Milisa Burns 5/21/24 Milisa Burns 5/21/24

Using Anger to “Shore Up” Presence

Multitudes of women have shared with me over the 19 years that I’ve been a coach, that, above all, they desire to feel more present in their lives - to be able to be enjoying their lives and more of the experiences that they’re having. In this post I share an anecdote where I used my imagination to “shore up” my presence involving:

boundaries

anger; and

river imagery.

I hope this post is even a fraction as inspiring for you to read as it has been for me to write.

Milisa Burns 3/1/24 Milisa Burns 3/1/24

Seeing the World with New Eyes (Literally)!

I’m in awe of what I’m seeing now that I have new lenses in my eyes - I’m literally seeing the world with new eyes. I had cataract surgery in January. (Cataract surgery is considered major eye surgery - they broke up my lenses with a laser, removed them and implanted new lenses.)

Milisa Burns 11/28/23 Milisa Burns 11/28/23

Wish for Pockets of Silence

My current (and ongoing) wish for you and for me is to be able to pause and find some silence on a regular basis, amidst all the hustle bustle and noise (not to mention Black Friday sales). This morning, "silence" for me was walking to the ravine by myself. That's when this message to you bubbled up.

Milisa Burns 9/13/23 Milisa Burns 9/13/23

Boundary-Setting Inspiration from Lord of the Rings

I’ve long struggled with setting boundaries, personally and professionally, in a way that is more compassionate and self-compassionate, rather than rigid and resentful. A perennial people pleaser, I’ve had to practise saying anything other than a full on “yes” when responding to a request. In this post I share a big shift I had around boundary-setting which has resulted in me feeling both encouraged and understood by my family when I need to take time to myself, to gather my strength and reconnect with my courage and clarity.

Milisa Burns 5/14/23 Milisa Burns 5/14/23

Mother’s Day Gratitude

Being back in London ON recently, I was struck by the beauty in my parents' home and it's surrounding gardens. Their house is filled with art, beautifully curated, something I appreciate much more now than I did as a teenager when I used to drag my feet during our visits to many art galleries.

Milisa Burns 5/12/23 Milisa Burns 5/12/23

Bragging Rights: How to Talk about your Work Using Purposeful Self-Promotion

I'm still glowing from all the amazing conversations at last Thursday's launch of the transformational book Bragging Rights: How to Talk about your Work Using Purposeful Self-Promotion by Lisa Bragg.

Milisa Burns 5/9/22 Milisa Burns 5/9/22

Hope You Enjoyed Mother’s Day

I hope you enjoyed some moments of goodness, even joy, yesterday, however and with whomever you celebrated.

I savoured some time outside in the backyard reading our book club choice this month, Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain. A highlight for me was taking in the beauty of our young magnolia tree, which is covered in blooms for the first time ever.

Milisa Burns 12/22/21 Milisa Burns 12/22/21

Pareto's 80 - 20 Principle - A Slight Twist

I wanted to share one thing I’m celebrating, hoping it’s meaningful and maybe helpful to you too, during what can be a very overwhelming time of year even without the Pandemic.

Milisa Burns 3/6/20 Milisa Burns 3/6/20

It’s Time for Us to Be Smarter with These Big Feelings

These times are providing an opportunity for us to grow and become more emotionally intelligent. Emotional intelligence is about being smarter with our feelings, bringing our cognition and our feelings together. (Definition from SixSeconds.org) Our feelings are important data to take in; we ignore them at our peril.

Milisa Burns 1/24/20 Milisa Burns 1/24/20

Nourishing Conversation About Resilience With Allison Wolf of Shiftworks Coaching

My friend and colleague Allison Wolf of Shiftworks Coaching For Lawyers invited me to join her in a virtual conversation about Resilience, which we recorded for you. Back story: Last Fall, Allison and I collaborated on a Canadian Bar Association Webinar on Resilience (our third collaboration!). This nourishing conversation explores some of the themes we shared on the webinar.

Milisa Burns 1/24/20 Milisa Burns 1/24/20

Powerful and Fun Conversation with Kim Ades of Frame of Mind Coaching

My friend and colleague Kim Ades, Founder of Frame of Mind Coaching invited me to her podcast. We discuss coaching leadership, parenting, why I run women's circles and the importance of Feminine Power and SheEO.

Milisa Burns 6/10/19 Milisa Burns 6/10/19

Seize the Summer!

Seizing the Summer may not be about the hammock for you. And Seizing the Summer is not necessarily about planning a big exciting trip, or some other splashy event, either, though those can be very fun. Seizing the Summer is about what would be really meaningful for you.

Milisa Burns 1/20/17 Milisa Burns 1/20/17

Feeling the Pull Toward Something Greater in a Mystical Landscape

I went with my family to see Mystical Landscapes: Masterpieces from Monet, Van Gogh & More at the AGO this past Sunday. The exhibition explores the mystical experiences in nature of 37 different artists. It was a gorgeous (if crowded!) experience. I was so inspired. At one point we were encouraged to focus on one of Charles-Marie Dulac’s works and just sit and be mindful, noticing what we saw.

Milisa Burns 10/27/16 Milisa Burns 10/27/16

Ann Patchett – Present and Powerful!

Recently, I had the good fortune to be invited by my friend Isabelle to go see Ann Patchett being interviewed at the Toronto Reference Library. Ann Patchett is on tour for her latest novel, Commonwealth. I have read several of her novels over the years (including Bel Canto, Run and State of Wonder) and really enjoyed them.

Milisa Burns 9/16/16 Milisa Burns 9/16/16

The Story of the Horse, the Monkey and the Bird

This is the story of the horse, the monkey and the bird. I took them all to Texas with me to a coaches' conference back in 2010. In fact, I take them everywhere with me. They are me. They represent my mind (the monkey), my body (the horse) and my spirit (the bird). They really came to life for me while I was on the treadmill at about 6 am one morning during this conference.

Milisa Burns 2/15/16 Milisa Burns 2/15/16

Harnessing of "The Upside of Stress" by Kelly McGonigal

Whenever I feel compelled to talk a lot about something I have just learned, I realize that it is an important idea.

Milisa Burns 1/17/16 Milisa Burns 1/17/16

Intuition is Key

I was going to write about something completely different this week. But then I listened to my intuition. Here's what happened. The other morning when I turned on my phone after breakfast (I try to wait an hour after waking before turning on my phone), there was a FB message for me from our lovely former neighbour at the cottage.

Milisa Burns 10/31/14 Milisa Burns 10/31/14

Highlights from "Overwhelmed: Work Love and Play When No One Has The Time" by Brigid Schulte

Overwhelm… That mix of feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, fragmented, even despairing, is a common theme among many women I speak to and coach, and something I have struggled with too.

Milisa Burns 5/28/14 Milisa Burns 5/28/14

Becoming Your Own Best Friend ("OBF")

At one time or another, many of us feel stuck in a rut, wanting to grow into our bigger, better selves, but not knowing how. This can feel lonely, and scary too, since growing means changing, and changing tends to feel scary more often than not.

Milisa Burns 9/25/13 Milisa Burns 9/25/13

Wise Words in "Stompa"

Have you ever heard a song over and over again and enjoyed it at a surface level, and then, for some reason, at some point, you decide to stop long enough to really listen to it?

Free Grounding, Centering, Empowering Practices