margin notes galore.  A ripped Ralph’s bag held about thirty CDs (compact discs – antiques, guys).  Plus a bunch of other stuff that really was “crap.”

Rifling through all of this stuff brought me back to my mid-college crisis.  It started during the beginning of my junior year, and lasted up until the semester I graduated.  It was my first taste of “I don’t know what I want to do with my life.”  Every fiber of my being wanted to drop out of school and move home.

I didn’t.

Instead, I productively freaked out.  I dipped my toes in a hundred different majors, internships, volunteer positions, and extra-curriculars.

To name a few: after watching too much Shark Week, I became Hell-bent on saving the oceans, and switched my major to biology (hence, my marine mammal text collection).  I popped on over to a local radio station to intern in their promotions department, where one of my tasks was to clean out their CD collection, and they let me keep the duplicates.  I assistant directed The Vagina Monologues, and became well versed in crimes against women in war and other disaster stricken countries.

On paper, I was doing a lot of things that weren’t related to each other in the slightest.  My calendar reflected how scrambled I felt.

Eventually, things fell more into place (as things tend to do after they fall apart).  Some stuff stuck, and some stuff slid away.  Looking back, my last semester of college was a culmination of the prior two years of searching for myself.  I found a little niche that I camped out in, and packed up the evidence in a little cardboard box.

When I look at the items in that box, I can’t help but feel proud of that mess of a person.  I didn’t know a damn thing – but I went for it (whatever the “it” of the week was).

There are a lot of good things keeping me upbeat about this whole “life” thing people keep talking about (this little Stratejoy tribe, for one; and also Trader Joe’s).  In all honesty, it still feels like I’m standing in the middle of the Bermuda triangle with my internal GPS screeching “recalculating” at every failed attempt at getting my life together.

So the next time I’m in the midst of a QLC-induced panic attack, I’ll envision myself at my next move date.  I’ll find a box in the back of my closet with the adventures I went on over the past year or so, and I won’t be able to help feeling proud of that mess of a person

[Photo Credit: mikebaird]

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Stratejoy Book Club: MWF Seeking BFF: Rescheduled!

posted 21st May 2012    Written by: Stratejoy    CATEGORY: All Posts, Events, Stratejoy the Biz

 

 

Hello, hello!

For those of you who registered for our live video discussion of MWF Seeking BFF tonight, you probably already got an e-mail letting you know of the change of plans. For those of you who couldn’t make the event tonight because of a conflicting schedule or because you didn’t get a chance to finish the book, well we’ve got good news for you!

We’ve rescheduled the event for June 11th, 2012 at 6PM PDT / 9PM EDT. We’ll send out all of the login details for the video discussion before the event, as well as a study guide with lots of hot topics and discussion points.

So, re-mark those calendars, ladies. If you already registered/RSVP’d for the event that was scheduled for tonight, no need to re-register. However, if you didn’t RSVP and can now make it, let us know on the new event invitation!

We have also re-opened the registration for the in-person portion of the Book Club! We have events happening in Dallas, Austin, San Diego, Toronto, Philadelphia, Providence, NYC, Boston, AND Seattle! See your city + want to attend? Don’t see your city + want to host? You can sign up right here!

WAIT – There’s MORE good news.

Molly officially has a new member to her family – Little Max was born on Friday and Molly and the Big Man are totally in love. Stay tuned for an official announcement from Molly, but right now, she’s busy nesting at home and spending as much time as possible with this adorable little face that Molly shared on Twitter!

How adorable is that little guy? I had the chance to chat with the new Mama today and she is head over heels in love with that face. Sending Molly so much love as she embarks on this new journey.

If you have any questions at all, feel free to shoot me (Katie!) an email at katie@stratejoy.com and I’ll hook you up!

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For the Love of Group Fitness

posted 20th May 2012    Written by: Sarah    CATEGORY: All Posts, Events, Job/Career/Work, Quarterlife Crisis, Sarah

As I adjusted the microphone on my head and snapped my tunebelt around my waist, my body started to shake with nervous energy.  My mind screamed at me.  I can’t do this, I can’t do this, I can’t do this.

I’ve been preparing for this moment for weeks and weeks.  Months even.  I went into my BodyStep training strong, having memorized all the tracks and presented my heart out.  I got a five, the highest score possible.  My gym hired me on as a group fitness instructor.  I spent afternoons going over and over my choreography, watching the instructional DVD, checking my notes.

By all accounts, I had prepared to the fullest.

Yet my palms sweated, my knees knocked together, my heart thumped in my ears as I stared out at the 35 people waiting for me to present.

This was my first time on stage in front of an actual class.  My Step mentor and friend, Kim, invited me to team teach with her during her Saturday morning 8 a.m. class, a class I’ve been attending for years.  The final steps towards my certification requires team teaching and a video assessment, so Kim took me under her wing and suggested I teach half the class and she teach the other half in preparation.

It seemed like a good idea on Thursday.

But by Saturday morning, I almost panicked and ran off stage.

But as soon as I heard the music, my body started to move as if on autopilot.  I smiled through my nervousness and worked to stay present in the workout.  That was the toughest 55 minutes I’ve experiences in a long time.  During parts of the workout I felt exhilarated and strong.  And other parts I was pretty sure I was going to keel over.

After that first class, part of me felt proud for pushing past my fears and presenting the tracks with all the confidence I could muster for my very first time.

But that other part of me, that judgy part, felt I could have done better.  I didn’t have the straighest arm lines.  My jumps could have been better.  Sometimes I didn’t pre-cue fast enough.  At times my personality fell flat.

Even though I felt a rush for being on stage, part of me never wanted to do it again.  I decided I wasn’t the best.  So why bother?

But the following Tuesday, I had another chance to get back on stage when another instructor offered me the opportunity to teach again.  Again, part of me couldn’t wait.  And other other part of me wanted to run scared.  But my love for group fitness won out, and I told her I’d do it.

While I still felt some jitters in the pit of my stomach, that morning I felt more centered.  I remembered to take some deep breathes, remind myself this is just group fitness, not brain surgery, and I let my body lead me through.

My performance was 800x better than my first.  Not a little bit better.  A lot better.

And another instructor offered me a chance to practice again.

And that performance was 1000x better than the second time.

And soon I had another opportunity and another.  Each time better than the last.

Then one day I got a call from the group fitness manager asking me to fill in for another instructor.  In two hours.  And I had to do the entire class by myself.

I wanted to say no.  No, I couldn’t.  I’ve never taught a class all by myself.  Surely, I’m not the one to do this.  I’m still learning.  I’m not good enough.

But that stronger part of me knew I could do it, that this was my chance to show myself what I can do when pushed to my max.  So I agreed.

I did feel those nervous shakes.  I worried I would make a mistake.  But I chose to push those thoughts out of my mind and remember all the improvements I’ve made, how far I’ve come.

I delivered that class with all my heart.  Yes, I made a few choreography mistakes.  At times I felt myself start to fall flat.  But I dug as deep into my heart and pushed myself to the end.

Two years ago, I would have never thought I could be strong enough, determined enough, fit enough to lead a group fitness class.  At during my training, I doubted myself, wondered if I had what it takes, felt my confidence fall to an all-time low.

But after teaching that class – all by myself – I knew I had the confidence I needed all along.  It was in there, waiting for me to have the courage to let it out.

 

Have you heard? The Stratejoy Book Club has officially launched!

We’ll be holding our first LIVE chat discussion.  May 21st, 2012. Grab your girlfriends, some drinks, some snacks, and jam with Molly about this month’s book, MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche.

Find out about the book, the live chat discussion, and how to host an event or attend an event right over here on the page with all of the juicy details.

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The Skinny on the Stratejoy Book Club

posted 2nd May 2012    Written by: Stratejoy    CATEGORY: Events, Stratejoy the Biz

 

After lots of brainstorming, we are super excited to reveal the details of the very first Stratejoy Book Club Event!  Pop the champagne!  Toss the confetti!  Do your happy dance!

Stratejoy Book Club

When: Monday, May 21st 6pm Pacific/ 9 pm Eastern Rescheduled for Monday, June 11th, 6PM Pacific / 9PM Eastern.

What: A juicy discussion led by Molly via video cast (with the optional addition of a local meet-up!)

Where: Your living room, a local coffee shop or hangout, anywhere that you can talk and have speedy internet access

The goal of the Stratejoy Book Club is to get women together online and offline talking about issues that matter to us.  Issues that might not come up in our typical, day-to-day conversations…

For our first get together, we’ll be chatting about what it’s like to make friends as “adult” women out in the world.  Female friendships in a new city?  Female friendships without the ease of dorm hallways or new job training?  Female friendships when you’ve outgrown old ones?  ALL OF IT.

If you haven’t already, get your hands on a copy of Rachel Bertsche’s book MWF Seeking BFF. You’ll want to finish reading it by Monday, May 21st- the night of our event!

How to Participate

Molly will lead the discussion via video cast- and if you want access you’ll need to RSVP!  (This is a *FREE* event without a cap on the number of participants, but to participate we need you to RSVP so we can be in touch as we get closer to the big night with extra details!)

When you log on to video cast, Molly will be throwing out questions for everyone to dig into.  You can participate alone by bringing your journal or getting ready to live chat your fingers off!  Or you can gather together in person to answer the questions Molly is asking!

This is where the offline part comes in…

We want you to grab some girlfriends, some snacks, and beverages of your choosing and answer these questions face-to-face, woman-to-woman. And since our topic revolves around making new friends, we want to hook you up with Stratejoy Tribe Sista’s  for this event if you’re interested!  Please be patient with us as we do our best to help organize these meet-ups – some cities/towns won’t have anyone registering through our site, but don’t let that stop you from organizing your own group.

Interested in participating or hosting a local book club meet-up on Monday June 11th?

Confused? It’s easy, sugar.

There are two steps to the registration process:

RSVP on the event page

Register as a host or attendee if you’re interested in a local meet-up

We’re so excited to launch this new event and venture into the IRL connections our community can make. We hope you’ll join in on the fun!

p.s.  Want to help spread the word?  Grab a badge and link back to this page!

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Piñatas, Candles, Cute Dresses Oh My!

posted 27th April 2012    Written by: Camila    CATEGORY: All Posts, Camila, Events, Family, Job/Career/Work, Love/Relationships, Season 6, Travel, Travel/Adventure

My grandmother was 25 years old when she had my mother. My mama was 25 when she had me. Tomorrow, I turn 25 and I have no babies on the way and I find it strange that I’m considered an “adult” because frankly I don’t always feel like one.

Holy. Shit.

I’m turning a quarter-of-a-century tomorrow! I remember turning twenty and crying because I was saying hasta la vista to my childhood.

How am I going to celebrate reaching this epic age? Perhaps I’ll have cake, go out for a high tea, take a trip with Geoffrey to the gorges Ithaca. Maybe… I’ll even by myself a present like a cute dress or tickets to go to a Broadway show. Until then it’s time for a little speculation on the 30 things I’d like to accomplish before I turn 30 because I’m a list maker, and it makes sense to make an age related checklist before my it turns 10:10 tomorrow morning and I turn the big 2-5.

30 before 30

1 ) Get married (I know this is cheating a little since it’s already in the works, but I thought I’d include it anyway).

2 ) Spend one season growing and nourishing a garden. This garden would of course include tomatoes, snap peas, basil, and I’m going to try for beets too.

3 ) Travel to India with my fiance. During this trip visit Mother Theresa’s Sisters of Charity in Kolkata, set foot in the Indian Ocean, stay in an Ashram, visit Dharamsala (preferably when His Holiness the Dalai Lama is there), stay in Auroville, and of course visit some artisans.

4 ) Get into graduate school and go! This doesn’t mean I have to have my PhD by the time I’m 30 I just have to be well on my way towards obtaining that doctorate.

5 ) Learn how to make the following food items: spanikopita, cheese, cream puffs, jam, chutney and tiramisu.

6 ) Attend Burning Man with Geoffrey. I get bonus points if my siblings go too.

7 ) Walk the road to Santiago with my sister. If you’ve ever read Paulo Coelho’s The Pilgramage, this is our inspiration.

8 ) Take the train across Canada. This journey must include my lovely friend Kristin.

9 ) Visit Iceland. Have you seen pictures of the place? It’s absolutely stunning!

10 ) Sew a dress all by myself. Part two of this is to design and then sew another dress all by myself.

11 ) Make a quilt… you know, while we’re on the topic of sewing.

12 ) Become fluent in Spanish, continue with my Kiswahili, and begin learning French.

13 ) Have a little kiddo.

14 ) Read the following books: The Bible, The Qur’an, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, The Upanishads, The Tao Te Ching

15 ) Attend the Gandhi-King Conference. If possible be a speaker at the conference.

16 ) Go through Kingian non-violence training.

17 ) Sleep in a ger in Mongolia.

18 ) Go to Carnavale in Venice, Italy. Costumes must be worn.

19 ) Be in Mexico for The Day of The Dead.

20 ) Take part in Holi in India.

21 ) Go para-sailing. It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do. I might as well right? It looks riveting.

22 ) Get something published. This could be a poem in a magazine, or a novel, or an article in a newspaper.

23 ) Learn how to play the guitar. I was given a guitar when I was 13 and I still have yet to play it correctly.

24 ) Take part in NaNoWriMo and complete a novel.

25 ) Perform some of my poetry in front of a crowd. Eek!

26 ) Go to another film festival. Possible options include The Sundance Film Festival, The Toronto International Film Festival, or another one.

27 ) Meet someone I consider famous like Josh Ritter, Lila Downs, Nelson Mandela, Paulo Coelho, Andrea Gibson, etc.

28 ) Make exercise a routine part of life. Join a gym, take a dance class, or learn how to rock climb.

29 )Visit Coney Island before leaving the East Coast. Take lots of pictures.

30 ) Fully take part in these five years living in the moment, loving life, and giving it my all. I’m making this a goal because sometimes I forget to just enjoy myself.

Adieu my first quarter of a century. Farewell to braces and poor fashion choices. Sayonara growth spurts and puberty. Ciao school and living with parents. Goodbye intentional poverty and youth.

Hello Life 2.0. Welcome health and family. Greetings achievement and more travel. Enter in beauty, spirituality, and appreciation. I greet you my next 25 years with my arms wide open. I just think it might need to start with a piñata.

Photo Credit: smarnad

 

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