Ananda Leeke

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday – 6/18

Posted by Ananda Leekeon June 18, 2013June 18, 2013in Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Rails Girls DC June 13th Workshop Agenda and Materials

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Last week, I realized one of my 2013 goals: start the process of learning how to code with RailsGirls DC. Learning how to code has been on my life’s bucket list since 2011 when I learned about Kimberly Bryant’s Black Girl Code organization and Women Innovate Mobile, read an article about Girl Develop It’s first ladies-only hackathon in Fast Company, and attended web pioneer Aliza Sherman’s session on mobile marketing at the Blogalicious Weekend Conference. As a result, I signed up for Code Academy’s free online coding classes in 2012. Unfortunately, I did not take advantage of the classes. I did, however, stay updated on women’s coding and tech projects, and attended the Women Interactive, a creative technology festival at Spelman College where I learned more about creating mobile applications, games, and webisodes.

This year, I started subscribing to the RailsGirls DC Twitter account and blog. That’s how I learned about the June 13th workshop on how to build apps and other programs with Ruby on Rails. I applied to participate and explained how I wanted to create apps to support the Digital Sisterhood Network.

My new Samsung laptop all ready for Rails Girls DC June workshop

After my application was approved, I made plans to attend the June 10th installation workshop and meet up at Living Social. Nervous is probably the best word to describe how I felt walking into the meet up. I calmed down a few minutes after I settled into my chair, opened my brand new Samsung laptop, and began chatting with other women who like me were embarking on their very first coding journey. Things got much better when I received one-on-one coaching support from volunteers who work during the day as developers. Each person who helped me was friendly, smart, kind, patient, and passionate about helping women learn and understand the world of coding. I left the meet up with more confidence, a better grasp of how to navigate Windows 8 on my new laptop, and a basic understanding of how to access my app on http://localhost:3000, open my terminal and start my app, Heroku.com, and SublimeText.com (the digital space where you can edit code files).

My RailsGirls DC digital sisters Geraldine, Ananda, and Niyati

The June 13th workshop began on a positive note. The first person I met was my Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority sister Geraldine Gooding (@STEMWoman). We connected and introduced ourselves as we entered the Silver Spring Civic Center. Our first conversation was about my bright royal blue and yellow Sigma bag. I’m so glad I carried my laptop in it! It turned out to be a great networking tool!

My RailsGirls DC digital sister Emily and I

When we picked up our registration materials, we learned we were assigned to the same team. I sat down next to Emily Summers, founder of MarketTorque.com. Emily and I chatted about her MarketTorque business and dspire project, and our reasons for attending the workshop. Geraldine sat down next to my yoga digital sister Niyati (@awakenvision). What a reunion!

The other ladies at my table were friendly, fun, and filled with passion and positive energy. The best things about working with them were the support we provided to each other and the conversations we had during the coding exercises.

My RailsGirlsDC coach Melanie Gilman and I

Our group coaches Greg Kenenitz and Melanie Gilman were AMAZING! They really held our hands, encouraged us to figure out challenges, and made sure we learned.

I really liked seeing the diversity among workshop participants (women of African and Asian descent were represented) and how the workshop organizers stayed on track with the agenda. It included a well-balanced mix of short presentations on Terminal, Ruby, and Rails, working sessions that allowed teams to complete coding exercises, question and answer periods with the coaches, lunch period with networking time (healthy vegetarian food included), yummy snacks (chocolate, Jolly Ranchers, and salsa and chips), and lightening talks (ten minute talks) on lean start up methodology, becoming your own chief technology officer, grit/perseverance/achievement, and becoming a developer.

RailsGirls DC organizer Emily Williamson

Karen Gillison's Lightening Talk — Karen Gillison’s Lightening Talk

Allison Sheen's Lightening Talk — Allison Sheen’s Lightening Talk

Sandi Metz's Lightening Talk — Sandi Metz’s Lightening Talk

Special shout out to the June workshop organizer Emily Williamson and the sponsors RubyNation, Living Social, Custom Link, SAIC, AT&T, Mod Cloth, Mobile Commons, Social Driver, Vox, Spree, Inferno Red Technology, and General Assembly.

RailsGirlsDC Workshop coaches, participants, and organizers - photo by Emily Williamson — RailsGirlsDC Workshop coaches, participants, and organizers – photo by Emily Williamson

Happy Yoga Monday 6/17

Posted by Ananda Leekeon June 17, 2013June 14, 2013in Yoga, Yoga MondaysLeave a comment

Hindu Goddess Lakshimi, one of Ananda's favorite yoga goddesses — Hindu Goddess Lakshimi, one of Ananda’s favorite yoga goddesses

Happy Yoga Monday!

During my yoga teacher training at Flow Yoga Center in 2005 and 2006, I developed a series of yoga classes that emphasized the attributes of Hindu female deities better known as goddesses or archetypes and how they corresponded to the seven chakras (energy centers in the body). See a list of some of my favorites below (the meanings are based on my own interpretation and understanding).

Durga is the Hindu warrior goddess of determination, persistence, personal power, and will power who governs the third chakra.
Kundalini is the Hindu goddess of inner power who governs the first chakra (the first chakra is the seat of Kundalini energy).
Lakshimi is the Hindu goddess of material and spiritual prosperity who governs the first chakra (physical survival including material prosperity)
Radha is the Hindu goddess of love and governs the fourth chakra.
Sarasvati is the Hindu goddess of wisdom who governs the sixth chakra. She is also the Hindu Goddess of creativity and the arts who governs the second chakra.
Shakti is the Hindu goddess of divine feminine energy who governs the seventh chakra.
Vach is the Hindu goddess of communication and speech who governs the fifth chakra.

Earlier this year, I learned Sally Kempton, one of my favorite spiritual teachers and Yoga Journal’‘s columnists, had authored Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga, a book that tells stories, offers meditations, and shares the wisdom of many of my favorite yoga goddesses. Click here to read a Yoga Journal interview with Kempton about her new book. After reading a review of the Awakening Shakti in Yoga Journal, I put it on my Amazon.com list of books to buy. Last month, I purchased it from Amazon.com and decided to add it to my stack of must read summer books (which I will begin reading on June 21, the first of day of summer a/k/a the Summer Solstice).

Last week, I glanced through Awakening Shakti to see what juicy wisdom and insights I could expect to receive. Here’s what I found. Kempton shares how the qualities of 11 yoga goddess archetypes can help people deepen their meditation and yoga practice and better understand themselves. She also shares her personal experiences with each yoga goddess archetype. I am excited about exploring each goddess archetype’s meditation exercises, invocation mantras, visualizations, and personal Gayatri mantra. I adore chanting the Gayatri mantra, one of the oldest and most powerful of Sanskrit mantras. It’s one of the first mantras I learned before entering yoga teacher training.

Click here to learn more about Awakening Shakti. Be sure to visit sallykempton.com, follow her on Twitter, and LIKE her on Facebook.

Enjoy your day!

OM #YogaMonday OM!

Photo Credit: "OM" drawing by Ananda Leeke — Photo Credit: “OM” drawing by Ananda Leeke

PS: If you would like to read about my yoga journey, check out my memoir That Which Awakens Me on Amazon.com. It is available on Kindle

My debut novel Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One features a main character who works as a yoga teacher in Washington, D.C. Click here to visit the Love’s Troubadours’ Pinterest board which contains some great information about the novel. You can purchase it on Amazon.com.

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon June 13, 2013June 12, 2013in Creativity ThursdayLeave a comment

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Today, I am celebrating Tim Okamura, a fabulous painter from Edmonton, Canada (one of my favorite places to visit for art and creativity). Tim’s paintings explore identity, popular culture, and the urban environment. He uses collage, spray paint, and mixed media in his work (and I adore collage and mixed media!).

Tim Okamura and Ananda Leeke at Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery

I met Tim on June 9 during his photo shoot for his upcoming “Depicted/Connected” series at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts (the organization I work for as an Artist-in-Residence at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center). Smith Center invited me and five amazing women to participate in Tim’s photo shoot. The first thing I noticed about him was his easy-going spirit, positive energy, and kind smile. He was able to stay focused and have fun too.

Many thanks to Anthony Palliparambil, Jr., Exhibitions Manager and artist, for organizing the photo shoot and taking photos!

Tim Okamura and amazing ladies at Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery

Ananda Leeke at Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery

After the photo shoot, I went home and Googled Tim to learn more about his work. When I visited his Facebook page and saw his painting, “Les Nubians Combat Pour L’Amour” and “Courage 3.0,” I became an instant fan. By the way, Les Nubians are one of my favorite Afropean neosoul singing duos (they make several appearances in my Love’s Troubadours novel).

I also listened to his 2011 interview on NPR’s Tell Me More with journalist Michel Martin. During the interview, he discussed his passion for hip hop, his hip hop radio show in Canada, and his “Bronx Brooklyn Queens” series of paintings that feature African-American women of New York City. I Googled the series and fell in love with each painting. What a powerful body of work!

More About Tim (from his official bio)

He earned a B.F.A. with Distinction at the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary, Canada before moving to New York City to attend the School of Visual Arts in 1991. After graduating with an M.F.A. in 1993, he relocated to Brooklyn, New York, where he continues to live and work. His artwork has been exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery in London, England; galleries throughout the U.S. and Canada; and he was short-listed by the Royal Surveyor of the Queen’s Picture Collection for a commissioned portrait of the Queen of England. His work is included in the permanent collection of the Toronto Congress Center, Standard Chartered Bank, and the Davis Museum in Massachusetts, as well as the private collections of celebrity clients such as John Mellencamp, Uma Thurman, and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. He is represented by Lyons Wier Gallery in New York, and Douglas Udell Gallery in Canada.

To learn more about Tim and his work, LIKE him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon June 11, 2013in Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

The women I meet online are some of the most brilliant, creative, entrepreneurial, and generous people in the universe. Alli Worthington is one of these women. Alli is the founder of Blissfully Domestic, a women’s e-zine, that helped spark the creativity she used to launch and co-found BlissDom and BlissDom Canada with Barbara Jones, CEO/Founder of Blissful Media Group and One2One Network in 2008. She is also a business consultant, coach, speaker, and strategist who has worked with and advised Fortune 500 companies and small businesses, from tech companies to your favorite household brands.

I first discovered her online presence and BlissDom during a conversation I had with women bloggers at the BlogHer conference in 2009. After the conference, I started following her on Twitter and reading about BlissDom. Her tweets introduced me to her brilliance, community building efforts, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and generosity. She quickly became one of my digital sister diva sheroes.

I met Alli in person while attending and speaking at the BlissDom 2012 Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Her positive energy and spirit were the first things I noticed and felt. She was in fact blissful from the inside out. Her commitment to sharing the best ideas, information, and inspiration with the BlissDom community was readily apparent.

Recently, Alli relaunched her web site AlliWorthington.com and changed the focus of her business so that it helps individuals realize they have what it takes to build their own business. Through her web site, she is offering several resources (see below).

Articles: Ask Alli and Building a Business
VIP Newsletter
Free E-Books: The Get Going Guide to Awesome, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Radical Change, and The Action Guide to Online Success

I am a huge fan of these resources. The articles and VIP Newsletter rock my world with information, insights, and inspiration. My favorites articles are listed below.

I plan to read Alli’s three books this summer in preparation for the BlogHer Conference in July, Blogalicious Weekend Conference in October, and the launch of my book, Digital Sisterhood: A Memoir of Fierce Living Online later this year.

A few last things… Be sure to follow Alli on Twitter. LIKE her on Facebook. See what’s she is pinning on Pinterest and posting on Instagram.

Happy Yoga Monday! 6/10/13

Posted by Ananda Leekeon June 10, 2013May 2, 2013in Yoga, Yoga MondaysLeave a comment

Happy Yoga Monday!

One of the things I loved about my yoga teacher training experience at Flow Yoga Center in 2005 and 2006 was the lessons on the five Yamas, the the moral, ethical and societal guidelines that Patanjali outlined in the Yoga Sutra for yoginis (female yoga practiioners) and yogis (male practitioners) to use in their yoga practice. They include:

Ahimsa – nonjudgment and kindness towards yourself and others.
Satya – truthfulness in how you feel and what you think, say, and do.
Asteya – believing and practicing abundance and not stealing.
Brahmacharya – using our spiritual, emotional, physical, and sexual energy wisely.
Aparigraha – accepting and being content with who we are and what we have and not practicing jealousy.

Click here to read a Yoga Journal about the Yamas. This month, I am focusing on Ahimsa.

What is your favorite Yama?

OM #YogaMonday OM!

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon June 6, 2013June 6, 2013in Creativity Thursday, CrowdfundingLeave a comment

Photo Credit: The Smithsonian Castle, www.si.edu/About — Photo Credit: The Smithsonian Castle, http://www.si.edu/About

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Growing up in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area afforded me many opportunities to visit and fall in love with the Smithsonian Museums. My love affair with the Smithsonian and other museums was nurtured by my mother and the nuns who taught me art history and appreciation at St. Elizabeth Seton High School.

Photo Credit: Freer Gallery and Sackler Gallery logo

By the time I moved into my first D.C. apartment and started Howard University School of Law, the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery had become two of my favorite places to hang out and learn about Asian art. Over the years, I have attended numerous exhibitions, film screenings, and dance performances. Some of my favorites have included Buddhist art, Japanese art of the Edo period, Hokusai’s paintings, and the art of Mughal, India. Last year, the Sackler Gallery celebrated its 25th anniversary with an evening gala of art, fine Asian-inspired cuisine, and a performance by celebrated violinist Hahn-Bin.

This week, I learned about the Smithsonian’s Yoga: The Art of Transformation, the world’s first exhibition of yogic art that is being crowdfunded.

About the Yoga: The Art of Transformation

The exhibition is scheduled to open on October 19. It will feature more than 120 works that explores yoga’s goals; its Hindu, as well as Buddhist, Jain, and Sufi
manifestations; its means of transforming body and consciousness; and its
profound philosophical foundations.

About the Crowdfunding Campaign

The Smithsonian launched its crowdfunding campaign on May 29 (will end on July 1) with a funding goal of $125,000. To date, the campaign has raised $12,800. The purpose of the campaign is to raise money to create videos, publications, and pamphlets; print catalogs, offer yoga classes during the exhibition, and more. After reading about the exhibition and watching the crowdfunding campaign video on YouTube, the yoga teacher, artist, and Internet geek inside of me became excited and inspired to make a donation. Why? Three of my passions have come together in one project I can support: yoga, creativity, and the Internet. Click here to make a contribution.

About Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is a web-based financial model that allows individuals to network and pool their money in community to support projects and ventures initiated by other people and organizations. gofundme, indiegogo, and Kickstarter are three of the most popular reward-based crowdfunding platforms. The Smithsonian is using Razoo, a crowdfunding platform for nonprofit organizations. To learn more about crowdfunding, click here to see my Crowdfunding Pinterest board of resources.

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon June 4, 2013June 4, 2013in Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Photo Credit: http://shetakesontheworld.com/

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Today, I am celebrating Internet entrepreneur and She Takes on the World blog founder Natalie MacNeil’s new book, She Takes on the World: A Guide to Being Your Own Boss, Working Happy, Living on Purpose, a clever, informative, and inspiring business book. I discovered MacNeil on Twitter as a thought leader and started reading her blog and articles on Forbes-Women.com several years ago. She quickly became a digital diva shero and virtual mentor.

As a part of my research and writing journey for my upcoming book, Digital Sisterhood: A Memoir of Fierce Living Online, I read MacNeil’s She Takes on the World. It was a quick and energizing read filled with soulful affirmations and mantras, brilliant and bold ideas, wisdom, authentic conversations with women entrepreneurs who shared their lessons learned, and a heavy dose of inspiration that moved me to adopt and use the “I AM ready” affirmation discussed in Chapter Three on a daily basis. Here it is: “I am ready. I am open to guidance and I am ready to achieve greatness. I AM ready.” This affirmation appealed to my new thought spiritual practices and use of similar affirmations. It is helping me move past my fear of finishing my memoir this summer.

The Lessons and Confessions session in each chapter that features insights and wisdom from female entrepreneurs was PRICELESS. When I read their words, I could hear their voices. They spoke directly from their hearts about their challenges and successes. RareFunk.ca founder Tamara Minns’ lessons learned was soul medicine: “Keep your mind focused on your dreams, follow your gut, and keep those who truly believe in you close by for encouraging reminders that one doesn’t need everyone’s approval to move forward.”

Chapter Four offered me a better understanding of my personal brand and how it should reflect who I am from the inside out. My takeaway was about valuing and telling my own story. Here’s what MacNeil had to say: “People buy into a person, a story, an idea – not merely a trinket. A story is better than any mission statement you could craft for your brand. Your story is social currency. What do I mean by that? I mean that people like to talk, and if you give them something entertaining to talk about, they will unconsciously perceive it as valuable. That’s currency. Give your customers that currency, and they will buy from over and over again.” I love the phrase social currency. It reminded me of my feminine currency phrase I use to describe Digital Sisterhood.

Chapter Five’s gold nugget was wrapped in a five-step mantra for achieving goals and tasks: “Today I get five steps closer to reaching my goal.” The practice of focusing only on five goals per day helped me take a deep breath of release and ease into the final stages of writing my book.

Chapter Nine’s branding and marketing advice and resources were invaluable. They helped me develop a plan to strengthen my online presence. That’s exactly what I need as I move forward with my book PR and marketing efforts.

To learn more about MacNeil and her amazing work, click here to watch her video. And if you are a revolutionary woman, join She Takes on the World. Go on and do it. I did!

Happy Yoga Monday! 6/3/13

Posted by Ananda Leekeon June 3, 2013May 2, 2013in Yoga, Yoga MondaysLeave a comment

Photo Credit: www.flickr.com/photos/thepathunwinding/3657082205/ — Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepathunwinding/3657082205/

Happy Yoga Monday!

One of my favorite parts of a yoga class is when the teacher ends the class with a bow and greets everyone with the sacred word “Namaste” and the class members respond with the same greeting. Namaste is a Sanskrit word that means “the light within me salutes the light within you.” Whenever I say this word to myself or others, I am reminded of our divinity. Click here to read a short Yoga Journal article about the meaning of Namaste.

How do you feel when you say Namaste?

OM #YogaMonday OM!

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon May 30, 2013May 28, 2013in Art, Artist-in-Residence at Smith Center, Creativity ThursdayLeave a comment

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Each month, I try to participate in an arts-related event in my U Street neighborhood in Washington, D.C. I usually visit the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts. Last month, I attended the opening reception for the Gallery’s Alchemical Vessels, an exhibition featuring ceramic bowls created by 125 artists.

Each artist made a ceramic bowl that reflected his or her own personal aesthetic and medium. Together, the ceramic bowls symbolized the importance of creating healing space.

The creation of healing space is a core element of Smith Center’s mission and my intention as a Smith Center artist-in-residence at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Click here to learn more about the exhibition. If you are in the D.C. area on June 7, plan to attend the artists’ closing reception at 7:00 p.m.

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon May 28, 2013May 28, 2013in Blogher Conference, BlogHer13, Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Have you heard of BlogHer?

BlogHer is the largest community of women who blog and a media company that was created by Elisa Camahort Page, Jory des Jardins, and Lisa Stone in 2005.

Photo Credit: BlogHer.com - BlogHer co-founders Lisa Stone, Jory Des Jardins, and Elisa Camahort Page — Photo Credit: BlogHer.com – BlogHer co-founders Lisa Stone, Jory Des Jardins, and Elisa Camahort Page

To date, BlogHer has created opportunities for the 55 million women in its community to gain exposure, education, community, and economic empowerment through its conferences for women in social media, publishing network of 3,000 blogs authored by women, and BlogHer.com, the leading guide to the hottest news and trends among women in social media.

BlogHer 2010 - Ananda, Julie Diaz-Asper, Ana Roca Castro, and Sylvia Aguilera — BlogHer 2010 – Ananda, Julie Diaz-Asper, Ana Roca Castro, and Sylvia Aguilera

Vikki Reich, Heather Mann, and Ananda at BlogHer11 session on Peer Mentoring

I joined BlogHer in 2008. I’ve been fortunate to attend the annual conference in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. The BlogHer community and conferences have helped me to dream bigger and grow as a person, entrepreneur, speaker, and writer in numerous ways. I believe BlogHer invests deeply in its members which creates a similar investment commitment by its members. Last year, I wrote a conference blog recap that expressed my definition of BlogHer (it is written as an acronym). See below.

BlogHer 2012 Podcasting Panel - Deborah Shane, Ananda, and Jasmin Singer — BlogHer 2012 Podcasting Panel – Deborah Shane, Ananda, and Jasmin Singer

BlogHer 2012 Breakfast with Ananda and Veronica Arrerola

B – Building community through meaningful and mindful connections, conversations, collaborative partnerships and projects, and commerce that generates revenue and valued added exchanges for myself and others.

L – Learning and sharing information that helps me and others grow to our fullest potential.

O – Opening my heart to be inspired and energized by the stories I hear from fellow bloggers, keynote speakers, and representatives from brands, companies, organizations, and marketing/PR firms.

G – Giving back to others by sharing what I know and affirming and supporting others’ efforts.

H – Having fun and celebrating digital sisterhood and digital brotherhood bonds with new and old blogging friends.

E – Embracing and valuing the power, presence, and passion of my own voice, creativity, expertise, thought leadership, entrepreneurial efforts, social good causes and campaigns, and definition of success.

R – Remembering that my return on investment (ROI) from my BlogHer community and conference participation is rooted in my attitude, intentions, choices, personal responsibility, and actions.

This year, I am excited to share I will be speaking about social media leadership and co-hosting the Multi-Culti party with two amazing digital sisters, Pauline Campos and Dwana De La Cerna at the July conference in Chicago. I hope you will be able to join us at the conference and the Multi-Culti party. Click here to register.

Photo Credit: www.sheratonchicago.com — Photo Credit: http://www.sheratonchicago.com

Are you headed to the BlogHer conference in Chicago?

What are you looking forward to learning about and receiving from the BlogHer conference?

I am looking forward to connecting with my current network of digital sisters and brothers, meeting new digital sisters and brothers, co-hosting the Multi-Culti party, speaking about social media leadership, attending some of the Style Mini-Con sessions, hearing the Voices of the Year speakers (one of my favorite events), and listening to the keynote addresses by Majora Carter and Sheryl Sandberg.

Hope to see you in Chicago!