|
|
MentorCONNECT's Weekly Mentoring Moment
A Chance to Build New Skills for Mentoring Matchups
|
January 11, 2010
|
|
| Theme for the Week: Finding YOUR Voice! |
|
|
| Welcome to this month's Good News!
Last week we launched our new weekly feature "MC's Member's Spotlight - Getting to know your MentorCONNECT Community!" and got great feedback from you. This week, enjoy another interview from someone from the community.
A quick reminder about this week's teleconference:
"Feel the Feelings & Do It Anyway:
Finding Your Voice for Change in the New Year"
with Doris Smeltzer, MA, who shares the
powerful and poignant story of how she survived the most devastating
blow imaginable - the loss of her nineteen year-old daughter, Andrea,
to bulimia - by reaching out to help others who are struggling. Doris
will introduce us to information from her new educational curriculum
about how Health At Every Size (HAES) and Intuitive Eating
can help us all learn to "Savor Ourselves". With Doris, we will
experience the empowerment that comes from rejecting the media's
messages about body shape and size and embracing our own unique beauty.
You'll find more information about this week's teleconference within
this ezine.
See you on tonight's and Thursday night's live chat.
And hey, if you are on Facebook, Twitter or MySpace, be sure to
look MentorCONNECT up, and say "Hello!" -- we are looking forward to
connecting with you online! :-)
Warmly and with HOPE,
Shannon, Jeanette, Andrea, Lynn, Cheryl, & Thom
(your MC Leadership & Advisory Team) |
|
Mentoring "Thought for the Week"
I can feel. I have the capacity and the right to feel when I am sad, when I am happy, and every feeling in between.
|
|
NEW WEEKLY FEATURE!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
MC's Member's Spotlight:
Getting to know your MentorCONNECT Community! :-)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
#1: Tell us a bit about yourself:
My
name is Andrea Roe. I'm 27 years old and live together with my husband
in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. I am actually Austrian and moved
to North America seven years ago. It took me about
two years to get used to living here, but now I love it.
My
ten-year battle with body image issues and depression started when I
was around thirteen years old. By the age of sixteen, I had
developed anorexia, which eventually turned into bulimia. I was a
slave to my eating disorder for about six years. For the majority of my
struggles, I felt so alone. I was embarrassed and scared, so much so
that, for several years, I didn't tell anyone about what I
was going through.
Today I am recovered.
And now that I am healthy, it is my passion to reach out, share my
story, support others in their healing journey, and most importantly,
spread the message of HOPE - that eating disorders can be beaten.
 During
my own recovery, being in touch with others who were either also in
recovery or already recovered was SO powerful for me. They understood
and didn't judge me. What I got out of these conversations was that I
was really NOT alone and if they could recover, I COULD TOO!
Because
I got so much out of hearing and reading other people's recovery
experiences, I decided to connect with recovered/in-recovery
individuals and create a book of inspiring stories. The
effort became You Are Not Alone, The Book of Companionship for Women with Eating disorders - Volume 1 in 2006 and Volume 2 (which includes Companion CD produced by Shannon Cutts) in 2009. #2: How did you find out about MentorCONNECT and how long have you been a part of this community?
Shannon
approached me over a year ago, with the idea of creating a pro recovery
community that also offers one on one support. Because
mentoring was a huge part in my own recovery, I loved the idea of
MentorCONNECT immediately and was honoured to be able to be able to
work with Shannon and all the other amazing people who make MC happen.
#3: What do you like most about being a part of MentorCONNECT?
I
love supporting others in their healing journey by listening and
sharing what I learned during my recovery. There is so much negativity
out there and it is important to let people know that there is HOPE. I am proof of this and not the exception to the rule.
#4: What helped you most in your recovery?
1) Personal Support Team:
I could not have recovered without the help and support from others. I
was close to giving up the fight many times, and my support team was
there for me and believed in me, no matter what. And whenever I fell,
they helped me get back up again to continue on with my recovery and
healing journey. And they also celebrated my successes with me and
reminded me of my successes when I was only concentrating on my
failures and what was wrong with me.
2) The power of sharing and letting go of secrets:
Speaking about how I was doing and what I was going through helped me
so much during my recovery. Talking about my eating disorder was
liberating. Our secrets, no matter what they are, keep us sick. It's when we open up that we are able to start the real healing process.
3) I am NOT my eating disorder:
For the longest time, it felt like I was my eating disorder and my
eating disorder was me. It felt like "it" was my identity. I didn't
know who I was without it. I had forgotten. During my recovery, I had
to learn to separate these two voices--mine and the eating disorder
voice. And when it was the eating disorder takling, I had to learn to
fight back, talk back and disobey its commands. I had to learn to take
control back over my life--after all, it was MY life, not the eating
disorders'. And whenever you hear the voice in your head telling you
that you aern't good enough, need to lose weight, punish yourself...
ask yourself if that is the "real you" that is talking, of it is your
eating disorder speaking to you.
#5: Giving back: Tell us how you are helping this wonderful recovery community:
I'm
honoured to be part of MC's Leadership team. I am responsible for the
daily and the weekly ezines (which I love putting together as I
can be creative) and am also part of the Mentor2Mentor program which
helps mentors when they need assistance or advice when it comes
to the partnership with their mentees.
In addition, part of the profits of my second book You Are Not Alone Volume 2 + Companion CD are donated to MentorCONNECT.
For more information about Andrea and her work, visit
|
|
Join us on Wednesday, January 13: MC Teleconference Series
"Feel the Feelings & Do It Anyway:
Finding Your Voice for Change in the New Year"
 In our first teleconference of 2010, Doris Smeltzer,
MA, shares the powerful and poignant story of how she survived the most
devastating blow imaginable - the loss of her nineteen year-old
daughter, Andrea, to bulimia - by reaching out to help others who are
struggling. Doris will introduce us to information from her new
educational curriculum about how Health At Every Size (HAES) and Intuitive Eating
can help us all learn to "Savor Ourselves". With Doris, we will
experience the empowerment that comes from rejecting the media's
messages about body shape and size and embracing our own unique beauty.
 To RSVP, simply send us an email with "RSVP for Doris" in the subject line to mc@key-to-life.com
To view the event flyer click HERE
Click HERE To listen to past podcasts
|
|
Hey Ed! You are not welcome inside the "Circle of Hope"!
Did you know that MentorCONNECT has its own "Ed Armor"? Designed by MentorCONNECT founder Shannon, the MC "Circle of Hope" Pendant (which appears alongside the M entorCONNECT logo) reminds ALL of us that the relationships we have here with each other really DO replace eating disorders! The
best news of all is that, whether you order MC Ed Armor for yourself or
to show your support for a friend who is struggling, you will also be
giving back to your community! 100% of sales proceeds go back to MentorCONNECT to help with overhead, expenses, and new programs (like our upcoming retreat!)
To order MC Ed Armor, just click HERE |
Beating ANA Study Group
 Last Holiday
In
the movie "Last Holiday", Queen Latifah's character, Georgia, is
minding her own business, going through the motions each day, until in
a bizarre twist, she is told that she has an incurable disease and has
just three weeks to live.
Suddenly, life is precious.
Suddenly, she is keenly aware of all the possibilities she has put off,
put away for later, put out of her mind. Suddenly, she realizes that
all she has is today, and she sets out to live as much as she can -
REALLY live - before her disease reaches its inevitable (she thinks)
conclusion.
It is easy to sleepwalk through life when the eating disorder is our constant companion.
It is tempting to think of just giving in - letting Ed win - when the
battle gets tough. If we are honest, we will admit to ourselves that we
think about death, yes, and even find the idea comforting sometimes.
But in those moments we also have the opportunity to remember why we are choosing life....and the opportunity to choose once again to fight and to live.
Why are you choosing life?
What can you do right now to fight for your right to live - and to live
free from your eating disorder? If you were told you had three weeks to
live, what would you find inside your "book of possibilities"? Where
would you go? Who would you talk to? What would you do? Who would you
help? What legacy would you leave behind? What would you try before you
were willing to accept that your own demise at the hands of your eating
disorder was the best that you could do, and the best life had to offer?
Now go and do it!
Post your insights and ideas HERE
|
Mark Your Calendar for the First Quarter of our Exciting 2010 MentorCONNECT Teleconference Series!
|
Motivation is a responsibility.*
We
tend to think of motivation as something we either have or don't have.
But there is more to motivation than that. Motivation doesn't just
exist or not exist, it is something for which we must take
responsibility. Ask yourself these questions to help you discover more
specifically where you might be having problems with motivation:
1.) Am I dissatisfied enough?
2.) Do I really want to change? Is there a part of me that says "no" to change?
3.) Do I believe that I deserve to change?
4.) Do I believe it is possible for me to change?
5.) Am I genuinely willing to do whatever it will take for me to change?
Answer
these questions as honestly as you can, from as deep a place in you as
you can access. It is okay to have more than one answer to each
question. Let your answers guide you toward mending any motivation
problems you may be having.
 Thom
Rutledge is a noted speaker/trainer, workshop facilitator, author of
"Simple Truth" and "Embracing Fear", and co-author (with Jenni
Schaefer) of "Life Without Ed". Thom is also the co-coordinator of the
monthly MentorCONNECT Teleconference Series. For more information about
Thom, visit him at www.nutshellwisdom.com
*copyright Thom Rutledge, all rights reserved
| |
Support Groups Community-Wide Homework  Just a reminder that homework is posted each week after our support group meetings. You are warmly invited to join in the continuing discussions by visiting the Groups page HEREWant to join in
the Monday & Thursday Night e-chats but aren't sure where to go,
how to log in, and where to find the week's song lyrics? Click HERE for a login refresher! |
Have you missed a podcast?
Now, catch Thom
Carolyn & Sara
Jenni
Jessica
|
Contact your MC Leadership Team
Have a question about the Mentoring Moment?
andrea@key-to-life.com
Have a question about the Forums?
jeanette@key-to-life.com
Want to make a mentoring match?
cheryl@key-to-life.com
Have questions about contributing to MC?
cheryl@key-to-life.com
Want to rsvp for an upcoming teleconference?
mc@key-to-life.com
Want to share your experience of MC?
mc@key-to-life.com
|
|
Join us Monday & Thursday Nights on Chat!
Monday night,
8-9pm central time
Thursday night,
8-9pm central time
The chat room will be open from 7pm-10pm (Central time) to give us all time to reconnect before and after chat!
|
Match with a Personal Recovery Mentor in Three EZ Steps!
MentorCONNECT is proud to be the first organization of its kind to offer one-on-one mentoring matchups!
If you would like to take advantage of your membership benefit to match with one of our caring volunteer mentors, here is how:
1. ORDER "Beating Ana" from your local library or bookseller
2. Complete the "Beating Ana Chapter One" exercise
3. EMAIL your answer to Jeanette
It really is that easy!
Why do we ask you to read 30 pages of a book before beginning a mentoring partnership?
Simply because once you understand the Mentor Model we use here on MentorCONNECT, you will be both knowledgeable AND fired up to make the most of your chance to be mentored!
Our mentors are standing by, on call to support you and reassure you that YES, recovery really IS possible for YOU too!
|
|
|
|
|
MentorCONNECT is grateful for the support of its Sponsoring Care Partners:
Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating Disorders
Tapestry: A Residential Treatment Center for Women with Eating Disorders
You Are Not Alone
|
MM Archives: To access the full Mentoring Moment Archives, click HERE
NOTE: Participation in MentorCONNECT
is NOT meant to replace the supervision and care of a qualified medical
professional, and should never be construed as such. Shannon Cutts, the
MentorCONNECT Leadership Team and Key to Life
can NOT be held liable for any activities undertaken as a part or
result of receiving or participating in these online communities. If
you have a medical question, please consult your healthcare
professional.
|
|
|
|
|
