Mindy Tsonas Choi

Admittedly, I almost didn't go to the Women's March. It was a last minute decision I made while moving through some uncomfortable ambivalence around the whole thing by getting in my car and just going. No signs, no agenda, no pussy hat, no posse... just me, on my own terms figuring it out along route 95, heading into the fray. My unease wasn't only about feeling challenged as an introvert by the uncertainty of the event and the immense crowd, or even how the march itself felt in some ways like an afterthought or damage control prettily packaged up and tied with a big pink bow. It took some time for it to seep in, but eventually in the fervor I found what I hadn't been able to quite put my finger on and what maybe I'd been avoiding all along - I could finally feel the pulse of it inside my own skin, searing, painful and foreign... It was my anger. Because they tried to take what wasn't theirs. And I had this lightbulb moment: as someone who has experi

{photo taken at the Dean Hotel} When you use the template of your own life and beliefs to anchor the work of change and becoming out in the world, the vulnerability of it is always a significant factor at play. I'm always edging around the perimeters of my own heart so that I can lean in close enough to pull out meaningful things to share. The soul of my work is Me, not some product line created in a boardroom using focus groups and metrics. So as a wild-heart inspirer, my studio life is messy and unpredictable. Staying grounded and knowing how to deal with a vulnerability hangover is critical to my work. I'm sure you've been there too, after having acted on something you deeply believe in or baring your soul in a scary but necessary way. The buzz of excitement and adrenalin starts to mellow and the reality begins to settle...  did I really just say/do that?... like authenticity PTSD. Don't be alarmed, this doesn't mean you've made the wrong choice t

I am learning to use my voice. Quite literally, actually. The new podcast , using Voxer to stay in touch with friends, my first FB live event yesterday... being heard, for me, is showing up in a new, intimate way.  I've never felt super comfortable talking out-loud, especially if that meant articulating any part of my inner world. I think it had to do with my own discomfort and the fear of letting others into that mess. I think it also speaks to how important parts of my own self have been hidden from my own view for such a long time, tucked away in a place of safety yet also a place of solitude. Breaking down these internal walls is changing the game, big time. So is practicing speaking my truth. It's not so scary after all. Here is what I now believe of intimacy; intimacy is presence. It is showing up in your full range of being. It is reciprocal, dimensional, and in real time. Intimacy is a two-way street of love and liberation. It doesn't have to be daily

There is something about the tradition of creating my new planner every year that is so grounding and also exciting! To see what emerges... what colors, words, and mood appears, is always such a surprise. I really just try to feel my way through the process and it always seems to come out just the way it's meant to. I gave up long ago on boring blank or prefab covers that didn't speak my truth. Devotion to this more personalized practice is always so much more rewarding for me. I let the images find me, the ones that instantly feel like a 'yes ' in my body..... ...and then I always add some shimmer, this year some gold leaf... ...and I allow the words to appear like magic. It feels like this. Every time. This year is so much about Truth, Daring and LOVE. These seem to be touchstones that always find me. I think this cover captures the vulnerability of what I think this year will be too, accompanied by sparkle and power and adventure

{January page from my Notebook } In 2017, I already know I'll be creating more dynamic and safe spaces of belonging...  in my own body in my own heart  in my relationships in my work in my community and in our world. Heading into this new year I've hit the re-set button in a big way. I'm letting go of many things, clearing, editing and making room for what truly matters.  Connection. I had a pivotal conversation with my mom last fall, that eventually allowed me to see the truth of so many things all at once... how sturdy I've become in my own beliefs, how wide some gaps of understanding might always be, but most importantly how deeply I know of love because that is what I've been taught from the very beginning; that it is never about biology or race or religion or orientation or relationship model, because love transcends every context.  Inside all the work I've been doing, this, I realized, is the ultimate l