I am not late to meetings. I normally manage to meet all my deadlines. I arrive at the dentist on time (even early, as happened recently!)

But parties? I don’t know what it is, but by the time I arrive, the party is in full swing, the music is blasting, and all partygoers already there are having a wow of a time without me.

Maybe it’s something that is a legacy from my past – you know, the thing about being fashionably late?

Well, whether I am fashionable is highly debatable… but I have my party pants on and I am ready to jump in the fray! Better late than never – it’s a motto I live by : )

So, where’s the party? Sure, you can tell by the heading, can’t you? It’s over at Joyful, Jubilant Learning – or JJL as it is fondly known. This month marks the anniversary of the birth of JJL as a separate, amazingly collaborative place of learning, with the Third Annual Signature Forum on – what else? – Joyful, jubilant learning! This year, we’ve a theme going – Making a Difference.

And because I am so late to the party, there has been a lot happening whilst I have been busily preening and making myself beautiful (yeah, right!).

A wealth, in fact, of amazing writing from amazing people – all making a huge difference to the world, and to every single life they touch.

I was going to give you the line-up, but really, it’s time for me to dance and celebrate and join in the fray – so why not pop on over to JJL yourself and sift through the beauties that are there and make your own picks. No, it’s not greedy to want more than one. In fact, it’s recommended!

Enjoy the party (and, of course, watch out for my grand entrance on Friday!!!) The canapes are coming around soon…

Now you have no need for all those excuses for why you were late (again!).

Watch out for more great tips and secrets from Angela in the soon-to-be re-launched & renamed “Sanctuary“!

Would you tell me something about Nancy?
Well, for
starters, I am a writer and a workshop leader. I began my writing
career as a travel journalist. Not a bad life, but after logging miles
upon miles, and having a good bit of success, one day when I realized I
didn’t know which country I was in, I decided it was time for a change.
So, I packed it all in, and after much soul searching, changed writing
paths and became an inspirational writer for women. That’s when I wrote
the manuscript "Spirited Woman," which ultimately led me to my career
as a workshop leader and to become known as the Creator of the Spirited
Woman Approach to Life.

Where do you live, where did you grow up?
I live in Los
Angeles, California, better known as the land of the fruits, flakes,
nuts and Hollywood. Actually, I was born in Los Angeles, and moved a
few years ago to Santa Barbara, California for a four-year stretch, and
in the last year, moved back again to Los Angeles for business reasons.
Santa Barbara is gorgeous and peaceful, but LA offers many more
business opportunities and more energy. Frankly though, at this point,
I could use a good Sanctuary.  [We could do you a good deal on a virtual Sanctuary, Nancy!]

I am really intrigued by Spirited Woman,
your blog-centric website – can you tell me how you came up with the
idea to construct it?  What benefits can you see to doing it that way?
When
blogs first began in the dark ages (a few years back!), the basic
concept was to have a way online to creatively express yourself – a
personal journal if you will. Then as blogs caught on, companies
started using them to sell products, as a resource tool to add to their
website, and more. Spirited Woman has taken blogging one step further.
Since we are an ever-growing involved community of women (about 2,000
women subscribe to our newsletter), we needed a site that was
interactive and user-friendly, and one that I could update and change
easily and frequently. Also html is a foreign language to me and I
instinctively felt website development was moving in the blog
direction. So, I decided to use blog-based technology to create an
ENTIRE website, not just a blog. You can read what I have to say about
it on my site. Here.

I really love the colours you have splashed all over your site. How does this colourfulness reflect your life?
I
have always loved the colours of the rainbow – they truly move me.
Plus, I wear a lot of colour, and yes you are right, colours do reflect
a certain colourfulness in my life. I like to laugh and dance and
express myself. In terms of my site, I felt that it was essential for
Spirited Woman, which is based on fun, empowerment, inspiration, and
creative playfulness – to be inspiring and have a look – and I used my
love of colour to achieve that. Also, my workshops are filled with
colourful costumes as well.

Can you share your definition of a Spirited Woman?
Every
woman on this planet is born a Spirited Woman. Your spirit is your
birthright, energy force, aliveness – that light within you, which can
never be put out. I urge every woman reading this interview to stand up
in front of her computer and shout, “I AM A SPIRITED WOMAN” Then dance.

What is the driving force behind Spirited Woman?
I like
to say Spirited Woman is a new movement for spirited women everywhere.
And thankfully, thousands of women seem to agree. So, I truly believe,
that the driving force or the fuel behind Spirited Woman is the passion
of all the women from LA to Sydney who believe in it.

You teach Spirited Woman Workshops across America, what are they like?
The
underlying theme of the workshop is YOU ARE ENOUGH AS YOU ARE. Twelve
women attend for three hours. The workshop is a wonderful combination
of fun, creative playfulness and empowerment. A place for you to
embrace your "Dancin’, Shakin’, Rockin’" self and your "Don’t Mess With
Me Warrior Queen" persona and more. It’s a great time.

Have you ever thought of doing a workshop in Australia?
I’d
LOVE to do a workshop in Australia. In all my travels, I’ve never
visited Australia and I have always wanted to go. One of the wonderful
things about the workshop in America is that women "host" them. It’s a
great way for them to get publicity and to network with other women.
I’d need a hostess (or two) in Australia. But, I’M READY TO GO. If
anyone is interested they can contact me or go to our hostess page.

What is your biggest challenge at the moment?
My biggest
challenge at the moment is leisure time. Spirited Woman is tremendously
rewarding and tremendously time consuming. I love being an entrepreneur
and creating this wonderful new movement, but at times I would just
like to take a long sail boat ride, read mysteries for days on end (I
love a good thriller!), and talk the afternoon away with a good friend.

If I gave you one of my special magic wands, and granted you three special wishes, what would you wish for (for you personally)?
I WILL publish Spirited Woman in book form in 2006.
I WILL find a special loving mate (as I believe you say in Australia!)
I WILL travel more to foreign lands (such as Australia, but of course!).
I WILL win the lottery (okay, so I gave you 4!)

At The Clearing Space (and especially on Sanctuary) we’ve been
talking about preparations for the festive season.  Do you shop for
Christmas, and what are you looking for under the tree this year?
Yes,
I shop for the holidays. I love giving presents – particularly to all
the people who have helped my business grow (and believe me, I have
many angels). So I try to think of unusual things. One person, I sent a
crate of Graeter’s Ice Cream (supposedly the best in the world!),
another I treated his entire office to pizza. In terms of what I want
under my tree – a gift certificate to a have a massage would be
fantabulous!

Care to share how you will be celebrating this year?
With a party hat on, dancing the salsa, and blowing my triumphant Spirited Woman trumpet.

Finally, as a busy businesswoman, how do you create space and care for yourself?
That
is a wonderful question. One I need to address more. I have a massage
occasionally, do healings (not frequently enough) with a Reiki master,
and I use a product called Aura-Soma for energy balancing. I find it to
be really soothing. But you have hit upon a very important issue – and
to be honest – one of my current goals is to create more space and care
for myself. It’s so terrifically important to do so.

*************************************

Thank
you so much for your time, Nancy!  Well dear readers, what do you think
of this amazing lady?  I am looking forward to welcoming her down under
at some stage… and believe she deserves success with her Spirited
Woman workshops and the book!  We are going to be waiting for news on
the book launch. 

Nancy, I’m wishing you more space and time
to pamper yourself with things like massages and time to read… I’ve
notified the jolly elf, and hopefully he will grant at least three of
your wishes this year!