by Erin Owen | May 28, 2015 | Events
July 10, 2015 10 AM to 3 PM
Private Location in the Newbo District of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Unlock new leadership practices that can reduce your stress level, improve decision-making, boost focus, stimulate creativity & innovation, and increase satisfaction with work and life
- Discuss the latest research on how mindfulness practices boost leadership performance
- Discover cutting edge strategies that you can share with others
Space limited due to beautiful and intimate size of the retreat space. Registration opens June 8 and will close once space is full. Option to bring your whole team. (See retreat day schedule and fee details below.)

Mindful Leader Retreat Day Schedule
10:00-10:30 am – Onsite Arrival & Registration and Time for Networking
10:30 am-12:00 pm – Morning Session
12:00-12:45 pm – Lunch* break
12:45-2:15 pm – Afternoon Session
2:15-3 pm close/next steps
*Lunch on your own at one of the many wonderful vendors at Newbo Market, or Brewhemia Café, or another local restaurant.
Retreat Fee:
$97 per person
Team of 4 = $320 ($80/person)

Registration Instructions:
- Visit the Mind Body website to create your registration account. (Free; no fee required.)
- From the tabs at the top, select the Mindful Leader Retreat tab.
- Using the calendar/date option in the right upper corner, select July 10, 2015.
- Click on the “Sign Up Now” button in the screen below, click on the “Make a Single Reservation” blue button, then select to register One Person or a Team of 4.
- After you receive your receipt and email confirmation, mark your calendar! We will be in touch with more details, including a friendly reminder early in the week of the event.
We look forward to sharing this day with you!
Any questions? Call Andrea at 319-721-0368 or Erin at 215-771-8968
RETREAT DAY LEADERS:

Andrea Franz Parks
Andrea Franz Parks
Local business woman and owner of Toula Yoga Studio, Andrea is a certified yoga teacher, certified educator, coach and Reiki Level III practitioner. Learn more about Andrea at http://toulayoga.com/join-us/.

Erin Owen
Erin Owen
CR native, business owner, and published author, Erin is a transformational life coach for leaders. She is a certified Total Leadership coach, Quantum Coach, and holistic health coach, as well as a certified yoga teacher and Reiki master. Learn more about Erin at execcareerreinvention.com.
Download the event postcard to view and share with others.
by Erin Owen | May 20, 2015 | Events
“I was interrupted 17 times while trying to make this reservation, and I somehow ended up buying a ticket on the wrong day for $200 more!” This was the comment from the man next to me on my flight from Philadelphia to Chicago. He worked in an office and was the “fixer” in his company–the one others came to when they couldn’t figure something out.
Does this happen to you? You have the best intentions to get something done…hit the send button after writing an email or hit the purchase button…only to come back later to discover the email window is still open and active or the item you wanted to buy is no longer available.
These are simple everyday tasks. But what happens when the interruptions and distractions negatively influence your most important relationships? The relationships that are supposed to be part of the stable and nurturing foundation for this chaotic and stressful life?
My husband and I often complain that we cannot finish a single sentence without our boys interrupting us at least 4 times. “But mom, I just want…” “But dad, you said when you got home you would…”
Or what happens when you begin to do something good for you: go for a run or pick up those vitamins or sign-up for a class–and once again the day gets away from you?
INTERRUPTITUS!
If “interruptitis” it’s not already a word or a medical diagnosis, it should be!
It seems we’ve become so accustomed to being interrupted constantly by texts and social media pings and emails and calls that we cannot focus to get anything done. And we have forgotten basic etiquette for polite dialogue and friendly human interactions.
There are sadly many, many unintentional and costly side-effects.
Let’s call them…
SYMPTOMS of INTERRUPTITUS:
- Accidental Oversights
- Costly Errors
- Unnecessary Misunderstandings
- Pointless Arguments
- Stress-escalating Frustrations
- Lost Opportunities
- Painful Break-ups (in business and in love)
And because we feel so overwhelmed and have no energy reserve, most of us are just putting on bandages, like working more hours or waiting for next year’s vacation, rather than looking for a preventative solution.
In an email my NAWBO sister Mary Ann wrote earlier this week, she said it so perfectly…
If you are like me, there are just those moments in your month…in your week….in your day….office phone is ringing, cell phone is ringing, the ding of your text messages are driving you crazy, you have a TTD list a mile long and you just don’t which way to turn and then when you do set your sights on what needs your attention next, someone walks into your office with an urgent matter.
When you do get a moment to take a breath (usually, I try to hide out for 2.5 minutes in the ladies’ room), you just think, “If I could just have one day — one day! — to CENTER myself, I could really conquer the world!”
Well, that day is June 2nd! More than 20 amazing women have already reserved their seats for the world premiere of our Reconnect experience. It is a rare and important opportunity to intentionally extract yourself from the germ-infested pool of daily INTERRUPTITIS.
Sara Canuso and I have custom-designed this day exclusively for women to get away from the daily noise, to rekindle your spark, and leave with the Confidence, Clarity and Motivation to RECONNECT to what is most important to you and get your life back into alignment with what you really want.
We know there are so many women struggling through the daily stresses of too many demands with no time for themselves. Where is there space or time to reflect on what is most important, or give attention to yourself?
If you are feeling overwhelmed and disconnected in your daily life, please for once do something for yourself and join us! If you know a woman in this situation, please share the event information with her. She will be grateful to you!
Do not let INTERRUPTITIS get the upper hand in this instance: take a deep breath, block out all distractions, and focus for just 2 minutes to fill out the registration form and submit it. This is step one in reclaiming your life! You are worth it!
And if you are a man struggling with the same challenges, you are not alone: please email me.
Here’s to putting an end to INTERRUPTITIS with a cherished day to RECONNECT to Yourself and Your Truth on June 2nd.
(Seats limited. Registration closes on May 28, or earlier when all seats fill.)
by Erin Owen | May 13, 2015 | Ezine
Whether it’s the devastation from earthquakes far away in Nepal, or those killed and injured in the Amtrak train wreck just one mile from my house last night, I am reminded that life is short.
We must live life now!
What are you waiting for?
If you have a sense that things are not quite right, but you cannot name or identify the source, you may be in a fog caused by the busy-ness and complexity in your life.
If you know what is off-track in your life but are not sure where to begin, take a few deep breaths and know it can be as simple as setting an intention in your mind.
Don’t wait another day or month (or year or decade!!!). Know that you have the power to transform your life right now.
If you don’t know how to tap into your inner wisdom, or need more concrete guidance, I will show you how.
Join us on June 2nd to reconnect to your truth. Time is running out, so don’t delay. Register now. Use the secret code “June” for $100 savings!
Life is happening now! Live it fully!
by Erin Owen | May 6, 2015 | Ezine
One of the biggest victims of you being overwhelmed is your integrity.
Hundreds of emails, text messages, social media posts fly by you each day.
When your human brain is forced to continually toggle between activities, you:
- have trouble focusing
- are more likely to make errors, and
- may even experience a bottle-neck in your brain when it feels like all systems are shutting down and you need to re-boot.
If you can’t function, how can you honor your commitments and be responsive in a way that mirrors your best intentions?
And yet your success and well-being depend on you operating at a high level of functionality. Your colleagues need you to answer their questions so they can move the project forward. Your customers will take their business elsewhere if they don’t receive quality service. Your children will not understand when you fail to follow through on your latest promise.
Your integrity is at stake hundreds of times a day. An impossible situation.
So what to do?
First, admit you are a human and not a robot. Tell yourself and everyone around you that you are doing your best.
Second, simplify. Stop saying yes to more. Start saying thank you for the invitation or the opportunity, but no thank you to splitting your attention and energy in even more directions.
Third, be here now. Focus on who is in front of you. Breathe. Get this task done now. Move on only after it’s completed.
Learn More
For more simple strategies for reclaiming your integrity–truly bringing all the pieces of you together for greater meaning, more energy, better results–dive into my foundational course (on your own or with coaching support).
Register Today: Last Day for Early Bird Discount
And to feel clear & grounded again and deeply re-connect to what is most important, join me on June 2nd. (Early bird registration ends today, May 6.) Sorry guys–this one’s only for the girls.
Your integrity matters. You matter.
Don’t keep risking it by living and working in a constant state of overwhelm.