Case Study: JMI Juice (Juju, Manifestation and Intentions)

I had the pleasure of coaching Karen Rutherford last year. Her story is remarkable and inspiring and it’s my pleasure to share her success with you. Here’s Karen’s story.

“Have you thought of one-on-one coaching with Cynthia?” A friend asked me last year.

Yes, I had, but that it still felt like a luxury I couldn’t afford. I’d made progress in Cynthia’s Writers’ Success Group and it felt like perfect timing to hire Cynthia to coach me one-one. My son had been away in college for over a year, and I was on my own with a lot of questions about what to do with my life and my long-held desire to write.

Still, the cost felt like a guilty pleasure. A single mother isn’t inclined to spend money on professional coaching.

The next morning, Cynthia sent an email announcing her Summer 2009 Scholarship Program. She would call this ‘juju’ and now, so do I. I won a spot and diligently prepared so I wouldn’t waste a moment of valuable coaching time.

What do I want?

My plan for the focus of our coaching was to develop an action plan to minimize my contract technical writing jobs and pursue other types of writing on a more flexible, freelance basis. I wanted to be able to set my own schedule and write about more fun, interesting things!

For the first few sessions, the homework around that felt tedious. As Cynthia hinted, but made me figure out for myself, this goal didn’t seem to register high on my “Alive-o-Meter” (The highly technical device she uses to help clients get clear on what’s truly exciting for them.).

Our sessions evolved into an internal discovery process. Homework was writing and writing and writing some more about me, about my previous work, and about what I wanted in my new life. It felt unproductive – after all, nothing was being accomplished.

The writing prompts Cynthia gave me:

• What did I want my life to look like?
• What had I done in the past that made me the happiest and why?
• How was I feeling about my transition from single motherhood into being just me?
• Was I honoring my values throughout the process? Had I even identified my values?

I couldn’t have been more wrong about the value of this work. In actuality, this was the most productive time of my life, but in a new way. I was learning about who I am now, at this age and with no child on whom to base my decisions. It was surprisingly emotional and overwhelming, because it required an unfamiliar patience with and kindness to myself!

Coaching Moves Project from Back Burner

Then, all of a sudden, a project that had been near and dear to my heart a few years ago popped into mind. Because of the demands of single parenting, I had never taken time to make progress on it. Now, the timing felt right.

I mentioned my idea to a friend and she genuinely loved it. I felt supported enough to mention it to Cynthia, who also thought it was a wonderful idea, and a perfectly natural part of the plan.

The idea was to build a supportive community of women going through what I call Post-Single Motherhood (or PSMing) – the time in our lives when our children are growing up and leaving home. As I defined the concept and identified stages of the process, I realized that I had been grieving the loss of my son, even though he was only an hour away. And I had done it completely alone!

My hope is that women in this same situation would recognize themselves in this new name and then be able to connect and share their experiences with each other.

It was scary, but I got a lot of help from Cynthia and from Melody Watson, a designer I hired to help me execute my idea. Cynthia kept reminding me about the many, many women out there who would benefit from my honesty and sense of humor. This encouraged me to keep taking steps both big and small to create my dream.

Now, a year later, here’s how PSMing has grown from that seed of an idea. I have developed:

• a Website
• a blog
• a handbook I’m writing
• an active and growing Facebook community
• a group discussion forum (coming soon)
• a Twitter following @psming
• a charter local meet-up chapter with additional chapters to follow
• three PSM related stories currently being framed for display at an art show in Atlanta in February
• a pending trademark application

I know, right?!?! Who could have imagined I’d be able to create so much in just one year! Certainly not me.

But best of all, there are women just like me who want to talk, connect, laugh, cry, help each other, and watch each other grow new wings and fly!

PSMing is truly a beautiful thing and without the time spent getting clear about what I really wanted to devote my creativity to, the PSMing community wouldn’t exist.

Living my juju

I know without question that where I stand today is a result of Cynthia’s one-on-one coaching. When we started, I didn’t even know what made me truly happy.

And when I did my writing homework and wrote and wrote about my ideal work life, I had no idea that I was manifesting my own desires. When we discussed what was becoming clear and what I valued and found joy in, I had no idea that I was setting intentions and tossing them into the Universe.

I have learned how to find and express my juju and I have learned it well. There’s more work to do, of course, and I look forward to the blessing of more coaching with Cynthia as this project and I grow and change in the years to come.

For her, it’s a wonderful creative identification and manifestation process she’s proven with umpteen clients who have come before me and will come after me.

For me, it’s magic.

Thank you Cynthia,

Karen Rutherford, Post-Single Motherhood