As the coral sun slipped below the horizon, the silhouettes of surfers bobbing in the waves, we sipped vino tinto, nibbled on bread and queso de cabra, and laughed with our Argentinian-American waiter who according to my sister-in-law was formerly the star of a TV comedy show here in San Sebastian, Spain. It was just [...]
About Lisa Powell, Author & Serial Traveler
Lisa is a freelance writer, consultant and life coach. She has her BA in English and Creative Writing from Princeton and her MPA from Harvard. Lisa recently finished the first draft of her book manuscript, Burning Down the House. Her dream is to publish this first book and teach the world how to successfully go after their dreams. She is also a lindy hopper, belly dancer and globe-trotter. Her post day is Tuesday. +Lisa Powell Graham lisa.powell.graham@gmail.com Lisa Powell Graham
One Writer’s Journey From Hell to Heaven
I had come full circle. I was standing in the same place where I’d been 15 years earlier, but my life couldn’t be more different. This past Sunday, I stopped into my father’s office for a few hours to help him complete a marketing report. On Monday my family would fly to Spain to visit [...]
Reinvention: Frankly My Dear I Do Give A Damn
Imagine if you took Alec Baldwin, added 40 pounds, and crossed him with Ray Liotta in Goodfellas. Imagine this tough Brooklyn-raised Italian-American man – a former drug addict, funny and foul-mouthed, edgy and not afraid to speak prickly truths out loud – and now imagine him downing a shot of wheat grass, then looking in [...]
Synchronicity As A Theme As I Live My Dreams
It had been a frustrating morning. I overslept, didn’t have time for my usual ½ hour morning meditation, and couldn’t figure out what outfits I wanted to pack for my trip to San Francisco, where I’d be dancing, meeting with my writing coach, going to parties and seeing friends. Also, my bedroom was chaotic from [...]
Meet The Catalyst for My Dreams
The time had come for me to move off the horse farm in Saratoga Springs, where I’d lived for my first six months in New York state. I’d moved there after graduating from Princeton, and it was my first “adult” apartment in which I paid my own rent, dealt with my own bills, and generally [...]
5 Top Secrets of a Dancing Diva
Dripping with bling – a glittering cross around her neck, large glittery rings adorning her fingers, multiple bejeweled bracelets, a bindi – my friend Dawn was shining. This is a woman who has reason to celebrate. At her birthday party this past Saturday night, I asked Dawn what her goals are for the coming year. [...]
The Secret Dream Ingredients of Innocence and Magic
It was a chilly March day. We were at his favorite beach. We had driven an hour down the coast from my house in San Francisco to get there, chatting and laughing with the radio playing in the background, my bare feet propped against the dashboard, flip flops kicked off. It was our first date, [...]
Freaking Out With Joy Over Our Dreams
You could hear me shrieking from across the room as I ran in slow motion with my arms wide open and then practically tackled my friend Masuda, who had flown in from Afghanistan for the weekend, and who I hadn’t seen since we roomed together in Amman, Jordan four years earlier. This past weekend was [...]
Write a Novel: Who Are Your Dream Angels?
You are a very good writer. These words are always nice to hear, but they were especially meaningful considering the source: Pulitzer Prize winning author William Kennedy, who wrote Ironweed. I had managed to talk him into letting me interview him after he initially declined. “I’ve talked about all of these things before,” he said. [...]
Since When Did I Become The Dream Dominatrix?
She wears thigh-high boots with six-inch stiletto heels, fishnets and a black laced-up corset. She stands powerfully, feet planted wide, arms akimbo. She is wielding a whip and she is fierce. She is my Inner Dominatrix and she comes out to spank me when I’m not living my dreams (or doing whatever else it is that [...]
Why Living Our Dreams Feeds The Soul and Why This Matters
I broke a promise to myself this past week, and I feel awful about it. I hit my work deadlines. My clients are happy. I got enough sleep. My body is healthy. But I promised myself that I’d write for ½ hour a day, and I didn’t do that. I’m out of integrity. I disappointed myself, [...]
Living Our Dreams While Living On The Road
The dancers rippled and pulsed in tandem across the concrete floor, packed in tight, live music filling the small room. There were dancers in the aisle between tables, and on the tiny dance floor, and pressed up against the bar. The air was thick with guitar, drums beats and heat generated by all the bodies [...]
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