It’s been five years since I started using the term Owning Pink. It all started when my friend Carmen was pregnant with a little girl, and her husband said, “My girl is never going to wear pink. She’ll wear yellow, green, blue…she’s going to be a feminist. She could be President.” So there I was, at my birthday party, decked head-to-toe in pink. I just couldn’t resist opening a can of big Pink whoop-ass and telling Stephan, “Honey, you tell her she just has to Own Pink.” And the rest is history.

It’s exact definition has changed over the years, but its essence has stayed the same. From the get-go, it’s been about owning all things feminine. But the scope has grown and evolved over time. I’ve since realized that all things feminine is a lot, and we women have lots to Own. As healthy, empowered women facing the curveballs life throws at us, we’re busy Owning Creativity, Owning Health, Owning Sexuality, Owning Motherhood, Owning Peace After Divorce, Owning Joy After Loss, Owning Menopause, Owning Fertility, Owning Spirituality, Owning Surrender…You get the picture. We’ve got a lot on our plates!

Between practicing medicine, chatting with my girlfriends, and teaching workshops, I’ve discovered a pressing need out there for more support with what we’re Owning, particularly for those women in the midst of a life crisis or transition- divorce, a cancer diagnosis, losing a loved one, infertility, getting laid off, or becoming a new mother. You get bogged down, and before you know it, you’ve lost your mojo, that joie de vivre that keeps the spring in your step, a sense of purpose in your life, and gives you a sense of wholeness.

Well, I’ve resolved to help change that. My Owning Pink workshops have been addressing those issues, but I want to reach more women, since so many women in the throes of a crisis can’t manage to take 5 days off to sign up for a retreat. Plus, times are tough, and workshops cost money. So I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out how to support more women on their quest to Own Pink.

For the past few years, I’ve been struggling to Own Pink myself. I’ve taken a bunch of workshops, taught a bunch of workshops, quit my job, taken a new one, and Owned a bunch of Change. But the best part has been my girlfriends. I couldn’t have done it without the Goddesses who held my hand through the process (thanks Pinkies- you know who you are!) I finally feel like I’m getting my mojo back, and I want to pass on what I’ve learned- as a doctor, as an artist, as a writer, and a mother- but mostly, as a woman, going through what so many of us experience.

So I’m launching a new blog soon, called Owning Pink: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Health, Your Femininity, and Your Mojo. It will include practical tips on how to improve your health, spark your creativity, light the flame of your passion, connect with your spiritual side, and make peace with what gets you down. We’ll do it all together, as an online community, offering support, tips, photos, and anything else that comes up. I’ll also answer your medical questions, lead an Owning Your Voice Journal Club, and invite your to read with me for the Pink Posse Book Club. I’m hoping you’ll all make this your Own by helping me figure out what you want, what you need, and what I could do to help support you. Do you want how-to tips for green juice cleansing at home? Do you want a curriculum for how to set up a Pink Posse meeting for your girlfriends? Do you want a Q&A for all things gynecologic? Do you want artistic tips? Do you need inspiration, help choosing which supplements to take, reminders of why it’s good to meditate, or a playlist of Owning Pink music you can dance to? My web team is building the site right now, so help me help you. I’d really love your feedback.

The site will begin in blog form, where you can post comments and photos. But if we get enough people on board, it may grow to include a Pink Posse social networking site, or a forum for Q&A, or whatever else we brainstorm together. Send me some Pink juju, and let me know what you’d like to see.

In the mean time, stay tuned for more news about Owning Pink. I’ll let you know, as soon as we have a firm launch date. While you wait, ask yourself what you need to Own…And post comments please!

With Big Pink Love,

Lissa