Henson-Conant: International visionary harpist and jazz musician/composer/performer.
Loretta LaRoche: Internationally known speaker who combines stress management with humor, president of both The Humor Potential and Loretta LaRoche and Company. LaRoche also did two award-winning PBS specials, The Joy of Stress and Humor Your Stress, and is the author of Relax, You May Only Have A Few Minutes Left.
Brenda Laurel: Vice president of design at Purple Moon in Mountain View, California, and a twenty-year entertainment software and technology research veteran who creates meaningful entertainment experiences for girls.
June Levinson: Ceramist, art dealer, and jewelry designer.
Donna Milani Luther: Creative arts teacher, Montessori principal, and national workshop leader.
Chris Madden: Designer, owner of Chris Madden, Inc., host of her own television show Interiors by Design on HGTV; frequent guest on Oprah! and the Today Show; author of thirteen books, most recently A Room Of Her Own: Women's Personal Spaces, Chris Madden's Guide To Personalizing Your Home, Bathrooms, and Kitchens; weekly columnist for Scripps-Howard News Service; and a creative consultant to Bassett Furniture Company.
Alice Aspen March: Workshop leader, speaker, author of The Attention Factor, and creator of the Emmy-nominated television documentary, Latchkey Kids.
Alexandra Merrill: Women's group process teacher, artist, and community organizer.
Pam Moore: Partner and consultant at Synectics, Inc., an international consulting company specializing in innovation headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Patricia Miller: Co-president of Vera Bradley Designs (see Barbara Baekgaard).
Maureen Murdock: Core faculty, Pacifica Graduate Institute, photographer, and author of Father's Daughters: Transforming the Father-Daughter Relationship; The Heroine's Journey; The Heroine's Journey Workbook; and Spinning Inward: Using Guided Imagery with Children.
Leslie Neal: Dancer and choreographer, artistic director of Leslie Neal Dance, Associate Professor of Dance at Florida International University, and creator of “Inside Out—Expressive Arts Workshops for Incarcerated Women” at Broward Correctional Institution in Florida.
Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D.: Associate chief of the Human Physiology Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, assistant professor at the School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and author of Strong Women Stay Young and Strong Women Stay Slim.
Virginia O'Brien: Career and communications coach and author of Fast Forward MBA and Success on Her Own Terms: Tales of Extraordinary, Ordinary Business Women.
Sigrid Olsen: Owner and creative designer of Sigrid Olsen, the international fashion design firm.
Rebecca Parris: Internationally known jazz singer, singing coach, teacher, and lecturer.
Christina Pickles: Emmy Award-nominated actress for her role as Judy Geller in Friends. She recently appeared in the films The Wedding Singer and Nerds in Love IV. She is a frequent television guest star, acting teacher, and screenwriter.
C. C. H. Pounder: Emmy Award-nominated actress who plays Dr. Angela Hicks on ER and has also starred in theater and films, including Bagdad Café, Prizzi's Honor, Postcards from the Edge, and All that Jazz. She is also a jewelry designer and co-owner of Banji Face Jewelry, which makes one-of-a-kind Afrocentric jewelry with a European flair, as well as cofounder of a cultural museum in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa.
Joanne Rossman: Scarf and women's accessory designer, antique dealer, and writer.
Cathleen Rountree: Writer and educator, visual artist and photographer, cultural mythologist and film historian, and the author of On Women Turning 40, On Women Turning 50, On Women Turning 60, On Women Turning 70, The Heart of Marriage, and Cinema and Psyche: How the Movies Mirror Our Minds. She is currently completing a Ph.D. in Mythological Studies and Psychology.
Alison Shaw: Landscape and editorial photographer, known for her photography of Martha's Vineyard, and author of Remembrance and Light: Images of Martha's Vineyard, Vineyard Summer, and a children's book, Until I Saw The Sea.
Barbara Sher: Career consultant and author of the bestsellers Wishcraft, I Could Do Anything if Only I Knew What It Was, How to Live the Life You Love, and her new book, It's Only Too Late If You Don't Start Now.
Lydia Shire: Renowned chef and owner of Biba's and Pignoli's, two of Boston's finest restaurants.
Lesley Irene Shore, Ph.D.: Licensed psychologist and author of Healing the Feminine: Reclaiming Woman's Voice and Tending Inner Gardens: The Healing Art of Feminist Psychology.
Sidra Stone, Ph.D.: Internationally known teacher, psychotherapist, and author of The Shadow King: The Invisible Force That Holds Women Back. With her husband, Hal Stone, Ph.D., she co-created the Voice Dialogue technique that is described in their bestselling books Embracing Ourselves, Embracing Each Other, and Embracing Your Inner Critic.
Marilyn Veltrop, Ph.D.: Transformational coach and guide to business leaders, as well as cofounder, with her husband, Bill Veltrop, of PathFinders, a consulting company.
Barbara Waugh, Ph.D.: Manager of worldwide personnel, Hewlett-Packard Labs, Hewlett-Packard Company; former director of Center for Women and Religion, Graduate Theological Union; board member for State of the World Forum; associate for Global Fund for Women; and a social activist for diversity issues as well as initiator of numerous creative projects.
Lynne Waymon: Professional speaker, networking guru, and author of 52 Ways to Reconnect, Smart Networking, No More Cold Calls, and How To Fireproof Your Career.
Carmella Yager: An artist and painter whose work has been exhibited widely and purchased for both public and private collections, she also teaches at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and North Shore Community College in Massachusetts, in addition to conducting private studio lessons and painting retreats.
Marcia Yudkin, Ph.D.: Writing and marketing consultant and author of nine nonfiction books, numerous audiotapes, and an upcoming PBS series on amateur musicians.
The intent of this book has always been to share the inspirations of these remarkable creative women with you, as sisters, in a guidebook format to spark your creative unfolding. May these secrets direct you, your daughters, and nieces, and all the women of future generations toward your voice of creativity, urge you to follow where it leads, and help it flourish. The planet needs our collective feminine creative energies. Let us dare to share our knowing.
SECRET 2
Honoring Your Inspirations
In order to access your creativity, you must validate and capture your inspirations. These inspirations are precious seedlings awaiting nurturance.
Cultivating Attractions
Practicing Play
Communing
