Wake Up Grateful: The Transformative Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted

What does it mean to truly live gratefully, every day? In Wake Up Grateful, Kristi Nelson, executive director of A Network for Grateful Living, unlocks the path to recognizing abundance in every moment, and gives readers the tools to bring this transformational shift in perspective into their daily lives. Nelson goes beyond the proverbial question of whether the glass is half full or half empty, and encourages readers to awaken to the gift of having a glass at all. With tailored questions for reflection, daily exercises, and perspective prompts for appreciating the fullness of life as it is right now, this book promises profound personal change through the practice of taking nothing for granted. It has been said to be “a love letter to life.”

“This book reminds us of what is most important and not to be taken for granted — and how to align our lives with that vital awakening to the beauty and possibility that is always present amidst the darkness and the fear.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn

DETAILS:

• Q&A with Kristi Nelson (bring your questions!)

• Small Group Sessions: continue the conversation and connect with others

• This event will not be recorded.

• In order to support our author - proof of book purchase will be required for this event. Please e-mail your proof of purchase to kym@nineretreat.com

• Purchase here: Uncle Bobbie's or NINE Bookshop

ABOUT

Kristi Nelson is the author of Wake Up Grateful and the executive director of A Network for Grateful Living. She has a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and has spent more than 30 years in nonprofit leadership, development, and consulting. She has worked at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and the Soul of Money Institute. Nelson is a Stage IV cancer survivor who cherishes living among friends and family in western Massachusetts.

GIRLHOOD: A gripping set of stories about the forces that shape girls and the adults they become. A wise and brilliant guide to transforming the self and our society. 

In her powerful new book, critically acclaimed author Melissa Febos examines the narratives women are told about what it means to be female and what it takes to free oneself from them.

When her body began to change at eleven years old, Febos understood immediately that her meaning to other people had changed with it. By her teens, she defined herself based on these perceptions and by the romantic relationships she threw herself into headlong. Over time, Febos increasingly questioned the stories she’d been told about herself and the habits and defenses she’d developed over years of trying to meet others’ expectations. The values she and so many other women had learned in girlhood did not prioritize their personal safety, happiness, or freedom, and she set out to reframe those values and beliefs.

Blending investigative reporting, memoir, and scholarship, Febos charts how she and others like her have reimagined relationships and made room for the anger, grief, power, and pleasure women have long been taught to deny.

Written with Febos’ characteristic precision, lyricism, and insight, Girlhood is a philosophical treatise, an anthem for women, and a searing study of the transitions into and away from girlhood, toward a chosen self.

DETAILS:

• Buy your ticket HERE

• Q&A with Melissa Febos (bring your questions!)

• Small Group Sessions: continue the conversation and connect with others

• This event will not be recorded.

• In order to support our author - proof of book purchase will be required for this event. Please e-mail your proof of purchase to kym@nineretreat.com

• On sale March 30th. Available for pre-order now: Loyalty Bookstore or NINE Bookshop

 “A fuck-all guide to resilience and reclamation, a breathtaking re-imagination of who we might be in spite of what we've been told. Girlhood will bring you back to life.”

ABOUT

Melissa Febos is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, Whip Smart (St. Martin’s Press 2010), and the essay collection, Abandon Me (Bloomsbury 2017), which was a LAMBDA Literary Award finalist, a Publishing Triangle Award finalist, an Indie Next Pick, and was named a Best Book of 2017 by Esquire, Book Riot, The Cut, Electric Literature, Bustle, Medium, Refinery29, The Brooklyn Rail, Salon, The Rumpus, and others. 

The inaugural winner of the Jeanne Córdova Nonfiction Award from LAMBDA Literary, her work has appeared in publications including The Paris Review, The Sun, The Kenyon Review, Tin House, Granta, The Believer, The New York Times, McSweeney’s, The New York Times Book Review, Lenny Letter, The Guardian, Elle, and Vogue. Her essays have won prizes from Prairie Schooner, Story Quarterly, The Sewanee Review, and The Center for Women Writers at Salem College and she has been featured on NPR’s Fresh Air, CNN, and Anderson Cooper Live among many others. She is a four-time MacDowell fellow and has also received fellowships from the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Vermont Studio Center, The Barbara Deming Memorial Foundation, The BAU Institute at The Camargo Foundation, The Ragdale Foundation, and The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, which named her the 2018 recipient of the Sarah Verdone Writing Award.

Free to attend!

Whether stress and anxiety are your ever-present companions, or seem to barge in unexpectedly at the worst times, this workshop will give you tools you can use in real time to release them.

You'll learn:

• valuable techniques for preventing the onset of unwelcome stressful and anxious thoughts

• a few yoga poses (some that can be done in the car, or even in the office restroom!),

• a couple simple breathing techniques that are worth their weight in stress-relieving gold, and we'll even create a great affirmation/mantra that helps you get your mind back on track!

• how and why these techniques work as well as how to practice and implement them in various scenarios in your life.

Please attend live. This workshop will not be recorded.

About Jenn Tarrant

Jenn Tarrant has over 5000 hours experience helping others find strength, confidence, relaxation and calm in their minds and bodies through the practice of yoga. As a Yoga Teacher and Master Trainer, Jenn loves sharing all the benefits yoga has to offer and enjoys customizing sessions for individuals and small groups in her Yoga Therapy practice. Jenn also enjoys spending time with her husband, two adult children and the family dog, Finley. Although she’s not very fast, Jenn also enjoys running a few miles a day with her running partner; truth be told, she mostly goes for the conversation!

Nedra Tawwab is a Therapist, Content Creator, and Author.

Healthy boundaries. We all know we should have them--in order to achieve work/life balance, cope with toxic people, and enjoy rewarding relationships with partners, friends, and family. But what do "healthy boundaries" really mean--and how can we successfully express our needs, say "no," and be assertive without offending others? 

Set Boundaries, Find Peace presents simple-yet-powerful ways to establish healthy boundaries in all aspects of life.

“End the struggle, speak up for what you need, and experience the freedom of being truly yourself.”

• Q&A with Nedra Tawwab and Havian Sterile

• Use the chat box to join the conversations

• Small Group Sessions: continue the conversation and connect with others

• This event will not be recorded.

On sale March 16th. Available for pre-order now HERE

Nedra Glover Tawwab is a licensed therapist and sought-after relationship expert. She has practiced relationship therapy for 13 years and is the founder and owner of the group therapy practice, Kaleidoscope Counseling. Every day she helps people create healthy relationships by teaching them how to implement boundaries. Her philosophy is that a lack of boundaries and assertiveness underlie most relationship issues, and her gift is helping people create healthy relationships with themselves and others. 

Nedra earned her undergraduate and graduate degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. She has additional certifications in working with families and couples, as well as in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, plus advanced training for counseling adults who've experienced childhood emotional neglect. 

Nedra has been recently featured The New York Times, The Guardian, Psychology Today, Self, and Vice, and has appeared on numerous podcasts including Therapy for Black Girls and Whole 30's Mama. She runs a popular Instagram account where she shares practices, tools, and reflections for mental health and hosts weekly Q&A's. 

Join us for a writing workshop rooted in teaching people how to get comfortable asking for help, and how to erect healthy boundaries as helpers in order to cultivate healthy relationships and build community.

During this two part workshop we will explore and learn:

• Our inner child and unhealed wounds

• How to cultivate interdependence over independence

• Cultural implications and stigma

• Cognitive distortions and how to challenge negative thinking

• Managing shame and vulnerability

• How to bridge self-care to community-care

• How to erect and uphold healthy boundaries
  
  

This workshop is designed to be a safe space to learn how to cultivate support and community-care, while simultaneously learning to dismantle self-oppressive ideologies.

Please attend live. This workshop will not be recorded.

There are limited spots! Registration closes on 3/12.

9% of profits will go towards the Loveland Foundation.

About Minaa B

Minaa B. is a writer, wellness coach, therapist and mental health educator based in NYC. With over eight years of clinical experience and a passion for both mental health and social justice, through speaking, workshops and coaching, Minaa teaches people how to cultivate self-care and self-advocacy through the lens of boundaries and community-care. Her offerings can be found at www.minaab.com and find her on instagram @minaa_b

Fellow Book-Lovers!

Join us on March 9th for an important conversation with Bethany Webster, author of Discovering the Inner Mother: A Guide to Healing the Mother Wound and Claiming your Personal Power

Sure to become a classic on female empowerment, a groundbreaking exploration of the personal, cultural, and global implications of intergenerational trauma created by patriarchy, how it is passed down from mothers to daughters, and how we can break this destructive cycle.

Why do women keep themselves small and quiet? Why do they hold back professionally and personally? What fuels the uncertainty and lack of confidence so many women often feel? In this paradigm-shifting book, leading feminist thinker Bethany Webster identifies the source of women’s trauma. She calls it the Mother Wound—the systemic disenfranchisement of women by the patriarchy—and reveals how this cycle is perpetuated by wounded mothers who unconsciously pass on damaging beliefs and behaviors to their daughters.

Revealing how women are affected by the Mother Wound, even if they don’t personally identify as survivors, Discovering the Inner Mother revolutionizes how we view mother-daughter relationships and gives us the inspiration and guidance we need to improve our lives and ultimately create a more equitable society for all.

• Q&A with Bethany Webster and Havian Sterile

• Small Group Sessions: continue the conversation and connect with others after the Q&A

• This event will not be recorded.

Purchase Discovering the Inner Mother here: The Lit. Bar or NINE Bookshop

About Bethany

Bethany Webster is a writer, international speaker and transformational coach. She started blogging in 2013 about the Mother Wound and quickly experienced worldwide demand for her work. Through blending research on intergenerational trauma, feminist theory, and psychology with her own personal story, Bethany's work is the result of decades of research and her own journey of healing. Bethany speaks, consults and mentors around the world sharing her growing body of work that is raising the standard of women’s leadership and personal development. Learn more at www.bethanywebster.comes, tools, and reflections for mental health and hosts weekly Q&A's. 

Kiaundra Jackson is known as America’s #1 Relationship Therapist.

Ready to nurture your relationship with family, friends, and co-workers?

Hard Work or Harmony? is a self-help book for women who desperately want to nurture their relationships with family, friends and co-workers but don’t really know how to do it.

In an energetically informative go-to guide, Licensed Therapist and bestselling author Kiaundra Jackson provides powerful chapters full of golden nuggets, relationship strategy, therapeutic advice, thought-provoking exercises and the occasional kick in the butt.

THIS BOOK WILL HELP YOU TO:

• Identify and change the patterns and behaviors that prevent you from having harmony with others

• Create healthy relationships with ease starting NOW

• Remove connections that are not useful and holding you back

February 18th, 2021

7 - 8 pm EST

• Q&A with Kiaundra Jackson and Kym Ventola (founder of NINE)

• Join via audio/video to ask a question

• Use the chat box to join the conversations

• Small Group Sessions: continue the conversation and connect with others

• This event will not be recorded.

Kiaundra Jackson is known as America’s #1 Relationship Therapist. She has been seen on OWN’s new hit TV Show, Love Goals and as a recurring expert on The Doctors. She has been recently featured in Oprah’s Magazine, Essence, The New York Times, FOX, The CW, BET, Vice and The Huffington Post as one of the ‘10 Black Female Therapists You Should Know.’ She is an award-winning speaker, best-selling author, TV Personality and a trusted Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist that gets results.

She specializes in improving intimacy with couples by increasing effective two­-way communication. She is able to help couples increase sexual, physical, emotional, and spiritual intimacy. The overall goal in her therapeutic work is to help couples maintain a healthy, long-lasting relationship and to help individuals uncover their true potential. Her approach is holistic, eclectic, and tailored to her client’s needs to make sure each person is cared for biologically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Born and raised in California, Kiaundra Jackson holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Azusa Pacific University. Through her early work, she discovered the importance of having healthy relationships. From that point on, she chose to specialize in helping couples strengthen and repair their relationships.

Kiaundra Jackson has helped countless couples increase their intimacy, learn effective two-­way communication, and heal after affairs. Her hope is to help as many couples as possible heal their relationships, prevent divorce, and keep families together.

Kiaundra’s vision is to help ONE MILLION couples heal their relationships, prevent divorce, and keep families together. 

Purchase Hard Work or Harmony here: KW Couples Therapy

Join us for meaningful conversations with don Miguel Ruiz Jr. about The Four Agreements and The Mastery of Self.

The Four Agreements©, was published in 1997 and has sold around 9 million copies. It has been on the New York Times Best selling list for almost a decade. Everything we do is based on agreements we have made - agreements with ourselves, with other people, with a higher power, and with life. But the most important agreements are the ones we make with ourselves.

The Four Agreements are:

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word.

2. Don't Take Anything Personally.

3. Don't Make Assumptions.

4. Always Do Your Best.

The Mastery of Self uses the wisdom of Toltec philosophy to explain how a person can liberate themselves from illusory beliefs and live with authenticity. The Toltec tradition is an instrument by which life teaches us how to be free and enjoy every moment that life has to give. This book can help you discover who you really are at the deepest level, which often lies just beyond any conditioning or domestication you have acquired throughout your life.

February 4th, 2021

7 - 8:15 pm Eastern

• Q&A with don Miguel Ruiz Jr.

• Meaningful conversations and reflection with fellow members

• Tickets are $9 each

The Four Agreements reveal the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.

• A New York Times bestseller for over a decade
• Over 8.5 million copies sold in the U.S.
• Translated into 46 languages worldwide
 

don Miguel Ruiz Jr. has taken the lessons of his father and grandmother and discovered his own personal freedom. Being able to apply his teachings to the world around him gave Miguel Jr. a new understanding of the lessons his father and grandmother had passed onto him, once again giving him the desire to pass on his beliefs. He is the author of the books: “The Five Levels of Attachment”, “Living a Life of Awareness”, “The Mastery of Self”, and “The don Miguel Ruiz’s Little Book of Wisdom”. He also co-authored the book, “The Seven Secrets to Healthy, Happy Relationships” with his dear friend, HeatherAsh Amara. After decades of training, Miguel Jr. was finally ready to share everything he had learned. As a Nagual, he now helps others discover optimal physical and spiritual health, so that they may achieve their own personal freedom.

Purchase The Four Agreements and Mastery of Self here.

Join us for a meaningful conversation with Ruby Hamad about her new book White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color.

Called “powerful and provocative" by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, author of the New York Times bestselling How to be an Antiracist, this explosive book of history and cultural criticism reveals how white feminism has been used as a weapon of white supremacy and patriarchy deployed against Black and Indigenous women, and women of color.
 

January 21

7:00 - 8:00 pm Eastern

• Q&A with Ruby Hamad

• Meaningful conversations and reflections with fellow members

This explosive book of history and cultural criticism argues that white feminism has been a weapon of white supremacy and patriarchy deployed against Black and Indigenous women and all colonized women. It offers a long-overdue validation of the experiences of women of color. Taking us from the slave era - when white women fought in court to keep "ownership" of their slaves - through the centuries of colonialism - when they offered a soft face for brutal tactics - to the modern workplace, White Tears/Brown Scars tells the story of white women's active participation in campaigns of oppression. 

Examining subjects as varied as The Hunger Games, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the viral BBQ Becky video, and nineteenth-century lynchings of Mexicans in the American Southwest, Ruby Hamad builds a powerful argument about the entrenched systems of white supremacy that we are socialized within, a reality that we must apprehend in order to fight. 

Ruby Hamad is a journalist, author, and academic. Her Guardian article "How White Women Use Strategic Tears to Silence Women of Colour" became a global flashpoint for discussions of white feminism and racism. She splits her time between Sydney and New York. 

Purchase White Tears/Brown Scars here: Loyalty Bookstore or Bookshop

WEALTH EMBODIMENT FLOW™ (WE FLOW™) is a body based manifestation technique created by Tori Washington and Jess, from The Healing Couple.

Limited spots available!

The way Tori and the Healing Couple teach money is unlike anyone else. They view money as a body-based experience that is connected to your ancestral healing and cellular memo ry. And when you redesign your relationship with money THROUGH your body…you create long-term wealth that feels safe and pleasurable in your mind, in your life, and in your bank account.

During this workshop you'll be guided through a full Wealth Embodiment Flow practice that will usher you through the journey of financial transformation.

Class will include a blend of somatic movement, breathwork, and intentional music along with a 30 minute Q&A to support you with integration. 

Tori Washington is an Embodiment Facilitator, Keynote Speaker, and Business Mentor living in San Diego, California.

Through Tori’s genius infusion of embodiment, inner-child healing, and marketing strategy, she’s helped over 1,500 womxn transform their business from the inside out.

Tori believes your business is your spiritual awakening and has become known as the bridge between soul and strategy in the coaching industry. 
You may also know her as the Sacred Rebel, who challenges the status-quo and brilliantly calls forth the coaching industry and spiritual community into new standards of financial liberation, ethical marketing, and inclusivity. She guides over 11,000 followers on Instagram and supports entrepreneurs all over the world in revolutionizing their relationship with wealth. 

Note: This event will be recorded and available to re-watch up to 7 days post-event

Join Alex Elle, Yasmine Cheyenne, and Dr. Mariel Buqué on January 9th.

Self-Expression

Self-expression is an essential way for us to grow, navigate and connect with each other. When our voice is heard and acknowledged, when we see we are not alone in our inner thoughts, something shifts inside of us when our view of the world is validated publicly.

“Stay close to your truth & remember your why.”

- ALEX ELLE

A Personal Retreat

Make space for a new beginning.

The focus is on your mental and emotional health to get you through this difficult and uncertain time. We invite you to push pause on all that’s happening right now.

It will be a day full of action steps, support and a safe place to call home with a like-minded community of loving womxn. And you’ll be supported by a group of teachers who are well-respected in their fields.

Join us for meaningful conversations with Alex Elle about her new book AFTER the RAIN.

In After the Rain, celebrated self-care storyteller Alexandra Elle delivers 15 lessons on how to overcome obstacles, build confidence, and cultivate abundance.

• Q&A with Alex

• Meaningful conversations and reflection with fellow members

• Tickets are $9 each

Part memoir and part guide, Elle shares stirring stories from her own remarkable journey from self-doubt to self-love.
This soulful collection is filled with illuminating reflections on loss, fear, bravery, healing, love, acceptance, and more.
After the Rain is a soulful guide to help you embrace all the beauty, love, and opportunity life has to offer.

Alexandra Elle is an author, poet, and the host of the hey, girl podcast. She lives outside of Washington, DC.

Purchase AFTER the RAIN here.

This session helps you create a new and improved self-image—a winner’s image (self-confidence). Your results are always a reflection of what is going on internally. The new image will be expressed through your behaviour and reflected in new and improved results.

Founder of A Walk In My Stilettos, Makini Smith, is an award-winning entrepreneur. She has successfully crafted a business in personal development as a mindset coach helping women reach their goals, a certified Proctor Gallagher consultant for her mentor Bob Proctor, and 4-time published author. Her first book is titled “A Walk In My Stilettos: How To Get Through The Struggle With Grace” with the foreword written by Linda Proctor (wife of Bob Proctor), her second book “A Walk In My Stilettos: 111 Affirmations To Help You Heal” was inspired by the encouragement of her readers. Makini created her third book “A Walk In My Stilettos: The Gratitude Journal” to share her success tools with other women which was followed by “The Couples Gratitude Journal” inspired by her relationship with her partner. She is also the host of, the 5 stars rated, A Walk In My Stilettos Podcast for women looking for the tools and motivation to conquer their fears, own their story and uncover the potential hidden within. Her passion to improve the quality of people’s lives includes making an impact in which she contributes her time spreading awareness of mindset, providing expertise on media platforms globally. She’s been seen on Huffington Post, xoNecole, BET, NBC, CBC, Vice News and much more. Makini does more than talk the talk; she walks the walk by being an example of leadership serving in the community including her recent run for Member of Provincial Parliament in the 2018 Canadian Election.

Creating Your New Relationship Vision is a lighthearted workshop focused on manifesting what you deserve in your intimate partner relationships.  

We will be working together to create a new list of standards and deal breakers, while identifying the level that you have currently been dating at. Bring a pen, paper or your journal and an open, positive attitude towards dreaming, hoping and manifesting what you desire.

Tash is an Introspective Coach, Self Work Facilitator and Writer that has been helping Black women grow, love, heal and be heard for over 7 years. Her workshops are not for the faint at heart - they are for those struggling with their self worth, those that may have been wounded in a relationship with family, friends or intimate partners and for those that are simply feeling stuck or out of place in their present life. Tash's work is the light touch needed to help inspire you to begin seeking guidance and taking action in various areas of your life. **There is no small talk with Tash, she encourages you to go deep and she knows how to cultivate an environment that encourages vulnerability, confidentiality, openness and sharing.

** Disclaimer: this session will be recorded and sent out to all that register within 48 hours. If you choose to participate/share via audio &/or video, you will be included in the recording.