4th Friday Luncheon for Sept. - Currency of Connection: Evolving Your Relationship with Money

Presenter: Nogie King
Topic: The Currency of Connection:

Evolving Your Relationship with Money
Date: Friday, Sept. 24, 2010

Location: Marie Calendar's Restaurant, Gateway Plaza (360 & 183)

Online pre-registration is highly recommended for this event! RSVP Here

The world spends a lot of time thinking about money. We earn it, save it, spend it, try to manage it, worry about it, hold our breath about it and eventually make up stories about what it all means. Even though many of us are wholeheartedly engaged in wisdom practices, most of us still FEEL challenged by the practical and emotional demands of money.

Join us for this interactive presentation using a body-centered approach to explore the internal effects and external results of our own stories about money. Then experience a new way of BEING with money that allows you to graduate to a profoundly satisfying relationship with this ubiquitous stuff called money.

Nogie will introduce an evolutionary process that takes us back to the original purpose of money (to foster human relationships) and moves us forward to connect us to our deeper truth (the currency that really matters).

Come learn:

Why abundance is not the answer.
How to use money as a spiritual practice.
How our bodies are the roadmap.

Nogie King has been designing and delivering profound experiences for over 15 years. She is currently the Executive Director for Wisdom at Work and is writing her first book entitled The Currency of Connection: Evolving Your Relationship with Money.

She is the founder of Sympatico Productions, a coaching firm that provides real-world tangible results through a combination of somatic awareness, ancient wisdom, modern scientific breakthroughs and entrepreneurial thinking. Nogie was the former Program Coordinator at The Crossings and created the popular “What the Bleep” Conference there. She also founded Camp Camelot, a weekend summer camp experience for Not-So Grown-Ups.

4th Friday Luncheon for August - Love in Action: Where Grace Meets Work

Presenter: Lauran Janes
Topic: Love in Action: Where Grace Meets Work
Date: Friday, August 27, 2010

Online pre-registration is highly recommended for this event! RSVP Here

Registration and Networking begins at 11:30 a.m. The program begins promptly at Noon and concludes at 1:15 p.m. Come early and stay late for networking. A table is available for you to place any flyers or information that is aligned with the WAW mission.

Is there a separation between “spiritual practice” and “work”? Has our conversation about work, service, money, Love and Grace fallen short? How can we evolve our thinking, thus, our actions?

Lauran will share her unique experience of merging her spiritual practice with her financial stream. She will also discuss the balancing act between the feminine-essence (being) and the masculine-essence (doing) as it relates to “loving” ‘customers’ & co-workers while “accomplishing tasks” necessary for the growth of the business.

Lauran Janes is the founder of Love Yoga & creator of YOGA*Life: Tools for Being
& Becoming. She has been practicing and teaching yoga for a decade with the
intention of healing the mind-body and inspiring a deep commitment to
Self-Awareness. A former screen-writer, Lauran uses humor and story-telling in
her teaching and as a management-technique in her business.

4th Friday Luncheon for July - Life, Leadership and Self-Deception

Presenter: Dan Morman
Topic: Life, Leadership and Self-Deception
Date: Friday, July 23, 2010
Online pre-registration is highly recommended for this event! Register Here

Registration and Networking begins at 11:30 a.m. The program begins promptly at Noon and concludes at 1:15 p.m. Come early and stay late for networking. A table is available for you to place any flyers or information that is aligned with the WAW mission.

Blind spots – those nasty little perspectives and behaviors seem to show up at the root of most of the situations in which we find ourselves stuck or frustrated.

You cannot fight something that you cannot see, and the hidden enemy inside your ranks is more damaging than the 10,000 that may be outside your gates. The enemy we are talking about here is our blind spots and self-deception - those false views, and opinions we hold and we accept as objective reality. This "reality" is the basis from which we determine if we are happy or sad and safe or threatened. This personal reality is the basis for how all of our decisions are made, how we lead and influence, and the impact we make on those around us. They often replicate themselves in the environment by directly, but unconsciously, inviting similar deceptions in those with whom we interact, further impacting the relationships and results we seek in virtually every aspect of our personal and professional lives.

Come join us to learn how to recognize and transcend some of your invisible blind spots that keeps you from living, loving and leading to your potential!

Our speaker, Daniel Morman is an executive coach and consultant specializing in leadership development, achievement, meaning and fulfillment. He has led many successful projects in Global Leadership, Strategy Development, High Performance Teams, and Change Management for companies such as Cisco, IBM, Hitachi, Chevron-Texaco, and Microsoft.
He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and two sons.
(www.innovation-coaches.com)

4th Friday Luncheon for June - The Window to the Diamond

Presenter: Betty Rogers
Topic: The Window to the Diamond:Getting to AH
Date: Friday, June 25, 2010
Online pre-registration is highly recommended for this event!

Our brains have two segments. The left side is logical, rational and verbal, and it controls our dominant writing hand. The right side is intuitive, imaginative and emotional. It’s been called our Inner or Essential Self, and the bossy Left Brain keeps it under wraps most of the time.

Imagine being able to tap into your true feelings: your creativity, your inner peace, even your body and your childhood. Through alternate handwriting (AH), you can! Alternate handwriting is the practice of writing a question with one’s dominant hand, then putting the pen or pencil in the other hand and allowing it to respond. Which it will.

Our right brain is the diamond within each of us. Connecting to it through AH guides you to:

•learn new things about yourself

•feel compassion for yourself and others

•unlock your creativity

•find someone you can trust implicitly

•set yourself on the path to inspiration and rejuvenation

Discover how the truth is within you, literally at your fingertips. Learn to use the power hidden in your “other” hand and open yourself to amazing insights.

Betty Rogers, BA, MPA, is an Austin artist and environmentalist. A published writer, she’s been a public affairs advocate for air quality and helped nurture the planting of thousands of trees across Texas. She’s seen alternate handwriting yield incredible results in her sessions with private clients and in the seminars and workshops she presents. Learn more, connect to her blog and listen to an interview at her website, www.BettyRogers.com

4th Friday Luncheon for May - Social Innovation - Pathway to Wholeness

Presenter: Linda Ford
Topic: Social Innovation - Pathway ot Wholeness
Date: Friday, May 28, 2010
Online pre-registration is highly recommended for this event!

What would it mean if we could commit to wholeness not only in ourselves but also in our institutions and communities instead of affirming our divisions and our separateness? New business forms are emerging, such as social ventures and public benefit corporations, that offer an unexpected pathway to wholeness. Join Dr. Linda Ford in looking through that lens at the artificial split between public and private interest, current social innovations, and the impact of both at the individual, organizational, and societal levels.

Dr. Linda Ford is a business consultant, author, and Program Director for The Concordia MBA. As a consultant, Dr. Ford improves company performance by locating hard-to-spot patterns that slow teams down. Her academic and professional work runs the gamut from intra-personal and interpersonal to large organizational systems. Ford is currently working on revolutionizing business education by enabling individuals to blend personal transformation with analytical skills to work for the common good. Linda lives here in Austin with her life partner, Gary, and their two cats.

4th Friday Luncheon for April - Growing Up and Waking Up at Work

Presenter: Flint Sparks
Topic: Growing Up and Waking Up at Work
Date: Friday, April 23, 2010
Space is limited. Online pre-registration is highly recommended for this event!

Our work life is a container for maturity, which is actually the core function of spiritual practice - to grow up and wake up without limit. We all have to find a way to take our place, and our work can be the setting in which we test our resolve to discover who we truly are and what we were made for in this world. This presentation will be a Zen Buddhist's perspective on this path of maturity - the path of growing up and waking up - the spiritual path of the human being.

Flint Sparks is a psychologist with over 30 years experience in psychotherapy. He is also a Zen teacher and priest who leads retreats worldwide. His home base is Appamada, a center for Zen practice and inquiry. Flint also co-leads the Leadership Pilgrimage, a contemplative leadership program offered by Seton Cove, and is a consultant to the leadership team at LIVESTRONG, all in Austin, Texas.

4th Friday Luncheon for March - Using the Four Questions

Presenter: Tova JohnPress

Topic: Using "The Four Questions" of Byron Katie to Enhance Your Experience at Work
Date: March 26, 2010

The Work is a simple yet powerful process of self-inquiry created by Byron Katie, speaker and bestselling author of Loving What Is. It consists of four questions and “turnaround” statements designed to question any thought that disturbs your peace, inhibits your creativity and causes you to suffer. The Work is used by leading-edge business leaders, mental health practitioners, coaches, educators, and by millions of people worldwide as a way to move from confusion to clarity. Through inquiry, people who have spent years combating stress, fear and anxiety discover a profound shift in consciousness, a deep sense of peace and the ability to approach problems with a clear mind.

In today’s presentation we look at The Work as it applies to the thoughts, beliefs and judgments we hold about others that cause us to feel distressed and dissatisfied at work. The Work provides us with a concrete method that, when applied, helps us resolve our feelings of frustration, isolation and overwhelm. For example, through the process of inquiry we begin to question, “Who is truly responsible for the frustration I feel at work?” In the old paradigm we look “out there” to something or someone that needs to change, and it is rarely “us”. In the new paradigm we begin to notice, “I am the problem and if something needs to change, it may be me.” Participants are invited to experience the power of The Work by witnessing Tova’s facilitation of others, as well as with direct practice.

Since finding The Work in 2002, Tova has made The Work her daily practice. She says, “I now know that I hold the key to my own freedom…but only all of it! If I look to people, places and things around me to find happiness I am insane. The way out is in.” Tova says anyone with an open mind can do The Work and everyone attending today’s presentation will leave with the tools necessary to apply The Work in their professional lives. Tova graduated from The School for The Work of Byron Katie in March 2009, hosts monthly Inquiry Circles in her home and facilitates The Work with others as an integral part of her Personal Leadership Coaching practice. She lives in Austin, TX with her husband, Tim and daughter, Ally.

4th Friday Luncheon for February- Being Wise at Work: A Whole-Brained Approach

Presenter: Jeremy Solomons
Topic: Being Wise at Work: A Whole-Brained Approach
Date: Friday, Feb, 26, 2010

"We only use 10% of our brains" is a much-quoted statistic. Even though it has been shown to be largely untrue, it is certain that most of us do not use all of our brains at work, particularly not our more creative right hemisphere. This is hardly surprising given the more logical, linear, "left-brained" educational and organizational systems that most of us have been part of. This highly interactive and practical session – inspired by the whole-brain writings of Herrmann, Pink, etc. - will help WAW members understand the new whole-brained world of work we live in and to begin using all of their brains at work, school and beyond.

Please bring something that you think is well- or poorly-designed. It should preferably be something you already own and that you can easily carry!

Jeremy Solomons is the UK-born and USA-naturalized founder and president of Jeremy Solomons & Associates, which helps current and future leaders to connect and communicate effectively across all cultures - national, organizational, professional and individual. From his base in Austin, he coaches, consults, designs curriculum, facilitates and trains in the areas of: Career/Life Planning; Creative Problem Solving; Cultural Competence: Global Citizenship; Leader Development; Leading Communities and Teams; Naked Facilitation Skills; Storytelling and Self Expression; and Whole-Brain Thinking.

Raised as an Orthodox Jew in Manchester, England, Jeremy’s spiritual journey has taken him through Buddhism and Pantheism to Universal Humanitarianism and Taoism. And he is still exploring …

4th Friday Luncheon for January - Changing the Way the World Looks: Transformation Through Deep Insight

Presenter: Barry Curtis
Topic: Changing the Way the World Looks: Transformation Through Deep Insight
Date: Friday, Jan. 22, 2010

Like a four year-old with a loaded 44-magnum, we can be innocently dangerous to ourselves and others with something as subtle as a "loaded" tongue. To interrupt the flow of life, we simply need to be unconscious. To give life, however, takes conscious awareness and an understanding of who we are and how we operate as human beings.

In this month's presentation "Changing the Way The World Looks:Transformation Through Deep Insight", Barry Curtis combines the cutting edge discoveries of cellular biologist Bruce Lipton Ph.D., the timeless truths of the past, and his own insights into human behavior into a presentation that will profoundly change the way you look at yourself and at others. The results: a change in the way you interact with the world around you and ultimately, a change in the way your world looks. You will walk away knowing how to give life energy to yourself and others instead of taking it away.

About Barry Curtis:
        Credential-less, incredulous, witty and insane,
        his journey he's taken in the less-traveled lane.
        A banker, a printer, a preacher and teacher
        a non-profit's builder yet always the seeker.
        He speaks from his heart and out of his mind;
        the gold he's uncovered and managed to find.
        Wisdom and insight he skillfully unfurls and
        with humorous aplomb he changes one's world.

4th Friday Luncheon for Nov/Dec 2009 - Aligning Your Life Story and Your Professional Identity

Presenter: Margaret Keys
Topic: Aligning Your Life Story and Your Professional Identity
Date: Friday, Dec. 4, 2009

For thirty years Margaret Keys has helped people find their voice. Now she is on a quest to find her own. She began her business at her dining room table and has since traveled the globe as a consultant, executive coach and communication strategist. In her work she has grappled with questions about authenticity and authority, fear in certain speaking contexts, and the impact of power dynamics on presenters and decision making.In her spiritual life she practices meditation and draws strength and support from the Appamada sanga and her Al-Anon community.On December 4th Margaret will engage the Wisdom at Work audience in conversation and experiential work around the topic of how we see our life story and how we then live into and describe the story of our professional identity.

4th Friday Luncheon for Oct. 2009 - Critical Questions for Your Life's Journey



Presenter: Steven Tomlinson
Topic: Critical Questions for YOur Life's Journey
Date: Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

Download Steven Tomlinson Wisdom at Work Luncheon handout here.

Steven shares the framework used at the Acton School of Business to guide students in finding their calling and selecting their next jobs. By paying attention to the questions we're asking about our future and our work, we discover clues about where we're stuck and how to move forward. In the session, you'll learn a framework for discerning and refining your own Critical Questions and using the practice to make progress on your life's journey. Before the session, please read the note "Questions for Discerning Your Calling" and bring a few questions you're asking yourself about the next stage of your career or life.

Steven Tomlinson is the Director of Faculty Development at the Acton School of business where he teaches the popular "Life of Meaning" course. Before Acton, he taught economics and finance for fifteen years at The University of Texas McCombs School of Business, where he also designed and directed the MBA professional development program. He also coaches Fortune 500 executives on communication skills and strategies and serves as Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Ministry at the Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin. Steven holds a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University.

In addition to his academic work, Steven is an accomplished playwright and performer. His most recent work, "American Fiesta," won The American Theater Critics Association 2006 Osborne Award for Best Play by an Emerging Playwright and was produced off-Broadway in Spring 2007.

4th Friday Luncheon for Sept. 2009 - Reclaim Your Life: Strategies & Insights for Balanced Living



Presenter: Renee Trudeau
Topic: Reclaim Your Life: Strategies & Insights for Balanced Living
Date: Friday, Sept. 25, 2009

Trudeau speaks regularly at conferences, to corporations/organizations and to journalists around the U.S. about the topic of life balance. Why is this topic so timely and relevant right now? What are some strategies you can implement to enhance peace, equilibrium and well-being in your life? What does it mean to create balance from the inside-out? You can learn more about Trudeau’s newest initiative to support people in living more intentionally at http://www.liveinside-out.com/ and follow her personal path to life balance on The Journey at http://www.mothersguide.blogspot.com/.

Renée Peterson Trudeau is a nationally-recognized career/life balance coach and president of Career Strategists, a coaching/consulting firm dedicated to helping professionals and entrepreneurs successfully navigate their career/life path. Her corporate clients include Fortune 500 companies and national conferences and organizations. Her coaching clients include professionals employed by IBM, Shell Oil, Whole Foods Market, 3M, GSD&M Advertising, AMD, State Farm Insurance, Intel, MCI, Amazon.com, Dell Computer Corporation, Accenture, nonprofit organizations and small businesses. A sought after career and life balance expert, Trudeau’s work has been featured in US News and World Report, Yogi Times, American Way, Family Circle, AARP and numerous business publications and consumer media. Trudeau is the author of the award-winning The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life. Thousands of women around the U.S./Canada are starting and joining self-renewal groups based on the Guide, as a way to enhance balance and well-being in their lives Learn about Trudeau’s unique background at www.reneetrudeau.com/who/renee.html and upcoming events at www.ReneeTrudeau.com/calendar.

4th Friday Luncheon for August '09 - The Power of Connection: Ripple Style



Presenter: Steve Harper
Topic: The Power of Connection: Ripple Style
Date: Friday, Aug. 28, 2009

People cross our path in life for a very specific reason. So why do so many of us fail to truly embrace these opportunities when they happen? Could it be because so many of us keep our heads down and have no idea how to engage others, especially a stranger?

Steve Harper the Author of The Ripple Effect: Maximizing the Power of Relationships For Your Life and Business will be sharing how "connection points" can help you to never miss those opportunities to connect again. We will be learning first-hand how to use the power of Ripple Connection Questions to step outside our boxes to learn how to connect and engage in am authetic truly impactful way. You will walk away from this session having a better understanding how to engage and really connect with others and ultimately how to Ripple your way to attracting the types of people you want to bring into your life.

Steve is the founder of The Ripple Effect (www.ripplecentral.com) a business strategy that focuses on helping individuals and corporations identify, deepen, strengthen and ultimately grow the key relationships they depend on for their success. Steve has become one of the most sought after speakers and business strategists on the power of deepening and strengthening the power of connections through a process he calls “Rippling.” Steve’s unique and refreshing approach to how and why individuals, organizations and even our society can and must reach outside the box to connect, is literally changing lives and impacting corporate bottom line dollars.

July 24, 2009 - Mattering Matters



Presenter: Sue Cullen
Topic: Mattering Matters
Date: Friday, July 24, 2009

Mattering, or the extent to which people perceive themselves as significant to others and their organizations, is linked to the ability to buffer stress, psychosocial well being, job satisfaction and overall wellness. Yet many individuals have a hard time appreciating their personal significance in their organizations, communities and this world.

In this session we will draw on our collective wisdom to explore multiple paths to mattering. Prepare to walk away with a renewed sense of personal power, purpose and value and a commitment to inspire the people around you to feel (as in Steve Jobs' memorable words) "that they are making a dent in the universe."

Sue Cullen, M.A., founder of Sue Cullen & Associates (www.suecullen.com) is passionate about helping individuals and teams identify and achieve their unique missions. For more than 20 years, Sue has inspired and empowered others to reach their full potential through customized career, leadership and team development and life/work balance coaching and training. Sue also offers workshops and retreats to help women find meaning, joy and value in every step of life.

Sue has trained directly with Richard N. Bolles, the author of the best-selling book "What Color Is Your Parachute?" and has offered workshops and retreats expanding those principles to help meet the unique needs of women looking to find or rediscover meaning, joy and value - not just in their jobs but in every step of their lives.

4th Friday Luncheon for June 2009 - Power of Purpose: The Secret Ingredient in High-Performing Organizations

Presenter: Haley Rushing
Topic: Power of Purpose: The Secret Ingredient in High-Performing Organizations
Date: Friday, June 26, 2009

Haley Rushing, Chief Purposologist at GSDM/The Purpose Institute and co-author with Roy Spence of the recently published book, It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For will share the inside secrets of discovering the purpose of some of the best known and most successful companies in America, such as Southwest Airlines, Wal-Mart, Whole Foods Market, John Deere and BMW. Explore your own journey of understanding how your company makes a difference and how to harness that purpose for greater success as Haley shares her firsthand experiences.

Haley Rushing is a native of San Antonio and holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and studied alternative dispute resolution at the Wharton School of Business. She is Founder of the Purpose Institute at GSD&M where she leads a team of people who act as organizational therapists, anthropologists and historians in helping companies to discover and articulate their purpose and values in the world. She is co-author of It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business is Driven By Purpose. This robust manual for individuals, entrepreneurs or business leaders is an inside look at purpose, the secret ingredient for success. Companies that have a purpose beyond simply making money are the companies with the best products, most loyal customers and employees. With a purpose in place, employee engagement is higher, competition is less threatening, customers are more loyal and innovation flows. It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For guides leaders and marketers through their own journey to:

Discovering purpose

Developing a business model capable of fulfilling the purpose

Cultivating purpose based leadership principles; and

Bringing purpose to everything in life

4th Friday Luncheon for May, 2009 - Tomorrow's America: Humility and Simplicity as Marketing Motivators

Presenter: Roy Williams
Topic: Tomorrow's America: Humility and Simplicity as Marketing Motivators
Date: Friday, May 22, 2009

"The Wizard of Ads" is coming to Wisdom at Work! National best-selling author and advertising guru, Roy Williams takes a break from his busy schedule to share his outlook of business trends for 2009, including a prediction that purchases in the future will be more about personal meaning and relationships.

Nicknamed "The Wizard of Ads", Williams has spent a quarter-century asking, “What makes people do the things they do?” He and his team have often been the unseen, pivotal force behind victories in business, politics and finance. His Wizard of Ads Trilogy books (Wizard of Ads, Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads and Magical Worlds of the Wizard of Ads) and his thought-provoking on-line "Monday Morning Notes" have been inspiring thousands. The Wizard Academy, a 21st Century Business School is an incubator for our rapidly changing world. With over forty branches in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Guatemala and the U.K., the Wizard of Ads, Inc. is now serving the advertising and marketing needs of businesses around the globe. We are extremely fortunate to have him join us at Wisdom at Work.

4th Friday Luncheon for April 2009 - Inspired Marketing


Presenter: Craig Perine
Topic: Inspired Marketing: How to Follow Your Heart, Have More Fun,   and Gude Your Business by Following the Inspired Path
Date: Friday, April 24, 2009

We'll talk about..
. * Ways to recognize inspired ideas and act on them quickly
* How to overcome common blocks to following inspiration in business
* Fun and easy ways to tap into inspired ideas and get momentum in your business again
* Why following inspiration can lead to greater profits
* Easy inspired product creation strategies you can implement quickly

Craig Perrine (Austin, Texas) is an Internet Marketing strategist and the co-author of the Best Seller 'Inspired Marketing' (Wiley, 2008) with Dr. Joe Vitale. He is a frequent speaker at leading Internet marketing seminars where he shows business owners how they can create profitable relationships with their customers online. He is also featured in many other best-selling online marketing books and courses. Craig started in offline direct marketing in the mid 1990s and has helped generate millions in sales for companies large and small from diverse industries.

4th Friday Luncheone for March 2009 - Cultivating Positive Politics in Organizations

Presenter: Michelann Quimby
Topic: Cultivating Positive Politics in Organizations
Date: Friday, March 27, 2009

What comes to mind when you consider organizational politics? Do you think of backstabbing, gossip, and self-interest, or do you think of alliance building, interdependence, and trust? At its core, political power is the ability to influence behavior through understanding the forces that motivate people to act. The possibility of this power being misused is obvious even without the cautionary tales of corporate fraud and corruption that have plagued the news over past decades. So how do we cultivate moral political power? In this session we'll discuss ways to recognize the three types of political power, and how to cultivate ethical, values-based influence at work.

Michelann Quimby is president of DiaMind Consulting. She is an organizational development coach and consultant, specializing in helping companies define compelling vision and values that motivate and engage employees. Michelann is an experienced speaker and published writer on topics relating to organizational values, ethics, and interpersonal dynamics. Most recently, she co-published an article featured in the Winter 2009 edition of OD Practitioner, and has an article in the most recent issue of The Systems Thinker.  Michelann is a 12-year veteran of the interactive marketing industry with a concentration in globalization and project management. She holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and Ethics from St. Edwards University, and in her former life as an opera singer, she received a Bachelor and Master of Music from San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She fuses the creativity, innovation, and focus gained in her musical career with a firm grounding in organizational development theory and practice. Her personal mission is to help people become more aware, purposeful, and ethical in their working lives.