Year: 2010

Happy September & National Yoga Month!

Posted by on in Events, YogaLeave a comment

Happy September and National Yoga Month All!

Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend! September is one of my favorite months.  This month I am celebrating National Yoga Month in a big OM kind of way online and offline. Check out the event schedule below. I hope you can join me at one or more of the events.  For more information about National Yoga Month, visit http://www.yogamonth.org.

Got 15 minutes and need yoga?  Check out my online yoga classes:  http://stickam.com/anandaleeke.

Ananda’s September Events

Tonight I am launching a yoga series on Blogatique with Ananda Leeke on BlogTalkRadio at 9:30 pm EST.  Join me for a conversation with yoga teacher, blogger, writer, and life purpose coach Tazima Ayana Davis about her yoga journey and summer yoga adventures in Los Angeles, California. Tazima is founder of Compassionate Renegade: http://compassionaterenegade.wordpress.com.  Click here to listen to the show. http://ow.ly/2Ahyz. If you miss the show, don’t fret. You can listen to the audio (check web site a few minutes after the show airs live; it is available 24/7/365).

I will also talk to yoga teachers, bloggers, writers, and entrepreneurs:

On September 11, 18, and 25, I will be teaching a beginner’s yoga class at the WELLNESS WORKS! Workshop Series sponsored by Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts, Allen Chapel AME Church, and Union Temple Baptist Church.  The workshops will be held at Allen Chapel AME Church, 249 Alabama Avenue, SE, Washington.  The FREE workshop series will be held from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm. The workshops are geared to African American residents of the District of Columbia.  The purpose of the series is to inspire African Americans to lead healthier lives through stress reduction, exercise and nutrition.  Interactive cooking demonstrations, samples, recipes, simple techniques to reduce stress and physical activity will be included. To register, please call (202) 889-7296. (Space is limited.) The DC Cancer Consortium; Department of Health, Government of the District of Columbia, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure® funded the workshop series. Visit www.smithfarm.com for more information.

On September 12 from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm, I am moderating Sisterhood the Blog’s Focus Group on I on how women use social media to practice healthy living yoga, meditation, Reiki, massage, holistic practices, physical fitness, spirituality, life coaching, vegetarianism, veganism, and green living at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room A-10, Washington, DC. Click on the link to register for the event: http://sisterhoodtheblogseptemberfocusgrou.eventbrite.com.

Panelists include:

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you are planning to participate in the call, please complete the online survey about women and social media and release statement.  The release statement gives me  permission to use information shared during the event as research for my book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).


Join me on September 13 from 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm EST for a juicy conversation on how women use social media to practice healthy living yoga, meditation, Reiki, massage, holistic practices, physical fitness, spirituality, life coaching, vegetarianism, veganism, and green living on  Talkshoe.com’s  Sisterhood the Blog Radio. Click here to listen to the show:  http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015. If you miss the live show, don’t fret. You can listen to the audio five minutes after the live show ends (audio recording 24/7/365)

Guest panelists include:

1) Bianca Alexander, a lawyer turned green/health journalist, spokesperson, artist, and co-founder of Conscious Living TV – http://www.biancaalexander.com, http://www.consciouslivingtv.com, and http://twitter.com/ConsciousTV;

2) Sera Beak, a Harvard-trained scholar of comparative world religions, “spiritual cowgirl,” “redvolutionary,” filmmaker, and author of The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach to Igniting Your Divine Spark – http://serabeak.com and http://twitter.com/serabeak;

3) Alice Langholt, a Reiki master practitioner/teacher, blogger, BlogTalkRadio show host, and founder of Reiki Awakening – http://reikiawakening.com and http://twitter.com/reikiawakening;

4) Sommer Poquette, a blogger, teacher, Internet and social networking/marketing consultant, and founder of Green & Clean Mom – http://greenandcleanmom.org and http://twitter.com/greenmom;

5) Latham Thomas, a green chef, yoga teacher, holistic nutritionist, and founder of Tender Shoots Wellness – http://www.tendershootswellness.com and http://twitter.com/tendershoots;

6) Micaela Vega, a healthy food writer, blogger, and web professional – http://strivingbean.com and http://twitter.com/strivingbean; and

7) Gloria Ware, a tree-hugging banker mom, green activist, writer, blogger, avid gardener, and founder of Black and Into Green – http://blackandn2green.blogspot.com and http://twitter.com/bn2g00.

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you are planning to participate in the call, please complete the online survey about women and social media and release statement.  The release statement gives me  permission to use information shared during the event as research for my book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

Join me on September 15 @ 8:00 pm EST for my kg yoga life practices class on MomTV: http://www.momtv.com/kg-yoga.

Happy August! Check out my upcoming events.

Posted by on in Blogatique with Ananda Leeke1 Comment

Happy August All!

I am celebrating all of the creative women who inspire me this month. Many of these fabulous and fierce ladies will be featured during my August events. See the schedule below.  I hope you can join me online and offline.

Who are the creative women that inspire you?  Celebrate them this month.  Call or email them. Make time to see them in person. Tell your network about them. Sing their praises on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media sites. Support their creative efforts.

Ananda’s August Events:

1) August 15 @ 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm EST, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room 307 (Washingtoniana Division’s Program Room), Washington, DC (Please register for the event: http://sisterhoodtheblogaugustfocusgroup.eventbrite.com)

Join Ananda for Sisterhood the Blog’s focus group on how creative women use the web and social media to express, share, market, and sell their creativity and/or creative services. Come share your thoughts, insights, and lessons learned. Guest panelists include (more names will be added shortly):

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you are planning to participate, please complete an online survey about women and social media and release statement. The release statement gives Ananda permission to use information shared during the event as research for her book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

2)August 16 @ 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm EST, Online Conference Call – To access the call, dial (424) 203-8400 and enter Participant Access Code 943041#.

Ananda is hosting a fabulous conversation on how creative women use the web and social media to express, share, market, and sell their creativity.  Guest panelists include:

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you are planning to participate, please complete an online survey about women and social media and release statement. The release statement gives Ananda permission to use information shared during the event as research for her book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

3) August 17 @ 9:30 pm EST, BlogTalkRadio – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/anandaleeke/2010/08/18/blogatique-with-ananda-leeke

Tune into the launch of Ananda’s new BlogTalkRadio radio show Blogatique with Ananda Leeke. People. Passions. Politics.  The first episode features creative woman extraordinaire Toni Blackman.  Blackman is an artist, cultural ambassador, and social entrepreneur, based in Brooklyn, New York. Toni is the author of Inner-Course: A Plea for Real Love.  She is also the founder and director of Freestyle Union, a cipher workshop that uses free styling as a tool to encourage social responsibility. Her “I Rhyme Like A Girl” series is a Freestyle Union initiative. In addition, she is a former Echoing Green Fellow and fellow with the Open Society Institute. Visit Toni’s blog to learn more about her creative endeavors: http://toniblackman.wordpress.com. Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/toniblackman.

4) August 18 @ 8:00 pm – 8:30 pm, MomTV – http://www.momtv.com/kg-yoga

Watch Ananda’s kg yoga life practices class on Mom TV on 8:00 pm EST.  The theme is celebrating Shakti, the creative feminine energy.

5) August 24 @ 9:30 pm, BlogTalkRadio – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/anandaleeke/2010/08/25/blogatique-with-ananda-leeke-people-passions-polit

Blogatique with Ananda Leeke. People. Passions. Politics. features Orlando W. Darden, Jr., owner of BodyFitDC (http://bodyfitdc.com) on the second episode of its first season. Darden is a Washington, DC-based certified personal and group fitness trainer,and running coach. He will discuss his life reinvention journey from a seasoned finance professional with 20+ years of experience and a MBA from New York University to a fitness entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people to become more fit and healthy,and improve their overall well-being. Follow Darden’s BodyFitDC on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bodyfitdc.

6) August 26 @ 9:00 pm, Sisterhood the Blog Radio, http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015

Tune in as Ananda continues the creative women and social media discussion with the following creative ladies:

Please register for the show: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/794878503.  This radio show is a follow up to an offline event held on August 15 in DC and conference call on August 16.

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you miss the live show on August 26, don’t fret. You will be able to listen to the audio posted on Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s web site: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.

If you are planning to participate, please complete an online survey about women and social media and release statement. The release statement gives Ananda permission to use information shared during the event as research for her book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

7) August30 @ 9:00 pm, Sisterhood the Blog Radio, http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015

Listen to Ananda’s second discussion about  creative women and social media with the following creative ladies:

Please register for the show: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/814373814.

This radio show is a follow up to an offline event held on August 15 in DC and conference call on August 16.

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you miss the live show on August 30, don’t fret. You will be able to listen to the audio posted on Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s web site: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.

If you are planning to participate, please complete an online survey about women and social media and release statement. The release statement gives Ananda permission to use information shared during the event as research for her book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

8) August 31 @ 9:30 pm, BlogTalkRadio – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/anandaleeke/2010/09/01/blogatique-with-ananda-leeke-shayne-lee-author-of-

Blogatique with Ananda Leeke: People. Passions. Politics. features Shayne Lee, author, sociologist, and Tulane University professor on the third episode of its first season. Lee will discuss his new book Erotic Revolutionaries: Black Women, Sexuality, and Popular Culture.

Happy July! Check out my July events

Posted by on in Ananda Leeke, Ananda's Events, archetypes, Self-Discovery, Sisterhood the Blog Radio, Sisterhood the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women's Online Revolution, Six-Word Memoirs, Social Media, Teleseminars, That Which Awakens Me - A Creative Woman's Poetic Memoir, Women in Social Media, YogaLeave a comment

Happy July!

Below is a list of my July events.  Join me for some incredibly fun adventures online and offline! Enjoy your month!

1) Tune into Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s Women in Social Media series for Ananda’s interviews with digital divas. See schedule below.

-July 5 @9pm EST – Women who attended Blogging While Brown conference on June 18 and 19 in DC
-July 6 @8pm EST – Najeema Thompson
-July 8 @8pm EST – Amanda Jones
-July 12 @8pm EST – Shon Bacon
-July 20 @8pm EST – Michele McGraw
-July 26 @8pm EST – Devra Renner
-July 29 @8pm EST – April Davis

Click here to join the conversation: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.

2) Spend an afternoon with Ananda at a book reading for her new book That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery on July 10 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Flow Yoga Center (Shakti Studio Room), 1450 P Street, NW, Washington, DC (located several blocks from Dupont Circle subway station). Click on the link to register for the event at Flow Yoga Center: http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=736&stype;=-8&sView;=week&sTrn;=100000122.

3) Join Ananda for kind and gentle yoga in Malcolm X-Meridian Hill Park in DC on July 11 from 9:00 am to 9:30 am. Click on link for more details:  http://yoga.meetup.com/584.

4) Watch Ananda’s kg yoga life practices class on Mom TV on July 21 at 8:00 pm EST. Click on the link to watch the show: http://www.momtv.com/kgyogalife.html.

5) Listen to Ananda host Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s July 31st episode at 1:00 pm EST featuring a discussion with Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. members about their use of social media during Boule 2010 (national convention) held from July 14 to July 22 in Palm Springs, California.  FYI – Ananda is a member of Sigma!  The show will also include a discussion on how Ananda’s Sigma sorority sisters use social media in their businesses. www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.

Ananda’s White House Visit During the Blogging While Brown Conference on June 18, 2010

Posted by on in Blogging While Brown ConferenceLeave a comment

Happy Tuesday All!

Guess where I was on Friday afternoon? The White House.

Photo Credit: Michelle Obama Watch Blog Photo - http://pbckt.com/pi.dsciXj

I visited the White House with my fellow Blogging While Brown 2010 Conference (BWB – www.bloggingwhilebrown.com) attendees for a meeting with Corey Ealons, Director of African American Media and Coordinator of Special Projects. Click here to see additional photos from my White House visit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/anandaleeke/sets/72157624182104723.  During the 2008 General Election, Ealons served as director of African American Media for President Barack Obama. Melody Barnes, Director of Domestic Policy Council, and Jessie Lee, Online Programs Director, also met with us. This meeting set the tone for my BWB experience. It inspired and changed me. It also motivated me to step up my blogging and online activism! Look for news about my WhiteHouse.gov Wednesdays project in the coming days.

Click here to read my Examiner.com article about the meeting.  The Washington Post also covered the meeting. Woo Hoo BWB!

Many thanks to Gina McCauley and the BWB team for a fabulous conference! It was the best BWB so far (loved 2008 and 2009 conferences too!).

Here’s a special treat!  Watch an episode of Ananda Leeke TV featuring Corey Ealons speaking at Day #2 of BWB.  He is an amazing person!

Ananda’s June 12th book reading at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library

Posted by on in Book Readings1 Comment

My June 12th book reading at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in DC was a lot of fun. I discussed my new book That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery (November 2009 – Amazon.com) and debut novel Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One (August 2007 – Amazon.com). The audience was fantastic. They had some great comments and questions! Click here to see my Flickr photos from the book reading: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anandaleeke/sets/72157624260508400.

My stylist Sharon Malachi a/k/a Butterfly LP recorded a video of me after the event. It gives highlights from my Summer in the City weekend adventures. See below.

Many thanks to the Washingtonia Division staff of Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library staff for helping me organize a great event!

PS: I made an infomercial about my Summer in the City events the night before my book reading and posted it on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.  Check it out.  Hope you will join me at some of the events.  My next book reading is July 10 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Flow Yoga Center (click on the link to register for the event at Flow)  in DC. Click here to learn more:  http://anandaleekejulybookreading.eventbrite.com.

Ananda’s speaking adventures at Ignite DC #4 on June 16, 2010

Posted by on in UncategorizedLeave a comment

039, originally uploaded by anandaleeke.


Happy Thursday!

Last night I spoke at Ignite DC #4. “Who lives inside of me?” was the title of my five-minute talk.  Visit www.ignite-dc.com to learn more about this amazing event. Click here to read a summary of my talk:  http://www.ignite-dc.com/speakers/369.

My talk was based on my eight archetypes discussed in my new book That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery (November 2009, Amazon.com).  Six-word memoirs, yoga, poetry, and my creative process were mentioned during my talk.

My dad “J” videotaped my talk. See the video below. The Ignite DC organizers will post the 16 speakers’ talks on Blip.tv in a few weeks. I’ll be sure to post the link when it goes live.

Ignite DC #4 was a great event. I saw so many friends and met many new people. I also took a lot of photos. Click here to see my Flickr photo set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anandaleeke/sets/72157624167809241.

Many thanks to the Ignite DC organizers, sponsors, attendees, and speakers (amazing group of folks — I learned so much from them and laughed too!!!). A big thanks to everyone on Twitter and Facebook who mentioned my talk, took photos, and shared my links.

Enjoy your day and weekend!

PS: Blogging While Brown is my next social media event! Visit www.bloggingwhilebrown.com or http://twitter.com/bwbconference. Blogging While Brown begins on June 18 at the Washington Convention Center in DC. I will teach a yoga class for social media users from 8:15 am to 8:30 am on June 19. I am so excited about attending the conference. It will be my third Blogging While Brown conference! I am also excited about going to the Blogalicious/Red Pump Project meet up at Tabaq on June 19. So get ready for lots more videos, photos, and Facebook/Twitter posts!!!!

Ananda hosts Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s Women in Social Media Series in June

Posted by on in Sisterhood the Blog Book, Sisterhood the Blog Radio, Sisterhood the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women's Online RevolutionLeave a comment
Logo by Ananda Leeke

In late May, I launched the Women in Social Media series on Sisterhood the Blog Radio with Lynne D. Johnson, Senior Vice President of Social Media for the Advertising Research Foundation. I have admired Lynne for many years (loved her blog when she was at Fast Company, one of the first tech magazines I started reading in the late 90s) and read her blog like it is a religion! She is truly one of my digital diva sheroes! Check out Lynne’s interview with another one of my fav social media sheroes Lena West.

On June 1, I spoke with Sonya Steele, a lawyer turned LA-based screenwriter, about her new web TV show “Celeste Bright.” See video trailer below. It is INCROYABLE (incredible as the French say!).  It launches later this month.

I spoke with my new favorite social media author Deanna Zandt, a media technologist, about her new book Share This! How You Will Change the World with Social Networking on June 6.  Deanna and I had a chance to meet in person at Open City on June 7 while she was in DC for a book reading and conference.  She is amazing.  See our photo below.  I will be writing a book review about Share This! later this month on my DC Social Media Examiner column.

FYI – You can listen to my interviews with Lynne, Sonya, and Deanna, by clicking here and looking for their audio recordings in the section called “Past Episodes.”

Be sure to tune into the Women in Social Media interview series on  June 10 at 8 pm EST (Pam Perry), June 14  at 9 pm EST (Johanna Vondeling), June 15 at 8:30 pm EST (Katherine Lewis), June 17 at 8 pm EST (Kety Esquivel), and June 22 at 8 pm EST (Shonali Burke). These are powerful ladies with passion and positive energy!!!! They rock!

NOTE: I am using my Sisterhood the Blog Radio and BAP Living Radio interviews as research for my next book Sisterhood the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

My promotion tips for authors who are planning book talks and signings

Posted by on in Author Tips2 Comments

Here are some of my promotion tips for authors who are planning book talks and signings. If you have tips, please share them. Thank you in advance!

1) If you use Facebook and LinkedIn, create an event for your book talk and signing. Post it on your personal profile, book page, and/or Fan page. Also post it on any group pages that serve as your audience. Make sure you invite all of your friends to the event. Ask them to share the event on their pages. They can be your ambassadors of goodwill and PR!

For LinkedIn Users: Once you post your event, you can share it with members of groups you belong to. That helps to promote your event to a wider audience.

2) Create and send an Eventbrite invitation to your email list on Yahoo, Gmail, or AOL. I used Eventbrite a few days ago and plan to use it again for my July and September events. Here is my invite: http://anandaleekebookreading.eventbrite.com.

3) Hold a Twitter chat (haven’t done this one yet, but have watched some friends do it) or UStream.tv live chat before the event (have used this before; it gives folks a chance to see you and ask questions).

4) Talk about your event on Twitter and get a group of your followers to retweet your event notices. Let your peeps help you. They love it. It feels good to be able to ask for help and then show appreciation.

5) Post your event on your blog and social networking sites where you have blogs. Ask folks to spread the word.

6) Ask your fellow bloggers to post notices about your event and book on their sites. You may need to swap some guest posts or event promotions, but it is worth it. Sometimes folks post your events without a request. That’s a true blessing too. It happened to me recently when the Hell in a Hand Bag blog posted about my event. Many thanks to blogger extraordinaire  Original Najeema for the post and tweets on Twitter.

7) Consider doing audio blogs with excerpts from your book and posting them on your web site, blog, and social networking sites. You can use www.cinchcast.com or www.utterli.com. I use Cinchcast a lot these days. Check my page out: www.cinchcast.com/anandaleeke.

8) Create a short video commercial about your book events and post it on YouTube (used for my book release in November 2009 – did a 7 day countdown in December 2009), Vimeo, or Blip.tv. You can use your computer’s web cam, cell phone camera, digital camera, or a flip camera. Share a summary about the book and read an excerpt. Post the video on your web site, blog, and social media sites. Ask your friends to share it with their friends as posts on Twitter, Facebook, and other sites.

9) Connect your book and event to a national observance or local event. I tie a lot of my book events to national observances. For example, I am having a book reading during June which is Black Music Month. My novel Love’s Troubadours and memoir That Which Awakens Me discuss Black music. So I have been tweeting about the music in both books this week. I also mention my book web sites and book reading dates. In addition, my book reading is happening during DC Digital Week. So I am hosting a free yoga class to support the Week. During my class I will read a short excerpt from my memoir because it is yoga-inspired. I will also share that my novel is yoga-inspired too. I am teaching the yoga class in a park that I discuss in my book. So I will mention that too. My memoir includes insights about my social media journey. So that will be included too.

10) Share what you learn from the book promotion process with others. It helps you establish social capital and participate in the gift economy author Tara Hunt discusses in her book The Whuffie Factor (one of my favorite books). When we give and share, we will be blessed. That’s the universal law of give and take!