I'm sharing about the BCST course coming to Santa Barbara in 2018!

I'm so excited to officially announce the dates and details for the first ever Body Intelligence Course in Santa Barbara.

December is a busy time for everyone and some folks were unable to attend the recent talk, so I went a head and shared a breakdown of some of what to expect in the course.

The audio is just a little over 20 minutes and you can listen while you drive or walk. :)

You can learn more about the course details, dates, teachers, and outline, visit the site here.

If you have any questions or would like to apply, please feel free to contact me at caitcranio@gmail.com or use the form on my contact page.

In Her Words: Kate McCarthy

In Her Words is a special feature: a series that celebrates the incredible women that I get to work with- some as mentors, some as colleagues, and some as clients. The purpose of this series is to demystify what happens in our work together; offer inspiring stories and shares from the women that live them, and to illuminate the teachings and insights that may inspire you as you embrace your own path.

I'm honored to introduce you to my now dear friend, Kate McCarthy. Kate is a writer and creative mentor. She helps creatives wield the power of their unique and passionate voices with ease. Her passion, really, is to hear your heart and help you hear it better, too. Find her at her digital abode at www.katekmccarthy.com or on Facebook or Instagram (her personal favorite!).

What were your top goals and intentions when you started working with Caitlin?

When I started working with Caitlin, I felt stuck. It was almost a visceral experience. I remember describing it to her like there was a blockage in the artery of my creativity, and I just needed to remove the blockage to get it flowing at full-speed again. I knew that, in working with her, that I would be able to come back to center, gather some awareness around what was constricted or blocked-up in my life, and figure out how to - through both physical experience and self-inquiry - unblock that creative artery.

Whenever we bring an outsider into the delicate nuances of our business and intimate moments of our lives, it can feel vulnerable. When you hired Caitlin, what were you most concerned about?

When I hired Caitlin, I was actually most worried about what I would find through the process of self-inquiry. I'm not new to the process of self-awareness and discovery, and I think that I was most afraid of what might break open as we dove deep into what was clogging up my creativity/business alignment.

What impact did your work with Caitlin have in your business (and life)?

I cannot understate how much working with Caitlin impacted my business and life. When I started working with Caitlin, I couldn't quite nail down what was standing between me and the success that I could see just on the other side. I felt the resistance, but I wasn't able to examine and remove it by myself. Working with Caitlin inspired me to step in and own my role as a leader, mentor, and facilitator of creative expression. I discovered a greater level of confidence and clarity around my business, and I was able to get really clear on an aligned vision for my business and life. Even more that the financial benefits (oh that sweet flow!) of working with Caitlin, I finally felt GOOD about where my business was headed.

What specifically did you achieve?

I got clear on what I wanted to offer and who I wanted to work with in my business. Through my work with Caitlin, I created a business model that builds organically, like a tree -- branching out, stable and sturdy, in all the directions of a multi-passionate life. I feel better and more alive in my business, life and marriage.

You've done incredible things in the last couple months; what's been your proudest or clearest moment?

I think that my clearest moment was in learning that I could have a business that holds my wholeness. One that could be both structured and spacious. One that provides for me, financially, and allows me to evolve and grow with it. Now, in addition to my copy polishing services, I've created two new (and entirely soul-driven) branches to my business: creative voice mentorships and soulful writing retreats. Plus, I now feel more grounded and confident in my pricing (and upped it recently!).

Based on what you learned about yourself in our time together, what's had the most impact on you? What ideas or concept do you find yourself wanting to teach or share with others?

I think that the thing that's had the most impact on me has been the connection between my physical experience and creative expression. I feel more courageous in my business, because I feel more aligned now.

Moving forward, what the next challenges that you're embracing in your work and life?

I'm stepping into the fullness of my vision for my business, and I'm currently turning my previous business model on its head. It's scary and feels like a major risk, but it also feels like I'm finally connected to the life-source of my business. This space is where the ease and flow (that I had been searching for so desperately) lives.

What worked for you about Caitlin's style, approach, expertise?

Though Caitlin is both compassionate and grounded, I felt gently challenged. She trusted in my wholeness and that the brilliance would show up, which it did. I found her to be entirely present and incredibly generous in our sessions together - always sharing something more, following up, and providing resources to continue our work together.

What are your top tips for others looking to lean into hiring a somatic guide and/or sharing their gifts more fully?

THREE TIPS. *Trust your intuition: The only way that this relationship works is if you're aligned with the person that you're working with. Make sure that you feel connected and that you're working with someone that you can be wholly vulnerable and honest with.

*Find someone who walks the talk: I've found that there's a lot of disconnect in the somatic world between messaging and personal practice. Find someone, like Caitlin, whose life matches their work in the world.

*HIRE CAITLIN.

Thanks, lovely!

Sunday Inspiration: A Poem by Rachel Cole

A couple weeks ago, while in bed and on the mend from a sinus infection, I scrolled though Rachel's brilliant blog and came across this poem, tucked away in a post. I've followed her for a few years now, but never landed on this little poem.

I recorded my voice sharing the words, feeling it so deeply resonant at the time.

Take a listen and fall in love with her words too.

xoxo, C

Love Letter to 2015 | Invocation for 2016

This still point: A bridge between worlds.

A history of experience, a present pause, a wide-open mystery called future.

All held together by golden threads woven with the same reverence.

This body: a space for growing, integrating, reflecting, releasing, and celebrating.

Dear 2015,

Thank you for showing me that integrity is what I value most, and that, when it feels distant, I am capable of bringing kindness and firmness in equal measure.

Thank you for proving that vulnerability evokes an aliveness in my cells that confirms what I know to be true, and that I can always learn to lean into that experience more.

Thank you for teaching me that, sometimes, love is what happens when you let certain people go to make room for others whose hearts expand yours tenfold.

There is always more love to witness and share. We need never fear: there is always more love.

You've shown me how to receive my own gentleness, again and again and again. Through humbling heartache and frustrating fatigue, you have reminded me of my own medicine's power and necessity.

You taught me how to stand boldly in my teaching and voice, regardless of consequence.

You taught me that the virtues of grace are small compared to the importance of fierce stakes in the ground built on choice and overriding presence. From there, grace is only magnified.

Thank you for swiftly nudging me onto new platforms and into new partnerships and for asking me to be brave and visible in ways I never thought possible.

Thank you for the new lovefest of friends and for the growing tribe that continues to inspire, support, and encourage me to be true, open and ever courageous. May we lift each other up with consistent compassion and conscious attention.

Thank you for guiding me to the beautiful Raven for yoga with my teachers and my sister, for showing me that these seemingly opposing worlds can merge effortlessly to bring loving contrast and varying personality. It has added color and richness to the world in ways that I could never create on my own. You have surprised me at each turn, and, for that, I have endless joyful memories to giggle about.

Thank you for revealing who deserves to know my story and who doesn't just yet and forshining a light on the mirage of a shiny object called "those who know better."

Thank you for showing me that I can move in various circles and remain true to myself and my intentions.

Thank you for giving me a summer of growth, met with disorienting challenge and sprinkled with family connections that made for great fun.

Thank you for taking me to the majestic prairies of British Columbia in autumn and introducing me to a sacred herd of horses and guides. The experience reminded me that taking the leap when inspiration calls is a trustworthy refinement in listening.

Thank you for Tareena, the unicorn mare and the queen of feminine grace. She mirrored back to me my own strength and bold desires, her presence holding me, her eyes pleading with me to step in and stand stronger in myself, to break free of my own fears and resistance, and to trust my foundation of support.

Thank you for the clients, the soul mates, and the lovers of truth that entrust me with their stories, their well-being, their hopes and their visions. Endless praise for these gallant beings that gather near. They are home to me, forever and always.

Thank you precious self, my soul, for knowing when to call on my guides and to ask for help from people so dear, for staying aligned and honest even when fear arises, and for denouncing silly labels like “backtracking” and “scared to fail.”

But most of all, thank you for letting my calm and grounded sense of self be of service.

And to 2016,

May this be the year that I see the expanded success of what roots I have laid.

May this be the year that I write with full heart and devotion, the year that I trust the burgeoning voice that can sit silent no longer.

May this be the year that I let the wild out with abandon and unleash the feminine spirit who demands her wise ways be seen and celebrated in all their grounded glory.

May this be the year that I embrace the ease and strength in my calling to create space, hold space, and encourage greater inner depths to emerge in my circle.

May this be the year that my partner, my Love, my sexy soulmate finds me, stands beside me, and evolves with me. May I recognize him and his heart as kindred spirits.

May this be the year I continue to open to the beauty that I hold within me and the ways that it wants to be shared.

May this be the year that the significance of my story, wisdom, and teachings widen their reach and grow together with those that are meant to receive them.

All my love,

C