A Gutsy Guide to Getting Your Mojo Back

Lissa Rankin, MD (Doctor of Mojo & Pink Ringleader)

I developed Owning Pink as a way to integrate all of my unique skills- as a doctor, artist, writer, workshop leader, mother, wife, daughter, etc. For years, I felt like I wore different hats. As a doctor, I thought I had to look and talk and act a certain way. And as an artist, I had to look and talk and act in an altogether different way. After years of this, I began to feel fragmented and disconnected because I wasn’t bringing all of who I am to every aspect of my life. Then, in 2007, I quit my job as a doctor and spent two years painting, being a mom, and writing a memoir about how I gave birth to the whole, integrated, Pink me. Writing my story opened up a whole new vision of how I could merge my hats and be ALL LISSA, ALL THE TIME (watch out, world!). I developed Owning Pink to help others do the same. For more about me and all my hats, visit my website www.lissarankin.com. And if you have medical questions for me, post them at Betty Confidential where I write a Q&A column.

Now let me introduce you to the wind beneath my wings…The Pink Posse!

Joy Mazzola (Pink Diva Extraordinaire & Pink Editor-in Chief)

Joy and I met at Esalen Institute, during a profoundly transformative time of my life. We both took Nancy Aronie’s Writing from the Heart Workshop and became fast friends. Joy is a writer, editor, and certified Integral coach, devoted to helping others touch into their own magnificence and live from a place of, well, joy. She is endlessly awed by the fact that every person on the planet is attached to a mind-blowing story, and is humbled and gratified each time she hears one. J She lives with her boyfriend, small dog, and large cat in the enchanted hills of Berkeley. When you see Joy poking around in the comments section or writing blog posts, give her a giant Pink high five. She’s the heart and soul behind the scenes here, and without her, Owning Pink would not be the vibrant, living, breathing soulful place it is. She is eager for the privilege to share her own deepening journey with all you Pinkies.

Megan Monique Harner, Pink Lovemuffin and Goddess of Communication

Meet Megan Monique Harner (you’ll be glad you did!). This spirited young Pinkie drifted toward the Pink Posse via Twitter. So struck were we by her Pinkness that we invited her to write a guest post for owningpink.com. With her constant and energetic presence within Pinkdom (including her blessed involvement on the Pink Posse Page), we couldn’t resist inviting her to be on the Pink team as our Goddess of Communication (a.k.a. Pink Love Muffin). Megan is in her 22nd year of life on this glorious planet, but if you’ve read any of her incredible writing, you know she is wise well beyond her years. At the age of 19 she began taking Landmark Education Courses in Austin, Texas, which allowed her to get out of her head and past “ideas” that were holding her back. She has learned early on that The Thing for which most of us spend our lives searching outside ourselves actually lies within us (something that takes most Pinkies several lifetimes). One breakthrough lead to another, and now the good times just keep on rolling! She fills journal upon journal (and blog post upon tremendous blog post) with thoughts, dreams and ambitions. A self-described “solider for greatness of humankind,” Megan is honored to be part of the Pink Posse, and we are off-the-wall thrilled to have her. Look for Megan’s face and voice as it continues to pervade the Owning Pink community.

Rachel Carlton Abrams, MD, MHS (Pink Health and Sexuality Coach)

Rachel and I finally connected after people had been telling me, “You have to meet Rachel Abrams” for a over a year. And girl, were they right! Rachel is like my long-lost twin in many ways, except that she is way more of a Pink Goddess when it comes to Owning Sexuality. Rachel is committed to helping you Pinkies (and women everywhere) live in their bodies, connect with their sexual selves, and grow in health and wellness. Rachel received her Medical Degree from the University of California, San Francisco and a Master’s Degree in Holistic Health and Medical Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. She is Board Certified in Family Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice. She is also Board Certified in Holistic Medicine and a member of the American Holistic Medical Association. Dr. Abrams co-founded and is the medical director of Santa Cruz Integrative Medicine & Chi Center in Santa Cruz, California, a multi-disciplinary clinic that offers a dynamic and effective approach to healthcare by fusing the profound wisdom and ancient practices of the East with the cutting edge medical advances of the West. The Chi Center offers regular workshops and ongoing classes in the movement arts to complement the healing and energizing effects of its integrative practitioners. Dr. Abrams has also published two books on Taoism, holistic health and sexuality, The Multi-Orgasmic Woman and The Multi-Orgasmic Couple. She teaches workshops regularly at the Chi Center and at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California as well as teaching and lecturing throughout the country. Rachel loves the ocean and the redwoods and spends as much time as possible in each. She enjoys cycling, gardening, traveling and cooking. Most importantly, she is happily married to her husband and co-conspirator, Doug, and she is the mother of three fabulous children, all residing in Santa Cruz, California.

Tricia Barrett, Pink Living Foods Expert & Green Juice Healer

I met Tricia when I joined CLEAR Center of Health, where she is our resident Living Foods Expert. Shortly after I joined the practice, Tricia invited me to participate in a five-day green juice cleanse, and I was hooked. The references to green juice and raw foods you read about in Owning Pink exist because of Tricia. Honest to JABA (Jesus/Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Athena, etc), Tricia changed my life (Thanks, sweetie pie!). In addition to being a way cool chick with loads of green and Pink mojo, Tricia has led an incredible life. In 2001, while attending naturopathic medical school, Tricia was hospitalized after mistakenly eating poisonous wild mushrooms. She lost most of her liver, was read her last rites, and remained bedridden for nearly five years. Under the care of my amazing colleague at CLEAR, Dr. Beth McDougall, Tricia’s body slowly began to heal. The quantum leap in her healing came when she traveled to Hippocrates Health Institute, and spent months cleansing, eating an exclusively raw-food diet, and receiving an education that changed her life. Barely able to walk when she arrived, Tricia left Hippocrates able to run five miles a day. Her extraordinary recovery astonished her doctors and friends. To aid her recovery, Tricia sat with modern-day gurus and became the “adopted” daughter of John Tyler, the Arapaho Tribe’s elder and medicine man, who is walking with her on her shamanic journey. As others sought Tricia’s counsel in improving their health, her cleansing company, Green Resurrection, was born. Begun as a simple sprout delivery business, Green Resurrection has grown into a company that supports people in their quest for improved health, vitality, and well-being. Tricia has this message for you Pinkies. “You rock your own universe, rule your own world, and are nothing but pure potential. The impossible just takes a little longer. So, hang in there ladies because the best is here and yet to come.” She has led an arduous life, which she respects for leading her to her freedom train.

Rebecca Bass, MA, MFT Pink Body Image Cheerleader

In addition to being a kick-ass therapist specializing in disordered eating, trauma and women’s issues, Rebecca is my cousin, best friend, sister, and maid of honor all rolled into one spunky redheaded package. We go way back. For her birthday one year, Rebecca flew me from my home in Florida to her home in Minnesota so we could go to the Rick Springfield concert together (Jesse’s Girl rocks!). Among all the passions we share, Rebecca and I are both committed to for helping women own their bodies and live more comfortably in their skin. She recently established Potentia Family Therapy, Inc., which focuses on the treatment, education and advocacy around disordered eating and trauma. Rebecca engages in public speaking regularly, sharing her healing message at venues across the country. She is committed to helping you Pinkies who struggle with food and body image issues re-author your relationship with your body, food, and your story (and come on, who among us doesn’t qualify? Bueller? Bueller?). Prior to her work as a therapist, Rebecca worked for US Senator Tom Harkin in Washington, DC; as an Account Executive for Bozell-Eskew Advertising, an Issue Advocacy advertising firm in New York City; and for the Christian youth ministry Young Life in Zurich, Switzerland (can you say “yowza?”). Rebecca received her BA from Drake University and her Master’s degree at Bethel University. She lives in San Diego with her husband and daughter, the precious princess of Pink (but then, I am the biased Auntie!).

Caroline Diana Bobart, Pink Goddess of Intuition

Caroline appeared on my radar when she wrote an incredible post on the Pink Posse blog regarding a spiritual agreement we Pinkies made in unseen realms. This agreement gave us permission to be our authentic selves, and to make it safe to allow others to do the same. The truth of what Caroline wrote made me sob because it was exactly what I’d always envisioned for Owning Pink and hadn’t been able to articulate. Since then, she has been an invaluable advisor, giving me information on what is happening for Owning Pink energetically, and reassuring me about the rightness of our collective Pink Path. How could I not invite this remarkable, gentle, and gifted soul to be a Mojo Mentor? Caroline is a Professional Intuitive and Director of Advanced Intuitive Administration, which she established in Wales in 2008. AIA provides both intuitive and administrative support to women entrepreneurs. Caroline started her first spiritually minded conscious business as a Relaxation Therapist, Reiki Master/Teacher and Intuitive Healer in 2002. It was a roaring success and an invaluable validation of her ability to create an enjoyable and meaningful life’s work. Through the years, her work with women as a Professional Intuitive began spilling over into helping them with their creative and or business endeavors. These days, the tailored Intuitive Consultations Caroline provides through AIA create an intuitive platform upon which forward-thinking female entrepreneurs can explore the various aspects of their creations, gain clarity and refine their goals. It doesn’t get much more perfectly Pink than that! We are honored to count Caroline as a mentor, and thank her for keeping an eye on Owning Pink as it dances through the universe, gaining momentum and filling beings everywhere with Pink light and love.

Laura Fenamore, Pink Body Image Guru

Laura and I met through Pink Living Foods and Green Juice expert Tricia Barrett. Man, this lady is is a radiant ball of light who walks into a room and fills it with joy. Laura is a Body Image Mastery Mentor and a celebrated speaker, lecturer and teacher to thousands of people worldwide. Laura’s company, Body Image Mastery, LLC, is devoted exclusively to helping women find balance in their lives and learn to value the home they get to live in - their body. Laura founded OnePinky.com, a Body Image Revolution, where she offers a safe way for women to explore why we so often put ourselves at the bottom of the “to do list,” and how this keeps us from Owning our Health and our Bodies. Laura shares her own journey of rebuilding body esteem after severe obesity and multiple eating disorders (she released over 100 pounds twenty-one years ago and has kept it off), a journey that has led her to helping other people live more joyous and balanced lives. Laura says. “A person without self love is like a hidden treasure. You cannot see or feel the miracle you are, even when others adore you and want the best for you. Often times, ‘who you are’ is locked away in some tower or buried under years of pain and self loathing,” How lucky is the Pink Posse to have this Pinkie pulling for us?

Lakenda Wallace and Simone da Rosa (a.k.a. Good Witch Bad Witch), Get Happy! Less Stress/More Life Coaches

Simone and Lakenda, introduced to me through friends whom I’ll thank for the rest of my days, are Wellness Coaches and co-authors of StillSitting, Less Stress More Life, an online, self-administered de-stress program. They offer additional coaching through GoodWitchBadWitch.com, an advice blog where readers experience “good cop/bad cop” coaching – i.e., sometimes an issue is tender and calls for a soft message and a hug, and other times needs a good swift broomstick up the you-know-what. Lakenda and Simone believe coaching isn’t just for times of crisis – their focus is to help people live in wellness and happiness more often. They’ve helped de-stress government agencies, bankruptcy clients and individuals (if ever there was a tall order!). Lakenda is a single mother of two gorgeous girls and Simone “raised” many staffers and her husband of 20 years (and counting). They are both Reiki Masters and residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. They’re here to tempt, coax, prod, and otherwise encourage our Mojo to come out and play.

Fred Krazeise, Pink Wellness Guru & Pink God

I met Fred Krazeise on Twitter, of all places, where he tweets about Empowered & Fit, the fitness community for women he has created online. He is so evidently a Pink God that I invited Fred to be the first male in the Pink Posse. So welcome him, Pinkies. He fits right in! Fred founded Empowered & Fit in 2006 to offer a nurturing space and a source of healing for people suffering from stress or physical and emotional pain. As a certified massage therapist and Reiki master, he discovered that through the sensitive fusion of techniques, including various types of massage, Reiki, and other forms of energy work, he could provide not only physical relief to his clients, but also emotional and spiritual peace and calm as well. He approaches each client with love and is guided by a deeply intuitive connection with every client. His goal is to meet his clients exactly where they are and provide exactly what their bodies need. Fred is also an avid amateur cook, and when not working with clients, you will find him in his kitchen experimenting with cuisines ranging from Indian, Thai and Vietnamese, to Spanish, Basque and Turkish! He’s an avid cookbook collector and reader and has amassed a collection of more than 500 cookbooks. Fred lives outside of Washington DC with his wife Jody and two very spoiled dogs.

Alice Langholt, Pink Reiki Rockstar

Alice is a mom of four, wife, teacher, Reiki Master Teacher, phenomenal writer, and total Pink Goddess. She says that learning Reiki transformed her from a mere mortal to a spiritually connected person able to tap into her inner power for healing and bring it to others. It has become her purpose in life to show others the power that lies within them too. Over the past year she has taught over 150 people – including her own husband and kids – how to discover and channel Reiki energy for themselves and others, and use it to improve their lives and increase their Mojo. She has written a Reiki for Parents course, an ebook on distance healing, and teaches how Reiki can be an instant first aid kit for parents and kids, and empower them to share more love with themselves and their kids. She also regularly teaches and gives Reiki healings via distance, and wrote to help others tap into this amazing experience. This Pinkie has also started an Energy Healing Mentoring Program to help people reach their intuitive goals, working with students on meditation, energy healing, distance healing, connecting with their Guidance, angels, etc. Read more about Alice and her incredible journey on her blog, reikiawakening.blogspot.com, or visit her website at www.reikiawakening.com for a serious energetic Mojo infusion.

Michael Mackintosh, Pink Soul Advisor

We met this Pink God, known to many as “Brother Michael,” through Pink Living Foods & Green Juice Expert Tricia Barrett, who was transformed by his Gentle Warrior program in Kauai, Hawaii, where he lives. Born in South Africa, Michael spent 18 years in Cambridge, England studying meditation, philosophy, fine art, design, health and well-being. He taught Raja Yoga Meditation and Personal and Spiritual Growth and Development in Cambridge for eight years, and co-founded “Mood Foods”, a thriving organic raw, superfood chocolate company in Europe. He has traveled extensively throughout India, Africa, Europe, and the United States. A profound interest in the sheer wonder of life since a young age has inspired Michael to pursue a lifestyle he calls “Living in Magic.” This involves a deep understanding and appreciation of all life as an interconnected whole, where everything from meditating first thing early each morning on the beach, to writing a book on Freedom, is an integral part of enjoying and increasing the Magic in his life.Michael’s days are devoted to activities that dovetail exquisitely into his Living in Magic lifestyle. These include organizing and running trainings and courses in Spiritual Development and Living Your Dreams, composing articles on wellbeing and spirituality (many of which will be gracing the space of Owning Pink!), leading meditation classes & satsangs, conducting Gentle Warrior Retreats, giving spiritual business & marketing advice, hypnotherapy, recording transformational meditation CDs and lots more. He is the founder of Divine Abundance LLC & Success Ultra Now LLC – both of which serve to help people take their lives to the next level. Michael is passionate about life. His mission is to help others live their highest potential with flawless ease and grace, and to help change their inner worlds allowing the outer worlds to flourish.

Miranda MacPherson, Pink Spiritual Guru

I met Miranda MacPherson after a dear friend invited me to attend one of her spiritual gatherings in Marin County. Since I was seeking a spiritual community that resonated with me, I was intrigued, and after meeting Miranda, I knew I had found my guru. Miranda is gracing the Pink Posse with a near-lifetime of serious spiritual Mojo. This Pinkie exudes peace and divinity, and Owning Pink is utterly blessed (pardon the pun) to have her on board! Miranda is a dynamic spiritual teacher, counselor and author of the spiritual guide book Boundless Love. Born and raised in Australia, Miranda began her spiritual path after a dramatic initial awakening as a teenager. From then onwards, she passionately explored many avenues of meditation and psychological and spiritual approaches to human transformation, the fruits of which she began to share informally with others, parallel to an early career as a television presenter. Miranda was ordained an interfaith minister and spiritual counselor at the age of 26. In 1996 she founded the ground-breaking charity “The Interfaith Seminary” in London, where she was spiritual director for a decade. Miranda is renowned for her profound capacity to help people open to direct experience of Truth and unwind their habits of suffering. She integrates Self-inquiry with spiritual psychology, universal wisdom and an authentic Grace that arises out of her own awakening. A gifted communicator, Miranda shares from the heart through verbal, silent and energetic means. Featured as one of the “world‘s 250 most inspirational women,” Miranda travels internationally, teaching, learning and writing, and she is currently writing a new book. That she graces Owning Pink with her wisdom, compassion, and beautiful, loving spirit is indeed a blessing.

Jo Perron, OB/GYN & Wellness Coach, Rockin’ Yogini, and All Around Pink Guru

When I first moved to Monterey a few years back, I kept hearing the name Jo Perron. After discovering that she did her medical training and was a friend of the doctor who delivered my daughter, I decided it was a sign, and we needed to meet. I pretty much stalked her until she invited me to come for a hike along the ocean with her, and the rest is history. For a year, I took hikes with Jo, who always began our hike with a lesson, metaphor, or nugget of wisdom. I started calling our walks Tuesdays With Jo. Before she became my guru, Jo graduated from UCSD, Chicago Medical School (now called Rosalind Franklin Medical School) and USC. She then completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, training under Dr. Andrew Weil. She also trained as a wellness coach, loves teaching Vinyasa flow yoga in Pebble Beach, and is a board member of the Yoga Alliance. She is now enrolled in the masters in public health program at UNC-Chapel Hill, studying the chemicals in our environment that cause endocrine disruption and subsequent reproductive harm. She is married, with 2 sons, 3 dogs and 3 cats. She loves dancing, laughing, and traveling, and prefers magenta and turquoise to black or white. She loves the spiral shape- it symbolizes the transformative process for her. She says she would have preferred to “wise up” via a free trip to Tibet instead of from breast cancer, but personally, I wouldn’t have her any other way. To Owning Pink, Jo brings her loads of wisdom, her encyclopedia of knowledge about all things medical, spiritual, and environmental, and her warm, inclusive, cracked wide open heart.

Trish Rankin, Pink Mommy Mentor

Introducing my own Mommy, Trish Rankin, whose wise words grace Owning Pink often. What can I say about mom? In addition to the wisdom that she offers to the Owning Pink community, she gave me life, taught me how to love, accepted me for my authentic self since the day I was born, made me who I am. The Mother’s Day Tribute I wrote last year perhaps sums it up best. Just know that you Pinkies are in the presence of one of the strongest, wisest, most energetic, devout, talented, and authentic women I’ve known – truly, the original Pinkie. Mom is a superstar cook/ singer/ volunteer/ writer/ teacher/ adventurer/ mama/ sister/ aunt/ Nana (among many other slashes). She puts family and loved ones before everything, makes day-brightening a priority – you’ll see that with every word you read. I’m so proud to share my Mommy with you Pinkies!

Christa Scalies, Pink Giggle Coach (or should I say Purple Giggle Coach?)

Christa and I met via my blog, before it officially became Owning Pink. I had posted something about the Owning Pink philosophy and Christa posted a comment about how she hated being a girl most of her life and how much she hated pink. Her comment had me giggling right away, and our friendship blossomed. You could say that Pink brought us together. We started e-mailing, and Christa sent me this pee-in-my-pants hysterical diatribe about her thoughts on Owning Pink, which I ended up posting as a guest blog. I then discovered that this characteristic of writing warm, witty, wonderful blog posts is nothing new. Christa is the founder of www.giggleon.com, a website she developed after losing a friend to suicide, which is committed to helping people find lost giggles. She lives in Wilmington, Delaware, with her beloved sidekick, the Giggle Dog (aka Rosie), and when she’s not helping people giggle, she works as a park steward for the Friends of Wilmington Parks, a recycle/anti-litter advocate with the Clean Wilmington Committee, a suicide prevention advocate, contributing author at Open to Hope, a Feel-Good fashion designer, a certified yoga instructor and a Reiki practitioner. She loves purple, HATES the color Pink, drives a pick-up truck, loves Buffalo wing sauce, and hates online dating but loves the internet. Although she’s a die-hard Pink-hater, Christa Owns the hell out of Pink (in the bigger sense of the word) and is committed to helping all you Pinkies Giggle On.

Jason Stein, Pink Parenting Guru

We found Jason Stein spreading love and light all over the Pink Posse Forum. He is a total Pink God, an incredible dad, and has that unique gift of making everyone who crosses his path feel safe, loved and whole. Jason’s background is an eclectic blend that combines degrees in Psychology and Oriental Medicine with a Professional Coach Certification and three years Chaplaincy training. He is a Licensed Acupuncturist, Chair of Professional Development for the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, and the producer of the CD “Meditation in the Workplace.” Jason has taught hundreds of working parents how to enhance communication and increase connection at work and at home. You can find out more about Jason and his work at http://freetobeparents.com.

Tara Sutphen, Pink Mystic & Metaphysician

I met Tara via Kandy Lozano, our Pink Ambassador of Quan, and shortly afterwards, Tara invited me to join she and Marla Maples on her radio show, Transformations With Tara, to talk about mojo. In addition to being a way cool Pinky, Tara is the author of Blame It On Your Past Lives, creator of a popular series of CDs and DVDs, and an expert in the psychic arts, including automatic writing, palmistry, and esoteric astrology. One quarter Native American, she draws upon her roots to specialize in shamanistic techniques, which can help get you in touch with the core of your being, where your mojo lies. Tara’s goal programming techniques have helped many become successful, find love, create better health, reach spiritual attunement and happiness, and even become famous and/or wealthy. Using automatic writing, Tara communicates with her spirit guide, Abenda, who sets up ethereal connections for her clients and workshop attendees when they ask questions. Tara has conducted and co-led seminars and workshops internationally at venues such as Mind Body Spirit (England & Australia), Holistic Health & Healing (Ireland), Whole Life Expo (USA), and The Learning Annex (USA). For Owning Pink, Tara channels all of her mojo to help you find yours.

Grendel the Mojo-Pup

Grendel is our Pink Mascot, and though her name might indicate otherwise, this pooch Owns Pink like no other four-legger out there. She Owns Health with an organic diet; Owns her Body with regular hikes in the hills of northern California; Owns Sexuality with frequent leg-humpings (who says you have to be a boy dog to get it on with human limbs?) Owns Girlytude with impeccable grooming (as evidenced by her perfectly clipped coif in her photo); and Owns Spirituality with a daily meditation practice (okay, maybe those are just naps – it’s hard to tell). Grendel’s daily patrol of the Owning Pink headquarters keeps the place vibrant, protected, and poodly Pink. And she’s a reminder that unconditional love is the Pinkest of attributes. Imagine if we all jumped up and wagged our tails every time we saw those we love?