My Digital Sisterhood book writing journey continues to amaze me. It just gave birth to a new passion and calling called the Digital Sisterhood Leadership Project. What a magical and messy creative process I have! Hold tight for more details on the project! I wanna give you the backstory first.
Photo Credit: BlissDom logo
In an effort to maintain balance and stay on track with my writing, I have decided to pause today since it’s Digital Sisterhood Wednesday and share what’s been happening. Read on … For the past four months my writing journey has invited me to witness and take notes about the powerful ways social media women practice leadership. I had many lightbulb moments about women’s leadership during the BlissDom 2012 Conference in Nashville, Tennessee in February. My BlissDom experience exposed me to a leadership model called “Community Leaders.” The BlissDom founders Alli Worthington and Barbara Jones along with their team created the Community Leaders model so that seasoned bloggers could use their extensive experience to facilitate hands-on, small-group discussions during each session. The Community Leaders also:
Helped new bloggers and first-time conference attendees navigate the BlissDom experience.
Offered inspiration and encouragement.
Shared their blogging wisdom, best practices, and tips.
Engaged in one-on-one conversations that offered listening ears and brainstorming moments.
Gave hugs (especially during my Fierce Living from Your Creative Heart workshop).
The role they played was PRICELESS. I call it Digital Sisterhood Leadership, my newfound passion that I will pursue fully in 2013. I say “pursue fully in 2013” because I am mindful of my need to set boundaries as I take time this year to complete my book.
So what’s next? Drum roll please!!!!
Digital Sisterhood Network's DC Women in Social Media Focus Group Series on Nonprofit Women Leaders, October 2010 @ MLKing Library
May is going to be an exciting month for the Digital Sisterhood Network (DSN). Click here to learn why. The link will direct you to my audio blog update about the new DSN initiative, the Digital Sisterhood Leadership Project. It will have a soft launch in May that includes #DSLead Twitter chats on May 2, 9, 23, and 30 from 9:00 pm ET to 10:00 pm ET. For more details, visit the DSN web site later today.
Guess what’s else is happening?
The DSN web site will feature a series of interviews with Digital Sisterhood Leaders in May, June, July, August, September, October, and November. Look for a mini celebration during Digital Sisterhood Month in December. The mega launch will be held in January 2013!
So what do you think about my new passion and calling?
It’s hard to believe that it’s already day 13 of the new year. How has 2012 been so far?
I’ve been taking my southern sweet time to arrive in this new year. It is what I call my “Fierce Living” approach. I love that phrase! That’s why I adopted it as my personal life theme and the 2012 theme for the Digital Sisterhood Network.
So what is Fierce Living all about? I define it as,
“the mindful practice of unplugging, understanding, and unifying who I am online and offline from the inside out so I am able to express myself fully in my healthy living journey, Digital Sisterhood book writing, art, and work as a coach, digital media producer, yoga teacher, and innerpreneur.”
This definition has been a regular topic of discussion in my “Follow My Heart” journal. My journal entries have explored the various colors, scents, yoga poses, travel adventures, physical exercises, magazines, music, movies, books, beverages, teas, foods, sheroes, jewelry, shoes, boots, and clothing that inspire Fierce Living.
I also created a six-word memoir: Dream. Imagine. Create. Inspire. Express Peace. These words are my 2012 Fierce Living mantras. Click here to listen to a short audio blog about what Fierce Living means to me in 2012.
Have you joined the Pinterest revolution of digital vision boards? I am happy to admit that I did. I created a Pinterest board with images and statements that remind me to practice Fierce Living in 2012 and beyond. Click here to check it out.
My journal entries have also explored what Fierce Living looks like in my digital life: the time I spend online, the content I post, the comments I make on social media sites, the email and blog subscriptions I maintain, the words I use to describe myself, the photos I use to represent myself, the blog templates I use to express my thoughts, the businesses I patronize, and the causes I support. After writing in my journal, my life began to manifest some of my thoughts.
Ananda wearing her Fierce Living orangeMy Fierce Living Nine West patent leather wedge booksThe Digital DIet, my new Fierce Living book IExperience Life, one of my Fierce Living magazinesO Magazine, one of my Fierce Living magazinesPoets & Writers, one of my Fierce Living magazinesYoga Journa, one of my Fierce Living magazines
Ananda is speaking about Fierce Living from Your Creative Heart at Blissdom
So here’s what happened during the first 12 days of the new year. I unplugged from the web on most days and got a lot of sleep. I also practiced yoga, meditation, mantra chanting with my mala beads, and Reiki daily. My MINT Gym membership was used regularly. I gave the TRX training equipment and bike a serious workout. The medicine balls and mats were great for all of my planks, sit ups, crunches, boat poses, side planks, and forearm planks.
I went crazy reading my fashion, health, yoga, poetry, and tech magazines at healthy cafes like Sweet Green and Teaism. I discovered a hot chocolate made with rice milk at Teaism. Delish! It protects me from soy and dairy allergies! Cosi, Starbucks, and Love Cafe were the hot spots for my journal writing. Love the tomato basil soup at Love Cafe!
Long walks home from the subway in the evening helped me practice mindfulness as I noticed the different changes in my neighborhood. Thanks to my friend Gustavo, the owner of Habitat Live & Wear on U Street, I started having my own personal dance parties with new music from Spain. Gustavo gave me two great CDs! Love them!
The January shopping goddess helped me score a pair of Nine West black patent leather wedge boots and a smokey quartz ring from Habitat that I have been stalking since early fall. What bargains!
By the way, I am deep into the meaning and power of gemstones. My new smokey quartz ring has some powerful energy. Did you know smokey quartz is nature’s stone of endurance? It promotes personal pride and joie de vivre (joy in living), creativity in business, and opens the path for perception and learning. It is also a protection stone that cleanses and clears negative energy. I like that it facilitates your ability to get things done in the practical world and enhances organizational skills in the workplace or home office. I definitely need all of these things as I move into my Fierce Living 2012!
I watched Young & the Restless, PAN AM, The Practice, and Grey’s Anatomy online as I organized my shoe and boot collection with Real Simple organizers, folded clothes, and decluttered my closet.
I took some time to launch my digital streamlining project for my WordPress and Tumblr blogs (still works in process … web sites will be added later this year). That led me to select new photos for my online presence, edit and repost my bio, and reduce the amount of email I receive.
I even found a few moments to submit two speaking proposals for BlogHer 2012. That process did not take long. I used old proposals and added a few new lines. I call it Fierce Living Recycled.
As a result of this Fierce Living, I received three HUGE blessings.
A fresh, open mind that led me to begin writing a chapter of my Digital Sisterhood book (which will be published later this year).
A better understanding and practice of boundaries to ensure I have creative time to write, time to play, and time to rest.
A renewed sense of joie de vivre (joy in living).
Now that’s Fierce Living for me! What is Fierce Living to you?
What are your Fierce Living (FL) 2012 colors, scents, foods, yoga poses, clothing, shoes, boots, jewelry, and music?
Orange is my FL color. Pink, purple, red, yellow, blue, and black are second runners up! Almond oil is my FL scent. Sweet potatoes and beets are my FL food. The forward fold and warrior one are my FL yoga pose. My fuchsia coat from Violet Boutique is my FL clothing. My black and pink Saucony jogging shoes are my FL shoes. My Nine West black patent leather boots are my FL boots. My smokey quartz ring is my FL jewelry. Eric Roberson’s Mr Nice Guy CD is my FL music.
Who are your Fierce Living sheroes?
My mother Theresa and Oprah are two of my FL sheroes.
Well, that’s enough FL for a Friday! Enjoy your weekend and 2012!
Photo Credit: Womanifesting's Logo - http://www.womanifesting.orgPhoto Credit: Ananda Leeke - Tracy Chiles McGhee at DC women in social media focus group in October 2010
Have you heard of Womanifesting a/k/a WOMA? WOMA is a DC-based non-profit organization established by attorney Tracy Chiles McGhee to develop and support programs that foster self-empowerment, sisterhood, and service in the lives of women and girls. Tracy and I met two years ago during a writers’ workshop and realized we shared similar interests – law, writing, women’s creativity and empowerment, social justice, and service.
My digital advocacy work as a Heart of Haiti Ambassador has opened my heart to Haiti and her people in a major way. After reading journalist Lisa Armstrong‘s article about Haitian women who are mobilizing to fight for protection and justice for their Haitian sisters after the January 2010 earthquake in the January issue of Essence Magazine, I decided to launch a two year fundraising campaign for Fonkoze, the largest grassroots microfinance institution (MFI) in Haiti that is committed to the economic and social improvement of Haitian people and communities and to the reduction of poverty in the country. Fonkoze was one the organizations mentioned in Armstrong’s Essence article.
When Father Joseph Philippe, a Haitian Catholic priest, established Fonkoze in 1994 to support the economic development of all Haitians, he targeted Haitian women. Since then, Fonkoze has served more than 45,000 women borrowers, most of whom live and work in the countryside of Haiti, and more than 200,000 savers. What a powerful legacy!
Tomorrow morning I will lead a short online yoga and meditation session at 7:00 am ET that will be dedicated to the people of Haiti and organizations like Fonkoze. Click here to participate in the live show. If you miss it, you can watch the video. At the end of the session, I will invite everyone to join me in supporting Fonkoze by making a donation to their web site and/or my Crowdrise fundraising project this week to honor Haiti and her people on the first anniversary of the January 12th earthquake.
You don’t have to wait until tomorrow to make a donation. Feel free to do it now. See the links above. Thank you for your support!
PS: Check out the video below featuring one of Fonkoze’s graduates.It is powerful. It will open your heart even more to Haiti and her people!
Ananda Leeke 
