Behind the Scenes: The Story of the New Site

I began writing the Miniskirt Ninja blog in 2010 as a way to keep in touch with fretting family when I went on 3 month solo walkabout to South America—turns out I had a deep love and talent for the written word. When I returned stateside, I continued writing that blog without knowing where it would take me.

To-date (July 2017), I have published 355 articles on the Miniskirt Ninja blog, which is somewhere around 263,000 words (or about 675 pages of a paperback book).

It’s quite a few words.

In 2012, I made a business out of words—first writing for others, then also teaching others to write for themselves. For a few years, I succeeded rather nicely at that endeavor, but after a time, something felt off.

During that era, the majority of my marketing was directed toward helping people make more money—hands down, that was the primary message of my copywriting services, because that’s what I thought people wanted.

Money. Love. Health. We’re taught it’s the trifecta that people pay for.

And they do, they absolutely do.

But, internally I felt at war with myself about leading with the money. Not because money is bad, I love money, but because I know that money earned at the expense of your values will never yield happiness. Ever.

I watched so many entrepreneurs chase that dragon and find financial success, meanwhile, under the hood of their bright and shiny was a mess of adrenal fatigue, depression, exhaustion, confusion, illness, pressure and struggle. Not joy, certainly not joy.

So I grew out of alignment with the messaging of find your words to make more money. I fell out of love with that work, and so, I went in another direction, completely.

Diving headfirst into transformational work, I created The Brave Quiz and The Courage Chart. I knew that if people could identify how they work and what their values are (the real ones), they could begin to make different choices and find happiness and lasting joy in their lives.

That work is built on my experience of endless learning, seeking and doing life a little differently, and it is marvelous. To date over 2,000 people have taken the brave quiz, and I’ve gotten countless emails thanking me for the Brave Booklets and The Courage Chart; I’m very proud of that work.

But the money didn’t follow, and money, when it comes to living, is very important.

I’ll be totally transparent here, because sometimes you pivot in your business and it doesn’t work.

For me, it worked on a soul level; I know the power of everyday bravery and courage. I know the magic of making decisions rooted in your values, your intuition, and moving forward even when you’re afraid. I know the miracles of living that way. But soul-fire doesn’t always pay rent, and in this case the reserves were running dry and I was getting sick again and again. (Stress is a killer!)

It’s important to note that when you’re running an obstacle course and hitting every block along the way, it’s time to pay attention and run a different route. I just about knocked myself out, because I am tenacious and was sure I was on the right path, but I chose to stop just short of total destruction.

In March, I opened up my writing services again, and whoosh, talk about a flood. I sent a couple emails, made a single Facebook announcement, and was booked out two months in advance.

Hello Universe, I’m listening. Words really are my greatest talent and joy.

But, instead of bagging all the Brave work (which I know is incredibly powerful and integral to how I work) and crawling back to copywriting in the old manner of operating (which would crash and burn), I chose to gather all my bags, ascend, and construct a new home that has space for it all.

My highest service is helping people clarify what’s swirling around in their heads and hearts so that other people can benefit from their services and everyone’s uplifted.

My genius* and I, we do great work with other people’s voices. We’re able to connect people with themselves and their words in a way that is absolutely magical.

We create an environment where they feel safe and courageous enough to hear their own message.

*If you’ve read Big Magic (Liz Gilbert) you’ll know that in ancient Greece a genius was something we had (like a companion) rather than something we were (so lonely). Personally, I take the ancient view (which is why I say we).

Honestly, I cannot claim this gift as my own, but I do feel a great responsibility to use it.

So the new message goes something like this: your words are the gateway to your freedom, your joy, your confidence, your fortune (but in the deepest sense of both money and experience).

As our dear friend Dumbledore says, Words are our most inexhaustible form of magic.

Think of me as the wand builder—which I then bestow to you so that you can wave that baby around casting truth and building beautiful things.

So that’s the true story, and if you haven’t already, please wander the wilderness and invite your friends; I am immensely proud of it.

Love and revealing.

PS—I love feedback, so if you have any inclination to bring my attention to a thing or two, glowing or constructive, please let me know.

PPS— If there’s anything you’d like to see more of, or hear more about, let me know that too! I’m open.