Did I ever think that the young girl who didn’t like public speaking nor being seen on stage would grow up to be brave and write a blog to share her random thoughts with the world? Truth is, I didn’t.

Becoming an author and blogger was never something I planned. Rather, the idea for this platform to express my thoughts came to me “randomly” in 2010 while taking a coffee, talk, and a walk on the beach in Hawaii with my family.

Relaxing on the beach that day, I looked around: everyone was smiling, having fun, enjoying the surroundings, and at peace. Hawaii was working its magic – it was allowing people to feel free to be themselves. There were men and women from around the globe, all of so many shapes and sizes. But they had one thing in common; they were happy at the beach. As was I. So at the beach that day, I had a life-changing thought: everybody is beautiful.

What does the word “random” mean to you?

For the past five years, I have been associated with the word “random” due to my blog. Choosing the word by chance years ago to be the core of my blog’s name has truly impacted my journey! Being “random” is really meaningful to me, as this word truly encompasses my journey after graduation.

Since my blog is about empowering busy high-achieving professionals to develop the courage to “rise to their platform & shine” and turn their ideas into reality, I had to invite others to share their journeys. After watching Dorie Clark’s TED Talk “Finding Your Breakthrough Idea,” I knew just the person to ask to help me answer: “How do you build a blog following?” I’m so grateful she said “Yes!” You’ll see why after watching her talk.

Do you wonder how to express your ideas online? Or, do you lack the courage/direction to be seen?

These are common questions I get asked daily; they’ve inspired me to start a new series,  “Rise to your platform & Shine,” to help busy high-achieving professionals develop the courage to turn their ideas into reality. Just to be clear, I refer to “platform” as any stage where you showcase your unique talents.  

Visualization can really help, especially in how you frame your question. I remember asking myself: “How can I build my blog?” Well since I was new, I remember thinking that I didn’t know much about blogging; however, I did have lots of experience in building relationships and supportive communities. Once I reframed the question in my mind, from “how can I build a blog?” to “how can I build a supportive community?”, things changed and growth occurred.

Therefore, switch your focus to creating healthy relationships, visualize your successful blog ... then take action.

How do you handle the fog?

Foggy days, like today on the West Coast, always make me reflect on time in my life when my path lacked direction and I couldn’t see the horizon in front of me. Thinking out loud and sharing my “random thoughts” with others really provided light, clarity, and support at a time when I felt hopeless and lost.

I have realized that there will always be foggy days in life but with faith and hope for brighter days ahead, you can get through them.  Perhaps because today is a foggy grey day and I have also been talking a lot about blogging this week that I feel compelled to write this post and share my thought process with you.

Happy September!

Hope you all had a wonderful summer. September has always seemed like the start of a new year! With these new beginnings – whether they be school, job, city, activity, or friendship we should start afresh with our attitudes! We should open our hearts to new ideas; we should make goals; and we should ASK for what we want. You never know what amazing things will happen when you take action!

Throughout my blogging journey, many have asked me: how have I created this online space of emergence? The truth is, this space grew through hard work, perseverance, a belief in myself, and a supportive community. To honour this journey to where the blog is today, I thought I would reflect on the process and then share where I’m headed.

Ever wondered how you can get in touch with your soul, connect with like-minded people, and support one another on your journeys? I’m excited that today my friend, Jodi Chapman, is “Speaking From the Heart” and soul, and sharing her experiences with all of us.

Jodi Chapman is the author of the award-winning blog, Soul Speak, the creator of the Soulful Life Sanctuary, and the co-author of the bestselling Soulful Journals series, which she wrote with her husband, Dan Teck.  Thank you Jodi for speaking from your heart and soul! Keep up the beautiful work you are doing! Read Jodi's interview below and find out about joining the sanctuary at the bottom of the post. Enjoy!

After 4 years of blogging with wordpress.com, I recently decided to move my blog to a self-hosted site. I had thought about it for a while (a year actually) and decided this spring was the perfect time to launch.

Initially, I started the blog as a place for my own healing and personal growth; over time and through your support, this beach space has grown into a collective retreat space for us all to gather. I wanted the design to reflect the transition.

I reached out and asked the amazingly creative designer and fellow Canadian, Rita Barry (Blog Genie), to help me make the transition from wordpress.com to wordpress.org. The process is quite challenging and technical, so I asked for an expert’s help.

Ever wondered about the writing process? How does it work? I get asked about my writing process quite often and love having conversations about expressing one's thoughts. Writing is a solitary practice so it is more fun to have people around to inspire you along the way. So when one of my blog friends and fellow authors, Heather Grace Stewart, invited me to take part in this blog hop, I wholeheartedly agreed. How the blog works is that you mention the author who invited you (i.e., Heather) and then share your answers to the Blog Hop questions. Thanks for the invitation Heather! Prepare to be inspired and feel free to share your thoughts on the writing process!

What makes you come alive? When I was working on my Master's degree and contemplating this very question, a friend of mine shared with me a quote by Howard Thurman (image found further down in the article).

After reflecting on that quote, I decided to create a blog as I love writing and connecting with people from around the world. Relationships are what make me come ALIVE. I’m so excited to have connected with the inspiring coach and creator of Alive in Berlin, Jana Schuberth. In the interview below, Jana speaks from her heart and talks about what makes her come alive.