Living the fast-paced, glamorous New York City lifestyle, Dena Patton started a thriving business there at the age of only 24. Just a few years later, she suffered a minor stroke that changed the course of her life. After consulting a life coach to help her make some lifestyle changes, Dena decided to become a life coach herself. In 2004 she founded Chat, Chew & Chocolate, (CCC), an online community of women looking for connection and inspiration. In addition to local live chapters, Dena organizes CCC retreats in Arizona where she is based.

The retreats are designed for women to connect, relax and rejuvenate. I will be participating in the next retreat – October 1-3, 2010 – as a mentor and facilitator. The other featured speakers are well-known life coach and Oprah Magazine contributor, Martha Beck and Biggest Loser winner and author, Ali Vincent.

Chat, Chew & Chocolate Logo

One of my passions has been working with women in the nurturing environment of the health spa, where relaxation and learning are beautifully woven together. I have led my own groups at Canyon Ranch and Red Mountain Spa for years.

Attending events like this gives me a chance to connect with a wide spectrum of women from all over the country.  And now sharing the platform with other accomplished women adds an exciting new dimension for me personally and professionally.

While I cherish my private therapy practice, I look forward to opportunities to get outside of my routine to embrace new experiences and make new friends. Along with the CCC retreat in October, I will be traveling to Los Angeles later in October for the California Women’s Conference.

Also, as a writer, I love listening to the stories women reveal about their lives when they feel relaxed and safe. Seems like everyone comes away from this venue inspired and energized.  The benefits of travel, adventures, and opening yourself up to new people and experiences often has a profound impact on your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Looking forward to sharing my upcoming encounters on DrRKG.com and  VibrantNation.com.

At the moment there are still several spots available at the CCC retreat in October. The next one will be in February, 2011.

It would be fabulous if you could join us there!

Jill Karp lives a life filled with purpose, love and adventure. “I’m never fearful of what’s next,” Jill explains. “I’m more excited about what comes next and I feel strongly that until you close one door, it’s really hard to wholeheartedly open another. Change doesn’t bother me.” It is no wonder then that this resilient wife, mother, entrepreneur and world traveler has embraced the transitions in her life during the past couple of years, trading ballet recitals for squatting in Third World huts.

What motivates Jill to create this kind of impact on others and give back in such a deeply committed way?

From principal dancer to premier dance studio owner

Lithe and lovely, Jill Karp moved to Boston to follow her man. Her dream to become a professional dancer was dashed by a knee injury. After learning about her physical limitation, Jill chose to build her own dance studio. Dancer’s Workshop rapidly became a successful enterprise.

Jill Karp dancing

Swimming and mindfulness exercises are part of her daily routine, despite juggling her family (three sons and husband), dance studio, home, relationships and volunteering for local schools and charities such as the Children’s Hospital League.

An optimist by nature, Jill seems to weather storms with an ease most of us need to cultivate. Her mother received the cruel diagnosis of sinus cancer right after Jill married. Twenty years and eleven surgeries later Jill’s mother succumbed to this unforgiving disease. Until her death, Jill escorted her mother on travel adventures so her mom could see the world. She carefully planned these travel experiences around the needs of her family and dance studio.

Jill’s love for exploring the world began at age 16 with a summer in Israel. “I always had a sense of adventure,” she says. A few years later Jill spent two semesters studying dance in London and traveled extensively.

At the same time, participating in charitable endeavors was a fundamental core value. With her mother as a role model who took part in community- oriented philanthropy, Jill became involved with the Make a Wish Foundation and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in college.

“It feels like it is my purpose when I help someone else. That’s where I belong,” Jill says. “It’s always been a part of my life. I have my kids and family and my job and then I always have to have something to anchor me.”

The Karp Family

When Jill began looking for new philanthropic endeavors, she wanted something hands-on. She enjoys the “raw, physical piece” of volunteering, especially in Third World settings. “I get as much from changing five people’s lives as 500.”

Missions to an Orphanage in India and Ethiopia with Mercy Corps

Shortly after the death of her best friend Jean, Jill decided to sell her dance studio to move on to the next phase of her life. For the first time in her life Jill was able to devote more time to pursuits outside of the care of her family, home and work. Her boys were growing up: Ben, the eldest, went on to college and Sam and Daniel were following close behind.

Jill decided to take a yearlong sabbatical. Her passion for travel, adventure and philanthropic endeavors flourished after a succession of losses. She began volunteering for Mercy Corps and went to Ethiopia to work with impoverished women and children. Jill balanced this and other missions with the needs of her own boys.

Jill Karp in Ethiopia on Mercy Corps mission

The experience with Mercy Corps resonated deeply with Jill because, as she put it, “It’s not about dumping food in an under served part of the world. It’s about responsible and sustainable change. Teaching people to grow crops so they can feed themselves, helping them to build schools so they can educate themselves. It’s creating lasting change.”

Fascinated by Indian culture Jill decided next to spend some time at the Premavasam orphanage in Chennai working with disabled children. Here Jill witnessed devastating poverty, and children abandoned by their mothers or left to die in the streets.

Jill described children eating a single meal a day and their only hope resting on their ability to get an education. The filthy orphanage lacked resources to a degree that is hard to fully comprehend in our culture. By choosing to sponsor 20 children in the orphanage, Jill has ensured that they will receive decent housing, food and an education. She advocates tirelessly for these children.

One of the many letters Jill received from Kavitha, a young girl she sponsors:

Kavitha in an Indian orphanage

Dear Jill,

I am fine, I hope you also fine! I am happy to write this letter. I am studying 10th standard at St. Ann’s Matriculation.Hr. secondary school. I go to the school by bicylcle everyday. Now we started to study 10th Standard subjects. I like that very much. I am going to write the annual examination in 15th of March. It will go till March 23rd. I have sent my report card to you. In our quarterly holidays we went to Velankanni Church and last month we went to watch a movie. We enjoyed the movie. We celebrated Republic Day on January 26th. In our home here we conducted some competitions. I participated in Dance, Running Race and poetry competitions. I got first prize in Running Race and Dance. Second prize in poetry.

Now we shifted our room in our home. It is very large and I feel comfortable and I am happy being with my friends. I am very thankful to you for your love and help towards my studies. I thank you for your love and concern towards me. I pray to God for your good health and welfare. Please pray for us.

Yours lovingly,

Kavitha

When asked what drives Jill to pursue these missions, she believes that children are the hope of the future. She also loves traveling to other cultures and working in the heart of raw circumstances. “I come home and feel so blessed with my own family. I am fortunate to live a full life and be able to give back.”

Interestingly Jill is never apprehensive when she moves on to the next philanthropic travel adventure. She loves the excitement of the unknown and derives great happiness from these experiences.

Jill Karp at orphanage in India

“My family has learned to support me in these endeavors. They know “that when mommy’s happy, everyone is happy. I also want to set an example for my kids, so they know how important it is to always give back and see the bigger picture.”

A Life Filled with New Pursuits and Philanthropic Endeavors

Jill continues to pursue these and other missions from her home base. She recently started a business in the Boston area called LESS, a business devoted to organizing, restructuring and energizing homes for people in transition. “I only take a single client at a time. I love being part of a person’s transformation.” Changing one life at a time – whether here in Boston or in Ethiopia or India – Jill takes her mission to help others with her wherever she goes.

Jill makes life decisions based on her heart. “I’m deeply committed to creating a life that fulfills me and makes a difference.” She manages to build rituals into her day that support her mentally and physically regardless of her schedule.

One of those women that make many of us wonder, ‘How does she manage it all?‘ Jill goes about her day with a certain grace and lightness. She assumes a leadership role that embraces others who want to work beside her and learn from her.

She helped establish the Wayland Angels several years ago, an agency that helps families in crisis in her local community, and continues to stay involved. In addition Jill serves on the allocation committee for community service planning for Combined Jewish Philanthropies.

Jill with participant at the Women2Women workshop in 2009

Jill recently agreed to participate in Women2Women, a workshop through Empower Peace in which young women from around the globe come together at Lesley College to learn the skills of negotiation. The idea behind the program is for women who plan careers in government to learn how to express themselves authentically and listen deeply to one another so they can better understand each other’s perspectives.

When asked what the driving force is behind her boundless energy and philanthropic endeavors, Jill says, “I don’t think there’s anything better that you can do in this world than bring light wherever you go. Every day I think how I can make today really matter.”

Did you know that the average age of an adventure traveler is not a twenty-something year old male, but rather a 47-year-old female? According to the Adventure Travel Trade Association, fifty-two percent of adventure travelers are women and those numbers are rising rapidly.

As women become more powerful in the workforce, they are also finding themselves interested in compelling philanthropic travel adventures around the globe that help improve the lives of others.

Beth, a social worker for 20 years with two children in college, found herself wanting more out of her life. Over the years Beth and her family went on modest vacations that she always enjoyed. With all the members of her immediate circle healthy and going about their lives without any major problems, at first Beth could not identify what was missing for her. Good marriage, good kids, good job – not perfect – but “good enough” as we psychologists often refer to it. Yet Beth still found something lacking in her world. Turns out, she was in the throes of an important life transition. Her nest now empty, Beth took the time to consider more deeply what she needed to do in this next phase of her life.

Initially Beth questioned her marriage and work situation. After some detailed discussions and a considerable amount of introspection, she realized that these aspects of her life were not the issue. Beth realized that she needed to tap into an inner passion that had long been on hold since raising her children.

Beth decided to research travel opportunities during school breaks. Her husband, an executive in a pharmaceutical company, was deeply engaged in his work and could not get away during this time. Layoffs in his company had been rampant and he needed to maintain a presence.

Ultimately Beth planned her time off not just for the sake of “aimless travel” as she referred to it, but to turn her travel experience into a philanthropic opportunity. She investigated numerous organizations that offered “…socially-conscious travel…committed to helping individuals and small groups create meaningful life experiences through Travel Philanthropy in some of the world’s most inspiring destinations…[and] committed to leaving a positive footprint in each region-helping to preserve the past and enrich the future.”

In the end Beth made her first philanthropic travel experience within the United States. She spent a week in early March working with Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans. During that time she hammered away with other volunteers and witnessed a house taking shape. She built friendships with people from around the country, who all came together to make a difference. Beth found the experience exhilarating and profoundly enriching. She is already looking into her next philanthropic travel adventure.

“It’s what each of us sows, and how, that gives to us character and prestige. Seeds of kindness, goodwill, and human understanding, planted in fertile soil, spring up into deathless friendships, big deeds of worth, and a memory that will not soon fade…”
~George Matthew Adams

Beth discovered how she could successfully combine her love of travel with adventure, philanthropy and surprising connections. She says this is the first step towards her personal transformation.

If you took a similar trip, where would you go and what would you want to do?

Olympians evoke an image of extraordinary persistence, hope and optimism. They embody the notion of mind over matter. Olympic athletes endure years of training, overcoming challenges, injuries, and withstand losses amidst the wins. They give up the usual social life of the young. These spectacular women and men hail from every part of the world to compete and push past boundaries. They dare to dream. They dare to go the distance. On February 13, Nodar Kumaritashvili, Georgian Luge Olympic hopeful, tragically died on the opening day of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. He lost control at a crucial moment while practicing for his competition. Perhaps it was the ice, the unimaginable speed or simply a split second error in judgment. At 21, Nodar embodied the passion, perseverance and optimism known to all Olympians. While the luge incident might have seemed extreme to most, there is a message to be gleaned from Nodar’s premature death. Believing in oneself and going for the gold in our own lives invariably promises to be a better ride than holding back from pursuing our dreams. Everyday we are presented with opportunities to create the vision that supports our personal and professional goals and dreams. We get to choose the way we move through the hours, days and weeks of our lives. Taking one infinitesimally small step at a time, we can move closer to realizing our fullest potential. I recently spent a week at the Red Mountain Spa in Utah, where I presented on the topics of Love, Romance and Friendships in honor of Valentine’s Day and Heart Health Month. Men and women came from all parts of the world to hike, bike, climb mountains and practice yoga at dawn. Some of us were trying these activities for the first time, while others were veterans. We all came together one way or another, creating groups and challenging ourselves to go further. The energy was contagious and compelling. It seemed like each participant shared the inspired feeling that, “I can do this.” “This” means something different to each of us.

Hiking at Red Mountain Resort during "Bootcamp"

Whenever I present in this venue I am awed by the beauty of the Red Mountains and the willingness of people to stretch past their usual boundaries. Tai chi at sunset, with the sounds of flutes, brought a high powered business man to tears. Hiking five vertical miles of sharp black lava and sandy red terrain connected a mother and daughter more deeply. One young woman who came to the spa with acne, a sad face and rounded shoulders, left looking calmer, clearer and considerably more self confident. Coming home I have a renewed appreciation for the possibilities of every day. Life is about attitude and making the decision to meet challenges rather than making excuses. Each day find the necessary support and inspiration so that we can achieve our goals and dreams. At Red Mountain Spa guests are greeted with the expression, “Have a great adventure today” by staff members. Perhaps corny, but there is wisdom in those words. Sadly Nodar Kumaritashvili will not have another day to live out his passion, but you do! I wish you all a great and safe adventure today. What will you do today to make this day count?

Every year I am blessed with the opportunity to present workshops and seminars at the Red Mountain Resort and Spa.  The workshops and seminars cover a wide range of women’s issues like resilience, building healthy relationships, happiness, gratitude and forgiveness, parenting concerns, building supports systems etc.

This year my talks will be about love, romance and fostering healthy relationships in celebration of February, Heart Health Month and of course, Valentine’s Day.

Red Mountain Spa is tucked away in the serene and breathtaking beauty of the red rocks surrounding St. George, Utah. Swirls of red, magenta and burnt orange mountains lend new meaning to the term ‘eye candy.’ Sunsets light up the skies in exquisite shades of purple, pink and gold. Artifacts abound from that Native American tribes that once lived in these stunning red mountains.

Each morning begins with exhilarating hikes through trails, infusing the mind and body with extraordinary images that pervade the senses. A certain camaraderie emerges with the mix of hikers that come together each morning. Newly formed relationships, rekindled connections and personal inspiration are by products of the myriad of daily activities. Beautiful and healthy meals, swimming in luxurious pools, yoga, pilates, cycling on glorious paths and of course, massages and every conceivable treatment round out the day.

Swaying on a hammock outside and reading a book, typing away on my computer or meditating in the Zen park overlooking the vistas all elicit a deep feeling of calm and contemplation.

After a healthy and relaxing dinner, I am ready to talk or sing about anything. Fortunately, singing is definitely off the table. At 8:00 p.m. it’s off to the meeting room where I will facilitate workshops aimed at inspiring women to improve resilience, build healthy and lasting relationships and create successful support systems.

Please join me for this fabulous adventure that is sure to ignite your mind and body, February 12th through February 15th at the Red Mountain Spa. One never fails to leave Red Mountain feeling more relaxed, rejuvenated and enriched.

Where do you go in your life for inspiration and rejuvenation?