24 Questions for 2024

Introduction

We’ve reached the end of 2023 and are edging forward into 2024. Our theme for the year at Lark’s Song in 2023 has been - Endogenous Growth. We took time this year to celebrate our 10 year anniversary milestone as an organization and identify what needed attentive assessment, consistent cultivation, and proactive stewardship.

Because of this, we subtracted many things that were no longer serving the organization and its vision and multiplied, reinforced, and cared for other things that really needed more attention and resource. We took time to rest and renew. We made space to nourish and recover from three years of pivoting and responding through a pandemic.

Collectively, we are completing one year and continuing into another. But perhaps, instead of seeing the end of 2023 as a full-stop and the beginning of 2024 as a starting line, we could view it as the next phase in a cycle of life, the next wave of our ever-expanding awareness and sense of aliveness. We want to be very clear, when we say that no matter what happened in 2023, no matter what you did or did not do, no matter what you made happen or what happened to you - there are some things that do not change. As you anticipate this transition, remember that there are some things we know for certain:

We believe that you are creative, resourceful, whole and relational. We believe that you are uniquely valuable. You are worthy of being championed. You are capable of solving complex problems. And you are ready to live at choice. We believe this is true of you every day, and that these questions are not about being a “better you.” Because, beautiful human, you are just where you need to be - just as you are. These questions are about reflecting to increase awareness and appreciation and choosing to move forward with conscious, resonant choices, at your own pace and in a way that will serve you and the world around you best.

As we all move in to 2024 with as much courage, wisdom and intention as we can muster, we’d like to offer you this tool as a thank you for supporting us in this year. It was a year of clarity, connection, and beautiful growth!

Whether you’ve supported Lark's Song as a client, colleague, partner, coworker, friend or family member, we are incredibly grateful for you! There are many mixed feelings that come up as we think about 2023, but when we think about the people that have co-created with us, the overwhelming emotions are joy, gratitude, and hope!

Instructions

We hope you will use the following as a tool, one without too many rules. Make it messy or precise, finish all of it in a day, some of it over the coming weeks, or none of it at all. As you use this tool to complete and create, keep the following in mind:

• Live at Choice! No one else is responsible for your life choices and you’re not responsible for anyone else’s, so stop being held hostage by other people and their limits or expectations.

• Be Courageous! Failure is actually an option! If you never fail, you are actually choosing to create an ineffective “life laboratory” in which learning and growth cannot take place. Stretch yourself to hope for more, to dream for more, to commit to more.

• Be Creative! Don’t make rules where there aren’t any. If your life isn’t honoring your strengths, your values, or your purpose, then create one that does. That doesn’t mean that your life circumstances need to drastically change, but it probably does mean that your perspective, practices or approach to your circumstances does.

• Delight in the process! There are no rules here. You don’t have to answer all 24 questions if you don’t want to. You can skip some, answer some today and some tomorrow, change the questions to fit you in a more personal way – whatever you like. Turn on some music, get something to drink, and enjoy this time.

• Write your answers and share your responses with someone! This step takes commitment and courage. Writing something down is an act of commitment, just skimming over the questions will not help. You actually have to WRITE something. Sharing your intentions creates additional responsibility for you, but it is also inspiring to others and gives you the gift of accountability as you accomplish your goals. Step out of your comfort zone and try it. (People are 5 times more likely to achieve their goals when they have accountability measures in place around it!)

Our wish for you as you enter 2024 is that you will live in a way that courageously co-creates a more fulfilled and flourishing world - starting with you. Please feel free to share this resource with anyone that you have the same wish for. If you’d like to meet with one of our coaches to work through your responses to any of the questions below, feel free to set up a free 30-minute exploration call with Megan Gilmore.

(It may be helpful to have your calendar or planner for 2023 and/or 2024 on hand, as well as a journal or other resource for saving your responses.)

Meditation

This year, our Board Chair, Dr. Katie Gamby has recorded a meditation to accompany these questions to facilitate increased well-being. We hope this tool enriches your process with more mindfulness, embodiment, and engagement.

The Questions

(click here to download and print a PDF version of this tool)

1. What were your top 3 successes, gains and breakthroughs of 2023?

2. What were top 3 your failures, losses and breakdowns of 2023?

3. What is one lesson you learned that you want to be sure to always remember - in one sentence of 10 words or less?

4. Have you given yourself permission and space to process grief, anger, disgust or sadness for what did not go well in 2023? If so, how did you do that? If not, how will you do that?

5. Who have you harmed in 2023 and what repair work do you need to be sure to do as a result?

6. How have you been harmed in 2023 and what healing is needed because of that? How can you take responsibility for transforming your own pain in 2024 with practices or rhythms of restorative care?

7. Have you given yourself permission and space to feel and express pleasure, excitement, happiness, or celebration for all that went well in 2023? If so, how did you do that? If not, how will you do that?

8. What are you tolerating?
   (Make a list! All the broken items, stacks, piles, irritants, half-done projects, etc.)

9. If all you needed to solve your problems was to subtract, what would you get rid of, cut out, let go of or release in 2024?

10. What one person do you need to pay a gratitude visit to that impacted you in 2023 and was never properly thanked for that?
    (A gratitude visit consists of writing a specific and concrete letter of gratitude that is about 300 words long, setting up a meeting with the recipient, reading it out loud to them, and talking together for about 30 minutes afterwards about their impact and getting curious about what is next for them. Consistent gratitude visits have been shown to diminish depression and increase flourishing more than medication and therapy combined.)

11. As you lean back and look forward, what do you want to savor right here in this present moment about your life?

12. Personal Scavenger Hunt: As you think about the person you were in 2023, go find/gather 1-3 objects that represent that person. Then, as you think about the person that you are right now, gather 1-3 objects that represent that person. Finally, as you think about the person you want to become in 2024, gather 1-3 objects that represent that person. What do you notice about these objects similarities and differences? What do they represent to you?

13. What is one courageous choice that, if you made it in 2024, would drastically change your life for the better?

14. What are 2 simple practices that you could start, adapt or continue every day that make you feel more alive?

15. What is your theme, vision, or word for 2024?
    (This is where you get to imagine! Your vision is just a picture of something better, not goals or strategic action points. What does your picture look like? What do you really want for 2024? If you could sum up the year with one word, what would it be? 2024 – the year of _____. There may be a quote, song, piece of art or metaphor that comes to mind.)

16. What 2-3 people do you REALLY want to co-create something meaningful with in 2024?

17. What are your top 3 priorities that for 2024?
    (If you struggle with aligning priorities or coming up with goals, breakdown your life into categories and assess which categories you would most like to grow in throughout the coming year – professional development, relationship with spouse/significant other, finances, community involvement, personal/spiritual development, health and well-being, leisure and recreation, family and friends, physical environment, etc. Or use our PERMA+ME Wheel to assess a good place to focus on increasing your well-being.)

18. What 2-3 character qualities would you like to develop in 2024? Who and what will inspire you?(Try using the VIA Character Strengths Table.)

19. What one thing do you need to remind yourself of every day? How will you remind yourself?
    (Get a painting, write it on your mirror, keep a card in your wallet, change the wallpaper on your phone?)

20. If you could transform one relationship, story, space, or problem in 2024, what would it be?

21. What obstacles, limiting beliefs, or saboteurs can you anticipate may come up in 2024? What’s your plan for overcoming them?
    (If you’re not familiar with your saboteurs, check out the Saboteur Assessment from Positive Intelligence. You can also use this simple tool called “WOOP” for creating a plan to reach your desired outcomes and overcome obstacles from the Character Lab.)

22. If you were to assess the voices that are surrounding to (the people in your circles, the books on your shelves, the music/podcasts you listen to, the media you consume), which voices do you need to listen to less? What voices are missing? Who do you need to listen to more?

23. What accountability and support will you put in place to ensure your fulfillment and flourishing in 2024?

24. How can Lark’s Song help or support you? Will you let us know?

Please tag #larkssong when sharing on social media. We would love to hear your favorite question or how you adapted this process to work for yourself.

If this tool served you well, please consider making a tax-deductible donation of $10 or more to Lark’s Song to help us continue our work in 2024!

Embodied Emotion

Megan’s Notes:

At a recent appointment, a nurse practitioner who was treating my eleven year old son started asking him leading questions about his daily habits and criticizing his body. I sat to the side, very quickly escalating toward contempt as seething rage flowed just below the surface of my skin, and right before I stood in front of my son and asked this woman to leave the room, Elliot said (in a fully confident voice), "Excuse me. But I don't appreciate how you're talking about my body! You are acting like there is something wrong with me, but I know my body is good. So please stop!" And he put both hands up to fully emphasis his lack of consent to continue the discussion in this way.

My emotional state changed immediately. I sat up straighter, not with indignation, but filled a mix of with love and admiration for and hurting with my son.

I often teach about the five different dimensions of personhood - body, mind, heart, soul, and spirit. My opinion is that, in our society, the body is the most devalued, dismissed, and demonized of these dimensions. Which is so crazy, isn't it? Since it gives us awareness, access, and choice around the other four.

Theresa Silow says, “The body is not a thing we have, but an experience we are.” Embodiment then, can most simply be described as the experience of being a body. As coaches, embodiment expands even further beyond an experience to a skill and a practice that brings us into this present moment, enables us to feel our emotions and sensations fully, and carries us to an awareness of what needs to be paid attention to - resulting in experiences of aliveness and connection.

And emotions, as volatile and dynamic as they are, are so incredible! The way they give us information about what we want and don't want and how we feel safe or brave or ready is such a gift. We don't get a body without emotions, and we don't get emotions without a body. And both are just so good!

By practicing focusing our attention and curiosity on embodied emotion for yourself, you will be able to better access your intuition, empathy, and the range of aliveness you can experience. The things that most often get in the way of this is our own traumas that we still hold in our bodies, the conditioning that we receive around narratives about our bodies, how we carry those narratives and craft them into stories that we tell ourselves about our bodies and emotions. One way of undoing this faulty wiring and dysfunctional learning is by toning your vagus nerve.

Here are four easy ways that you can start toning your vagus nerve immediately:

1. Deep diaphragmatic breathing

2. Singing and humming

3. Meditation and prayer (especially ones that focus on lovingkindness, gratitude and wonder)

4. Washing your face with cold water

Try creating your own vagal toning ritual each morning or evening. By taking five minutes each day to specifically focus on toning your vagus nerve, you will dynamically impact your ability to sense and identify embodied emotion more quickly and regulate the use of that emotion toward something good.

Affirmation:

“I accept the body that I have as good and worthy of attention and curiosity. I honor it in this state by speaking to and about it with lovingkindness.“

Burnout Bingo

Feel free to print and distribute this PDF to whomever you’d like.

We’ve co-created a simple and fun tool to help you and those that you work with or love to decrease burnout and increase your well-being through simple practices. Use it as a daily personal or competitive challenge and see if you can get a “bingo” by checking off five boxes in a row in any direction.

The challenges in Burnout Bingo have been specifically designed to increase your holistic well-being in a way that provides variety, simplicity, engages all five senses, and integrates all five dimensions of personhood (body, mind, heart, spirit, and soul).

Grab this free download and check out the list below for the scientific benefits of each quick and easy practice. And obviously, be sure to shout out BINGO and the winner (hopefully, that’s you!) a prize for getting five in a row!

Burnout Bingo

Co-created by Megan Gilmore & Aubrey Baker

Sat in natural light for 15 min
Natural sunlight triggers the body’s production of Vitamin D. This sunshine vitamin protects against inflammation, improves brain function and sleep quality, and has a huge impact on depression and seasonal affective disorder.

Expressed gratitude to a living breathing human 

Practicing gratitude IRL increases happiness and positive mood, makes burnout less likely, lowers inflammation, decreases fatigue, increases sleep quality, and increases your ability to bounce back quickly from negative experiences.

Gave myself a compliment 

Giving yourself genuine compliments improves life satisfaction, reduces pain, increases cardiovascular health, increases vitality, and decreases stress. (Bonus points if you look yourself in the eyes in a mirror or lay your hands on your heart, when giving yourself said compliment. Sounds weird, yep! But it works….that’s why you get bonus points.) 

Got 7-9 hours of sleep 

A full 7-9 hours of sleep maintains your immune system, keeps your memory sharp, enhances resiliency, improves your mood and gives you a stronger ability to regulate your emotions.

Created a piece of art 

Taking time to create a piece of art provides a sense of accomplishment, encourages creative thinking, boosts self esteem, and relieves burdensome stress by improving your quality of life.

Baked homemade bread or cookies

Who doesn’t love cookies? Not only does baking give you something delicious to look forward to, but it also gives you a feeling of control during times when you might feel things are out of your hands. Similarly to meditation, baking can help to enhance mood by giving yourself small tasks to focus on. Baking requires you to stay in the moment when adding ingredients, adjusting temperatures, tasting the food to ensure everything is tasting okay, etc. This attention to detail provides a distraction to everyday stressors.

Inhaled essential oil blend 

Essential oils are created by extracting the natural oils in plants through a steam distillation or cold-press process, resulting in an extremely concentrated product packed with healing benefits. Using essential oils triggers responses in the brain that send healing to the body. Oils can balance out hormone levels, heal digestive disorders, and dramatically reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. 

Infused H2O with lemon and mint 

Lemons contain a lot of vitamin C which helps to boost your immune system, regulate digestion, flushes out toxins and cleanses your liver. Additionally, the vitamin C in lemons can help alleviate stress and fight viral infections and sore throats. Drinking water provides hydration for your body, and your brain cells, to operate at an optimal level. Studies have identified a connection between dehydration and mood.

Stopped and literally smelled the roses

Taking a walk outside to get space from crazy or smelling flowers from the garden, getting outside is just one way to feel better. Over the years, scientists have shown that nature, or green space, can provide stress relief, increase social interaction, encourage physical exercise and even help soothe negative thoughts. 

Lit a candle for someone I love 

Candles can be lit as a way to set an intention. To hold intentions, or hope for someone/something. Lighting candles have been used as a practice to increase hope and focus on what’s most important to us for hundreds of years. Specifically focusing on someone that you love while doing this increases your optimism, empathy and compassion. 

Had a sweet, sour, and salty snack 

When you are doing deep learning your body is depleted of minerals such as potassium, sodium, and glucose.  In order to replenish, restore, and rapidly recover (emotional elasticity) you can eat foods that are high in these minerals such as bananas, oranges, avocados, yogurt, sweet potatoes, spinach, orange juice, etc. 

Had a meal with my best friend 

Not only is good company with a friend refreshing and encouraging, but our brain processes and associates smell with memory. When a familiar smell enters the nose, it goes through the cranial nerve and through the olfactory bulb, which helps the brain process a smell. The olfactory bulb is part of the limbic system, the emotions and memory center of the brain. The olfactory has a strong connection to the amygdala, which processes emotions and emotional memories. The memories associated with a particular smell are much more powerful. 

Tried a new recipe 

Trying something new requires courage. However, finding something new opens the door to enjoying something new. When we allow ourselves to step out of what is familiar we are able to see a new perspective. During these times of burnout or exhaustion, finding something new that you enjoy can is relaxing and refreshing. 

Enjoyed an herbal tea

Herbal teas are made from the fruit, flower, leaf or root of herbal plants. They are naturally caffeine free, so they can be consumed anytime of the day. Because of their antioxidants and minerals they come with many medicinal properties and health benefits that increase our overall well-being - some of these include reduced inflammation, improved digestion, reduced blood pressure, improved immunity, and relieving stress and anxiety.

Wore an article of clothing I love

Pull out that favorite jacket, pair of earrings, socks or t-shirt and wear it today. The clothes that we wear are an act of self-expression. Self-esteem is the way that you feel about yourself. Boosting your self-esteem by feeling good in what you are wearing can improve and boost your confidence

Gave and received a hug 

Hugs and physical touch in general releases oxytocin, or otherwise known as the bonding hormone.  Oxytocin is most often created in the hypothalamus in the brain, and some of it is released into the bloodstream through the pituitary gland. But some of it remains in the brain, where it influences mood, behavior and physiology. Want to be a pro at giving a hug? The left side of the body is controlled by the right side of the brain which is involved in processing both positive and negative emotions. Therefore, giving hugs to the left side allows for a connection between your emotions and motor preferences making the hug more physiologically effective. 

Expressed an idea with clay 

Not only is creating something with your hands excellent for the development of your fine motor skills, but it also increases your ability to be creative. When you express ideas through a physical creation, you are creating a structure. Structures remind us of things that are important to us. This can also provide a way to focus your attention on something other than the stressors in your life. 

Carried a gratitude rock in my pocket

Recent studies have shown that practices of gratitude can improve cardiovascular health, boosts mental health and resilience to stress, and helps you cope with stressful experiences by reminding you of the positive aspects of your life even in the midst of suffering. When you carry around a gratitude rock, it can serve as a simple reminder to think of something that you are grateful for in the moment instead of later when things slow down. 

Completed a yoga flow 

On top of its numerous benefits for your physical health, yoga also develops a deep inner awareness and non-judgement toward yourself and others when practiced well. Some of our favorite benefits are increased self-compassion and awareness, increased concentration and focus, and improved flexibility and emotional agility.

Identified five sounds I heard outside

Identifying sounds that you hear is a grounding technique. Grounding is a way to stay in the present moment when your mind and your body want to escape to feelings of stress or trauma. Choose to take an active stance in your healing rather than a passive stance. 

Listened to a well-being playlist

Lark’s Song has made many playlists with different themes and moods. There are studies that show listening to music allows your brain to release chemicals that distract your body from pain. When music reaches the brain’s auditory cortex, there is communication between the cortex and the structures in the brain associated with emotion, memory, and motor control. Additionally, listening to the lyrics in a song allows you to take a different perspective on the situations you might be feeling stuck around. Music trains your brain to think differently and gives you an outlet of self-expression. 

Learned something new from a podcasts

When we focus on learning about the things that we truly enjoy and get lost in them we call that flow. Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology describes this as a critical component to the PERMA model, which is a method of measuring human flourishing. In his book, Flourish we read that, “When we focus on doing the things we truly enjoy and care about, we can begin to engage completely with the present moment and enter the state of being known as flow” (Seligman, 2011). 

Sang in the shower and drove with my windows down 

The vagus nerve is a long, critical nerve that wanders from your brain all the way down your neck, chest and abdomen, connecting the brain stem to the body. Subsequently, it's associated with a host of different physical functions including swallowing, taste, digestion and heart rate. Activating this nerve basically tells your brain all is well, stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system to relax you. Now, your voice box (larynx) is connected to your vagus nerve. Subsequently, when you hum or sing, you naturally activate it. Experts know that, even without humming, the vagus nerve links to respiration, and that slowing down exhalation has a positive effect for calm, activating the parasympathetic nervous system.  

Listened to a guided meditation 

Meditation can be simply defined as thinking about the same thing over and over again. Throughout a given day, you may think about a lot of things over and over again that aren’t beneficial or true. Meditation is a way to intentionally focus on the things that are true or the things that you hope for. In thinking about them over and over again or focusing our minds on them for a period of time, we can actually create new neural pathways in our brains and bodies that increase our well-being (Google “neuroplasticity” or “positive neuroplasticity”). Meditation also decreases stress among a number of other benefits. Guided meditations are an accessible and easy way to start or continue your meditation practice.

Reparenting Ourselves: Attachment Theory, Endogenous Opioids, and Compassion

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to this virtual space being curated for our reciprocal fulfillment and flourishing. Our vision at Lark’s Song is to courageously co-create a more fulfilled and flourishing world, so I periodically use this platform to share information that I believe is meaningful as we increase our well-being together. Today, I’d like to talk about reparenting ourselves. In order to do that, I’d like for us to get grounded into our bodies through our breath and then we’ll talk a bit about attachment, endogenous opioids, reparenting ourselves and finish up with a self-compassion break together.

We’ll breathe in through our nose for a count of 4, hold our breath for a count of 7, and exhale forcefully out of our mouth for a count of 8. This is a great breath for pain relief and focus. Inhaling…3, 2, 1. Hold…6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And exhale…7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Again….and one more time.

ATTACHMENT

Attachment theory was first explored by theorists John Bowlby and then expanded on in the 1970s by Mary Ainsworth and further expanded by many other social scientists, psychologists, scholars and practitioners after her. We can simplify attachment theory into how we answer one question.

QUESTION: Is the caregiver - accessible to me, responsive to me, and attentive to me?

If the answer is yes, then we develop an understanding that we are loved, a confidence in our sense of self, and feel a sense of security in the world around us. We experience relief and reward. This is called secure attachment.

If the answer is no, the we develop an understanding that love is deserved or earned based on something other than our own inherent worthiness to be loved, our sense of self becomes fragmented so that the parts that seem to take care of us best show up the most, and we feel disconnected and insecure in the world around us. We experience pain and threat to our sense of safety within and outside of ourselves. This is called insecure attachment and it can manifest in three different classifications - anxious-ambivalent, avoidant, or disorganized.

Our secure or insecure attachment style impacts all of our relationships - our relationship with ourselves, our family of origin, our partners, others, and even our relationship with God/the Divine.

Some of the ways this shows up in adult relationships is being extremely worried about social bonds breaking (anxious-ambivalent attachment) and/or feeling uncomfortable depending on other people (avoidant attachment).

 ENDOGENOUS OPIOIDS

Now let’s talk about opioids. Many of us have heard of synthetic opioids like morphine, heroin, codeine, opium, and others. Those synthetic opioids act on the same opioid systems in our bodies that endogenous opioids do.

Endogenous opioids are a classification of neurotransmitters that provide natural, innate pain relief. The endogenous opioid system is scattered through out our bodies in both our central and peripheral nervous systems. Endogenous just means having an internal cause or origin - basically, these are the natural opioids that our bodies are equipped with.

These naturally occurring opioids are actively engaged in many things - one of which is how our bodies and conscious minds process pain and another is modulating our mood and sense of well-being (these endogenous opioids, you’ve heard referred to as endorphins) - there are many other things as well but these are the two that I’d like to focus on for today’s purposes.

When we experience a painful event - many things happen in our nervous systems. One of those things is a release of endogenous opioids to manage, modulate and relieve that pain. This is true for physically painful stimuli as well as emotionally and psychologically painful stimuli. They play a critical role in modulating our response to social rejection and social acceptance as well as psychological distress.

What does that have to do with anything? Well, let’s take what we know about attachment and what we know about endogenous opioids and put those two things together to talk about reparenting.

REPARENTING

When we are experiencing positive social connection with our caregivers as children - caregivers that are accessible, attentive, and responsive - our neural pathways are developing in an adaptive and healthy way that increases our well-being across our entire lifetime.

If we experience negative social interaction with our caregivers as children - caregivers that are not accessible, attentive or responsive - then our neural pathways develop in a more maladaptive way that heavily relies on our pain relieving endogenous opioids for our preservation and survival.

If those negative interactions become recurring and traumatic, then we actually develop a habituated response to pain in which we create MORE pain for ourselves so that we can release more opioids. This manifests itself as excessive and addictive behaviors related to our appetites (food, drink, sex, etc.), substance dependence and relational and self-sabotage (think high-drama relationships, spiraling thoughts, and the like).

Leaving us feeling that love is deserved or earned based on something other than our own inherent worthiness to be loved, our sense of self becomes fragmented so that the parts that seem to take care of us best show up the most, and we feel disconnected and insecure in the world around us. We experience pain and threat to our sense of safety within and outside of ourselves.

This is one way to understand what is happening some of the things that might be occurring in you in times of distress - especially if you have endured recurring, childhood, collective, or systemic traumas that have threatened your sense of self and safety.

A beautiful and difficult thing about being an adult is taking personal responsibility for your self - regardless of what has been done or happened to you. The beautiful thing about that is we can reparent ourselves by becoming accessible, attentive, and responsive to ourselves. The difficult thing is that we need to be responsible for becoming accessible, attentive and responsive to ourselves - like constantly, all the time.

We have to be accessible to ourselves through rest and renewing practices even when its inconvenient; we have to become attentive to our thoughts, our emotions, our words, our energy, our beliefs, and our actions even when they are uncomfortable and show up as untrue, and we have to be responsive to our needs - this sometimes looks like removing ourselves from people, spaces, and routines that violently or habitually reject those needs being met.

So how will you choose to parent yourself today? What are some things that you can do to remind yourself that you are worthy of love just because you are here, that the wholeness of your self can seek security and invitation first in your own body and your own home and then beyond, and that feeling a sense of security and belonging as you move through the world is essential for your survival and flourishing.

Here are some suggestions: Practices that activate endogenous opioid release (that aren’t rooted in reactive pain relief) and soothe your nervous system by toning your vagus nerve.

- Social laughter

- Deep breathing

- Meditation and prayer

- Exercise

- Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique) 

- Cold exposure (by splashing cold water on your face, taking a cold shower, or going for a walk in the cold…make sure you keep breathing)

- Making music or singing

- Dance parties (double points if they are with someone else)

- Gratitude visits

- Havening techniques or supportive touch

- Practicing self-compassion

(Some additional things to Google: Polyvagal Theory, Vagal toning, Emotional Freedom Technique, Havening techniques, Dr. Kristin Neff and self-compassion, interpersonal neurobiology, positive neuroplasticity)

Sometimes this is incredibly difficult to do on your own because as a human your body, mind, heart, spirit and soul were not designed to function in isolation or social withdrawal. This is why you might consider becoming a part of a support group or furthering your education in an area of passion or interest or hiring a licensed therapist or a professionally certified coach.

I’d like to end by leading us in a Self-Compassion Break before we go on our way today. Find a place on your body that is receptive and comforted by your touch.

Take deep breath and mindfully acknowledge that this is a moment of pain, heart-ache, and exhaustion…maybe it’s something else for you - acknowledge this moment within yourself now.

Next, we’ll acknowledge our common humanity by saying something like “I am not alone. While I may have never experienced these circumstances, I have experienced pain, heartache, and exhaustion and so have so many others around me.”

Finally, we’ll end our break with a blessing or act of self-kindness. Here is my blessing for us:
May my pain be transformed and may restoration make its home in me.
May your pain be transformed and may loving restoration make its home in you.
May our pain be transformed and may loving restoration make its home in us.

21 Questions for 2021

As we come to the end of 2021 and look forward into 2021, the processes that used to work for us to complete one year and continue into another, may not feel quite right. 2020 has been a year of global and collective trauma, suffering and resilience that we have never experienced before - not in this way, not with these tools. So we want to be very clear, when we say that no matter what happened in 2020, no matter what you did or did not do, no matter what you made happen or what happened to you - there are some things that do not change. There are some things we know for certain:

We believe that you are creative, resourceful, whole and relational. We believe that you are uniquely valuable. You are worthy of being championed. You are capable of solving complex problems. And you are ready to live at choice. We believe this is true of you every day, and that these questions are not about being a “better you.” Because, darling, you are just where you need to be just as you are. These questions are about reflecting to increase awareness and appreciation and choosing to move forward with conscious, resonant choices, at your own pace, in a way that will serve you best.

As we all try to lean in to 2021 with wisdom and courage, we’d like to offer you this tool as a thank you for supporting us in this year. It was beautiful and messy, full of successes and failures. Whether you’ve supported Lark's Song as a client, colleague, partner, coworker, friend or family member, we are incredibly grateful for you! There are many mixed feelings that come up as we think about 2020, but when we think about the people that have co-created with us, the overwhelming emotions are gratitude and joy!

We hope you will use the following as a tool, one without too many rules. Make it messy or precise, finish all of it in a day, some of it over the coming weeks, or none of it at all. As you use this tool to complete and create, keep the following in mind:

• Live at Choice! No one else is responsible for your life and you’re not responsible for anyone else’s, so stop being held hostage by other people and their limits or expectations.

• Be Courageous! Failure is actually an option! If you never fail, you are actually choosing to create an ineffective “life laboratory” in which learning and growth cannot take place. Stretch yourself to your maximum potential.

• Be Creative! Don’t make rules where there aren’t any. If your life isn’t honoring your strengths, your values, or your purpose, then create one that does. That doesn’t mean that your life circumstances need to drastically change, but it probably does mean that your perspective or approach to them does.

• Delight in the process! There are no rules here. You don’t have to answer all 21 questions if you don’t want to. You can skip some, answer some today and some tomorrow, change the questions to fit you in a more personal way – whatever you like. Turn on some music, get something to drink, and enjoy this time.

• Write your answers and share your responses with someone! This step takes commitment and courage. Writing something down is an act of commitment, just skimming over the questions will not help. You actually have to write something. Sharing your intentions creates additional responsibility for you, but it is also inspiring to others and gives you the gift of accountability as you accomplish your goals. Step out of your comfort zone and try it.

Our wish for you as you enter 2021 is that you will live a year of that courageously co-creates a more fulfilled and flourishing world - starting with you. Please feel free to share this resource with anyone that you have the same wish for. If you’d like to meet with one of our coaches to work through your responses to any of the questions below, feel free to set up a free 30 minute sample coaching session with Megan Gilmore.

(It may be helpful to have your calendar or planner for 2020 and/or 2021 on hand, as well as a journal or other resource for saving your responses.)

---

21 Questions for 2021

1. What were the successes, gains and breakthroughs of 2020?

2. What were your failures, losses and breakdowns of 2020?

3. What do top 3 lessons do you want to be sure to remember?

4. Have you given yourself permission and space to process grief, anger, or sadness for what did not go well in 2020? If not, how will you do that?

5. Who have you harmed in 2020 and what repair work do you need to be sure to do?

6. How have you been harmed in 2020 and what repair work do you need to be sure to do?

7. If all you needed to solve your problems was to subtract, what would you need to get rid of, cut out, let go of or release?

8. What one person do you need to pay a gratitude visit to that impacted you in 2020 and was never properly thanked for their impact on you?
(A gratitude visit consists of writing a specific and concrete letter of gratitude that is about 300 words long, setting up a meeting with the recipient, reading it out loud to them, and talking together for about 30 minutes afterwards about their impact and getting curious about what is next for them. Consistent gratitude visits have been shown to diminish depression and increase flourishing more than medication and therapy combined.)

9. As you lean back and look forward, what do you want to savor here?

10. What are you tolerating?
(Make a list! All the broken items, stacks, piles, irritants, half-done projects, etc.)  

11. What is one courageous choice that, if you made it in 2021, would drastically change your life for the better?

12. What are 2 simple practices that you could start, adapt or continue every day that make you feel more alive?

13. What is your theme, vision, or word for the 2021?  
(This is where you get to imagine! Your vision is just a picture of something better, not goals or strategic action points. What does your picture look like? What do you really want for 2021? If you could sum up the year with one word, what would it be? 2021 – the year of _____)

14. What one thing could you produce in 2021 if you really cultivated your personal creativity?

15. What are your top 3 priorities for 2021?
(If you struggle with aligning priorities or coming up with goals, breakdown your life into categories and assess which categories you would most like to grow in throughout the coming year – professional development, relationship with spouse/significant other, finances, community involvement, personal/spiritual development, health and well-being, leisure and recreation, family and friends, physical environment, etc. Or use our PERMA+ME Wheel to assess a good place to focus on increasing your well-being.)

16. What 2-3 character qualities would you like to develop in 2021?
(Try using the VIA Character Strengths Table.)

17. How can you maximize your potential for flow in 2020?  

18. What commitments do you need to make to your self and others as you enter into 2021?

19. What one thing do you need to remind yourself of every day? How will you remind yourself?
(Get a painting, write it on your mirror, keep a card in your wallet, change the wallpaper on your phone?)

20. If you could heal one relationship, story, space, or problem in 2021, what would it be?

21. What accountability and support will you put in place to ensure your fulfillment and flourishing in 2021?

Please tag #larkssong when sharing on Facebook and Instagram (@larks_song). We would love to hear your favorite question or how you adapted this process to work for yourself in the comments.

---

Want to work with a Lark’s Song Certified Coach?

Coaching is a professional relationship that prioritizes the client’s fulfillment and flourishing by partnering to overcome obstacles, co-create solutions, and champions the client’s truest and best self to lead their life from a place of conscious, resonant choices. Coaching isn’t about fixing, saving, or setting you straight. It’s about skillfully increasing awareness to gain insight, facilitating discovery with professional coaching tools to cultivate fulfillment, and choosing paths to flourishing through new habit creation.

Clients are usually highly motivated to see change in their lives and move beyond the status quo. They gain clarity, motivation, goal-attainment and increased well-being through the process.

Perhaps, this is exactly what you’re looking for! If so, click on the button below to schedule your free 30-minute sample session with Megan Gilmore. During your sample session, you’ll get a taste of what coaching is like and be matched with a Lark’s Song Certified Coach to begin your coaching journey when you’re ready.

50% Off - LSCC Training Program

Well-being isn't a luxury and transformation is a requirement for this world to become a better place.

There is so much complexity and suffering that 2020 has carried with it, and we are committed to moving toward fulfillment and flourishing together.

We receive email after email from people wanting to join our certified coach training program without the financial means to do so. And while we have to sustain ourselves as an organization at this time, it's also important to make sure flourishing is still available for all and not just some.

So we're offering a flash sale of 50% off the Lark's Song Certified Coach (LSCC) training program from 12:00 PM EST on Sunday, Aug 30 to 12:00 PM EST on Tuesday, Sept 1.

Our next training cohort in Indiana begins Friday, September 25th.

Check out the dates and details at larkssong.com/lsccprogram and enter the code "FLOURISH" to register.

Taking New Clients

By Megan Gilmore, Executive Director

Here at the end of August, I am completing with several coaching clients! I'm so proud of the work that we've done together and the courageous choices they've made to move toward flourishing. I so wish that I could tell you about them...who they are, what they're doing, how you should support them!

But instead, I'm going to tell you a bit about me. In this picture, I'm practicing chords on my ukulele on land that is being cultivated for new homes in El Salvador. I went on this visit with my mom in January of this year. It was beautiful! I was able to talk with four different communities about stress, their bodies, and their emotional well-being.

When I started my private coaching practice in 2011, I had no idea that I would be coaching clients and leading well-being trainings all over the world. It still feels surreal most days!

And there have been SO many days that the challenges of it have nearly taken me out! And I'll sit and look at jobs that I might also love - ya know, in like Ireland or Oregon or someplace like that.

However, at the end of the day being a Professional Certified Coach and training certified coaches to multiply the work makes me a better person and the things that my clients create as a result of their coaching - healing within themselves, furniture for a city leadership, books that light up dark places, businesses that bring beauty and excellence to blight, gardens for communal healing, unimaginable art with far reaching social impact - make the world better!

I really love my job! And I'm excited to be opening up my coaching roster in September to take on more clients. ❤️ If you're feeling stuck or have big dreams that your spirit only whispers to itself or you're in a time of transition that feels new and scary or you want to move forward but you don't know how to do that because of wounds and traumas that you carry, BUT you're highly motivated to see change in your life and be a part of the change you want to see in the world - then coaching might be a great fit for you!

If you're interested in coaching with me, starting next month, you can message me or sign up for a 30 minute sample session on my calendar - calendly.com/megangilmore. We'll talk about your needs, what coaching looks like (time commitment, rates, process, etc) and see if it's a good fit for you.

Entering a New Season

It was such a huge relief. I could feel the weight, the pressure of “what if’s” and “how come’s” and “supposed to’s” falling off of my shoulders and chest. It was 2013, pre-Lark’s Song, when I was exposed to the power of coaching in my grad-school ‘Life Coaching’ elective and I finally knew I had found the career I longed to pursue. After navigating my bachelor’s degree and now my master’s degree with uncertain vision, finding a sense of profound resonance felt like coming home after years of travel. I promptly asked the instructor, Megan, out to coffee and eagerly asked if she needed an apprentice. That conversation led to my year-long graduate school internship with Lark’s Song, starting the day of the Lark’s Song Launch Party in late 2013. 

Since that time, I have held several roles within the Lark’s Song community - intern, LSCC-in-Training, collective coach, LSCC, LSCC Community Coach, & Culture Care Coach. Though my roles have each varied greatly, the deep sense of purpose and alignment has never changed. I have always had permission to dream and create under the wings of Lark’ s Song - to bring my whole self and discover more of my soul than I previously knew. Alongside others in the Lark’s Song community, I have been generously and persistently invited to become a part of the Lark’s Song that awakens courage.

As I transition into a new season - anticipating moving, getting married to the man I love, and deepening roots with family - it is clear that through these transitions my energy and attentiveness are called for in a more focused way. In order to honor the joy and fullness of this season, I have decided to transition off of the Lark’s Song team for now. I’m so incredibly grateful for the relational stability and servant leader culture that is built into the essence of Lark’s Song to make this transition one of celebration and delight. 

To all my fellow LSCC’s - I’m grateful for the role I have had in training many of you, and have been challenged toward my own growth because of your grit and vibrance. Let’s continue to live according to the reality that the world is alive.

To the Lark’s Song team - I see you all bringing your brilliance in service of a fulfilled and flourishing world. Thank you so much for the gift of our partnerships and friendships. 

To Megan - Thank you for saying “yes” so profoundly to an eager 23-year-old who knew she had finally found deep resonance and a sense of belonging. You changed my life in more ways than I will ever be able to tally. 

I look forward with a sense of sacred anticipation to witnessing the growth and impact of Lark’s Song as the song continues to unfold and flow in this new season. 

With gratitude, 

Emily

Lark's Song Board of Directors Accountability Statement

June 23, 2020

Throughout history and mythology, larks have been symbols of daybreak and courage with each bird learning and singing its own unique and elaborate song from birth.

As members of Lark’s Song’s Board of Directors, we will not only celebrate the uniqueness of each person’s song, but we will do the work of elevating those voices and songs by creating space for an equitable world where Black Lives Matter.

The most recent examples of discrimination, racism, and murder that have gripped our world compel us toward the work of first dismantling racial bias in our lives and to work as a Board to see racist ideologies and systems dismantled in the world we serve.

As Lark’s Song’s Board, we are committed to not only standing against white-body supremacy and systemic racism in word, we remain committed to continuing the practice of intersectional anti-racism and the work of dismantling all forms of oppression as a part of our vision to courageously co-create a more fulfilled and flourishing world.

We are resolved in our commitment to serve others in the discovery of their unique and elaborate life purpose and empowering them to confidently and courageously live it out through transformational servant leadership.

We are confidently and courageously doing the following to further our vow of operating from an anti-racist intersectionalist frame in our work:

1. Lark’s Song is prioritizing diversity in our leadership and teams. We choose to not only be diverse optically, but diverse in thought, leadership, and contribution.

2. Lark’s Song is contributing financially toward the work of Black women, Black-owned organizations and local reparations funds. Our contribution focuses specifically on those in well-being fields and anti-racism education and reconciliation work.

3. Lark’s Song is offering access to quarterly Anti-racism education and intersectional inclusivity training for our staff and board.

For a more extensive list of additional actions we have already and are now taking you can email our Executive Director, Megan Gilmore at megan@larkssong.com.

Written and supported by: Katara McCarty, Ryan McCarty, Jill Morrison, Leonard Anspach, James Fuller, Cathy Weatherspoon, and Navar Watson

Lead to Serve - Feb 2020 - LSCC CoLab

In ancient Greek culture, joy was defined as the happiness that one feels as they move toward their potential. Psychology comes from two Greek words -1) psyche, which is translated into English as soul or life, and 2) logia, or "the study of." Coaching is a professional practice that applies the study of positive psychology to human lives in an effort to increase well-being in a manner that impacts the fulfillment and flourishing of both the client and the coach. Positive psychology is a specific field of psychological studies that operates on a unique set of assets-based assumptions.

As a scholar and practitioner in the field of positive psychology, when looking at a human soul - a human life, my study of it first assumes that that soul is good - creative, resourceful, whole and relational, that it is blessed - uniquely valuable, that it's experience and potential is far beyond my own understanding - worthy of being championed, that it is conscious, determined, and imaginative - capable of solving complex problems, and that it is naturally free, full of agency, and interconnected - ready to live at choice. These assumptions do not preclude the truth of suffering, pain, harmful expression, incompetence, illness or injustice. Rather, they help us make sense of those things from a place that empowers human dignity and equips us for a generative and transformative approach to changing the things that need to be changed in our world.

It's not a light, fluffy, or woo-woo! It is a deep, interdimensional study of the human soul that provides hope. The field of positive psychology is predicting that we are 3-5 years away from a CURE for depression! Not just cyclical treatment options, a cure. We now know that you can heal inflammation in your genetic code that leads to disease with eudamonic well-being practices. 

It turns out that the joy that we feel as we move toward our potential is incredibly important for our flourishing as human souls! And a piece of that flourishing is positive emotion.

Essentially, it is very important that you are happy...eudaimonically! (See the Skill Refresh for the difference between pleasure/hedonic happiness and joy/eudaimonic happiness.) 

Growing in optimism is necessary for our survival, our healing, and our growth. This does not mean ignoring suffering or acting like it does not exists. It means being fully aware and engaged with the suffering that exists within ourselves and within the world and practicing a response that expresses authentic gratitude, positive reminiscence (a redemptive script of memories that grants you agency over your own life, rather than a painful rehearsal), and purposefully engaging our senses in environments and activities that make us smile and laugh.

Here are a few reflection questions and an affirmation to guide you in your further exploration and action around positive emotion.

Reflection Questions:

Who are the top five people in my life that I am most grateful for?
Have I adequately expressed my gratitude to them for their impact on my life?
What environments or activities make me smile?
How can I creatively engage in those environments and activities regularly?

Affirmation: I am full of joy and gratitude. I see my soul's potential and move toward it with gentleness and compassion.

20 Questions for 2020

Let’s make one thing clear, no matter what you did or didn’t do in 2019 and no matter what you do or don’t do in 2020 - there are some things that do not change. We believe that every day you are creative, resourceful, whole and relational. We believe that every day you are uniquely valuable. Every day you are worthy of being championed. Every day you are capable of solving complex problems. And every day you are ready to live at choice.

As we are all contemplating how to complete 2019 and start creating for 2020 with wisdom and courage, we’d like to offer you this tool as a thank you for supporting us in this year. It was beautiful and messy, full of successes and failures. Whether you’ve supported Lark's Song as a client, colleague, partner, coworker, friend or family member, we are incredibly grateful for you! There are many feelings that come up as we think about 2019, but when we think about the people that have co-created with us, the overwhelming emotions are gratitude and joy!

We hope you will use the following as a tool, one without too many rules. Make it messy or precise, finish all of it in a day, some of it over the coming weeks, or none of it at all. As you use this tool to complete and create, keep the following in mind:

• Live at Choice! No one else is responsible for your life and you’re not responsible for anyone else’s, so stop being held hostage by other people and their limits or expectations.

• Be Courageous! Failure is actually an option! If you never fail, you are actually choosing to create an ineffective “life laboratory” in which learning and growth cannot take place. Stretch yourself to your maximum potential.

• Be Creative! Don’t make rules where there aren’t any. If your life isn’t honoring your strengths, your values, or your purpose, then create one that does. That doesn’t mean that your life circumstances need to drastically change, but it probably does mean that your perspective or approach to them does.

• Delight in the process! There are no rules here. You don’t have to answer all 20 questions if you don’t want to. You can skip some, answer some today and some tomorrow, change the questions to fit you in a more personal way – whatever you like. Turn on some music, get something to drink, and enjoy this time.

• Write your answers and share your responses with someone! This step takes commitment and courage. Writing something down is an act of commitment, just skimming over the questions will not help. You actually have to write something. Sharing your intentions creates additional responsibility for you, but it is also inspiring to others and gives you the gift of accountability as you accomplish your goals. Step out of your comfort zone and try it.

Our wish for you as you enter 2020 is that you will live a year of that courageously co-creates a more fulfilled and flourishing world - starting with you. Please feel free to share this resource with anyone that you have the same wish for.

(It may be helpful to have your calendar or planner for 2019 and/or 2020 on hand, as well as a journal or other resource for saving your responses.)

1. What were the successes, gains and breakthroughs of 2019?

2. What were your failures, losses and breakdowns of 2019?

3. What do top 3 lessons do you want to hang on to?

4. How do you need to allow yourself to process grief, anger, or sadness for what did not go well in 2019?

5. What repair work needs to be done for harm done to you and harm done by you?

6. What do you need to let go of and release?

7. What one person do you need to pay a gratitude visit to that impacted you in 2019?
(A gratitude visit consists of writing a specific and concrete letter of gratitude that is about 300 words long, setting up a meeting with the recipient, reading it out loud to them, and talking together for about 30 minutes afterwards about their impact and getting curious about what is next for them. Consistent gratitude visits have been shown to diminish depression and increase flourishing more than medication and therapy combined.)

8. As you lean back and look forward, what do you want to savor in this liminal space?

9. What are you tolerating?
(Make a list! All the broken items, stacks, piles, irritants, half-done projects, etc.)  

10. What is one courageous choice that, if you made it in 2020, would dramatically change your life?

11. What are 2 simple practices that you could start, adapt or continue every day that make you feel more alive?

11. What is your theme or vision for the 2020?  
(This is where you get to imagine! Your vision is just a picture of something better, not goals or strategic action points. What does your picture look like? What do you really want for 2020? If you could sum up the year with one word, what would it be? 2020 – the year of _____)

12. What one thing could you produce in 2020 if you really cultivated your personal creativity?

13. What are your top 3 priorities for 2020?
(If you struggle with aligning priorities or coming up with goals, breakdown your life into categories and assess which categories you would most like to grow in throughout the coming year – professional development, relationship with spouse/significant other, finances, community involvement, personal/spiritual development, health and well-being, leisure and recreation, family and friends, physical environment, etc.)

14. What 2-3 character qualities would you like to develop in 2020?

15. How can you maximize your potential for flow in 2020?  

16. What is one thing that you need to remind yourself of every day?

17. How will you remind yourself?
(Get a painting, write it on your mirror, keep a card in your wallet, change the wallpaper on your phone?)

18. If you could heal one relationship, story, space, or problem in 2020, what would it be?

19. What actions do you need to take to 2020 to realize your vision and goals?

20. What accountability will you put in place to ensure your success in 2020?

Megan Gilmore, Founder & Executive Director of Lark's Song

“Megan is a fierce champion for the truth & beauty in all things. She relentlessly calls forth the good in everyone.”

— Emily Hathway

Megan Gilmore: I grew up in an impoverished community in a very loving home. I am the oldest of five siblings and have a lot of physical trauma in my past. 

When I was five, I was in a head-on collision with a semi-truck. I walked away with some glass in my hair, but no scratches. I still remember being on a gurney with my two younger sisters, who were three and two years old, and my mom was somewhere else in the hospital. While my sisters were playing with a stethoscope, I remember being very aware that I was somehow responsible for protecting them because my mom wasn't there.

When I was 12, I was in another car accident. We were t-boned by a driver that was under the influence. I wasn't wearing my seatbelt, and I flew into the windshield. I broke the windshield, and the window lacerated my face. I was knocked out. When I woke up in a stretcher in an ambulance, I thought I was completely alone. I later found out my mom was right next to me in another stretcher. 

As soon as I got to the hospital, my face was really messed up. It just so happened that the best cosmetic surgeon in the state was on call in our small town hospital that day, and he was able to do my surgery. He stitched me back up and made sure my scars lined up with my facial lines. After the surgery, I was in ICU by myself for a few days. 

One of the things that helped me through that was gymnastics and swimming; I was an athlete. I was good at academics and athletics, so I poured myself into those things. 

When I was 16, I drove a golf cart off a bridge at a golf fundraiser. I was in charge of the "closest to the pin” contest, and the prize was a gorgeous electric guitar. We were taking the guitar back to the clubhouse when I overcorrected on a sharp turn, and we went off the bridge into a small river. I gashed my head on a rock, knocked out, and my head fell into the water. The golf cart landed on top of me, and my cousin landed on top of all of that. He was able to stand up and picked up my head, saving me from drowning. He couldn’t move the golf cart because it had filled with water. I was trapped. The electric guitar floated down the river. 

I was screaming at him because it hurt so bad and he didn't know what to do. I told him to get other people to help, and he left. After a while, my dad came and jumped off the bridge and into the river. He had had an accident a few years earlier that made it so that his ankles were bone against metal without any shock absorbers. He tried to lift the golf cart and couldn't because it was impossible.

He stopped and prayed, “God help me save my daughter.” After praying this, he effortlessly lifted the golf cart off me. We both climbed out of the bank, and I was hypothermic. In the ambulance, they cut off my clothes because they were wet and cold. There I was, a 16-year-old girl naked in an ambulance–alone again. 

After this accident, I started receiving messages like “wow, you’ve had so many miracles happen to you. You should be dead. God must be saving you for something really special.” While the intentions behind these messages were good, the impact of that sort of narrative was that I could not mess up or next time I would not be worth saving. 

“Something you will notice quickly about Megan when you meet her is her pursuit of love. Megan has a heart for justice. She makes every decision with the world in mind. Every culture, every country, and every individual truly is worthy of love and forward movement through her eyes. This is why Megan inspires others with hope so deeply. She lives out her calling and knows how to empower others to do the same.”

— Aubrey Baker

So I became a perfectionist. I strove, and I strove, and I strove to be a good girl, person, daughter, sister, student, and girlfriend. I only applied to a couple of colleges because I was absolutely sure I was supposed to go to this school and I was absolutely sure I was going to marry this guy that I was with at the time. 

My junior year, I went on a wilderness trip to Algonquin provincial park. Other than having children, it was the hardest thing I have ever done physically in my life. On the trip, we had a solo day, and we had to spend eight hours alone in nature. Being the good person that I was, I made a plan and gathered my snacks and grabbed my journal. 

A friend and I canoed out to an island. She got one half of the island, and I got the other. After I did all the stuff I had planned, I had spent only spent two hours in nature and still had six hours left. 

So I just had to be alone for six hours with nature and God and myself. It was the first time that I heard him. I knew that it was his voice, and it was resonant with my spirit. There was no question. It happened when I was still and sitting in awe and wonder, and there was nowhere else to go.

I heard a few things, but the basic message he gave me was, “do not put me in a box.”

At that moment, God gave me a vision of a place that I thought was completely revolutionary, a place with multiple modes of therapy including nature-based therapy, equine therapy, art therapy, play, therapy. There were medical professionals, mental health professionals, and spiritual directors at this place, so the therapy would treat the whole person with all the ways God speaks, including nature, science, and people. 

For the first time, I questioned whether the path I thought God's purpose for my life was the right path. I had thought of God's purpose for me as being something far away, something that I had to achieve. 

During my senior year of high school, everything fell apart. The guy I thought I was supposed to marry cheated on me, and the school I thought I was supposed to go to put me on a waitlist, even though there was no reason I was a perfect candidate. 

I decided to go to IWU for a semester because it was close to where I lived. I told myself that I would not form any relationships and then transfer out to pursue what God "really" has planned for me. 

When I started college, my family was still traveling a lot, and I was often alone at home. During this time, I developed my relationship with God. It's easy to say that God is everything you need until God is everything that you have. 

“Megan is a strong woman and leader committed to growth, vulnerability, and transformation. She leads her team with community impact in mind and shepherds her team with grace and ease. My favorite part about being in Megan’s world is that there is always fun to be had and self-care to be learned from the way she cares for herself and others. Even when Megan is frustrated, she turns that energy around and uses it to champion the people in her orbit. It’s beautiful to observe. Megan is a pioneer who leads the way for the rest of us to remember all that we have been created to be.”

- Jade Williams

I started studying Psychology, and the faculty were the reason I stayed. They were incredible. I was completely won over by them. I started taking leadership classes because I had always been in leadership positions and thought it would be a good idea to learn how to be a good one. I took Servant Leadership from Jim Laub and learned a lot, so I started filling all my electives with leadership classes. I started being mentored by Bill Millard. The spring of my senior year, I realized I had all the credits I needed to add a leadership major; I just hadn’t declared it yet. I was the first person on either side of my family to graduate from college. 

After graduating, I interned at a ranch for abused and abandoned girls in Alabama called Big Oak. I helped create an equine program down there.

I immediately went into a grad program. I had originally chosen to study marriage counseling but eventually switched to addictions counseling.

My first internship in graduate school was at Selah House in Anderson, a home for women with eating disorders. It was the closest thing I had experienced to the vision I had in the wilderness. I loved it there.

I had a five-year plan from senior year to when I would start my ranch and retreat center. I was being mentored and had a board in mind.

When I was 20, I was diagnosed with a fertility disorder and was told that I would not be able to have kids. So I was on birth control to regulate everything. While I was on birth control and had this fertility disorder, I got pregnant with Elliot. 

The nine months I was pregnant with Elliot were some of the most transformative months of my life. I learned that God loves me for who I am, not for what I do or don't do. During my pregnancy, my plan was shaken up again. I learned that I love teaching. I started coaching and teaching; neither was part of the plan. 

It was also during this time when God spoke to me and said, “Megan, give me the ranch.” It shook my world. From the time I was 17-24, the ranch was my purpose; it was “the reason I was saved all those times.” It was the thing that would make God proud of me. I learned that I had an idealized picture of what life was supposed to be rather than co-creating this life with God.

So at this point, I don’t know what is going on, and I just keep showing up for life. 

I started listening to God’s voice every day and asking, “How do I live out God’s purpose today?”

“Megan is the most determined person I know. When she sees a problem, she will stop at nothing to make it better.
”

— Erica Eyer

Within six months, I started healing my body naturally. Within another six months, I was teaching, coaching, working as the coordinator of the life coaching program at IWU, I was hiring people, and had a team. 

In another six months, I ran into my advisor, and he asked me if I was studying for the licensure exam. I told him I was not studying because I didn’t have any hours and was a coach now. He told me the law changed, and I had everything I needed to take it. 

I talked to Evan, and he told me to do it, even though it would take our whole savings. I studied, took the test, and passed it and become a licensed addictions counselor. 

At the same time, I started the life coaching certification, and I realized I wanted to have another baby. I also knew that I couldn’t keep working at IWU and be the kind of person I wanted to be. When I talked to Bill Millard (my supervisor at the time) about it, he said, “you’ve got to build the place with the horses.”

Before I left, someone in the office asked if I knew of anyone who was certified in coaching and licensed in addictions counseling because a position at New Day had opened up for a Director of Recovery Coaching. He told me that the job would require me to work part-time from home with flexible hours. It was exactly the job I needed to have while I started my private practice and had Bella. 

Within a year of working at New Day, I had built an addictions recovery program just like the vision I had when I was 17. But I was only 28 and had so much life to live. After a year of working there, it was very clear that I was done. 

In January 2013, I went to the beach. I had a list of questions I asked my clients and decided to answer them for myself. The one question I could not answer was, “what one courageous decision would drastically change your life?” I didn’t know how I could change my life any more than I had done in the past two years.

I was sitting in stillness and awe and heard God say, “Megan, the ranch requires courage.” I asked him how I was supposed to do that, and he said, “You’re not going to do it for me, I'm going to do it with you.”

In January 2013, I wrote in my journal, “to pursue the idea of the ranch with excellence and ease.” I was not going to half-ass it, and I was not going to push in where it's not opening up. 

When I told the coaches in my life about what God had said to me on the beach, each one of them cried. We created a collective of coaches and started pursuing the idea of the ranch. 

“Her well-being care is beyond international...it’s changing our world in each encounter.”

— Annette Lewis-McGruder.

My daughter was laying in bed one night, and I asked her what she was doing. She said, “I’m listening.” 

I asked her what she was listening for, and she said: “I’m listening for God to speak to me.”

I said, “Do you hear anything?”

She responded, “Not yet, but I know I will. I know that he loves me, and if he loves me, He will speak to me.”

Then she asked me, “How do you know what God's voice sounds like?”

I told her, “Its the voice that sounds like love.”

One of the limiting beliefs I have always dealt with is that I am alone and that I need to prove my worth and competence, but the message of “you better do something amazing with your life” is obliterated.

From the time you are born, regardless of your story or experience, your purpose is today. There will be pain and trauma, and it will be an incredible teacher. But maybe learn the right good thing, not the shameful compelling thing. 

Your purpose isn’t something far away for you to achieve, and your potential isn’t something that will make you worth it. Your purpose is here today in the space that you’ve been planted. Your potential is something that you can delight in, not something to be held over your head.

Edited BY Jaylan Miller

Jami Taylor, LSCC

Jami Taylor is the LSCC Community Coach. Jami was a part of the LSCC training program’s second cohort. Before joining the training program, Jami was invited by Emily Hathway to lead a workshop on the first Day of Aliveness in October of 2013. At the time, Jami and her family were living in Georgia. After Jami led the workshop, Emily explained to her that she was already using coaching skills without knowing it. After Emily told her more about coaching, she decided to ask her friend Amanda Foust, an LSCC from Cohort 1, to coach her. “I was just blown away by what was happening. So then I decided to go through the program,” Jami explains.

As the LSCC Community Coach, Jami now works directly with the LSCCs from before the time they sign up, through the program, and beyond. She works at each onsite as the lead assistant and runs the assistant program, which allows LSCCs to come and assist both days of the onsite training. Jami plays a vital role in the program, as she helps the training run smoothly and allows leaders to be able to invest their time in the education fully and not having to worry about much else at all. Jami explains, “It's really fun to [...] create and hold a space for the participants in the leaders to be able to be so focused and fully invested in their time.”

“Her presence is radiant, and it impacts the space in a very beautiful way. Who she is is a gift. She’s just a wild woman who is a fierce protector and loving mother and deeply cares for her people. She is a gift to her community and her people. She listens incredibly well. She’s open to hearing other people who are not like her, specifically with race or religion. She’s profound in her listening and in what she says.”

— Brenna McCarty

The LSCC program has impacted Jami personally in many ways. Jami describes how the coaching assumptions permeate into her whole life. “You can’t just turn it on for your clients,” she says. “You have to believe that all people are naturally creative, resourceful, and relational and believe [the assumptions] about yourself. Learning to believe [the assumptions] about myself has been one of the most transformational things.” She explains that when she does not believe the assumptions about her family, friends, and herself, she “can tell that something's not quite congruent or resonant.”

“As my wife, Jami’s passion for life propels me down the path of exploration and experience. Her mind is fixed upon the wonders all around us, and she deeply honors the beautiful mysteries of the Universe in a manner I have found to be unrivaled. Jami is a helper who is passionate about seeing others sing their heart song. She approaches every person with a joyful creativity and is capable of illuminating their potential when they don’t see it in themselves.
”

— Tom Taylor

She discusses how holding the assumptions about her children has been especially influential to her as a mother: “Learning to believe that about humans from conception to death that that's true in like what that means especially as I think as a parent is a big part of her, that's impacted me in the way. I raised my kids and the way that I talk to them and about them and the space that I hold for them to try and fail to try and succeed.”

When asked if she has any additional interests aside from coaching, Jami answered, “I am really passionate about coaching principles, so I can’t imagine coaching not being in connection to whatever I’m doing.” The coaching principles have become a way of being for her. An additional interest of Jami’s is herbalism. She recently opened an herbal business called Sky and Forest Herbs which carries herbal tea blends, salves, soaks and more.

To anyone considering joining the coach training program, Jami says, “Do it. Stop waiting to do it and just do it. It’s completely worth it. The investment you make with your finances and your time and energy will pay off both professionally and personally in ways that you cannot imagine or expect. Jump in and do it.”

For more information on the LSCC training program and to register, visit LarksSong.com/overview.

BY Jaylan Miller | Writing Intern

Katara McCarty, LSCC

“Katara represents a medley of ‘I...can, will, and do.’ ”

— Anonymous

Katara McCarty is a coach, author, motivational speaker, and the Chairwoman of Lark’s Song’s board. She has been involved with Lark’s Song since the beginning and went through the training program with cohort 4. Before going through the training program, Katara was not sure how she would use her certification, but she felt like going through the program was the right step at the time...and because Megan said, “Girl, you need to go through the program.” Since completing the program, Katara has created her personal coaching business/practice. She coaches businesses and organizations on how to develop stronger cultures where women and girls can fiercely thrive and one on one coaching with women who have husbands who are in high profile positions.

In addition to being a coach, Katara is the host and creator of the Red Lips & Eye Rolls podcast and the author of a children’s book called Pretty Girl. Her book teaches young girls that no matter their shape, color, or size, they can love themselves and others.

“This book came from my own experience of growing up in a world where I didn’t look like other little girls, and needing to learn what being pretty really means.
”

— Katara McCarty

“She is a model of overcoming obstacles. She will do whatever she can for others. She does whatever she sets her mind to.” -Anonymous

“Katara is fiery and fresh.” -Emily Hathway

“She is tenderhearted and very generous with her time and energy and her wisdom.” -Jami Taylor

The foundational coaching assumptions, including that every person is naturally creative, resourceful, whole and relational, have changed Katara’s life. She says, “It has changed the way I view people.” Katara explains that Lark’s Song has given her a community of coaches to be a part of. She says, “As an entrepreneur, it can be lonely and challenging, but knowing I have my LSCC community has been a comfort and a source of strength. There is a comradery between our LSCC’s that is refreshing and powerful.”

To those who are interested in the LSCC training program, Katara wants them to know that they should totally do it. She says, “Even if they don’t have an exact plan on what they will do with their certification. If they are drawn to do it, then do it! I had no idea what I was going to do with my certification, but now I have a thriving coaching business.”

Follow Katara on Instagram and Twitter @KataraMcCarty.

For more information on Katara McCarty’s work and to contact her, visit her website, kataramccarty.com.

For more information on the LSCC training program and to register, visit www.larkssong.com/overview.

BY Jaylan Miller | Writing Intern

Aubrey Baker, Little Larks Experience Designer

“My time at Lark’s Song has truly allowed me to come alive.”

— Aubrey Baker

Aubrey Baker is a senior at Indiana Wesleyan University. On April 3rd, She was given the Outstanding Intern Award for her work with Lark’s Song. Aubrey has been with Lark’s Song since May of 2018. Aubrey enjoys many things about working at Lark’s Song, but especially loves the relationships she has built with the Lark’s Song staff. “I love that we aren't just co-workers,” she says.

We’re outstanding! Megan Gilmore with Aubrey Baker winning their Outstanding Employer and Outstanding Intern of the Year Awards in April 2019.

 She tells the story of her first days as an intern at Lark’s Song: “During my initial training with Megan I asked her ‘What is the secret to working here?’ and she said something along the lines of ‘We are a family. We take care of each other. If you want to truly be a part of this instead of just an intern passing through – lean in and don’t be afraid to get messy.’ I had no idea what that would entail.”

 Aubrey recalls the times she ate pizza at Erica’s house, prepared supplies for Superhero Camp, got coffee with staff members and learned about their lives outside of work, and the home-cooked meals at Megan’s home, where they told riddles and watched TV with Megan’s family. “I truly have gotten to KNOW and be a part of this family and THAT is what I love about working at Lark's Song.”

Will Smith, Emily Hathway, and Aubrey Baker. Doing life together. Coworking in Indianapolis at Reformer House.

 She currently works as is the Little Lark's Experience Designer, maintaining and reviewing the Little Larks Well-Being curriculum and working to expand Little Larks by developing new resources to make revenue and also provide free and accessible content for our community. The Lark's Song Well-Being Curriculum uses children’s literature and an experiential learning model to address core components and critical questions around life purpose discovery and well-being. Research has shown that when children are trained in life purpose discovery and well-being they not only have clarity around their purpose and increased well-being, but they also indicate increased academic performance and decreased depression and anxiety.

 In the Summer of 2018, Aubrey, Megan, and Erica attended the World Positive Education Accelerator Conference in Dallas, Texas. At this conference, attendees gathered in groups to brainstorm ideas for how to advance positive psychology in the next ten years. Erica and Aubrey created an idea about how low-income families could tell their life story through creative arts. “It included the concept that every individual is worthy of being taken care of and listened to,” Aubrey says. Erica and Aubrey’s prototype was chosen out of nearly 800 experts in the field of positive psychology to be presented at the conference.

Megan Gilmore, Vanessa King, Angela Duckworth, Erica Eyer, and Aubrey Baker at WPEA/IPEN in June 2018.

 Aubrey explains, “During this time, we discussed our consideration of vulnerable populations and used forward thinking to develop our unique and practical idea. As we presented this prototype, I was able to recognize that I have unique things to say and contribute.”

 In addition to leading a group of children to help discover their superhero strengths at Superhero Camp at the Wabash YMCA, Aubrey created a deck of cards to enhance well-being in low-income families.

 Aubrey is currently a part of the Lark’s Song Certified Coach training program with cohort 12. “Acknowledgment is just as important as constructive criticism,” Aubrey shares what she has found to be the most valuable learning from the LSCC coach training program. Aubrey wishes to tell anyone interested in the coach training program, “that you will not find a program or group of people who are as passionate and invested in the coaching profession and the impact it has on our world as the Lark's Song community.”

 “My time with Lark’s Song has been a highlight of my undergraduate experience.” Aubrey Baker

 For more information on the Little Larks Superhero Camp and to register, visit larkssong.com/camp.

 For more information on the LSCC training program and to register, visit https://www.larkssong.com/overview.

 BY Jaylan Miller | Writing Intern

Levi Huffman, LSCC

Levi Huffman met Megan Gilmore a week and a half before the first cohort of the LSCC training program began. He laughs about how he showed up to their first meeting with a tattered piece of paper covered in questions which were meant to “poke holes” in coaching. He was impressed with the way Megan answered his list of questions and how she carried herself, and he decided to join the program. At this time, Levi had just finished his doctoral program and found that coaching allowed him to start accessing his heart, rather than his brain.

After finishing his coach training in 2015, Levi traveled with Megan and the other members of Lark’s Song’s first global education initiative in Zambia, Africa.

“I have always said that coaching brings out the royalty in people, and that is what I stand behind.

”

— Levi Huffman

Levi currently works as a coach and professor of life calling at Indiana Wesleyan University. He also helped co-create courses for the graduate counseling program, which allows participants to receive a certificate in coaching. Levi Huffman, Erin Davis, and Jackie Stancil recently published a study in the International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring titled “The Impact of Life Coaching on Undergraduate Students: A Multiyear Analysis of Coaching Outcomes” exploring how coaching impacts undergraduates. This team is currently working on another study on how the enneagram impacts the coaching process. Levi will also have an article featured in the next issue of Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development.

 Bailey Batman, a senior at IWU, has been coaching with Levi for three years. She says, “Levi is very empathetic and intuitive. He has been steady and has asked me questions that have prompted so much change in my life that I didn't expect. He is a very warm person, and I have always felt encouraged by him. He has encouraged me to pursue opportunities, just because of characteristics he called out in me, that I would not have seen myself capable of doing.”

Megan Gilmore, Steph Yoder, Luke Anspach, and Levi on the Made Wild scouting trip in September 2015.

Levi and Megan co-created Lark’s Song’s Made Wild program. Made Wild is an immersive wilderness coaching experience, which gives participants the opportunity to work through personal topics amid a community. Levi sees this program as the perfect getaway, a way for participants to unplug and shake themselves out of routine.

He explains, “In the wilderness, your guards are down in certain ways because you can't have your comfort zones. I operate out of the belief that the blessing is outside of the comfort zone. Getting people out of their comfort zones naturally opens them up to change.”

Jade Williams co-assisted a Made Wild trip under Megan and Levi in the Hoosier National Forest. Jade echos Levi’s belief that the blessing is outside of the comfort zone: “Being in a completely different environment allows you to unlock truth that you couldn't even see until you were removed from your day to day patterns.”

During this Made Wild trip, Jade found significant beauty and meaning in the small moments of rest while hiking:

“It’s just amazing how stopping for a few seconds and taking a few sips of water and just catching your breath can do wonders. That's such a metaphor for life. We don't slow down, and we just keep moving. If we would just stop and take a breath and go back to the basics of just taking care of our bodies in the moment, even if it's just less than a minute, then we can carry on better than we were before, not only with our bodies hydrated or lifted, but our spirits lifted as well.”

The Summer 2017 Made Wild crew in the Hoosier National Forest.

“Levi just brings a gentle and yet steadfast leadership to the Made Wild program. He meets people where they are and yet also challenges them and calls them forth in a servant leader like way.”

— Jade Williams

Levi recalls working with a young woman who had never been in the wilderness before. He remembers her tears as she was empowered by learning how to build a fire on her own, walking through the woods without being afraid, and other little things that helped her discover her strength. He says, “Sitting with people in those moments is amazing...I just feel humbled by the privilege to work with people in these vulnerable places.”

Levi compares Made Wild to his experience of section hiking the Appalachian trail with his good friend. It affects his heart and his person. He describes it as “disconnecting and reconnecting with [himself] and with God.” He explains, “to be able to be a part of providing that for other people is incredibly humbling, and I do not take that lightly.”

Levi and other participants from 2018’s Executive Summit Wilderness Excursion crafting a rain shelter.

“He is grounded, imaginative, curious, real, and benevolent. His character is true, and the energy he holds is safe. All of who I am is welcome and championed when I am kickin’ it with Levi.”

— Brenna McCarty

“He is grounded, imaginative, curious, real, and benevolent. His character is true, and the energy he holds is safe. All of who I am is welcome and championed when I am kickin' it with Levi.” Brenna McCarty

Made Wild uses the Enneagram as a tool for coaching. Levi appreciates the Enneagram because “it’s complex, it's layered, and it gives the opportunity to people to live at choice. It reveals and then you get to choose how you want to grow and in which ways you want to grow.” He explains, “It doesn't put you in a box, it shows you what box you are already in. The Enneagram helps people move from self knowledge to self awareness.”

Assistant coaches: Anthony Eyer and Katara McCarty with Megan Gilmore and Levi Huffman before the Executive Summit Wilderness excursion.

To anyone considering going on the next Made Wild trip, Levi says, “If you want some adventure in your life if you feel like you just need a change of scenery, not necessarily just around you, but internally, you are a good candidate for Made Wild.”

For more information on the LSCC training program and to register, visit LarksSong.com/overview.

For information on the Spring Made Wild trip and to register, visit LarksSong.com/calendar/made-wild-spring.

To view Levi’s work with Life Calling at IWU, visit Indwes.edu/undergraduate/life-at-iwu/offices-and-services/center-for-life-calling/our-team.

BY Jaylan Miller | Writing Intern

Erica Eyer, LSCC

Erica Eyer is the Little Larks Well Being Coach. She was a participant in the second cohort of Lark’s Song’s certified coach training program. When she signed up for the program, she “literally had no idea” what she was going to do with the certification, but felt like it was on the path God had planned for her to take. Erica explains, “my coaching certification has taken me down a path that has allowed me to serve others in a greater capacity than my nursing degree or ministry position would ever have allowed me to, which is something I would never have expected or imagined.”

When Erica was going through her LSCC training in 2015, she began co-leading coaching retreats for teenage girls to uncover their true selves and step into their best.

The LSCC certification has enabled Erica to do things she never thought were possible. She was a part of the team that developed the Little Larks well-being curriculum and helped start a Ceelelo School in Zambia. The curriculum has reached over 100 students in Grant and Wabash Counties through Superhero Camp, is being used as trauma intervention for children in Mexico, and continues to be used in schools and orphanages in central Zambia. She has done premarital coaching, coaching for students, and is beginning to work with foster families, as well. She has also been able to use coaching as she teaches Yoga at Sender Wellness in Marion.

“What I experienced in coaching with Erica was like taking off blinders. I work in social services and in the mental health field. Not much surprises me at this point in life. The difference I felt after my first appointment was visceral as well as ethereal. Erica is compassionate, intuitive yet not so much that she won't call me on my crap.”

Erica leading students at Ivy Tech through a group coaching activity around seeing their character strengths and acknowledging them in each other.

When Lark’s Song started partnering with Ivy Tech to offer coaching services to their students last fall, Erica jumped right in. She co-coaches a group of first-generation college students and students who are a part the Associate Accelerated Program, which allows students to graduate with an associates degree in 11 months, and she co-leads a well-being training for students with Megan Gilmore and Emily Hathway for first-time students at the beginning of the semester. In addition to these group coaching opportunities, she also holds office hours at Ivy Tech for students to have additional individual coaching. Erica works with these students on overcoming obstacles, identifying their VIA Character Strengths, and using mindfulness training. Research has shown that these interventions both increase well-being and levels of happiness while decreasing depression and anxiety.

Emily Hathway, Erica Eyer, Megan Gilmore, Bria McCarty and Levi Huffman finishing up a day of training 28 educational coaches in the Chilanga district of Lusaka, Zambia.

Erica’s clients express her impact on their lives in their own words: 

“Working with Erica has been life-changing. I had no idea I was being held back by so many limiting beliefs. She helped me uncover those and taught me about overcoming obstacles. I started working with Erica when I was 16 years old and now at 21 I don’t think I would be where I am without coaching.”

“Erica helped me see my worth and how valuable I am.”

“I value justice and fairness and doing things the right way no matter the cost and that is a really hard way to live, and in high school it doesn’t help you make friends either. Erica helped me see how to use those values to make the world a better place, and she also helped me see that sometimes those values were really just hurting me or others - that I wasn’t being just or fair. It changed the way I looked at the world and helps me realize that I might not always be right even though what I think is right.”

The most valuable insight from the Lark’s Song Certified Coach training program to Erica is the learning around living at choice. Erica explains, “It was as if I finally had the formula for solving all my complex thoughts.” This mindset changed the way Erica looks at life and problems and people’s capability.

Erica leading the Green Team at Superhero Camp in Matter Park.

“I get to teach people how magical they are; I get to help them see the rare jewel that lies deep inside them and that they are a gift to the world. I know that all sounds so woo-woo and a little too self-help-ish, but I went into nursing because I wanted to see people healthy, I went into ministry because I wanted to see people restored to wholeness. Coaching has offered me a way to see people be both healthy and whole.”

— Erica Eyer

To anyone considering entering the LSCC training program, Erica explains that the program will make participants into better people, which in turn will make their families and coworkers better. She says, “The program changes you, coaching requires you to let down your walls and wash off the BS and really see what is there. It makes you break down who you thought you were and see the raw material you have in you and to rebuild in a way that's true to you and not to others.” 

For more information on the coach certification program and to register, visit larkssong.com/overview.

 BY Jaylan Miller | Writing Intern

Emily Hathway, LSCC

Top: Emily receiving her LSCC certificate in 2015
Bottom: Emily receiving the MIllard Servant Leadership Award in January 2019

Emily Hathway is the Lark’s Song Culture Care Coach. She has been a part of Lark’s Song since 2013, when she became the first intern at Lark’s Song. Emily was first introduced to coaching while in the graduate counseling program at Indiana Wesleyan University in an elective course taught by Megan Gilmore.

“Emily has been with Lark’s Song from the beginning. She was our first intern, and her first day was at our business launch at Matter Park. Since then, she has become a certified coach, she’s served as our LSCC Community Coach, a collective coach, and now the Culture Care Coach… She’s disciplined herself in her belief in a servant leader paradigm and she doesn’t give it up when things get hard.”

— Megan Gilmore

Emily chairs the committee for Lark’s Song’s Day of Aliveness each year. Pictured here (L—>R) Aubrey Baker (cohort 12), Emily Hathway (cohort 1), Brenna McCarty (cohort 9), Jami Taylor (cohort 2) worked together with other LSCCs and members of our community to co-create this incredible event.

After being introduced to coaching, Emily felt like this was the first career she wanted to pursue. She was drawn to work with people from a culture of poverty, as well as people who wished to live with their senses more awake.  

Since receiving her certification, Emily became a staff member of Circles of Grant County, a nonprofit organization that connects individuals and families who experience poverty in a variety of ways to others who then walk alongside them as they move beyond poverty through the power of community. Emily is able to work with people from a culture of poverty as the Circles Coach.

“Emily is an incredibly beautiful soul - she is greatly valued and appreciated in her relationships, and it’s apparent that she puts her heart into anything she believes in. She is wild and grounded and dedicated to her community. Emily is an absolute treasure. ”

— Christina Crump

Emily has also started her own business and coaching workshops. She has worked with clients of all ages, including high school and college students, adults, and folks nearing retirement. The first workshop she created, Eyes to See, focuses on the ability to see and hear others, as well as how this gift can be used in community development. Emily also leads a workshop with Seth Harshman, which focuses on growing in awareness using the tool of the Enneagram.

“One of Emily’s many strengths is her ability to recognize and draw out the gifts in others. I experienced this personally when she saw the potential impact my knowledge of the Enneagram could have on people and persuaded me to co-create a workshop with her.”

— Seth Harshman

Most recently, Emily released a themed coaching package called Rewilded. This 12 session package aims to uncage the parts of participants that they have knowingly or unknowingly decided are not allowed to roam wild and free, as well as awakening any brilliance that has been dulled. This coaching experience also includes unique resources for deepening learning between sessions.

Emily has continued to grow deeper in her involvement in the Marion community since living here for over eight years. She has a deep love and hope for this community. In addition to working with Circles, she partners with the downtown community in strategic planning with local nonprofit boards. In 2016, Emily and Megan worked with Marion Design Co. and other Marion natives to create the Marion’s core community values. Emily explains that she loves using coaching to “remind people that it is not about fixing a perceived brokenness, but it can also be about uncovering the assets and creativity that's already here and harnessing that to watch the community flourish.”

“She leans in more to figure out what the needs of our community are and how those can be served– how those needs can be met from places of abundance, rather than driving or striving towards something out of scarcity or desperation mindset…Emily believes so strongly that Lark’s Song and the greater Marion community are full of abundance and gifts and creativity and goodness, so she lines up her actions and her relationships with those beliefs.”

— Megan Gilmore

“Sneaky Good” slow medicine deliveries for our Lark’s Song staff.

Emily has also worked as an instructor for the LSCC certification program. She explains, “There’s such a delight that happens when you get to reveal the power of coaching to people as well.” To those who are interested in participating in the LSCC training program, Emily explains that the coaching certification is not just a cool business skill, but “it’s very much a paradigm shift that allows you to engage the world so much more fully [and] stop tolerating things you have been tolerating and find places of flourishing that you didn’t know existed.” She also points out how coaching can integrate into any profession and enhance whatever work someone is doing. “Coaching is one of the most effective tools for harnessing the power of human relationship to move towards flourishing. This journey will transform your life,” explains Emily.

“When I talk with Emily, she makes me feel like I am the only person in the world that matters in that moment. She has a way of simultaneously pointing out the most beautiful aspects of who you are while also empowering you to be the truest version of yourself. Emily Hathway embodies the phrase ‘free spirit.’”

— Aubrey Baker

In December 2015, Emily traveled with four other LSCCs (Megan Gilmore, Erica Eyer, Levi Huffman, and Bria McCarty) to train 28 educational coaches in the Chilanga district of Lusaka, Zambia to prepare for the opening of Ceelelo School a year later.

For more information on the coach certification program and to register, visit larkssong.com/overview.

Visit emilyhathway.com for more information on Emily’s work and emilyhathway.com/rewilded to register for her Rewilded coaching package.

BY Jaylan Miller | Writing Intern

Coaching & Systems: Will's Perspective

Will & Terrie at Experience-Assisted Coaching talking about Relationship Zones

On February 1st and 2nd, the Cohort 11 of the LSCC training program participated in the fourth onsite: Coaching & Systems. This onsite focused on teaching the techniques and skills needed to coach a group or organization to reach their goals and develop their potential.

Will presenting during the Discover phase of Appreciative Inquiry

Will Smith is the Vice President of Sextons Creek Productions, a full-service creative studio, and the founder of Reformer House in Indianapolis. Will is the head of a team at Sextons Creek, and he found the information discussed in the Coaching & Systems to be directly and immediately applicable to his life. In addition to his personal relationships, Will explained that he would use the knowledge he gained at the onsite with colleagues and employees, as well as other companies to help them understand their purpose, mission, and voice. He explained, “I am a part of a lot of systems and every time we covered content it directly affected every system that I’m a part of.”

Mike, Will, and Megan learning how to regulate breathing by blowing bubbles

The community built throughout the course of the training program is a community unlike anything Will had been a part of, and one that he desires to continue after the program ends. He believes that this kind of community is sometimes a space that you find, but may also be a space that you need to create. Will described the cohort as “a community that encourages authenticity and encourages being your whole self, being all in, being present.”  

Embodiment of the team toxins

For more information and to sign up for The Lark’s Song Certified Coach training program, visit www.larkssong.com/overview.

BY Jaylan Miller | Writing Intern