a new breed of Heretics

Joy is our birthright as human beings

-  New Breed of Heretics featuring Caroline MacNeill Hall -

I ask Caroline to share her thoughts about being a Heretic. She shares her belief about humans, oneness, love and trust. Read now those powerful & inspiring words!

What makes me a Heretic?
Joy is our birthright as human beings. I am dedicated to two fundamental propositions: We are not alone. And, we are not wrong. When we humans know the truth of this, suffering falls away so that joy can emerge. And then, we grow our joy through conscious gratitude, by being moved to goose bumps by ecstatic experience, by breaking a sweat, scaring ourselves, and connecting with others. My work in the world is to move, connect, inspire, and awaken others to joy.

I believe that all living creatures are one, and that all human suffering is caused by forgetting this. Whenever we have the presence to remember, we have easy access to all the knowledge, insight, and love we need. Mystical experience is merely a vivid remembering. This principle and God are one and the same, I’m thinking.

I believe that human beings are good and that they want to do their best. When they don’t live this way, it’s because they have forgotten what they want and/or they don’t know how.

I believe that loving people, starting with loving ourselves, is the making of us.

I believe in kindness, respect, and curiosity as the infrastructure for relationship. When we think the world of one another, it brings out the best in both of us.

I believe that most anything is possible; we simply need to point ourselves at what we want to create, then listen and respond.

I believe that laughter lubricates love, learning, and courage—and that if we can’t find the fun in something, there’s no point in doing it.

I believe anything worth doing is worth doing badly (until you improve).

I believe that full aliveness hinges, in large part, on breaking a sweat AND doing something that scares you—at least a little—every day.

I believe in the encompassing power of love and trust

What is my biggest act as an Heretic?
Leaving my first marriage to a man who loved me but refused to save himself

What is difficult in making a choice? What does it take to make a choice?
Many opportunities fly in my direction and I tend to say yes to too many of them. It’s all good. And, in service of joyous sustainability at this time in my life, I want to create more “bubble wrap” around each experience, travel less, and avoid tolerating, settling, or most forms of struggle.

What advice would I give to future Heretics?

Invent what you want to do if it doesn’t already exist and make sure you like it and it uses you well. Create bubble wrap around the events of your day. Experience ecstasy as often as possible (like one-a-day vitamins). Beware iphone addiction and stay present for long stretches. Trust yourself as the basis for trusting others. Love others without their having to prove themselves worthy. Cultivate “be curious, not furious” as a practice. Don’t put anything ahead of nurturing your own joy (at least not in the big picture).

What is the word that represents the Heretic in me?
SunDrum (my medicine name)

Caroline MacNeill Hall, MA, PCC, is President of MAC Advisors. She has a global reputation for driving bottom-line results through revitalizing key contributors and enhancing alignment, participation, productivity, and morale to build innovation and retention. Based on the proposition “Have More Fun, Get More Done,” her work helps executive and functional teams build engagement and collaboration to create energized, high-performance organizational climates.

Caroline also is a senior course leader and curriculum developer for Coaches Training Institute (CTI).

Caroline serves on the board of The Respect Institute, which provides youth and their influencers with the vision and tools to build self-respect and spread respect for all.

Contact: caroline@macadvisors.com

The choice to follow my own internal compass, to trust the wisdom of my own knowing created a powerful shift and changed everything

- New Breed of Heretics featuring Karen Kimsey-House -

Sometime on your path you have encounters that change your life for ever!

When I first met Karen I didn’t realize that my life would never be the same thereafter. She is the kind of person that sees who you really are deep inside, behind all the layers, and gently push you towards your true self. Karen saw who I was the first night we met … which was on a life boat!

Her presence is gentle and firm at the same time. Her love is tremendous. I am blessed to have Karen in my circle.

Her thoughts about being a Heretic, and boy! she is one of the biggest Heretics I have ever met, bring a new perspective to it. Her words talk to your being, to your inner light. Listen!

What makes you a Heretic?

The commitment to live my life on purpose as a conscious being and the willingness to recover when I fail.  I think one of the most powerful choices people can make is to choose whether or not they will hold life as friendly.  I believe that whatever comes is an opportunity to learn and grow and this ability to trust life supports me in walking in harmony and resonance with life.

Tell me what is your biggest act as a Heretic?

I think it was choosing to hold myself as naturally creative, resourceful and whole just as I am. At that point in my life, I stopped trying to fix myself, to be a better wife, teacher, sister, woman… to be more acceptable to others and instead, began attending to growing myself so I could be more effective in my purpose, in what I came to this lifetime to do.  

With this powerful choice, I was able to shift from living my life from the outside in to the inside out.  I love a story about planting marigolds with my six year old niece.  As we were planting the flowers, she began taking the paper seed packets and turning them inward towards the plants, so that they could see what they were supposed to look like.  I spent so much of my life like this … looking outside myself and trying to fit the appropriate image I saw reflected back to me.  The choice to follow my own internal compass, to trust the wisdom of my own knowing created a powerful shift and changed everything.

What does it take to make a choice?

I think making a choice is easy.  For me, the challenge is holding the discipline of patience and attention … of taking the time to truly gather information and hold the question long enough for a clear path to emerge. I read once that much of the frustration and anxiety we experience in life is because we try to decide to early.  We want to move forward already and make the decision!  

For me, cultivating the patience to sit with the question until the way is clear has been both challenging and powerful.

What advice would you give to future Heretics?

Trust yourself and look to the wisdom and council of your own heart.  Know that you were made to be free, fully self expressed and alive. You matter and are loved, simply because you draw breath.

What would be the word that represents the Heretic in you?

Commitment would be the word.

Karen Kimsey-House, MFA, CPCC, MCC

Co-founder, CEO & Director, The Coaches Training Institute

One of the earliest recognized luminaries in the coaching profession, Kimsey-House founded CTI in 1992 with Laura Whitworth and Henry Kimsey-House. They created the Co-Active philosophy of relationship that informs CTI’s world-renowned coaching and leadership programs. She also is a blogger for The Huffington Post and the co-author of Co-Active Coaching, the best-selling industry bible, now in its third edition. A successful entrepreneur, Kimsey-House founded and directed the Learning Annex San Francisco adult education program in 1986 and grew it into one of the most admired programs under the national Learning Annex brand. She received her MFA in Communications and Theater from Temple University in Philadelphia. Committed to pioneering Co-Activity in challenged environments and troubled populations, Kimsey-House continues to lead CTI workshops and is a dynamic keynote speaker around the world. On a mission of global, transformative change, she lives with her husband, Henry Kimsey-House, by the Pacific Ocean.

Contact: karen@coactive.com