Lissa Rankin | OwningPink

Posts Tagged ‘Lissa Rankin’

Mojo Monday: Discover Your Truth By Exploring Your Mirrors

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Dear Pinkies, please welcome back to the main stage the one and only Leslee Horner, here with a Mojo Monday exercise to help us address the shadow, and release that which holds us back. Hold on to your Mojo … and as always, deep bows of gratitude to you sweet Leslee!

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In September I attended a workshop entitled “The Missing Peace.” It was led by an amazing woman named Kamala Snow. The theme of the workshop was releasing our “sacred cows” (the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs we hold onto or worship that actually hold us back) and inviting in and embracing the qualities we want to embody.

Reflection

We were asked at the beginning of the day to write down the names of three people we admire and at least one thing we admire about them. Then we were asked to write down the names of three people who really get under our skin and at least one reason why. We were allowed to chose anyone, living or dead, whether we know them or not. The first part of my list (the admiration part), without thinking too deeply about it, looked like this:

My husband Mark - determination and follow through
Lissa Rankin - her ability to take a leap of faith and follow her passions
Joel S. Goldsmith- being a spiritual teacher and healer, letting God work through him

The second part of my list contained the following characteristics. I, of course, will not mention who they belong to.

Judgmental, set in ways
Dishonest
Unwilling to get to know the truth about others

Mirrors

After completing the list we were asked to look at it carefully and were then told that these people were our mirrors. All of these characteristics were within us, which is why we notice them so quickly in others. Obviously we talked mostly about the negatives. Kamala explained how people often don’t believe that those dark aspects really belong to them. They deny, deny, deny. But for me it was the complete opposite. I’ve understood for a long time that the reason I get so hurt and angry when I witness others being judgmental is because I myself do this and desperately wish that I did not.

As for dishonesty, I claim to be an honest person. I can not tell a lie and I never look for loopholes in the system. I’m a “by the book” kind of girl. BUT, I am not always honest about my feelings. When asked how I am, the standard answer is “fine”…even if I am far from fine. When asked what I want, I often say “I don’t know” even when I always know. Within my own head, I do an excellent job talking myself into and out of things, without always looking honestly at the choices I am making. And as far as the last one is concerned, I like to think that I am willing to understand people, but I must admit I have been known to put them in boxes after I learn a tidbit of information about them. So I am embracing this shadow side of myself and hopefully I can bring it into the light. Maybe eventually I won’t even notice when others are being judgmental or dishonest. Then I’ll know I no longer am…

Could it be?

As for the positive aspects, that’s where I found myself a bit confused. It’s always been very easy for me to notice the qualities I am not proud of, but to claim the good stuff…that’s scary. I have some great ideas and I want to see them through, this requires determination and the ability to take a leap of faith and follow my passions. Apparently because I see it so clearly in others it is also within me. And these days more than anything I want to put my energy into my spirituality and letting God lead me. And I can because the ability to surrender is inside.

This activity was really the most enlightening one of the day for me. It allowed me to learn so much about myself and who I can become. I can build on the positives and try to find a way to work through and release the negatives.

What about you?

So now Pinkies, it’s your turn. What three people do you admire most and why? What three people bug the hell out of you and why? What comes up for you as you do this exercise? What do you see about yourself? How does this make you feel? Does anything surprise you? What do you need to OWN? Please share with us…

Reflected and reflecting,
Leslee

Tags: Lissa Rankin, mirrors, self-discovery, self-help
Posted in Guest Pinkies, Mojo Mondays, Owning You | 6 Comments »

Introducing The Owning Pink Center & The Pink Partnership Agreement

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Hiya Pinkies! As many of you know, I have been struggling for six months over whether or not to leave my job at the integrative health center where I work. On one level, I adore the people, the space is gorgeous, and my patients are treasures. Compared to my old job in the crazy busy managed care practice where I used to work, it’s heaven. But deep down, I realize it doesn’t align with my vision. Being there has been clipping my wings. And it’s time to FLY.

Introducing The Owning Pink Center

So I took the leap of faith and submitted my resignation just before Christmas, without a clue what would happen next. More Pleaping (taking a Pink leap of faith!) Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once again, I found myself letting go, surrendering into what will be, trusting God, and being open to Signs from the Universe. Well, wouldn’t you know it, all the signs have aligned to allow me to bring Owning Pink into bricks and mortar in a beautiful space on 600 Miller Ave in Mill Valley, CA. The Owning Pink Center- where I will join forces with acupuncturists, a nutritionist, a psychologist, and Mojo Mentor Tricia Barrett, our Pink & Green cleanse expert- will be open soon, right down the street from where I have been practicing. It will give us a chance to bring Owning Pink into the real world, to ground what we’ve created in cyberspace and demonstrate how what we do can heal people. I’m VERY excited.

In the process of clarifying my thoughts and dreams, I have been doing a lot of writing about how I think health care can be best received by those in need of healing, and I decided to start with what I call the Pink Partnership Agreement, a contract between me and my patients. After I wrote it, I realized that this is very similar to what we do here at Owning PInk Central. We enter into sacred contract together- with the express purpose of healing ourselves and each other. So I wanted to share it with you here.

The Pink Partnership Agreement
As doctor and patient, you and I are entering into a partnership. As such, I feel it is important to clarify and agree upon what our relationship will entail.

Your Power to Heal
I am here to support you, guide you, offer you tools, and support your process, but I will not “fix” you – for I don’t believe you are broken.

I believe you already have within you the power to heal yourself. When we meet, I will hold up the mirror so you can see that you already have what it takes to optimize your wellness and live the most joyous, vibrant, fulfilling, sexy, healthy life possible. You are here to be the force behind your own healing. If you are not ready to take this action step, I will be here to nurture and support you, but the process will be less powerful, with fewer results.

Respect for each other and the process

In order for our partnership to be successful, we must respect each other. I will offer you a treatment plan, but I will also invite you to listen to the intuition of your body and your soul. I will respect your autonomy, and the choices for how we proceed will always be yours.
We will respect each other’s time. I will not make you wait for your appointment, and you will not be late. We must be present, fully and completely, during our time together. This means we will both turn off cell phones, let go of distractions, and focus all of our energy on your wellness. We have to be open and tell the truth, even if it is painful or uncomfortable. We must trust that we are safe together, so we can explore things that may be tough to explore. We must open our hearts to the loving kindness and compassion that is a necessary part of any healing relationship.

My pledge to you
I promise to respect you, guide you, and help you discover the healing power within you. In exchange, I ask that you follow through on any treatment plan we agree upon. If our treatment plan does not resonate with your body’s wisdom, or if you have financial constraints, please tell me so that we can modify our plan. Follow through is key. We must walk this path together in order to manifest the results I know we can achieve.

This is YOUR life. OWN IT.
Are you on board? If so, sign here. (Insert your signature here!)

The Owning Pink Wellness Center Mission Statement

We believe that the power to heal lies within all of us. Rather than “fixing” you, we aim to offer you tools that will empower you to attain optimal wellness, vitality, and joy. We believe health is the foundation upon which we build the other facets of what makes us whole- our creativity, relationships, career, spirituality, sexuality, and life purpose. At Owning Pink, we hold up the mirror to reflect back to you what you already know but may not see- that you are beautiful, just the way you are, and that getting your mojo back is not only possible, it’s your birthright!

The Owning Pink Center Philosophy

The health care system in the United States may be broken, but we as individuals are whole, just as we are. At Owning Pink, we aim to create an entirely new way to heal- one that works from the inside out. Unlike traditional medical practices, where you may be herded in and out in 7 1/2 minutes, handed a prescription for drugs you may not understand, and wind up feeling worse than when you walked in, we strive to let the healing begin the moment you walk in the door. We value the opportunity to be present with you, to hold space for you, to listen, and to offer you our expertise as an equal partners in your wellness plan. We believe you are more powerful than you know, that you hold the keys to living fully right in your own hand. Our job is to help you use the keys you already possess and supplement anything else you might need to achieve your health and wellness goals.

Too many people walk around in a daze, unaware that there is a better life out there, just longing to be lived. When you lack energy, struggle to sleep, experience stress, feel depressed, dislike the way your body looks and feels, and suffer from symptoms and diseases, you may come to accept that this is simply life. We at Owning Pink believe there is more to life than just getting by. We believe you can get your mojo back- and have fun doing so. It’s what Owning Pink is all about- being brilliantly, gleefully, wholly healthy, inside and out.

As human beings, we may manifest symptoms and diseases, but underlying these external manifestations, our spirits know the answers to how we can live more vitally. We ask our clients questions such as “What does your body need to get better?” And we honor and cherish the answers that come up. We value the wisdom of the body and the enduring strength and resilience of the human spirit. We value YOU.

The practitioners at the Owning Pink Center are skilled at helping you access these answers to help you reclaim the life you know you’re meant to live. We call upon all of the tools in our collective tool boxes- using traditional Western medicine, natural and functional medicine, nutrition, bioidentical hormone balancing, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, therapy, raw foods/detox cleansing, and a variety of other alternative therapies to help you access what you need to achieve optimal health. Mostly, we practice love, with a little bit (okay, sometimes a lot) of medicine on the side. What does love have to do with medicine? Everything. Trust us on this. When we approach our bodies with love, acceptance, and nurturing kindness, we pave the way for magic to unfold, the kind of magic we’re blessed to witness every day.

We invite you to step up to the Pink plate. Are you in? We can’t wait to bear witness to your transformation.

So here’s me, Pinkies- Pleaping! I’d LOVE your feedback! What resonates for you? What seems too woo woo or weird? How can we help patients understand what Owning Pink is all about in a medical practice? How are you Pleaping these days? What resistance keeps you from following your dreams?

Jumping off cliffs right and left,

Dr. Lissa

Lissa Rankin, MD

PS. Stay tuned for our new website, how to make appointments, and all the details that turn a dream into reality.

Tags: gynecology, holistic health, holistic women's health, integrative medicine, Lissa Rankin, lissa rankin md, Mill Valley, ob/gyn, owning pink center
Posted in Alternative Health, Healthy Thursday, Lissa's personal yada yada yada, Owning Health | 36 Comments »

Introducing The Woman Inside Project

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

Jade, a UCSF medical student, honoring one of the women inside at the opening reception at Commonweal

My aim in creating The Woman Inside Project is to shine a light on the beautiful woman that lies within each woman afflicted with breast cancer. The idea to create this project came to me when, in my work as an OB/GYN physician, I had to tell a woman who was pregnant that her biopsy was positive for breast cancer. Inspired to help her memorialize that moment in time, before she gave birth, lost her breasts, and everything changed, I offered to cast her body in plaster. The seed of an idea gestated, and five years later, I am giving birth to this exhibition as a way to honor the beauty within each woman, particularly those with breast cancer.

When I invite a woman to participate in this project, I invite her into my home, where I sculpt her torso using medical plaster bandages. After casting a woman’s figure, I hold up the sculpture and say, “So this is what the world sees. Now tell me about the rest of you.” I then listen for as long as it takes her to unveil the breathtaking woman inside. When she is done telling her story, I transcribe her story into a first person narrative of the beauty I see within her (and geez, are these women gorgeous!)

Some of the women I sculpted describe the process as a spiritual healing of sorts, during which I touch their bodies, place bandages over their wounds, then remove the bandages, leaving them feeling whole. For others, the process is traumatic, dredging up painful memories of surgical bandages and scars. Either way, the experiences are authentic, and I feel blessed to have been there, holding hands, holding space.

Lissa Rankin's The Woman Inside Project at Commonweal, Bolinas, CA

While traumas such as breast cancer crack us open and force us to grow, we all experience painful wounds that threaten to unravel us. It’s how we respond to our wounds that tests us and gives us the opportunity to blossom. When you experience The Woman Inside Project, my goal is that each of you not only sees the beauty within these women, but that you see the beauty within YOU.

While I chose as models breast cancer survivors because their wounds are so visible, I could have sculpted any group of survivors, and the stories would be equally riveting and awe-inspiring. When people have been to hell and back- and you invite them to tell their truth- what emerges is a slender green stalk that, with tending, blooms into full flower. The women who participated in this project have created a garden for which I can claim no credit. It has been an honor to be their witness.

SHE LIVES

After five years in the works, tonight is the first time The Woman Inside Project will be exhibited. I am honored and blessed to be showing this body of work with kick ass photographer and Pink Goddess Nancy Bellen, who has overcome breast cancer herself.

SHE LIVES: Photos by Nancy Bellen, sculptures by Lissa Rankin

Our statement about the show:

She lives through the words “You have cancer.” She lives without knowing what tomorrow will hold. She follows a path towards recovery, and rallies the troops to help her overcome. She is not defined by her illness. She transforms. She surrenders to the Universe. She loves fearlessly. She takes off the mask. She speaks her truth. She rides the open road, giggling at gas stations. She plants a garden and watches it grow. She dances with her arms held high and her head thrown back. Sometimes, she succumbs to the disease, but she lives on still, ever present. She cannot be broken because SHE LIVES.

SHE LIVES: Photos by Nancy Bellen, sculptures by Lissa Rankin

About their show, Bellen and Rankin say, “This show is not about breast cancer. It’s about living. We aim to shine a light on the fact that we all experience and recover from loss over and over again in our lives. Whether we lose a job, a loved one, a marriage, a dream, or a breast, we live still. Not to diminish what anyone experiences, but we get to choose how we live in the face of loss. Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Joy is a choice. This show is about how people live in the face of adversity. It’s about the resiliency of the human condition.”

SHE LIVES: Sculptures by Lissa Rankin, Photos by Nancy Bellen

Our show SHE LIVES opens at Commonweal today

She Lives
A Collaborative Installation with
Lissa Rankin and Nancy BellenJanuary 24 – March 6, 2010

Opening Reception:
Sunday, January 24 from 3-5 PM
Commonweal Gallery

451 Mesa Road

Bolinas, CA

Lissa Rankin at the opening reception

Seeing the beauty within each one of you,
Lissa

Lissa Rankin & Nancy Bellen

Tags: body image, breast cancer, breast cancer art, encaustic, Lissa Rankin, nancy bellen, she lives, the woman inside project
Posted in Lissa's art, Lissa's personal yada yada yada, Owning Creativity, Owning Joy After Loss, Owning Your Body | 18 Comments »

Owning Your Dreams- Never, Ever Give Up on YOU

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

When we started Owning Pink just over six months ago, I set a personal goal- I wanted to write books. I had already written a memoir that Barbara Poelle, my literary agent who I lovingly call Monkey Barbara, shopped around. A whole slew of editors took the book to editorial boards, where it got shot down by a whole slew of marketing departments who didn’t know how to put it in a box. The glowing rejection letters piled up.

Set Goals, But Release Attachment to Specific Outcomes

But I refused to count this as failure. Instead, I figured that book just wasn’t ready to get published yet- or maybe, I wasn’t far enough along in my personal development to handle it. Either way, I still wanted to write books. I figured I’d wait for a Sign from the Universe. I decided to simply let go and let God.

Well, wouldn’t you know it. God took over. A few months later, an editor from St. Martin’s Press, who was familiar with my writing, ran into my agent and said, “I have a book idea and your client is the perfect person to write it.” When Rose Hilliard and I spoke about the project, Rose said the magic word, “empowering.” She wanted me to write a book answering the questions you’d only ask your gynecologist after three martinis. She figured we could use the opportunity to educate women as part of a greater goal to empower women to own who they really are. When Monkey Barbara was shopping the memoir, I felt like people kept putting me in a doctor box where I no longer fit comfortably, so I had resisted putting on my white coat, standing up on a pedestal and talking down to people. But I felt myself light up when Rose sent me the questions her girlfriends and female staffers at St. Martin’s had asked. Yes, I could use this book opportunity to help women Own Pink. So I wrote a book proposal, prayed like mad, and once more- I surrendered it to the Universe.

The Universe Listened

Voila. Suddenly, I had not one but four publishing houses fighting over the book proposal I wrote. But I stuck with St. Martin’s Press, where Rose believed in me and gave me a chance to realize my dream. She had been an answer to prayer, and the synchronicity between her idea and my dream felt like one of those Signs from the Universe I listen to. It honestly felt too good to be true. I mean- seriously- after a year of disappointment, an editor was going to just show up and hand me a book deal? Apparently, it’s that easy. You set goals, you release attachment to outcomes, and you just let go…

So I’ve been writing writing writing, and yesterday, I just sent the manuscript to Rose. I’M DONE, PINKIES! Amazing authors helped me along the way- Bonk, Spook & Stiff author Mary Roach, sexpert Lou Paget who wrote The Great Lover Playbook, S Factor founder Sheila Kelley, Barbara Whipple (who famously named the G spot- opting against the chance to name it the Whipple Tickle), Tantric sex goddess Caroline Muir, piercing guru and The Piercing Bible author Elayne Angel, and Susan Crain Bakos, author of The Sex Bible. And now- miracle of miracles- Dr. Christiane Northrup just agreed to write the foreword (Thank you Chris! I love you!)
Introducing My Book

Nine months from now, my book What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend will be on book shelves. And my dream is that it will unleash a whole revolution of Pinkies owning it. Hey, when I dream, I dream big!

Writing this book has been such a blessing for me. You Pinkies submitted amazing questions- hundreds of them (thank you Pinkies! YOU made this book!) Your candor, wit, and vulnerability built the perfect skeleton so I could flesh out what we collectively know, feel, live.

So what’s the book about? Just imagine if your best friend was a gynecologist and you could talk candidly about every question you’ve ever had about gynecology, sex, and women’s health, all while drinking a glass of wine and sharing a good laugh? My girlfriends actually get to indulge in that kind of intimacy, asking me all the things they would never ask their doctors. Most women don’t have a gynecologist at their beck and call, so they share girl talk amongst themselves, often perpetuating myths and repeating misinformation. My goal is that What’s Up Down There? will help bridge that gap. I tried to answer your questions with typical Pink style, aiming to demystify the female body and all its quirky, eccentric intricacies, while empowering you to learn, grow, and celebrate the curious oddities that make us women. I say let’s invite the G spot, the scary metal duckbill, the bikini wax, and the feminine deodorant spray to come out of the closet. Let’s put the maxi pads, the douche bags, the sex toys, and the clitoris out there on the table for discussion. Let’s give vaginas a chance to shine, empowering women to embrace and own their femininity, with all its glorious pink power.

Now, the book is done, and I’m looking back on the magical journey that has lead me to this place in my life. You Pinkies were a big part of helping me realize my dream. That you care what I have to say helped convince publishers that there is an audience for what I write. And this is just the beginning. Somehow, I know and trust that there will be more books ahead. Maybe my memoir will even get published one day…

Never, Ever Give Up

The reason I wanted to share all this with you Pinkies is because I want to encourage you to never give up on your dreams. After a year of rejection, I might have convinced myself that I wasn’t good enough. If all those publishers passed on my book, I must lack the chops to be a professional author, right? After all, I had quit my job and spent a year of my life holed up in a cave writing a tell-all book. And it was all wasted, right? How many of you would have told yourself those stories if it had been you? How many would have given up on your dream?

Certainly, the gremlins of self-doubt jumped all over me, whispering evil nothings into my ear. I had dark nights of the soul when I lay silently in the dark, crying. My anxiety mounted and niggling voices threatened to rob me of my mojo. But I pulled out my Monster Spray (thanks Dana!) and clung to my dream. By golly, editorial boards could reject me, but nobody was going to take my dream away from me. I guess, deep down, I’ve always had the confidence that- no matter what happens- I would land butter side up.

What about you Pinkies? What’s your dream? What’s keeping you from pursuing it? Are the gremlins getting you down? Are you afraid to take a Pleap (Pink leap of faith)? Or have you Pleaped and then Unpleaped, because things aren’t happening effortlessly? Have you tried giving your dream a great big hug and then letting it go into the Universe?
Never, never, ever give up, Pinkies.
Never.

Still Pleaping,
Lissa

Tags: barbara poelle, beverly whipple, caroline muir, Christiane Northrup, elayne angel, gynecology book, Lissa Rankin, lou paget, mary roach, questions you'd only ask your gynecologist if she was your best friend, rose hilliard, sheila kelley, st. martin's press, surrender, susan crain bakos, what's up down there
Posted in Lissa's personal yada yada yada, Owning Menopause, Owning Motherhood, Owning Sexuality, Owning Spirituality, Owning Surrender | 26 Comments »

The Bright Pink Future

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

Wow. Pink God & new Mojo Mentor Jason Stein of Free to Be Parents just unveiled his latest tear-jerking creation to me and I had to post it immediately! To create this video clip, Jason solicited photographs from Pinkies of our children. What better way to celebrate Halloween? Enjoy Pinkies! (And Jason- wow. I don’t know how to say thank you. Blessings…)