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 10/2/15 Milisa Burns 10/2/15

AHA! Work-Life Synergy!

I had an epiphany on my yoga mat recently that I would love to tell you about, but first a quick back-story. This summer, I was sharing with my coach that I couldn’t name the kind of coach that I am. I have never felt like a life coach, or a career coach, a leadership or an executive coach, though many aspects of each resonate with me and are reflected in my coaching.

Milisa Burns 5/1/15 Milisa Burns 5/1/15

9 Tips to Prevent Burnout – Voices of Experience

Nine terrific, and it turned out, very generous and experienced women, joined me as I hosted the lunch and workshop: Three Common Mistakes Professional Women Make that Keep Them Feeling Exhausted and Overwhelmed. The group’s discussion became especially engaged around the subject of burnout.

Milisa Burns 3/27/15 Milisa Burns 3/27/15

More Joy – From Natasha Bedingfield’s Song “Unwritten”

I am not on top of pop culture – I rely on my family to keep me up to date, so I only really noticed this song: Unwritten, by Natasha Bedingfield (2004), in November when it was played as part of the Feminine Power Mastery course I am taking. I loved the song as soon as I heard a part of it.

Milisa Burns 2/13/15 Milisa Burns 2/13/15

Finding Joy, Despite XYZ Stresses

Did you see this article by Gillian Livingston in the Globe and Mail last weekend about the study on stress: Survey Says: We’re Stressed (and not loving it)? So many of us are stressed way beyond our comfort zone. Some stress is good, but too much and unrelenting stress is bad, in a myriad of ways.

Milisa Burns 12/3/14 Milisa Burns 12/3/14

Meeting A Woman On A Mission: Arianna Huffington

Two weeks ago, I shook hands with Arianna Huffington. I don’t get very excited about Hollywood stars, but meeting Arianna Huffington was another story. Meeting her really did get me excited, especially after hearing what she had to say to the crowd at The Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto two weeks ago.

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 9/29/14 Milisa Burns 9/29/14

Want to Move from Dread to Enjoyment? Be Inspired by this Story

Is there a part of your work, your home or your community life that you dread on a regular basis? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to shift out of the dread to something more positive… dare we even say, to shift from dread to enjoyment?

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 3/21/14 Milisa Burns 3/21/14

Appreciating the Power of Gratitude For Greater Happiness - Part 2

You may have heard that choosing to be grateful is one of the most powerful ways to boost your happiness. That's why I am really dwelling on it here.

Milisa Burns 12/19/13 Milisa Burns 12/19/13

Are You Exhausted from Giving? Inspiration from "Give and Take" by Adam Grant

Do you ever feel exhausted from giving so much to others without considering yourself enough in the equation? If so, you are not alone and this post is really for you. It contains good news! It doesn’t have to be an “either/or” thing – give to others or give to yourself.

Milisa Burns 11/6/13 Milisa Burns 11/6/13

Dear Woman of Strength

Dear Woman of Strength who is feeling exhausted and depleted and a bit hopeless, I invite you to drop your mask of perfection and show someone you trust your vulnerability, your humanity, and your beauty hidden underneath that mask.

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?

Milisa Burns 8/30/13 Milisa Burns 8/30/13

What Are Your Keystone Habits?

Are you a creature of habit, of carefully crafted rituals and routines meant to help you function at your best? When those habits are not as achievable as usual, do you feel like a fish out of water, struggling to breathe? Does this situation often make you feel stuck and frustrated?

Milisa Burns 7/31/13 Milisa Burns 7/31/13

Do You Know How Much of Your Happiness is Actually Within Your Control?

Scientific research has validated what you might have learned from experience or have heard from a wise elder: a large portion of our happiness is within our control and has little to do with our life circumstances. Science is also showing why happiness should be an important goal for us.

Milisa Burns 6/27/13 Milisa Burns 6/27/13

Rose Coloured Lenses? Yes… and So Much More!

When something good happens to you, do you routinely say: "I was just lucky", or quickly see who else you can give credit to for that good thing? When something bad happens to you, do you usually chastise yourself about it and then think about how often this kind of thing happens to you?

Milisa Burns 4/29/13 Milisa Burns 4/29/13

The Freedom of Being of Service

I encourage you to keep a mindset of service while you are designing this work. Keep it front and centre and that will help ground you - how can you being of service in your own unique way help your clients and your organization?

Milisa Burns 3/31/13 Milisa Burns 3/31/13

Where's Our Passion?

Have you ever yearned to find more passion, or even some passion, in your work? Reading Lean In: Women, Work and The Will To Lead by Sheryl Sandberg over March Break made me remember an experience when I so strongly felt that yearning.

Milisa Burns 2/27/13 Milisa Burns 2/27/13

Inspiration on the Bunny Hill

When I was a very little girl, age 3, my Dad, Dr. Wilson Rodger, taught me to downhill ski. I had tiny red wooden skis and a bit of an attitude. Lucky us: we had a wee but perfect hill for learning to ski a 10 minute ride away - the London Ski Club, affectionately known as the "Byron Bump".

Free Grounding, Centering, Empowering Practices