Once upon a time, I was a Perfume Girl. You know those chicks who stand in the cosmetic section of department stores, all dressed up and smiley, asking if you’d like a spritz of the latest sniffy le fou fou? That was me. In heels and shoulder pads.

Everyday on my way to work, I’d see the same street busker outside the turnstile door playing for coins. He was absolutely gorgeous. Tall, and dark, soft brown Stag eyes. Think: willowy Hugh Jackman. He was ooo la la Parisian. He played the accordion and sang Edith Piaf in a white blousan and worn out sneakers.

And he also wore…a clown nose.

The dignity. The humility. It broke my heart.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him, but I could hardly look at him. And so I never tossed him so much as a nickel. All those days. Five days a week. I just watched the tourists and little kids walk up and drop money in his purple velvet-lined instrument case.

I wondered how his life had come to this –- singing for change in front of The Hudson’s Bay department store. And I then read about him in the community newspaper. His name was Marc. “I hope to be able to make nice Christmas for my family.” (Not so perfect English.) He had a family. He really needed those tossed coins.

Before each payday I was usually down to my last ten bucks, just enough for a burrito and bus fare to work. One day, I finally mustered myself and clip clipped quickly up to his accordion case. In a silly flurry I dropped in a fiver and kept walking. Then I made a sharp turn into the nearest alley, buried my face in my purse, and sobbed.

I felt complicit in his humiliation. I felt ashamed of how many times I’d walked by without looking him in the eyes. I felt poor.

But I got what I needed to get in that flood of shame. I saw that sometimes we resist The Give, because it hurts to meet the other in their place of need and suffering.

Generosity insists that you meet people where they are. This requires some courage, like all forms of intimacy.

From that moment on I stopped circling the pain I saw. Instead, I let my curiosity pull me closer to it. And when I moved toward it, I found the riches of compassion.

If you’re opening this email TODAY, FRIDAY OCTOBER 1, it’s the final day for the LOVE MATCH EVENT. Ends at midnight.
Buy 1 Fire Starter Session. We give 1. There are two ways to give: you can gift the program to someone you already know; or to an aspiring entrepreneur you haven’t met yet, who will be selected through a public voting process. There is one way to receive: by applying.
CHECK IT OUT.

: the initiated woman. She knows that kindness is fertile, that compassion is a lever, and that the shortest distance between you and me is…love. INITIATE YOURSELF.

: traffic, tears and tenderness. Vulnerability is valuable. Stories are effectual. And yep — soul sells. PUT SOME HUSTLE IN YOUR BUSTLE with 17 lessons from 5 years of on-line hustling.

: 7 things I know about active letting go. De-cluttering is a practice — like meditating or playing the piano. Shedding, clearing and carving space is a creative act. AND IT’S GONNA HURT. FACT.

interviews

: it’s not about the grammar, it’s about the passion. My interview with Amelia Critchlow. Moxy, deep listening and a parable set in high school. My high school. READ IT HERE.

: Creative sovereignty, publishing, Paris…and lobster My interview with Girl Habits. CRACK OPEN THE SHELL.

: Crafting crafts + ideas. My interview with Moth & Squirrel. “You want enlightenment? Tile my house!” And other things my Buddhist Lama friend said to me. GET CRAFTY.

sightings + soul merch

: engaging eCourses: how to motivate others to get the results they want. Info without action isn’t worth much. To bridge the gap, Kelly Kingman + Pace Smith interviewed moi (and brilliant others like Sonia Simone, Charlie Gilkey, Mark Silver, Scott Stratten and Pam Slim). The result? Engaging eCourses — a must-read for anyone designing a virtual workshop. CHECK IT OUT.

: save the dates. I’ve got a stream of speaking gigs in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland and NYC. Find out where I’m gonna crowdsurf next (spiritually, not literally). PERUSE MY UPCOMING EVENTS

Autumn Love,

She has gone through the eye of a needle, stripped, shed, pared down to the pure pith of her power. The few people who have seen her so naked will never speak of that beauty to anyone else.

She knows that when people are ready, they’re ready, and they’re never ready before they’re ready. Still, she holds the light for your readiness, because she knows how sweet it is when the time is right.

She’s modest, but bold to the depths. She knows that initiations are waiting for everyone to claim them. Courage is key.

She’s asked people to leave her house because they were consistently rude.
Now, she asks after the first offense — she knows where things are going.
If you don’t respect her, there’s not much to talk about.

It’s usually a succession of rigors, (rarely a lightning strike) that earns her the license to teach. Her lessons can be precise, like the diamond that cuts diamonds. Essentially-focused.

She knows that playing nice perpetuates irresponsibility, but that kindness is wildly fertile.
She’s mindful of the how and the who in her bed, because it’s always more than that.
She doesn’t spiritualize immorality, but she understands it.
She has no time for excuses, but all the time in the world for intentionality.
She reveres accountability, which includes using the sword of justice, and singing operatic praises for things done the good way — or even attempts at the good way.

Scarred. Faceted. Radiant. Wide.

She’s so tender she prefers to whisper about her true nature, or write a poem. Abstract. Protected.

When the initiated woman tells you that “everything will be okay,” you tend to believe her.

She uses compassion like a a lever to see what’s really going on.
She applies willfulness sparingly, like gas to fire. (’cause, she is the fire.)
She awaits, but gets on with things.

She can tell you with calm and certain sympathy that love is the shortest distance between you and me.

And that there are no shortcuts to initiation.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

THE SHED PROJECT with Bindu Wiles starts next week. She’s leading a community to shed, shed, shed…possessions, weight, thoughts that don’t serve you. I’ll be there.

CHECK OUT THE SHED-VENTURE. You’ll feel lighter immediately.

This truth is most evident: we entrepreneurs, artists, and change agents define ourselves on our own terms.

- from THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS, prelude

Ladies and gentleman, fellow seekers, tribes-people, and lovers of making good stuff happen…

THE FIRE STARTERS SESSIONS IS OFFICIALLY + FULLY LAUNCHED!

$150 for the full-tilt love.

And! $5 from every copy goes to the charity you choose:
The Acumen Fund or Women for Women International

Click here to view the Table of Contents!
Click here to watch the video!

It’s an inferno. Really. It’s epic. I’m thrilled for about 10,000 reasons, but mostly because I stayed true to my intention to just give ‘er. I pray you find it useful. I trust that you will.

VERY STOKED READERS

The lovely people who pre-ordered received the full version yesterday. Tweets of love:

“To borrow from my favorite of her notecards, @DanielleLaPorte’s FireStarter Sessions are fanfuckingtastic. Blown. Away.”
@ealvarezgibson

“have read FSS on a train, a tube, a plane and at two different desks today. am exploding with ideas. thank you thank you”
@saslockey

“OMG! full edition of the Fire Starter Sessions is in my inbox! spending whole day with @daniellelaporte’s genius.”
@photobird

“Loving it. It’s amazing.”
@AbbieMood

“LOVING @DanielleLaPorte’s Fire Starter Session…glory boardin’, ease and mojo. A sublime must-buy.”
@TanyaGeisler

“Inspired by the white hot @DanielleLaPorte, I am lighting a fire under my ass w/ her fab new FireStarter worksheets & videos!”
@cherylsorg

“I am pulsing with excitement!”
@nona_jordan

GROUP COACHING WITH LIANNE RAYMOND

Lianne Raymond is kicking off a program to support women who are ready to step into the “ring of fire” with a group coaching program designed specifically around THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS.

Cool eh?! Her idea! Lianne is a deep, deep, well of perception. Every coaching client I’ve sent her way has glowed. I can’t wait to hear how this goes (and if I’m allowed, I’d like to show up for a session or two!)

The program consists of weekly 90 minute group coaching calls where you’ll “address any resistance, ask questions, celebrate successes and dance with whatever else shows up.” GO FIND OUT MORE FROM LIANNE.

Blaze your trail!

With a grateful heart,

(HOLY SMOKES! IT’S LAUNCHED!)

THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS:
Spark your genius. Ignite your business. Do it your way.

It’s a downloadable book, meets video seminar, meets cosmic transmission of love. (And it’s going to be gorgeous!) There’s nothing out there like this. The pre-launch starts the week of April 5, which will be a “buy now” and get a sneak peek offer; and the worldwide release is the week of May 10. (I love saying “world-wide release”. Makes me feel like Sade.)

IDEAS + REQUESTS + OPPORTUNITIES

Need some great content for your site? Interview… Me!
I participated in Seth Godin’s Linchpin book e-campaign, in which he asked 50 bloggers to interview him and run it on the day of the launch. In return, he included our site links in his launch blog post. Traffic spiked for everyone. It was a beautiful thing.

If you want to interview me and post the interview the week of The Fire Starter Sessions pre-launch (or anytime thereafter,) that would be fabulous. We can record a video, an audio, or do something via email. I’m putting this request out now so that I have lead-time to be responsive. If I get deluged, well, I’ll dance with it and we’ll get every single interview done in as long as it takes to do that. Big bang campaigns are effective, but steady, slow burn campaigning can have lasting dazzle . (Keep that in mind when your publicist says you need to do twenty cities in ten days.)

If you’re game to interview me, send me an email [d @ daniellelaporte dot com] with a few questions, or if you want to record a video, or a phoner (which is my preference, but I’m flexi,) we can set a date.

I will tweet, facebook, and post a link in my blog posts to our interview on your site. I may also create a separate page of just interview links that lives on my site. If your site isn’t the fitting venue, then if you can tweet, facebook and forward links like crazy, I’d be deeply grateful.

WHAT IT WILL COST AND WHY I’M NOT DOING A CONVENTIONAL MARKETING STRATEGY

The Fire Starter Sessions program will be $150. Period. No tiered pricing. No fluffy bonus offers. No preferential, velvet rope, or ‘scarcity marketing’ tactics.

Here’s the thing, and this kind of chokes me up… after writing literally hundred of bios and press releases for clients, editing dozens of books, pitching major media outlets and TV networks; and even being the lead author of a wonderfully successful book, this is my first 100% solo, free-flying creative project. I can hardly believe it myself. White Hot Truth (and all things now and evermore) is the result of the creativity sovereignty that I’ve longed for my whole life. And therefore, I hereby decree that The Fire Starters Sessions will be elegant and straight forward in every possible way. I’ve hustled on too many less-than gigs, and kissed too many effin’ frogs to shrink away from the high road now.

Besides, I believe that people (especially you, my tribe) are innately intelligent. I know that you know that there is no limited time offer on perennial wisdom and vibrant love.

And so it is: $150 for full-tilt extreme value. $5 from every purchase will be donated to a charity (I’m meditating on which one, I may do two charities.)

AFFILIATE LOVE
For the first phase of launch, the affiliate kickback program will be only open to my Fire Starter clients and past seminar attendees, and actual purchasers of the program. We’ll do a 30/70 split. We’ll start the affiliate program pre-launch week, April 5, with cool badges you can pull from my site, and links to the affiliate system. We’ll make this easy breezy for everyone.

MORE TO COME
I’m giving this all I’ve got in one fell swoop. I thought of doing a “series” with a phased-out delivery, but I want to pour it on. So I will. I want this to be one of the best selling digital books of its genre. I want to use state of the art technology to create a classic. I want as many people as possible to feel and shine their light, ever brighter – and to create deep freedom while doing it. You know what I’m talking about.

Lovelove,

p.s. I’m really excited. Like, crazed with excitement. Like, mad artist, scientist crazed. xoxo
p.p.s. if you want to tweet about how excited you are, please do. Hashtag is #FireSS

ONE MORE THING, IMPORTANT:
If you want to get on my official “interested” Fire Starter list for announcements and offers, PLEASE CLICK HERE TO GET ON THAT LIST RIGHT NOW.

Finally, I revel in that.
We are choice.
Precise and free in the choosing.
Not slotted, or arranged, or karmic.
Not mated, or introduced.
Not even necessary.

Rather: Essential, my Love.

Rather: Chosen, my Love.

With select scars and stories,
full of rise and honey and dreams.

Chosen.

And that, my Love,
is everything and more.

CLICK HERE TO PARTAKE IN THE LOVE-NESS:

-valentine-large.png” />

Seth Godin has one of the most highly respected and trafficked blogs on the world wide web; the most-viewed presentations on TED; the most charitable social and information systems in action, the best-selling series of books on marketing, culture, and idea-generation.

His new book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? goes on shelves and ships TODAY! It’s a whole new kind of Seth fabulous that speaks to the heart (and primal encoding) of creativity in all pursuits. It is beautiful.

Seth’s views on collaboration, endurance, and what it means to be an artist give me a deep sense of belonging and optimism. His definition of “art” contains three elements:

1. Art is made by a human being.
2. Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else.
3. Art is a gift. You can sell the souvenir, the canvas, the recording… but the idea itself is free, and the generosity is a critical part of making art.

Art is what we’re doing when we do our best work.

Ladies and gentleman, it is a true honour to bring you, The Integrity Artist, The Amplifier of other people’s goodness, and one of my biggest intellectual crushes, Mr. Seth Godin.

BURNING QUESTIONS WITH SETH GODIN

1. What do you know to be true, unquestionably beyond doubt, certain with every cell of your being, completely, passionately, righteously certain?

Somewhere, someone is going to have a spectacular day tomorrow, the best day they ever had. Maybe even more than one person. Maybe you.

2. How do we rise above the grip of resistance-addicted lizard brain into unleashed, energized, full tilt mojo and artistic moxy?

The lizard is the prehistoric brain stem, the amygdala, the part of our brain responsible for anger, revenge, sex and safety. It’s what a chicken has, all that a chicken has.

The lizard is mistaken.

The lizard successfully believed, for a really long time, that safety was good. Avoid saber-tooth tigers. Duck your head. Don’t raise your hand. That = survival.

Now, of course, that equals burger-flipping and Wal-Mart greeting. Safety is a recipe for food stamps.

What the lizard ought to be doing is pushing you to do art, pushing you to stand out, pushing you to do work that matters and to make a difference.

So, you rise above by seducing and quieting the lizard, and then, when it’s snoozing, do exactly the opposite of what it wants you to do.

3. What was the dumbest thing that you used to believe in?

Deserved.

That some people got what they deserved. That someone deserved to be taught a lesson at my expense. That bad luck hurts people who deserve better.

What’s true: Stuff happens. We dance with it. The better and happier you dance, the better you do. And every minute you spend teaching people a lesson is a minute wasted forever.

4. I think we crave originality and individuation as much as we crave belonging and the beautiful symmetry of being in tribe. How do we steer clear of, as you call it in Linchpin, the “Faustian bargains in which we trade our genius and artistry for stability”? How do we access our own originality? (This, by the way, could be the best question I’ve ever asked anyone. Ever.)

Join a tribe of artists. Lead a tribe of people intent on making a difference.

1984 is a scary book because belonging to a tribe of cogs is the most frightening thing of all. Better to be Neo or Trinity than to live in the Matrix, I think.

5. Dante and “all who entered”, had to abandon hope at the gates of the inferno. I have my own theory on that (I’m not a fan of h-o-p-e.) Is hope a requirement for Linchpins and change agents? Or trust?

Mostly faith.

Faith in your art. Faith in your ability to matter. Faith in the future and opportunities that will present themselves. The reality is you need low overhead and an ability to get through the Dip and the reality is you must put in the hours and push yourself harder than you can imagine. Then the faith pays off.

6. What question are you currently living?

Whatcha talking about Willis?

oh

how about, “How can I leverage this opportunity to spread an idea that people really need to hear… and not waste my chance.”

7. What’s your super hero name? (You have one. To discover it, stand with hands on your hips, chest up, and eyes to the sky. It’ll come to you. FYI, Mine is Agent Now, which in French translates to L’Agent Maintenent. Adorable n’est pas?)

The Amplifier.

Indeed.

. . . . . . .

FIND SETH

SethGodin.com
The Squidoo Linchpin Interviews
Linhpin: Are You Indispensable?
TED Lectures

MY BEST LIST EVER. 100% adored. In no particular order.

1. The Missing Piece Meets The Big O, by Shel Silverstien. The most elegant and charming description of human relationships. Heartbreaking, really. It’s my favourite wedding gift to give.
2. Wim Wenders’, Wings of Desire and Far Away So Close. Made me want to fall in love, fly, move to Berlin, french-kiss Lou Reed, and talk to my angels.
3. Leonard Cohen at the Palo Solari in Santa Fe. Circa ’95. Under the stars. A hot night. Angelic backup singers. Oozing the most Zen-Let’s-All-Make-Love-Right-Now vibe humanly possible. Religious.
4. Dip big strawberries in sour-cream, and then dip it into brown sugar. Divine. Great picnic treat.
5. Pangea Organics Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Facial Mask. Incredible product from one of the most eco-progressive beauty companies, ever.
6. WordPress. There’s a reason why Google bought it.
7. The Arlington Institute’s FutureEdition. Best aggregation of news in global trends and outliers.
8. Pecha Kucha Night speaking events. 20 slides. 20 seconds each to talk about whatever inspires you (or me). Brilliant format.
9. Honey Beeswax Candles. I’m fanatical about them. They clean the air, are thus merciful on your lungs, and last forever. I order mine from an equally fanatical craftsman in a small town in Ontario.
10. Tweezermans.
11. Krishnamurti. Total Freedom.
12. Allan Watts. Beyond Theology.
13. Sir Ken Robinson’s TED Talk. How schools kill creativity. Hilarious and profound.
14. Soul centering sessions with Navjit Kandola.
15. Project jamming with Dyana Valentine.
16. The lavender milk chocolate sauce on Belgian waffles at Medina Cafe, Vancouver.
17. Jim Morrison’s An American Prayer.
18. Maya Angelou speaking on stage in San Francisco. Proud poetic power personified.
19. Cheryl Sorg‘s text art. Got me one this year.
20. Patricia Larsen‘s abstract paintings. Got me one last year.
21. That time with S. in the cabin, doing that thing S. does so well.
22. Silk Concept duvets. Lux sleepies, no more cold feet, eco-kind.
23. Little Miss Sunshine.
24. Eminence Organics Yam & Pumpkin Enzyme Peel. Indispensable for ye ol’ skin glow. Use it twice a week.
25. Paper Mate Medium Point blue pens. I’ve tried fancy fountain pens, mechanical pencils that made me look designy-cool. But it’s the good n’ cheapies that do the trick.
26. Your Sex is on Fire, Kings of Leon
27. Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Stadium Arcadium. If you don’t love this double CD, I’m not sure that we can be friends.
28. Rilke! “I want to unfold, for where I am folded, there I am a lie.”
29. Rumi…Rumi…my love. “You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?”
30. Mary Oliver, sistah. “What will you do with your one wild and precious life?”
31. This advice from a mentor when it all fell apart: Know your rights.
32. Anthropolgie
33. Bella Cucina’s Artichoke Lemon Pesto. It even made Oprah’s list. (Tho’ my list is so much juicer, don’t you agree?)
34. Beauty, by John O’ Donohue. Anything by John O’Donohue, really.
35. Hallelujah, as sung by kd lang, whom I think is one of the most masterful song interpreters ever. This performance makes me want to pull out all the stops in my life. And then be incredibly modest about it.
36. Pet insurance. Just get it.
37. Ten Thousand Waves. Santa Fe, NM. Heaven, hot tubs, and Indian oil in the hills. Heav-en.
38. The best moment with my kid, ever. We’re eating chocolate cones outside an ice cream parlor at dusk. Me: “So, pookie, what’s it like being alive?” The Kid (without missing a beat): “Oh mama! It’s AAA-MAZ-ing! If I were a telephone, I’d be ringin’ all the time!”

… to be continued …

My vote: One Condoms. It’s about time.

I’ve got a new column on Mothering.com, called: Very Big Love: For Seekers, Mamas, and Mavens

This week’s article: Mindful Speech and Supreme Kid-Respect

It’s such an honour to be involved in anything that Peggy O’Mara does – she an icon of conscious birth and natural families. And get this – Mothering.com has the #1 community forum on the entire world wide web. That’s alotta mamas.