by Gretchen | Feb 3, 2010 | InterPlay
Tonight we had another delicious Tuesday night InterPlay class. On my drive home, I couldn’t help reflecting about how grateful I am for this community. And I wondered — what has caused the Tuesday night community to grow and thrive over the last 2 1/2...
by Gretchen | Jan 30, 2010 | Academic Coaching, Random Stuff
At the end of February I have a speaking engagement, during which I will explore the question “Social or Solo? Why Learning in Community Beats Learning alone”. I’ll be speaking for a graduate school audience at my alma mater, and I’m excited...
by Gretchen | Jan 29, 2010 | Academic Coaching, MuseCubes, Random Stuff
I recently took a walk around Lake Merritt with a former academic coaching client. What sweetness! One of the things I adore about my work as an academic/life coach for teenagers is that I get to build strong connections & collaborations with young people. And...
by Gretchen | Jan 21, 2010 | Creativity & Edges, MuseCubes
As a product inventor, people often ask me whether I’ve “protected” Musecubes. Certainly, I’m in the process of trademarking and copyrighting my products. So in that sense — yes. But with any creative idea, to what extent do I truly...
by Gretchen | Jan 20, 2010 | Creativity & Edges
I recently went on a first date with a man who’d been cleaning out his bookshelves. He gave me Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen. Tonight, I stumbled across this sage advice: Everyone’s wholeness is unique and even such common role models as...
by Gretchen | Jan 12, 2010 | Creativity & Edges
There are a few REALLY IMPORTANT tasks that I’ve been procrastinating doing. I’m thinking about them right now because I’m looking at my “To Do” list. And I’m noticing that INSTEAD of actually choosing to order MuseCubes supplies, ...
by Gretchen | Jan 10, 2010 | InterPlay
Recently a friend sent me a survey asking me what ensemble performance feels like. She’s getting her Ph.D. and she needed some help. Ever the dutiful friend, I complied. I’ll share the text of those emails in a second. But first — I want to share...
by Gretchen | Jan 8, 2010 | Academic Coaching, Organization
This is just a quick blog entry to celebrate one of my academic coaching clients. I’ll call him Oscar. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I walked into his bedroom last Wednesday evening. A transformation had occurred around Oscar’s desk. Over the...
by Gretchen | Jan 7, 2010 | InterPlay
I had so much fun teaching my first InterPlay Performance Technique class — totally solo!! For the last two and a half years I’ve been Elizabeth Mendana’s teaching sidekick. But then she decided to move away. So, I took a deep breath… and a...
by Gretchen | Dec 19, 2009 | MuseCubes
This Monday I posted a challenge to myself: to sell 126 MuseCubes before the holidays. Well, I didn’t get close to that number (I didn’t quite expect to, but the number 126 was special — see below — to me so I used it as my symbolic goal). I...
by Gretchen | Dec 18, 2009 | Academic Coaching, For Parents
Lately in my academic coaching practice, my teen clients have been writing their parents emails. This is just an experiment, but I think it’s going well and I wanted to share. My rationale is that teens are much more likely to accept reminders to do their...
by Gretchen | Dec 17, 2009 | Academic Coaching, Organization
A student just rushed desperately into my Learning Center. “I need help! Do you have time?” she asked. Since she was not one of my regular clients, I had to tell her that I had no more than five minutes. But she could have all five of the minutes I have!!...
by Gretchen | Dec 16, 2009 | InterPlay
For the past two-and-a-half years I’ve been blessed to teach InterPlay with dancer extraordinaire Elizabeth Mendana. Tonight Elizabeth taught her last Tuesday night class (sniff!) and soon I’ll be leading it alone (holy cow!). For those of you new to the...
by Gretchen | Dec 9, 2009 | Academic Coaching, Random Stuff
One of my academic coaching clients just bounded into my office, joy bubbling over. She’d made an A on a test and had improved her overall grades in all her classes into the A & B range. She’s so proud, and I wanted to harness her feeling of momentum....
by Gretchen | Dec 8, 2009 | MuseCubes
Today at Wing It! rehearsal I was feeling kinda down in the dumps. But then Bobbie, one of my fellow performers, knew just how to lift my spirits: she told me about some of her recent MuseCube moments! I made a point to snag her at the end of rehearsal and ask if...
by Gretchen | Dec 4, 2009 | MuseCubes
Awwwww! I’ve always known that MuseCubes make great gifts. But it’s nice to hear it directly from the recipients. Here’s how composer and Taiko drummer Kathryn Cabunoc, describes how the MuseCubes helped her break through stuckness: …writing...
by Gretchen | Dec 4, 2009 | MuseCubes
Wowzers! I invented a new use for the MuseCubes today. Story first, then tip below: The Story: Singing Unlocks Brilliance My friend Annie came over to cowork with me this morning. We usually meet for 3 hours, each working separately on important projects. Nothing like...
by Gretchen | Nov 21, 2009 | Creativity & Edges
Today I got to meet Leah Piken Kolidas! Leah is an artist who sells her fabulous work online, coordinates the Creative Everyday Challenge, blogs, and a bunch of other cool stuff. She and I know each other from twitter, but we live on opposite sides of the country....
by Gretchen | Nov 19, 2009 | Academic Coaching, Organization
Have you seen how much paper teenagers these days have to process? Way more than I ever did in high school, that’s for sure. A trick I learned from my academic coaching mentor Beth Samuelson is the Mothership, a filing system that transfers all relevant papers...
by Gretchen | Nov 17, 2009 | Academic Coaching, Random Stuff
On the way home from InterPlay San Francisco, I swerved into the local convenience store parking lot, Ben & Jerry’s calling my name. The cashier was puzzling over a photocopied handout. “Whatcha readin’?” I asked, as I handed him my icy...
