Mindy Tsonas Choi

My world is this crazy mash-up of virtual and actual.  Both are equally as important and integral aspects of one another, two sides of the same coin of the work that I do and the life that I live.  So often I feel such an overwhelming sense of gratitude and awe for being able to be part of this transformative wave of technology and social media that allows me to erase boundaries, make connections, and create new pathways into the wild unknown of possibility and oftentimes deep friendship. This morning I was trying to think of all the amazing women I've met in person through this network, and I can't.  I've lost count.  After a decade of blogging and art gatherings and collaborations and teaching and adventuring there have been so many moments of kindred hellos. These moments are like unwrapping a special gift, full of anticipation and excitement over standing face to face with someone who I feel like I already know in beautiful, honest ways after a long love affair w

Summer, when we are all home and together, means lots of spontaneous adventuring.  Some of the sweetest days are discovered in unexpected places after having packed up the kids into the car with piles of pillows and blankets and books and heading off into the unknown.  Yesterday we picked Portland, ME, as my oldest has been wanting to get back there and to Peaks Island since our last visit a few years ago, to share the magic with his dad and brother.  Lots of wandering, and perusing, and marveling over the delicious ocean air and huge swarms of seagulls floating above a bustling harbor like a scene from a movie.  There were tongue tattoos and golden pirate doubloons, a little stuffed humpback whale named "Milkshale", lego candies and jelly bellies, sea glass and hermit crabs.  A picture perfect day filled with sweet treats and lots of sun-shiny exploring.  We had a delicious lunch, topped off with magical  Pixie Dust . A little sexy side tour for Alex

One of the things I think a lot about as a mom and a feminist is integrating a positive, age appropriate, respectful attitude around sex and sexuality.  And in a shame-based, sex negative culture this can often be really tricky.  These things don't marry easily. If you know my story and have been following along with me and my family's journey, you know this is an important and very relevant core aspect of our belief system and values - a wide openness around things that many others keep hidden, fighting against the fear and shame. So, when Alex found these lovely Goddess cards at the vintage flea market today and my oldest saw him buy them and was of course curious (he is an 11 year old boy after all), it was a teachable moment where we could talk about such things.  It's not the kind of thing we are inclined to hide. I grew up in a home that was very sex-positive in this way.  There was never any shame or deep secrecy around adult delicacies, and I always have f

It's a curious thing, these Love Letters . They are expanding my life, as a writer, a connector, as a human being. What felt like a bold new experiment has slowly evolved into a necessary kind of alchemy in my life, a practice where the integration of all of my work somehow seams together in this decadent, steamy, and very edgy place where both dark and light collide and creative living concepts intertwine and support my sexual narrative.  I knew there was juice and friction there, I was living it long before I was writing about it, but I wasn't sure how it would all unfold.  Surprisingly, these ideals go hand in hand.  It's the lens I see the world through now, and they have become inextricable.  Sacred sacral work, undeniably. Showing up to this weekly writing has pushed me in ways I couldn't have imagined... digging into the subtext and sharing intimate stories with a shifting and growing list of subscribers, many of whom I know in person, neighbors, friend

The saying goes, you teach what you need to learn.   I'm halfway through teaching my online ecourse, and it's been deep lessons in trusting the creative process, my own intuition, and sitting in community with an amazing group of women as a leader and guide.  While I'm not new to teaching workshops, both online and in-person, it's been a long evolution of feeling my way into truly believing I have what it takes - to honestly believe in myself and stand unabashedly in this power.   I've always felt more like a sharer, a hostess, an open heart-space connector, and while I am all of those things, this softer version of *space-holder* is not the same as taking a fierce stance as a Leader , with a capitol L.  It's been a huge part of my work this year to really go there, and what I've learned so far is that it not simply about standing in front of a class with something to teach... it's been about deeply connecting with the importance, re

{this is just a screen shot... the video can be seen in my class. and look! oscar is my guest star} Last night I wrapped my very first video recording for my Inner Alchemy Circle, and opened the online classroom today.  It took me three hours and a lot of takes, but once I got the hang of it, I'll be damned if it actually wasn't loads of fun! Video is my new frontier.  My edge.  I've been avoiding it for a long time... that means no Skype dates, no Google Hangouts, not even narry a FaceTime.  I've been way behind the curve on this one.  I'm not sure why? I think it's two fold. First, it's simply the technological learning curve - attacking something new and figuring out the how-to, the tools needed, the user ins and outs.  While I'm no stranger to tech stuff, video has always felt really daunting and like a huge undertaking that takes a wild combination of special lighting, a camera crew, and a snazzy outfit.  Not to mention the script and