Gwen Bell is a yoga-teaching, social media Swami Girl (she was named one of the 50 Most Powerful and Influential Women in Social Media,) with a heart a big as the World Wide Web. Infectious. Savvy. And sought after for her perspective on trends in Web 2.0, Twitter (where she met her husband!), wellness, and women who virtually rock. Gwen is a partner in Kirtsy, and a mean personal manifesto mistress. And! she co-created one the most useful e-experiences ever: The Unconventional Guide to the Social Web, Gwen Bell & Chris Guillebeau Click here to view more details.

It’s an honour to have her grace this space.

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

We will suffer and we will die. Our work is to do our work – to be completely present – while we have the power in us to breathe, to feel our hearts beating.

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

Love is finite.

3. What’s your super hero name? (You have one. To discover it, stand with your legs apart and hands on your hips, tits 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?)

An image comes to mind. Uma Thurman kicking ass in Kill Bill. I’m a Post-modern Samurai She-ro.

4. What is your favorite question?

It’s the last day of the year. Reflecting on it, what do you say about your year?

5. Who would you nominate for a Nobel Prize?

Thich Nhat Hanh. He has already been nominated. By Dr. Martin Luther King. I would nominate him again. The meditation retreat I did with him radically changed the course of my life.

6. What book(s) are you always telling people to read?

Refuse to Choose, by Barbara Sher
Happiness, by Thich Nhat Hanh
Clearing Your Clutter with Feng Shui, by Barbara Kingston
Fortunes, by Jen Lee http://www.jenlee.net/
Anything by Sark
The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael E Gerber
The Anti 9-5 Guide, by Michelle Goodman http://www.anti9to5guide.com/
The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Chimera, by John Barth
Anything by Alan Watts

(Too many to name, I used to work in a book store and spent every paycheck the day paychecks came in. Seriously. Too many to name.)

7. I’m going to give you a word. Tell me what the first thing that comes to mind when you read it… Ready? The word is: DEVOTION.

Forehead on my yoga mat, hands in prayer position, offering it all up.

Om shanti sister Gwen. Ommmmmm shanti.

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Find Gwen right this minute:
GwenBell.com
Twitter: @gwenbell
Facebook

The Unconventional Guide to the Social Web, Gwen Bell & Chris Guillebeau Click here to view more details. This is more than an “e-book.” This is a robust, ridiculously useful gotta-have guide that blows others of it’s ilk out of the water. And, oh yeah, there’s a really fun interview with Gwen and me about authenticity and branding. If you’re doing anything on-line, go buy this guide…and pretty much anything else Chris Guillebeau creates.

2. Gwen Bell’s 100% inspiring: How to create your personal manifesto

3. Every once and awhile you come across an emerging writer who is so authentic that their work is citrus-fresh and nourishing. And you think, “lot’s of heart, but B+ skill.” And then once in a blue moon you find a writer who not only has something piercingly insightful to say, but they have a talent for the medium, and you think: STAR QUALITY. I introduce you to: Kelly Diels.

4. Miranda July’s home page is so clever cool, I did a snarl-smile because I wished I’d thought of it.

5. That my kid asked me this week if I knew any mean people, ’cause he doesn’t “really know anybody who’s really very mean.” He also asked me what a spanking was. Had never heard of it.

6. The Pangea Organics Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Mask is like skin vitamins. And as for the packaging, you can plant the cardboard box it comes in and the embedded seeds will sprout into flowers. Way high vibe.

7. This quote from the Abraham-Hick’s newest book, The Vortex, Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships.
Attempting to Control Others Attracts More to Be Controlled…It is easy to understand how you would come to the conclusion that your path to feeling good is through influencing or controlling the behavior of others. But as you attempt to control them (through influence or coercion), you discover that not only can you not contain them – but your attention to them brings more like them into your experience. You simply cannot get to where you want to be by controlling or eliminating the unwanted.

What are you particularly loving this week?

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my new stationery collection: bold, lovely ‘n stylin’

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The Unconventional Guide to the Social Web, by Chris Guillebeau + Gwen Bell
When you begin to use an active social media strategy to bring your message to people who care, everything changes. Traffic goes up. Sales go up. Whatever-you’re-doing goes up. And that’s what this project is all about. You, your message, and the rest of the world. From “basic” to rock star”packages, $58 to $129.

The rockstar package includes an audio interview with Gwen Bell + me, waxing philosophical about authentic branding and social media.

Click here to view more details

Unconventional Guide to Working for Yourself: Creating Personal Freedom through a Very Small Business

Great for social media newbies, a 60-page report and multiple audio sessions to help you escape the tyranny of a conventional working life. There is a $58 “Just Getting Started” version and a $78 upgraded “Escape Artist” edition.

Click here for content details, extras, a video intro from Chris, and to purchase.

Unconventional Guide to Art and Money, written with Zoë Westhof

Why do so many artists fail in their quest to support themselves through their work? The answer has everything to do with learning to think differently about new media. Features case studies of eight successful artists from the U.S., Canada, Wales, and Australia. There is a $38 “Starving Artist” version, or a $58 upgraded “Picasso” edition.

Click here for content details, extras, a video intro from Chris, and to purchase.

Frequent Master Flyer: How to earn up to 200,000 frequent flyer miles a year and travel for free
Rad’ value: a detailed report, audio session, an extra PDF on Surviving Travel in North America, detailed Q&A, + complimentary updates for at least six months. Zoom.

Click here to view more details

inspiration + spirituality

• coaching + project guidance: Dyana Valentine is a brilliant force of nature who has kicked my creative butt into shape. She’s gifted.

• life coaching: Lianne Raymond is a clear-thinking, strong-hearted, Martha Beck-certified coach. Only works with women.

• astrology: Nancy ‘Scooter’ McMoneagle, is part scientist, part seer. First class sage. Blows me away every time.

• astrology: Heidi Rose Robbins, is a divinely strong coach-meets-astrologer.

• spiritual adviser: Navjit Kandola‘s work defies simple description but if you want to refine your consciousness and bust up some old psyche patterning, Navjit’s sessions are powerful stuff.

• voice coach: Awilda Verdejo will help you get your true, strong speaking (or singing) voice flowing. She works over the phone and is the real Diva (as in, sang with Pavarotti.)

for more links and peeps:

LINKS

• TED – idea manna!
• Abraham Hicks – my favourite daily woo woo
• Art of Nonconformity … Chris Guillebeau’s first class call to action
• Illuminated Mind … Jonathan Mead’s no shit brand of self liberation
• Integral Naked - Ken Wilber’s hot stuff
• Enlighten Next – magazine for evolutionaries
• Rebecca Walker – high-minded women unite
• The Happiness Project – happy how-to’s
• Iconoclasts, Sundance channel - inspirational duets

business + wealth

• writing, branding, marketing: Colleen Wainwright, aka the Communicatrix, is a very smart cookie, insightful and straight up, who knows how to get to the heart of someone’s best stuff and articulate it. She also knows how to ROCK social media.

• writing, branding, marketing: Emma Gibson. Creative. Whip-smart. Killer funny. And quick on the draw and delivery. Does higher level branding work and web design as well.

• writing: Pema Teeter. High-minded. Warm hearted. Master creative writer. Also does manuscript and play reviewing.

• writing: Kelly Diels. So smarty smart smart, she’s made an art of searing copy writing.

• site design: two thirty / Paul Jarvis Master of simplicity and functionality. I’ve built a number of sites with him – each one was a great experience. He’s no shit straight shooter and Word Press master.

• site design: S. Joy Studios / Sarah Bray Great service. Great sense of humor. She’s about to unveil a cool template program that I know will have many a client salivating.

• site design: Raised Eyebrow /Lauren Bacon & Emira Mears. Legendary. Authors of The Boss of You. Focus on progressive business and non-profs. And they have a truly useful blog to boot.

• site design: Reese Spykerman. Reese has designed some uber popular sites and their companion guides and e-books. I haven’t worked with her directly yet but not only does her work speak for itself, her clients rave about her. RAVE.

• book proposal consulting: Linda Siversten has a great guideline document on how to create book proposals – hit’s all the essentials {scroll to the bottom of her page to get the PDF.} She’s been invaluable in terms of her one-on-one work with me on my own books.

LINKS

• Seth Godin … Seth. Integrous, marketing maven.
• mediabistro - community for media pros
• springwise – ideas galore

creativity + art + design

LINKS

• Bruce Mau’s Incomplete Manifesto for Growth
• Daily Poetics - virtual curations of stunning beauty
• Unclutterer – smart ‘n tidy
• Write to Done – great working writer’s resource
• Fashion-ation – fashion as high art
• Charlie Rose – smarty pants
• Utne Reader – truly progressive