Posts by Susan Crossman
“Put On Your CEO Hat” Conference Coming Up In March!
As a writer, author, editor and coach, I’ve spent many years learning about the many ways we can get stuck along the way to achieving our goals and I have poured myself into the twin studies of motivation and results. They are fascinating fields and although knowing how we get stuck is great, knowing how to get unstuck is where the rubber meets the road. On the weekend of March 16th and 17th I’m going to be sharing some of what I know with participants at the Blitz Business Success “Put On Your CEO Hat” conference being held in Barrie, Ontario. I would love for you to join me there! The weekend features a stellar line up of speakers focused on solving many of the common problems entrepreneurs experience as we drive our businesses forward to success and I am honoured to be included in the lineup. Here’s who will be speaking: Conference Organizer Barb Stuhlemmer is a business coach with a laser-like ability to identify where business owners are missing opportunities to make more money and she has a brilliant sense of how to leverage existing resources to generate greater income. Business Mentor Laura Gisborne brings great heart into helping business owners get a grip on how to see the financial aspect of their business as an ally in the drive to create their dream lives. Public Speaking Coach Cindy Ashton is a charismatic presenter who helps business people deliver their message with sizzle and pop and, given that the fear of speaking on stage is a big block for many of us out there, I’m excited to hear what she has to say! It’s going to be a fabulous weekend and because I’m one of the presenters, Barb has invited me to offer any of my followers $200 off the standard $497 cost of the two-day conference. To take advantage of the discount, please visit “Put on Your CEO Hat” and enter the coupon code “(CEOHAT_EWOMEN)”. I’d love to see you at the event and I wish you all the best for every success in the months (and years!) ahead! Please get in touch with any questions you might have! Susan susan@crossmancommunications.com 905-469-1892...
Read MoreEmbracing New Dreams and Starting Again
Valentine’s Day is nicely behind us now and although many people enjoy the excitement that fresh cut flowers and dinner out might generate, there are plenty of folks for whom the day is a sad reminder of what might have been. I think that’s one of the things that makes divorce so difficult: most people take on the commitment of marriage with hearts full of dreams for the future and when reality turns out to be anything but dreamy, it can be extremely difficult to release the hope that it might get better and drive on. Most mature people realize that successful relationships require a little compromise. We can’t have everything our own way. But how much give and take is reasonable? The issue is even more complicated in the case of an abusive relationship, where it can be extremely difficult for a woman (or a man, for that matter) to recognize the serious and damaging imbalance of power that’s at play in their lives. I’ve noticed that it can take a miserably long time for people who are in the midst of an abusive relationship to recognize that they are being abused. Doing something about it is even more difficult. And no-one likes to throw around the “A-Word.” Abuse is one of those dramatic words that hint at hysteria and craziness. In my experience, by the time an individual has embraced the reality that their relationship is emotionally damaging to them, they simply want to get out. That’s one of the themes I had the most difficulty with while writing “Shades of Teale”: what is it that triggers Teale’s understanding that her marriage is an unhealthy one? How does she break through the numb blanket she’s wrapped around herself and begin to realize that the marriage she thought she was getting is very different from the one she wanted? In talking to real-life women who have been through abusive relationships I realized that the triggers vary from person to person. One woman I know realized it was time to leave when her husband started beating her while she was holding their two-year-old son. She was pregnant with her second child at the time. Another shook her head and woke up when she hid for hours in the spare room closet while her husband was “entertaining” his girlfriend in the living room. Yet another found out, by accident, that the business trip her husband had been on was actually all about monkey business. That he enjoyed with her best friend. I don’t advocate getting lost in the dismal realities that some people experience in their relationships. Yes, life can be perceptively miserable. But I do hope that in reading my book there are women out there who recognize something of themselves in Teale, embrace the truth, get some help and walk out of their abusive relationship with their lives, and the lives of their children, fully intact. It may mean putting an end to the hopes and dreams of one segment of a woman’s life. But it also means starting to create the hopes and dreams to fuel a new era. One that doesn’t hurt....
Read MoreJoin me in Celebration!
I’m absolutely thrilled to have been asked to give the keynote address for the XPANSE program’s one-year celebration next week in Oakville. For those of you who haven’t heard, this is a magnificent program designed (by women) for women who are contemplating, or already going through, the painful experience of separation or divorce. The focus of XPANSE is on mentoring women through the sometimes bewildering process of putting their lives back together in the midst of what can seem like hideous chaos. It’s an affordable program that provides six discreet sessions of learning and support with an integrated team of women who are highly compassionate and powerfully devoted to the success of all participants. The two-hour session gives participants the chance to connect with and learn from: A Life Coach A Money Coach A Collaborative Family Lawyer, Mediator and Enlightened Litigator A Financial Planner A Mortgage Broker and a A Naturopathic Doctor What a concept! When my first husband and I divorced more than 20 years ago there were no such services available to help me find my way back to a sense of strength and certainty. I felt isolated and alone, vulnerable and, yes, downright stupid when it came to things like financial planning and mortgage management. It’s a relief to see that the paradigm has shifted and that women now have access to a supportive circle of caring experts who will help without judging, and teach without patronizing. One of the things I’ve heard many of my women friends say at the conclusion of a marriage is “How could I have been so wrong for so long?!” The truth is, we all do our best with the information we have available and not every match was actually made in heaven. It may have detoured through the neighbourhood for a while but when it’s over, it’s time to move on. And that’s the part that XPANSE can help organize. The topic of my talk on February 13th is “Expanding Your Definition of Love “ and I can’t wait to share my thoughts. I’ve been divorced and widowed, and I’m a mother and a step-mother, a daughter and a step-daughter, and just about everything else that nibbles at the edges of a life on Earth. Every relationship I’ve ever experienced has granted me surprising gifts. And at this stage of life, I am grateful for all of it. I invite you to join me in the celebration of XPANSE’s one-year anniversary. The event will be held Wednesday, February 13 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the eSpot in Oakville (353 Iroquois Shore Road, Suite #200). I also invite you to check out the XPANSE program to see if you, too, might benefit from the six-week empowerment program the organization offers. If you have any questions, as always, please give me a shout at 905-469-1892 or email me at susan@crossmancommunications.com....
Read MoreAn Author’s Goals for 2013
The year is well-launched now and I’m finally catching up on my efforts to set my annual goals. It’s something I do every year. I do this in my writing business as well and if you’d like to see how goals fit into that aspect of my life, I invite you to read my business blog as well. Setting goals helps me focus my energy on the activities that will support my dreams and desires and I usually supplement my annual goals with smaller monthly project goals. The key to making the whole process fun lies in making sure I also stay open to dancing with other opportunities that crop up out of the blue as well. Here’s what I am planning for 2013: 1. Virtual book tours. I’ve noticed that a number of other authors have invited readers to join them in virtual book tours and I think this sounds like fun. I’m not sure yet exactly how the process works but I’m willing to learn. 2. Book signings and presentations. With the publication of “Passages to Epiphany,” my new collection of short stories and creative non-fiction pieces, I now have two books to promote and I plan on setting up even more book signings and public talks this year than last. Please let me know if you would like me to meet with your group or organization to talk about my books and/or any other issues relevant to the world of a Canadian writer, editor and author. 3. Book reviews. Last year was excellent from a business writing perspective and that meant I had little time available for organizing book reviews. I plan to be more focused on reviews in 2013, for both “Shades of Teale” and “Passages.” 4. Women’s organizations. “Shades of Teale” has some important messages around the issue of domestic abuse and I would like to see the topic gain greater currency in our world overall. With that in mind, I plan to connect with women’s organizations to explore the possibility of using “Shades” to create positive social change. 5. Learn more about self-publishing. I am grateful to Manor House Publishing for giving me the opportunity to become a published author. It’s a dream come true for me! At the same time, I also field a lot of questions from other writers who would like to see their manuscripts become published in a “non-traditional “way. As a freelance editor, I enjoy helping people bring their book projects to life and the more I learn about self-publishing, the more value I can add to the book writing journeys of my clients . This will be fun! The year ahead is bound to be interesting! I’d love to hear about your writing goals for the year and I invite you to leave a comment below setting out what you hope to accomplish in 2013. And if you are interested in finding out more about what I offer as a freelance writer, editor and coach, I invite you to check out my business writing website at www.crossmancommunicaitons.com. Best wishes for every success in 2013! ...
Read MoreAuthor Accountability
The past year has been a huge learning curve for me in terms of my life as an author and it’s been enjoyable in all possible ways. One of the challenges I’ve had to face has been in balancing my responsibilities as a self-employed writer focused on developing newsletter and web content for businesses with the promotion of novel, “Shades of Teale.” I’m widowed and raising two children as well, and they are still at the “Mom could you drive me to band practice?” stage of life. Every moment is hectic and precious. That’s one of the reasons I’m a big believer in setting goals for myself. It’s all too easy for a year to pass in a tsunami of responsibility with little to show for the constant effort required to keep a family afloat. I like results! When I set goals I have a clear direction ahead and I can focus my efforts on creating the life I want, rather than the life I get. At the beginning of 2012 I took a stab at setting goals for my fledgling author activities and I thought it would be interesting now, at the dawn of a New Year, to take a look at how I did. So here goes: 1. “Shades of Teale” tells the story of a woman’s journey through an increasingly unhappy marriage to a better sense of her own strength on the other side. One of my goals was to connect with women’s organizations to explore ways of using my novel to help people move into happier lives. I didn’t get very far with this one so if you think you can introduce me to anyone with whom I could have a profitable conversation, please get in touch! 2. Goal #2 was to develop a set of meditation cards and bring them to market as a means of supporting my message of hope, particularly for people trapped in bitter domestic situations. The cards are currently in production and I’m looking forward to a January launch, so stay tuned! 3. I also wanted to welcome the “Shades of Teale” e-book to the world. This was duly achieved and you can purchase a copy of “Shades of Teale” on Kindle. 4. Although I had originally wanted to sell out the original press run and create enough demand for a reprint, my own marketing efforts fell prey to the exigencies of running both a business and a family. There’s still another year ahead! 5. Finally, I wanted to do at least three virtual book tours. This was another project that didn’t get off the ground, although I did complete numerous book signings. Again, there’s always 2013! Promoting a book will take as much time as you have available and I’m moving into 2013 a little more efficiently. I’m now the author of a second published book called “Passages to Epiphany.” This is a collection of short stories and creative non-fiction pieces about awakenings and so there is even more to promote in the months ahead. If you feel you’d like to lend a hand in any way, I invite you to get in touch! I’m always open to offers of help and I appreciate all goodwill that comes my way. In the meantime, all the best for a super year ahead!...
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