I'm about to do something outrageous!

Have I got a juicy story for you...!

Let me start with a little context.

In November of 2022, I attended my friend Claire's online Burlesque from the Inside Out dance showcase on Zoom.

Claire's teacher / guide / mentor's name is Kellita, and from Claire's first communication with me about the showcase, I could feel that Kellita held both the show and each woman performing in it (she calls them "awakening showgirls") with a rare and sacred reverence.

In order to join the showcase, every guest was required to join a workshop with Kellita so she could share more about what it means to see and be seen.

In the workshop I attended, we did a few exercises where we'd "take the stage" in a very low-stakes, easy way.

In one of the exercises, one of your hands is invited to dance however it wants to for one minute of a song.

After just a few of these exercises, I was surprised to realize that a craving within me [that I wasn't even conscious of] was satiated...

When I was being witnessed, not only was I seen, but the other women were seeing something within themselves while they were seeing me.

And after my moment of being seen, the feedback was sooooo much richer than "good job" or "I liked it" or "what if you tried this?"

The feedback was relational.

After our workshop, Kellita summed it up beautifully: "If I'm witnessing you, my focus is to see you as a human - not to categorize or judge you, but to notice and name for myself what it feels like to be me while I witness you."

When do we ever do ⬆️ THAT?!

When I was the person who was being witnessed - I get to feel into what it's like to be ME while I'm allowing other people to witness me.

So three months later, when I got an email from Kellita with the subject line "Happy Feet!" you bet I opened that email.

Kellita was inviting women to join her "awakening showgirls" dance troupe (called "Hot Pink Feathers: Showgirls for Peace") in San Francisco's 45th annual Carnaval Parade.

The email contained pictures of radiant, beaming women with big false eyelashes, feathers, voluminous fake ponytails, tons o' glitter, and a brass marching band.

Photos from Kellita Malouf.

Looking at these images made my inner 5-year old swoon...

And it sparked one of my top values: delight!

Scanning the email, I thought to myself...

• I've gotta be in that parade!

• I want to shimmy and shake down the street in one of my favorite cities with a gaggle of gals!

• What a cool way to kick off my 40s with outrageous revelry!

So I signed up.

And I will say, there have been many ups and downs since I took the leap. Here's a hand-drawn graphic of said ups and downs:

My “graph” of the ups and downs of my awakening showgirl journey so far.

And there have been moments where I wondered...

• WTF am I doing being in a parade in a city that's across the country from where I live?!

• What if I'm the crummiest dancer in Hot Pink Feathers and I can't land the turn?

• What if I think the dance boots are ugly?

• Why did I sign up for this thing that I'll need to practice for right when my partner moves away for the summer for work?

• What if none of the other dancers like me?

And as a matter of fact, as I read those thoughts, I've revisited each of them again at least once or twice just in the last 24 hours...

🌀 Spiraling swirl of negative thoughts be damned, I'm still gonna do it!

In less than a week, I'll be on the other side of my parade dancer debut.

I can't wait to share pictures with you.

If you're in or near the Bay Area on Sunday, May 28th, come see me in action!

All of the parade route and details are here.

And regardless of where you live, if you're longing to live a life more aligned with your values, I've got somethin' for ya!

I believe that embodying our values is the difference between being burned out 🔥 and being lit up! ✨

If you want to meet or get reacquainted with your values, I'm offering a workshop on Sunday, June 11th from 3:00-4:30pm ET.

It's called "Venture Into Your Values."

​Register here. (and get a discount if you bring a friend!)

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?"

-Mary Oliver