Unmasking Life

Unmasking Life

January 12, 2015Nina KovnerGROW, GUEST BLOGS

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.”  May Sarton

As a child we are immersed into a world of feelings both physically and emotionally. Two predominant feelings are love and pain. Like little sponges, we all absorb these into our body and mind.

Feelings of healthy love create security, safety and being centered. Repeated emotional or physical pain creates fear, sadness, and insecurity.

As children, it doesn’t feel safe enough to heal the pain, so it quietly gets buried in the body. Ultimately as an adult it shows up as:

  • Self- loathing
  • Deep anger
  • Depression
  • Self-sabotage
  • Self-abuse
  • Passivity

You can imagine how difficult it is to live with emotions like these on a daily basis, so over time a survival mask is created. This way, it appears to our co-workers, friends and family that we’re thriving on the outside, but on the inside we’re in pain which can also show up as physical ailments. This altered self-reality to mask the pain looks like:

  • Controlling and blaming others
  • Neediness
  • Busyness
  • Grandiosity
  • Manipulation
  • Emotional highs and lows
  • Addictions
  • Unhealthy boundaries

In business this mask ultimately creates lack of focus, blame, difficulty managing others, stagnant growth and self-sabotage. In personal life it creates unhappiness.

But the joy of living is choosing to free ourselves from our mask to then discover, be delighted by and then share our true self.

It’s a journey from darkness to light that most everyone is now experiencing. It involves challenges, real honesty, creative breakthroughs, setbacks, awareness, guidance, clarity and love.

It’s a beautiful journey we’re all on together as business owners and owners of our life.

Ultimately it’s about practicing being our true unmasked self.

-Nigel Sampson, CEO Whole Body Method and my personal Energy Healer
Nigel Sampson CEO Whole Body Method

To learn more from Nigel and to discover your path to healing and how it can enrich both your business and life, join us at Whole Body Whole Business, March 1 in Los Angeles. Click here to learn more and reserve your space.

(Any opinions expressed by the author are from personal discovery only are not meant to be construed as advice or scientific fact.)

Three Gifts from Calliote Canyon

April 7, 2014Nina KovnerGROW, MY TRUTH

Sunrise at Calliote Canyon on the Whole Body Method Bliss Retreat

Silence is a source of great strength.  -Laozi

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy.

Gifts are everywhere. Gifts can be found in the smallest things, and the grandest of experiences. I experienced some amazing gifts this past weekend as I set out on a Retreat with my friends and client Whole Body Method, a Pilates, Fitness and Wellness Studio in Los Angeles. While there are probably a gazilllion things I could share about the specialness of our time together, there were three gifts that really stood out to me.

Gift #1
Shattering The Routine
A break in routine is good for the soul but even better for the mind. Can you relate to the term auto-pilot? I know I sure can. Routine to me feels natural, but also can be so limiting and keep us from new experiences. So when I realized that the Friday night Breath Workshop was going to begin right at my bedtime, I had a dilemma and a choice. Do I break my routine and be present, or fall back into the OMG I am so tired I have to go to bed? Well, I made the right choice for me, attended the Workshop, had some insane breakthroughs, and slept like a baby. Ahhhhhhhhh.

Upon arrival, it was evident we would not have any cell reception. None, zero. Hmmmmm. We had spotty wireless but in order to get it you would have to sit inside the main house, which while it was absolutely gorgeous, why in the world would I go on a Retreat and sit inside a house just to stay connected online? I actually loved to be unavailable via my phone because it helped me be completely available to the beauty and people around me.

Gift #2
Sights and Sounds of Silence
I live in a very noisy world today, DTLA. I love noise, life happening. Energy. People creating. People suffering. All of it. I dig it. But there is something about absolute silence that is so healing. On the first day, I spotted the cutest lizard who brought me immediately back to childhood which inspired me to begin and almost finish the first draft of Chapter 1 in my next book, Untitled.

As evening fell and I was walking to my room, in the dark, I heard the loudest frog, which actually scared the crap out of me but also reminded me to surrender to my fears. Along with the frog was the most beautiful creek that created the most peaceful music and was a gentle reminder for me to go with the flow and surrender.

Gift #3
Look Up and Look Around
It seems like many of us move through our days and lives so quickly and almost unconsciously. It’s amazing what there is to see when we stop, look up and look around; the stars, the birds, the flowers, you know, nature. Even in the city, there’s a beautiful sky, buildings, people, art. Beauty is everywhere. If we just slow down long enough to look up and look around.

I was so inspired by not only the beauty around me but the possibility of sharing this experience with the Passion Squared community. My mind is racing and my soul is stirring with possibilities for a Whole Body +  Whole Business Retreat in partnership with Whole Body Method in 2015. If that sounds as awesome to you as it does to me, click here and let me know you are interested. My dream is to have you to discover your own gifts of Calliote Canyon, just like I did. They will live in my heart forever. And for that, I am grateful.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Passion Squared email

You’ve Got Mail

February 4, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“In a way, the Web is like your Hollywood agent: It speaks for you whenever you are not around to comment.”

Chris Brogan & Julien Smith, authors of Trust Agents

 

Passion Squared email

If your business is up 50% over last year, you clearly are doing something awesome and may not need to read this post. If it’s not, I encourage you to stay with me and hear me out on the topic of email marketing or what I like to call inbox marketing.

Yes, It’s Still A Powerful Tool
While you may hear that email is falling by the wayside with the rise of social platforms, that is simply not true. Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to engage your clients and actually make sales happen. How you ask?

How Inbox Marketing Drives Sales
1. It keeps clients connected to your salon, shows them you care, and reminds them you are around.

2. It allows you to share salon news, say thank you, introduce promotions, launch new products and services and reminders to make reservations.

3. It drives traffic to your website which in turn can drive sales.

How Do I Know This? (besides researching the topic at length)
The #1 referral traffic source for Passion Squared is from our weekly emails. More people visit our site from the emails we send then from any other referral platform.

My clients and friends Nigel Sampson and Daria Di Benedetto, owners of Whole Body Method in Los Angeles sold over $5000 in packages from ONE single email campaign. Their business is up over 50% from last year, and while there are several factors as to why they have experienced this awesome growth, focused and consistent email marketing is one of them.

I had a chance to chat with Benjamin Jay, co-owner of the Hair Loft ltd in Chicago. He was awesome enough to share his most recent success story using email to engage clients and generate revenue.  Check it out.

“So this holiday we really wanted to have a great season. One of the things we did was send out a note to our guests that hadn’t been in in 6 weeks and did not have a future reservation on the schedule letting them know what our upcoming holiday hours were going to be and giving them a link to make their reservation online. No discounts, because there was no need! Holidays are already our (and most people’s) best times of the year so we didn’t need to discount what was in high demand. Through these marketing emails, we booked an additional $1600 into our last 3 weeks of the Holidays.”

Benjamin Jay

These are the email campaigns that generated that additional $1600 in revenue over the Holidays for the Hair Loft ltd. Beautiful and on point.

So this holiday we really wanted to have a great season. One of the things we did was send out a note to our guests that hadn't been in in 6 weeks and did not have a future reservation on the schedule letting them know what our upcoming holiday hours were going to be and giving them a link to make their reservation online. No discounts, because there was no need! Holidays are already our (and most people's) best times of the year so we didn't need to discount what was in high demand. Through these marketing emails, we booked an additional $1600 into our last 3 weeks of the Holidays.

the hair loft ltd email two

Now think about yourself as a customer.  How many times have you been driven to purchase something from your favorite store or made a reservation because of an email they sent you? Come on, be honest.

Ok Nina, This Is Awesome, But Now What Do I Do?
1. Be sure your website allows clients to actually take action such as making a reservation, purchasing a gift card, a package or series of services. Many salon software programs have online booking as a feature or option. Use it.

2. Be sure to choose the right email platform for you, preferably one that is super easy to use, provides reports on your campaign performance, etc. I LOVE MailChimp, it’s FREE (up to 2000 subscribers), super easy to use, and highly social, meaning its easy to share on your social sites, etc. Many salon software programs also offer integrated email platforms, be sure to check with your provider to see what is available.

3. Be sure you have a place on your website for clients to “opt in” to receive emails from you. Also be sure they can subscribe on your Facebook page with a tab provided by your email platform. MailChimp has a super cool Facebook tab that is easy to use.

This is what a subscribe Facebook Tab looks like from MailChimp. Passion Squared inbox lovePassion Squared Subscribe Facebook Tab

This is what Passion Squared email opt in looks like on the home page of our website. Feel free to subscribe to get weekly inspiration and education from me :) Passion Squared email opt in

Do you have a success story to share about inbox marketing for your business? Please feel free to share it in the comments if you feel compelled or click here to share your story with me or to learn more about the power of inbox marketing.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)