Opening Eyes

JOLT a Wake-Up Call: Are you the person you want to be, doing what really matters to you? If not now, when?

2011-10-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, it too often takes a literal JOLT - like Thursday’s Bay Area earthquakes - that impels us to ask, “Is this all there is?”, “Am I content with my life?” and “What am I waiting for?” Fortunately, there was no damage or loss of life as a result of the October 20th, 3.9 magnitude tremblors, so we’re not in an ‘it’s too late’ state.

Since they did strike, how can we capitalize on this disconcerting wake-up call? How about deciding to live consciously with gratitude and wonder? How about looking at what’s unsettling or unsatisfactory in our lives and/or in the world around us, and deciding that enough’s enough. That we’re going to make a change, beginning with clarifying what’s not O.K., identifying a new goal, making a plan and then following through, step by baby step. Maybe it will require guidance and support. Get it. Maybe there will be failures along the way. Consider them learning opportunities. And as there is progress, celebrate!

It takes concerted practice to live consciously, plus courage and persistence to shift the status quo. But if you’re engaged in what matters to you and you’re committed to be(com)ing the person you want to be, you won’t need to ask, “If not now, when?” when the next JOLT happens. Why wait?

Workshop Series for Women: 7 Keys to Living a Passion-Fueled Life

2011-10-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

Attend the informational telecall: Friday, Oct 14, 4:30-5:00 - 712.432.0075; Access Code:419355#
What does it take to move from mere surviving to thriving? Exhausted to energized?

Bored to excited? Anxious to calm? Unclear to focused? Sad to happy?

In essence what does it take to live a passion-fueled life,
moment by moment, day by day, year by year?

It takes: vision, action, self-care, learning, connecting, conscious attitudes and sharing.

Join Dana on a journey exploring and activating the
7 keys necessary to creating the personal and professional life YOU want to live.
For a full description of the workshop series go to: 7-Keys to Living a Passion-Fueled Life

Groups (of 8 maximum) are currently forming in San Francisco, Marin County, Oakland, CA and Bend, OR.

Attend the informational telecall: Friday, Oct 14, 4:30-5:00 - 712.432.0075; Access Code:419355#

Information/Sign Up: dewhitaker@openingeyes.net

TRANSFORMING LIVES Book Talk: 7 Keys to Living a Passion-Fueled Life...Lessons from Women Who Know...

2011-09-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

Julie’s Coffee and Tea Garden

cordially invites you to meet

photojournalist and career/life coach

DANA E. WHITAKER

who has explored the life-changing

power of microfinance in her book,

Transforming Lives $40 at a Time

Women + Microfinance: Upending the Status Quo

Please join Dana on a virtual global tour, meeting women

who -- with the help of microfinance business and personal training, loans and other financial services -- are transforming their lives inside and out. Learn from them and Dana’s own journey about what it takes in attitude and action

to live a passion-fueled life!

When: Wednesday, October 12th, 7:00-9:00pm

Where: Julie’s Coffee and Tea Garden

1223 Park Street, Alameda, CA

Highlights of the book are viewable at: www.openingeyes.net

*Each book purchase will benefit an organization whose clients are included in Dana's book.

Hear Dana Speak about "Transforming Lives" - July 6th!

2011-07-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

Commonwealth Club International Relations Member-Led Forum: TOMORROW, Wednesday, July 6: "Transforming Lives $40 at a Time: Women + Microfinance, Upending the Status Quo."

Speaker: Dana E. Whitaker, photojournalist, principal, Opening Eyes, LLC

FOR THIS PROGRAM WE'RE PLEASED TO OFFER A SPECIAL $10 DISCOUNT TO NON-MEMBERS. SEE THE INSTRUCTIONS AT THE END OF THIS MESSAGE.*

Dana is an author, photographer and coach committed to helping women realize their potential both professionally and personally. She will explore the intricacies and importance of microfinance in helping to eradicate poverty. What are the challenges and successes both for the sector and for those most affected – the microentrepreneurs themselves?

Dana Whitaker lives in Berkeley, and for 17 years taught English and social sciences at Bay Area inner city and alternative high schools. She became very interested in microfinance and took a leave of absence, traveling to thirteen countries on five continents as a photojournalist. The countries she visited included Guatemala, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Ghana, France, Georgia, Jordan, India, Bangladesh, China and Vietnam.

She is membership chair of the Northern California chapter of Women Advancing Microfinance, a worldwide organization encouraging women who work in the microfinance industry. Check out her website at www.openingeyes.net.

Wine and networking reception 5:30 p.m., program 6 p.m., book signing 7 p.m.

$8 for members, $20 (DISCOUNTED TO $10 for non-members)*, $7 for students with current school ID.

Location: Commonwealth Club headquarters, 595 Market Street - Mezzanine, San Francisco (at Montgomery St. BART/Muni station), cross street Second Street

Reservations are not required but recommended - phone (415) 597-6705 or (800) 847-7730. Tickets can also be purchased via website: http://commonwealthclub.org/events/2011-07-06/dana-whitakertransforming-lives-40-time-women-and-microfinance

*Directions for the special non-member discount:

Instead of paying the standard $20 rate, each person using the coupon below will receive a $10 discount at the check-out page and will receive the $10 discount rate for 1 ticket purchased.

To redeem the discounted ticket:

-Visit the direct event page, https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2011-07-06/dana-whitakertransforming-lives-40-time-women-and-microfinance

-Select the number of tickets desired at the bottom of the event page, select Add to Basket and proceed to check-out

-At the check-out page there will be an opportunity to enter a coupon code. Yours is: sfforwhitaker

Keep in mind that the coupon code is case sensitive and is only available for one ticket per transaction.

If there is any trouble redeeming the coupon, it can also be used by calling our automated ticket line at 415-597-6705.

Want to make an impact in the world? What a gift it is!

2011-03-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

Come for an evening of fun, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, music and shopping. Leave inspired having learned about the mission of Women's Initiative and having heard the stories of how we've empowered women to build businesses and enriched communities in Alameda County.

Business in Bloom
Thursday, April 21, from 6 – 9 pm
443 25th Street
Oakland, CA VIEW MAP

Click here to RSVP and purchase tickets ($25 per person) or contact Carmen Angulo at cangulo@womensinitiative.org for more information.

Music by Women's Initiative Graduate Ruby “Baby” Bennett

Raffle tickets available for $5 each or 5 for $20. Raffle prizes include Oakland/Berkeley restaurant gift certificates, fabulous gift baskets from Women’s Initiative graduates, and much more! Contact me: dewhitaker@openingeyes.net to purchase tickets. They will also be sold during the event. You do not need to be present to win.

Event program and ‘Fund-a-Need’ campaign begin at
7 p.m. Raffle prize winners announced at 8:45 p.m.

Shopping at the Women's Initiative Graduate Marketplace includes unique jewelry, clothing, distinctive accessories, gourmet foods and other items from the businesses created by Women's Initiative graduates.

Special thanks to Barbara Llewellyn Catering for generously donating their space for this event.

About Women's Initiative
For more than 20 years, Women’s Initiative for Self Employment has provided low-income, high-potential women with the training, funding and ongoing support to start their own businesses and become financially self-sufficient. The women who go through our program significantly increase their income and assets while launching businesses, creating jobs and stimulating the local economy.
In 2010, our recent graduates created 3,818 jobs!

The Gifts of Impact

There are innumerable ways to make an impact in the world. What's continuously amazing to me as a board member and volunteer for Women's Initiative is that I receive as much if not more than I give.

Valentine's Day - A Professional Boon

2011-02-09T17:37:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day does not have to be for lovers only.

Nor does it need to begin with Hallmark or include a box of chocolates. While there's nothing the matter with any of these things, Valentine's Day can also be a professional boon for YOU.

How?

Who has supported you over the past year? Introduced you to a new client? Given you business? Teamed up with you for what became a successful, profitable project? Listened to you when you were down, confused or overloaded? Contributed to a cause about which you're passionate? Applauded your efforts privately or publicly? Became a trusted friend...?

Valentine's Day is a perfect time to call, send a hand-written note or write an email thanking those people in your professional sphere for supporting you in whatever way they did.

It doesn't have to take a long time to connect, but

your heartfelt efforts will have long-lasting results

both for the receiver and the giver - you.

What's Love Got to Do with It?

2011-01-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

It struck me during the holidays how tempting it was for me and for others with whom I spent time to overbook, eat too much, stay out too late, purchase one more unnecessary gift and forgo time to reflect, not to mention get adequate sleep. The consequences of such choices are what I call the 3 Bs: the blues, bulge and burnout.

Whether you over- or under-indulge, you’re actually depriving yourself physically, mentally and/or emotionally.

What if I told you that you could say ‘Never again!’ to these all too typical actions and deleterious results? This can be accomplished by making and committing to following one decision: love yourself. Yep, that’s it. Decide to love yourself like you love a best friend, a child, a spouse, a partner. Decide to stop plowing into each day, each opportunity, each responsibility, each plate of food without consideration for what you really want, really need, really have energy and time to undertake. Decide to take the time at every opportunity to ask yourself, ‘Will this decision reflect my love for myself?’ If the answer is ‘Yes’ then do it. If it’s ‘No’ then consider your options – who might help you with that task; is it really essential or can it be amended, dropped or delayed; ask yourself and then listen to what you really crave instead of another 1000 empty calories; pay attention to your energy levels -- are you getting too much or too little exercise, sleep, time for what you really care about, and for yourself…

If you start practicing loving yourself now, instead of blurting the 'Bs' next December, you'll be singing in the key of ‘E’ – ‘Yes, Enough, that's just Enough!’

PLEASE Support Me and Breast Cancer Research!

2010-09-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

SUPPORT MY HIKE TO PREVENT BREAST CANCER!

I have chosen to join hundreds of women and men dedicated to taking one step at a time to prevent breast cancer.

On Sunday, September 26, we'll hike Northern California's Mt. Tamalpais with the

Breast Cancer Fund's 2010 Peak Hike.

PLEASE DONATE to my hike and join me in supporting the Breast Cancer Fund's groundbreaking work to eliminate the environmental and other preventable causes of the disease.

Whether $5 or $250, YOUR pledge makes a difference.

THANK YOU!

Dana Whitaker

FOCUSING ON and FOLLOWING YOUR LIFE'S PATH

2010-08-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

What I Want To/Will Do Before I Die!
WHAT: What do you really care about? What impact do you want to make on the world? In this four-session workshop you will: identify key life goals, develop ways of being and strategies to reach them, unearth and transform barriers, implementing your plan, receive support from other participants, and receive one personal coaching session with Dana.
WHEN: Wednesdays, September 8, 15, 22, 29

WHERE: Lunchtime Conference Call - 12-1pm
INVESTMENT: $200 for the series—$175 for those who sign up by Wednesday, September 1st
SIGN UP: Email Dana at dewhitaker@openingeyes.net

*you will receive workshop details once you have enrolled

International Museum of Women Photography Contest Exhibit Tour/Talk with Dana. She's A Winner!

2010-08-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

You're invited!
PLEASE JOIN Dana for a Tour and Talk
at the
IMOW Photography Awards Exhibit
Picturing Power & Potential

The cover photo from Dana's book, Transforming Lives $40 at a Time, Women + Microfinance: Upending the Status Quo (left) was selected by the International Museum of Women (IMOW) and the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery to participate in IMOW's exhibition, Picturing Power & Potential at San Francisco City Hall and on the IMOW website:June 15th - August 27th. Over 150 artists submitted work to this competition, and after a rigorous review process, 54 images by twenty artists from across the globe were chosen.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 10th, 5:30-8:00

WHERE: Tour: San Francisco City Hall, lower level
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place (Van Ness/Grove/Mcallister )

Talk/Reception: SFAC Gallery, 401 Van Ness
RSVP: Click here

Help Dana's photo WIN the Grand Prize Community Choice Award! Click: RE COMMEND

Book Talk: The Power and Potential of Microfinance - Please Join Me, Saturday, June 19th

2010-06-17T07:57:00.000-07:00

Using my book, Transforming Lives $40 at a Time,

Women + Microfinance: Upending the Status Quo,

we will explore the history, whos, whats, wheres and

whys, challenges and successes of microfinance through

face-to-face, heart-to-heart encounters with those most

affected by microfinance: the microentrepreneurs themselves.

WHEN: Saturday, June 19th, 11:30-1

WHERE: Northbrae Community Church

941 The Alameda

Berkeley, CA

You're invited to the IMOW Photo Awards Exhibit! Dana's a Winner!

2010-06-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

The cover photo from Dana's book, Transforming Lives $40 at a Time, Women + Microfinance: Upending the Status Quo (above) was selected by the International Museum of Women and the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery to participate in IMOW's exhibition Picturing Power & Potential at San Francisco City Hall and on the IMOW web site. Over 150 artists submitted work to this competition, and after a rigorous review process, 54 images by twenty artists from across the globe were chosen. This exhibition is one component of IMOW's extensive online exhibition Economica: Women and the Global Economy.

Please join Dana at the Picturing Power & Potential OPENING
to celebrate her and to view the entire IMOW show.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 15th, 5:30-7:30
WHERE: San Francisco City Hall

2010-05-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

What is microfinance? What can microentrepreneurs teach us about what it takes to enact significant changes in our lives? How can and why should we get involved in helping fellow human beings improve their lives? Explore these global yet very personal issues by joining Dana, author of Transforming Lives $40 at a Time, Women + Microfinance: Upending the Status Quo, as she takes us on a journey around the globe meeting some of the world's poorest yet most determined women who are using microfinance loans and training to pull themselves and their families out of poverty - inside and out.

Dana's book will be available for sale and signing. A portion of every sale will benefit Women's Initiative for Self Employment, a Bay Area microfinance organization.

Who: All welcome

When: Thursday, May 27th, 7-9pm

Where: Terra's Temple

654 Oakland Avenue

Oakland, CA

510.601.6198

Commit to Making a Difference in a Woman's Life!

2010-04-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

____________________________________________________________

Women's Initiative for Self Employment Annual GALA

May 13th, 5:30-9
San Francisco Hilton
Information and Tickets

2010-04-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

Coaching for a Change

What I Want To/Will Do Before I Die!

What do you really care about? What impact do you want to make on the world? In this four-session workshop you will: identify key life goals, develop ways of being and strategies to reach them, unearth and transform barriers, begin implementing your plan, receive support from other participants, and receive one personal coaching session with Dana.

WHEN: Wednesdays, April 21, 28, May 5 & 12 12-1pm
WHERE: Lunchtime Conference Call
INVESTMENT: $200 for the series - $175 for those who sign up by Friday, April 16
SIGN UP: Email Dana at dewhitaker@openingeyes.net

* You will receive workshop details once you have enrolled

Nominate a Bay Area Woman Entrepreneur NOW!

2010-03-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

Nominate Your Favorite Woman Entrepreneur

Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, one of the largest microenterprise training organizations in the country, is now accepting nominations for their Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. The awards seek to recognize women entrepreneurs in cities throughout the Bay Area who demonstrate the following:

- Have been successful despite the barriers that exist for woman business owners

- Exemplify how business ownership and leadership is beneficial for women and their families

- Have a positive impact on the local community

- Advance their business through innovation.

A Leadership Committee from each region will determine the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year based on information provided by the nominee. Winners will be announced in August and honored at one of five regional award celebrations in October. In addition, winners will be recognized in local media and featured on the Women’s Initiative website and newsletter.

To be considered for the award, an individual must indentify as a woman and be the founder or owner of a successful business. Deadline for nominations is May 31. For more information and to nominate a woman entrepreneur, go to www.womensinitiative.org.

Do you have 2 hours to help a woman build her business and her confidence? Join me!

2010-03-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

Join me and enrich someone's life as well as your own. Volunteer to be a Connector (speed mentor) to women graduate entrepreneurs of
Women's Initiative for Self Employment (WI).

Tuesday, March 30th, 6:30-8:30

Waterfront Hotel

Jack London Square

10 Washington Street

Oakland, CA

RSVP: cgonzalez@womensinitiative.org

For information on Women's Initiative:

www.womensinitiative.org

JOIN WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE

2010-03-02T23:07:00.000-08:00

Celebrate International Women’s Day 2010

Monday, March 8

On International Women's Day, March 8, Women for Women International is hosting a global event called "Join me on the Bridge." Thousands of women, children an men worldwide will gather on bridges from San Francisco to Congo to call for an end to war and to demonstrate that women can build the bridges of peace and hope. In Africa, women from Congo and Rwanda will meet on a bridge that spans the border between their countries to demonstrate their desire for peace. In San Francisco, we will join with Americans for UNFPA and walk to the center of the Golden Gate Bridge to honor the resilience of

women survivors of war everywhere in the world.

We hope you'll join us on the Golden Gate Bridge on March 8th as we participate in this global campaign. We will gather in the southeast parking lot (on the San Francisco side of the bridge) at 11:30 AM and at 12:00 PM we will start our walk to the center of the bridge. Parking is limited, so we encourage you to carpool or take public transportation. We will conclude about 1:30pm.

Hope to see you there.

To RSVP please visit http://joinmesanfrancisco-rss.eventbrite.com/ and register for this free event. To find out more about the Golden Gate Bridge event and "Join me on the Bridge" events in other locales, visit the “Join me on the Bridge” website www.womenforwomen.org/bridge.

If you have further questions, please contact our San Francisco volunteer organizers Deanne Yanek Travis at dyt@georgetown.edu or Mary Ann Walsh at walshmaryann@yahoo.com.

Body Conscious

2010-02-19T09:43:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't your think that since we spend our entire lives doing everything we do -- from thinking, tasting and hearing, to smelling, feeling and interacting -- that we'd be more aware of what allows us to do all these things? And since 90% of our communication is non-verbal, wouldn't it make sense to be more conscious of, yes, our bodies?

Our bodies provide us the capacity to sense what is tasty, silky, sonorous, nurturing, dangerous and inspiring. Yet those of us who have been raised in the western world have come to worship, to hyper-focus on our intellects as the way to live effective and full lives.

In contrast, our bodies and emotions (the topic of next month's newsletter) are given minor roles or omitted completely from life's lexicon because focusing on them is considered 'soft', inferior or even weird. Yet we suffer personally and professionally by abbreviating the full extent of who we are.

By plowing ahead despite an unhealthily raised or lowered heartbeat, painful joints, head or stomach aches, we risk messages that something(s) is/are not right in our lives, not only physically, but perhaps also mentally or emotionally.
By speeding to work without noticing the emergent signs of Spring, we eclipse the amazing wonders and gifts that life is presenting to us - for free.
By ignoring a client's non-verbal cues, we miss the opportunity to make adjustments to our offer in order to a seal a deal.
By being oblivious to a friend or colleague's slumped posture and barely audible "I'm fine" in response to the often perfunctory "How are you," we risk not only inhibiting a relationship, but diminishing our credibility as a sincere person.

While analyzing and intellectualizing certainly have their rightful place, when we live primarily in and from our heads, we minimize not only our own lives, but quite possibly the lives of others and our connections with them. How can we engage all of who we are so that we can live effective, full lives?

Awareness is key.

I'd like to propose a practice for you to commit to over the next four weeks. It is not only simple, but it will give you an opportunity to decide if paying attention to your body does in fact enrich your life, personally, professionally, relationally and with the world as a whole. If it does, which I believe it will, there are innumerable ways to become more body conscious and to make appropriate adjustments that you deem necessary to maximize your engagement in and with life.

1. SETTING THE STAGE: Once each day for five minutes, assume you cannot speak. The only messages you can receive about yourself, others and the world around you are non-verbal.

2. SELF: Begin by focusing inside yourself. How fast/slow, shallow/deep is your breath? Now scan your muscles and joints, from the top of your head to your toes. Are they tense, achy, relaxed? What might these indicators be trying to tell you about your state being? What happens emotionally or mentally if you make a physical adjustment?

3. OTHERS: Observe others' body movements and facial gestures. Take in the energy they emit. Are they attracting or repelling to you? What are their bodies telling you about them and about you?

4. WORLD: What sounds do you hear? How about colors, textures, shapes of things around you, both natural and man-made? Scents?

REFLECT: Take it all in. What happens to and for you when you do?

Must See Movie - PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL

2010-02-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

Can citizens make a difference in the way its country's government works (or doesn't work, as was the case in Liberia)? How about a group of determined, women who represent the height of courage, determination and commitment to what is right? If you want to be encouraged to make a difference in your life and the life of others you care about, Pray the Devil Back to Hell is a movie you must see.

Film Screening Tues, Feb 23rd 6:00-8:30 pm, Delancey Street Theater, San Francisco

Women Advancing Microfinance Northern California (WAM NorCal), of which I am a member, is hosting this event including the movie, refreshments and guest speaker, Christiana Bendu Hunter. Christiana is from Lofa County, Liberia, in West Africa and is the President of the Association of Citizens and Friends of Liberia (ACFLihttp://acfli.webs.com/) based in Sacramento, California. She will discuss how Liberian women mobilized for peace and an end to the civil war.

Tickets include film screening, discussion following the film and refreshments.
$15 in advance, $20 at the door.
To buy tickets visit: http://praythedevil.eventbrite.com

Book Talk with Dana: Mon, Feb. 22nd, 12-1:30, Berkeley - Microfinance: What, Where, Why, for & by Whom?

2010-02-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

You are cordially invited to meet author/photographer and life coach

DANA E. WHITAKER

who has explored the life-changing power of microfinance in her book,

Transforming Lives $40 at a Time

Women + Microfinance: Upending the Status Quo

What is microfinance? How does it work? Who is it for? How can I get involved?

Learn the answers to these questions through Dana’s captivating stories and vivid photographs featuring heart-to-heart encounters with microentrepreneurs from 13 countries on five continents who are using microfinance to transform their own and their families lives, inside and out.

When: Monday, February 22^nd, 12-1:30

Where: YWCA Berkeley/Oakland

2600 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA

510.848.6370

*Each purchase will benefit an organization whose clients are included in the book.

How in the World Can I Make a Difference that Counts?

2010-01-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

A devastating earthquake in Haiti. Sexual abuse of thousands of women and girls throughout our war-torn world. American families forced from their foreclosed homes - homelessness on the rise. Smog-filled skies and polluted rivers. Shuttered businesses - 12.3% unemployment nationwide, and growing. Under-funded schools, unconscionable dropout rates. Drug-gang violence....

As the world's woes bombard us from every direction, and appeals for help flood our email and mail boxes, so is it natural for each of us to feel both overwhelmed and anxious to do something significant to help, somehow.

This is when the suffocating questions begin to suffuse our thoughts about taking action. 'Where do I begin? How can I make a difference? What is the most pressing problem? I'm just one person; how can my limited resources make the biggest impact?' While each of these questions is valid, rather than helping us take focused action, they often have the opposite effect; they force us into knee-jerk responses at best, and an utter standstill at worst.

How can we move from this unsatisfying place

to one where we consciously commit ourselves and our resources to causes that matter both to the world and to us?

Yes, both components - positively impacting the world and ourselves - are key. Why? Because sharing our resources from a win-win place means that we are expressing our authentic selves in response to the world's needs. Finding and sticking with these matches enables us to give freely and joyfully. As important, saying 'Yes' from our authentic selves to specific causes and organizations frees us from guilt about saying 'No, thank you' to others.

I propose 3 phases towards commitment that may be repeated yearly, biannually, or whenever there's a change in our live's warranting review of our current choices:

Self-Awareness -- Exploring the Options -- Taking Action

Phase 1: SELF-AWARENESS
1. Ask yourself: "What do I care about right now?"
For example: the environment; women's issues; animal rights; domestic and international poverty alleviation; healthcare; literacy...
Prioritize your top 2-6 choices. Save the others for the future (or for others who have them at the top of their lists).
2. Then ask yourself, "At this time in my life, what are my specific, realistic, available resources that I'd like to share?"
(see categories below with examples)
a. special skills and/or hobbies - athletics, personal finance how-tos
b. financial contributions - amount quarterly, semi-annually, annually
c. volunteering/pro bono work - what type, how often, duration
d. other donations - clothing, books, food, giving blood
e. providing connections - government officials, educators, business leaders...
f. other - ...
Once you've identified types/amounts/times above...
3. Merge 1 and 2: what matters to you now with the resources you can and want to contribute. *At this point you may not know the specific organization(s) you'll be volunteering for, or contributing to, but you will know the cause(s) you're enthusiastically and realistically ready to put your resources behind.

Phase 2: EXPLORING THE OPTIONS
Now that you've merged your whats with your hows, you're ready to move to exploration. It's a great way to connect with others and discover what resonates with YOU.
1. Ask: friends and colleagues via email, facebook, linkedin, twitter, face to face
2. Research the Web: key terms/organizations serving your causes
3. Visit/Interview: an organization and others who've committed to organizations you're targeting
4. Check-in with yourself. 'Am I excited about being involved in this cause? Is this organization where I want to put my time and/or resources?' If so, move to Phase 3. If not, move to the next cause or organization on your list until you find the 'right' fit for YOU.

Phase 3: TAKE ACTION
1. Say 'Yes' to causes and organizations that resonate with YOU.
2. Enjoy the commitment(s) you've made to make a positive difference in the world.

Join me and 3 other Authors on Feb. 6th at The 16th Annual Festival of Female Authors

2010-01-19T14:05:00.000-08:00

What is it like to be an author? What are the steps, challenges and highlights along the way? Please join me and three other authors as we discuss our journeys and our books at the:

16th Annual

FESTIVAL OF WOMEN AUTHORS

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010, 8:45- 3:30

H’s LORDSHIPS

on the Berkeley Marina

Four women authors from California highlight the 16th annual Festival of Women Authors sponsored by the YWCA Berkeley/Oakland. The Festival, at H’s Lordships on the Berkeley Marina, is a full day of presentations, questions and answers and book signings on Saturday, February 6, 2010. Doors open at 8:45 a.m. Book lovers, writers and members of book clubs are invited to enjoy a continental breakfast and luncheon along with a full day of literary entertainment. Books by the featured authors will be sold by Books, Inc., Alameda throughout the day with 20% of the proceeds going toward support of YWCA programs.

The featured authors for 2010 are Dana Whitaker, Bonnie Tsui, Michelle Richmond, and Vivienne Sosnowski

Dana Whitaker’s stories and photographs in Transforming Lives $40 at a Time, Women + Microfinance: Upending the Status Quo, bring readers face-to-face with the dreams, fears, and successes of some of the world’s poorest women from five continents. Dana holds Master of Arts degrees in education from Stanford University and The George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from U.C. at Berkeley, and is a graduate of the Newfield Network, an International Coach Federation (ICF) certified coaching program. She lives in Berkeley with her husband and son.

Bonnie Tsui is the author of American Chinatown: A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods. A frequent contributor to The New York Times, she has also written for The Atlantic Monthly, National Geographic Adventure, and Mother Jones. She is a recipient of the Radcliffe Traveling Fellowship, the Lowell Thomas Award for travel journalism, and the Jane Rainie Opel Award from the Radcliffe Institute.

Michelle Richmond is the author of four books of fiction, including the critically acclaimed novel No One You Know and the New York Times bestseller, The Year of Fog. She is the recipient of the Hillsdale Award for Fiction, the Associated Writing Programs Award, and the James Michener Fellowship. She lives in San Francisco.

Vivienne Sosnowski is the author of When the Rivers Ran Red which has appeared on the San Francisco Chronicle's best-selling book list. This is the first book for this long-time journalist who cites two years of persistent searching through both national and local libraries and archives; through old files in court houses and newspapers and even in family photo albums as the basis for her history. She lives both in Healdsburg, CA, and Vancouver, Canada, and is at work on her second book.

The YWCA Berkeley/Oakland has been providing programs and services for women and girls, University of California students and the greater community in Berkeley and Oakland for over 120 years. Current community services include: Youth Development Program, Youth Mentor Program, TechGYRLS, Leadership Development Programs, English-In-Action and a diverse group of health, fitness and dance classes. Tax-deductible donations are always accepted to support programs at the YWCA. Tickets for the Festival of Women Authors are $70 per person in advance and include a continental breakfast and lunch. Tickets at the door are $80 and do not include lunch. Call the YWCA at 510-848-6370 to make your reservation. Ample free parking is available.

To register for the Festival of Women Authors

visit us on the web at http://www.ywca-berkeley.org or call us at (510) 848-6370.

HAITI - How Can We Help?

2010-01-14T15:28:00.000-08:00

How can we help the Haitians? I've chosen an immediate and long-term strategy in order to address the current and future needs of the people.

IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE: The Haitians are in survival mode. Therefore I am financially supporting an organization specializing in helping stabilize the people's needs right now by providing emergency assistance of food and medical assistance. WhiIe there are many organizations providing these essential services, I chose OXFAM America whose work on the ground I highly admire.
WEB ACCESS TO OXFAM AMERICA: www.oxfamamerica.org/

LONG-TERM ASSISTANCE: I have a background and strong belief in the power of microfinance - with both its short and long term goals focused on helping individuals take care of themselves - rather than receive a handout (which IS also necessary in any disaster like the earthquake in Haiti). Microfinance resources, including business loans, business training, insurance, health and literacy training, are key to helping no- and low- income individuals develop and grow self-sufficient businesses. Fonkoze, a microfinance organization based in Haiti, is the second organization I've chosen to support because of their life-changing work helping impoverished individuals, thus their families, work their way out of poverty. With businesses in ruins, yet those same businesses forming the core of the Haitian population's everyday needs - from providing foodstuffs to clothing, housing materials to pharmaceutical products, supporting Fonkoze will restart these much needed businesses, and help rebuild Haiti from the bottom up.
WEB ACCESS TO FONKOZE: www.fonkoze.org/

Do You Want To or Have To Make a Change? Join InChargeInChange - A Workshop Series to Help YOU Thrive in the Process

2010-01-07T13:29:00.000-08:00

Are you currently making or getting ready to embark on a change in your professional or personal life?

How do you habitually respond to and/or enact change? How effective are you?

InChargeInChange workshops teach you about the change process.

Then you'll learn what helps and hinders you from flourishing during change.

From this awareness, you'll be able to activate the key components of yourself to not only strive for and survive a change, but to thrive while doing so!

It is said that only 10% of go-it-aloners make change happen, whereas 80% of those who seek support and guidance are successful. Sign up today for an upcoming Bay Area workshop so that you will become one who is InChargeInChange.

Whether it's a new stage of life, a job layoff, a relationship issue, or starting a new career, we can help. We understand that change is complex and full of emotions—and we’ve developed a whole new way to look at change and navigate through it successfully.

Our InChargeInChange Workshops introduce you to your personalized ChangeCast, giving you the tools and insights to make any major life change positive and productive.

Get to know your personal ChangeCast

Understand how it works for you, or against you, in change

Gain clarity about your specific situation

Get the tools to regain control of your Change Story

Take action now--and keep the knowledge forever

For more details click here.
Want to see What People Are Saying?

Imagine that your change is like a play. Each of us has an internal cast of characters we can call on stage, so to speak, to guide us through change. We call it a ChangeCast. The way your unique ChangeCast works together during a major change determines your experience and your Change Story.
To learn more, click here

Beginning in late January, we're offering InChargeInChange workshops in two Bay Area locations, San Francisco and Berkeley. Each workshop is a four-part series.
Cost: $295

San Francisco Workshop Series
(led by Donna McDonald and Patti DiVella)
Session 1: Mon 2/1 - 6pm to 9pm
Session 2: Mon 2/8 - 6pm to 9pm
Session 3: Mon 2/22 - 6pm to 9pm
Session 4: Mon 3/1 - 6pm to 9pm

Berkeley Workshop Series
(led by Susan Wayne and Dana Whitaker)
Session 1: Wed 1/27 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Session 2: Wed 2/3 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Session 3: Wed 2/10 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Session 4: Wed 2/24 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm

Read about the leaders and our approach

Questions about our workshop? Just email donna@changecast.com, susan@changecast.com or dewhitaker@openingeyes.net
To learn more about ChangeCast, visit us at www.changecast.com.

Manifesting the Change You Want to Make Workshop

2009-12-17T18:18:00.000-08:00

Coaching for a Change

InChargeInChange

What's InChargeInChange?

It's not just the name of the ChangeCast™ workshops -- it's exactly how you'll feel after you take this workshop.

Who It's For

Are you facing a major life change that's causing you to lose perspective, lose confidence, lose clarity, or lose sleep? Take charge -- take the lead in your Change Story. Whether it's a job layoff, a relationship break-up, a health issue, a financial challenge, or entering a new career or stage of your life, we can help. InChargeInChange Workshops are designed to make any major personal or professional change positive and productive by giving you the insights to see your situation clearly and the tools to take action and make the change happen.

How It Works

In this workshop, a team of ChangeCast™ professionals, Dana and Susan Wayne, will guide you through the unique ChangeCast™ process.

1. Take the self-assessment to reveal your personal ChangeCast™

2. Get to know The Protagonists in your ChangeCast™ and The Antagonists trying to sabotage them

3. Learn how each one affects your personal Change Story

4. Take charge of your ChangeCast™, your Change Story and your life

Workshop Format

InChargeInChange is a multi-step series with a structured format to keep you moving forward and making progress at every step. Yes, 4-3 hour sessions is a time commitment. But all of our participants tell us it's absolutely worth it. Our workshops are intimate, with no more than 12 people, and designed so that everyone shares -- our Change Stories, why we get stuck, and why we thrive. Our workshops are highly engaging, informative, personalized and effective -- no matter who you are or what change you're facing. If you want to realize a significant change; InChargeInChange is for you. Includes personal coaching.
When: Wednesdays, Jan. 27, Feb. 3, 10, 24
5:30-8:00

Where: Berkeley, CA

Investment: $295 for the series ($270 - Early Registration (by Jan.15) OR Refer-a-Friend Discount)

Sign Up: Email Dana at: dewhitaker@openingeyes.net

Upon registration, you will receive workshop location

2009-08-25T20:58:00.001-07:00

Your Language IS You

"I am an Amazon." Which definition(s) I choose to describe myself will drive my self-esteem and my beliefs in my possibilities for action, for success, and my ability to connect with others.

Amazon: noun
1. a member of a legendary race of female warriors believed by the ancient Greeks to exist in Scythia (near the Black Sea in modern Russia) or elsewhere on the edge of the known world.

2. a tall and strong or athletic woman.

3. a parrot, typically green and with a broad rounded tail, found in Central and South America. • Genus Amazona, family Psittacidae: numerous species.

4. a river in South America that flows more than 4,150 miles (6,683 km) through Peru, Colombia, and Brazil into the Atlantic Ocean. It drains two-fifths of the continent and, in terms of water-flow, is the largest river in the world.

I may choose to be a courageous, confident, athletic woman,

flowing powerfully and joyfully through life.

I may choose to define myself as

too big, too manly, too goofy, too uncontrollable.

Each definition will activate me, but in profoundly different ways.

What steps are you taking to identify and forge a successful new career?

2009-04-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for a new career? Determined to find one that fits YOU? Here are some questions that I recommend you ask yourself as well as friends, family and colleagues you trust who will be thoughtfully honest with you.

1. What topics, events, people, places motivate you?

2. What frustrates or demoralizes you?

3. What happens when you walk into a room? What to do people see, sense?

4. What should you start to do that you aren't doing? Stop doing that you are doing? Continue doing?

Taken together, such answers will help you learn more about how you and others perceive you. What skills, values, interests arise? What might you bring to a career, what might you want to leave behind? Armed with this information, you'll undoubtedly expand your options for identifying and forging a successful career.

Welcome to Opening Eyes, LLC!

2009-02-26T22:22:00.000-08:00

Dana's blog is intended to explore, learn and share information and experiences regarding two areas:

Personal and Professional Goals

and

Microfinance

My first issue combines both my passions: How does one forge ahead on a project or conversation despite one's fear? I had that opportunity when I learned about microfinance and decided to get involved by writing a book (Transforming Lives $40 at a Time) about microentrepreneurs. The only thing stopping me was my HUGE fear about whether I, someone who was not a trained photojournalist, could possibly capture the essence of these individuals' lives in photos and words. A key to opening my lock was when I finally let my passion for the project over-ride my rational arguments of what I was and was not capable of. I never could have guessed that facing my fear and taking this project on despite it, would transform my life so significantly that I launched a new career - personal and professional coaching - to help others move forward in any area of their lives!

So here are a few follow-up questions: Where are you stuck? What holds you back? What helps you move forward? I look forward to having a conversation with you.