Supernova Review 1

How can an introvert best move forward with the daunting task of book promotion? By sharing the good vibes! My next four posts will reveal the supernova power of some wonderful folks who shared their light with me!

Michael Worsfold. When I asked for a role play partner (for an advanced speech project) at my MorningSTARS Toastmasters club, I was surprised when Michael volunteered. He was new to the club, somewhat new to town, and I admired his willingness to jump in and take part. The project was on Interpersonal Communication and, as I’ve gotten to know Michael over the last year or two, I’ve begun to see how important this topic is to him. It is reflected in his work, his home life, his friendships, and in his speech projects — he is now working through that same Interpersonal Communication manual. It is a difficult manual — the most difficult that I have done — and I have appreciated watching Michael move through the projects with ease, demonstrating his ability to hold positive space in conversations, whether they be social, abusive, exploratory or otherwise challenging.

In some of Michael’s earlier speeches, he talked about being a Transformational Coach — and the power of transforming our lives — at home and in the workplace. This really spoke to me because I have been transforming my life at every opportunity. And so has Michael. Now in his seventies, he has brought his passion for music more fully into his life. He never considered himself a songwriter until a musician friend, Lowry Olafson, spurred him to try it out. Michael has now recently written and recorded a couple of beautiful songs, Higher Ground and Beaches of Tofino.

Michael recently spent months studying the Enneagram — a modality that reflects nine main personality types and how they can best interact, understand and complement each other. He is building a new business as an Enneagram Coach to engage with and help more people with their personal and professional challenges — he is a Helper, after all! With all this knowledgable background about people and their personalities, I was pleased when Michael accepted a request to review my book. I wondered what insights he would have as he considered the manuscript from the point of view of someone who helps people transform their lives.  I was also a little bit nervous, especially when I read the first few sentences of his review.

But I need not be worried. In fact, in Michael’s favourable review, he emphasized a word that made me proud. It’s a word I hadn’t even thought of or considered myself to be. He called me a warrior. As a big fan of Glennon Doyle Melton (author of Carry On, Warrior and Love Warrior), that’s a word I am mighty proud to wear. Thank you, Michael.

Here is Michael’s full review of Shine Bright: Live A Supernova Life …

“I groaned to myself when I read the title Shine Bright. Not another success book, I thought. I’m going to be hard to impress.

Full disclosure. Sheila and I are Toastmasters buddies here in Gibsons, BC. After I agreed to review it, I thought, It’s going to be awkward if I hate her book.

In her opening chapter, Sheila shares how, as a young woman, she freed herself from the grip of a darkness that caused her to constantly break into tears without knowing why. She tells how she worked with numerous modalities before she learned to manage her thoughts and her emotions, rather than allow them to manage her. As a coach, I know that takes effort and courage. Ok, I’m engaged. What now?

First, I took a quick pass through the book to try to get a sense of what it was about. Reading through the lens of a seventy-three-year-old grandfather, I quickly concluded that this book would be a good read for a young woman contemplating marriage or in the early years of marriage. It seemed to me like the voice of an older sister sharing an alternative perspective to avoid the traps of living to please others. I could relate to that challenge.

The second time through, I was reading as a transformational coach. I saw a young woman who, I imagined, in her teens, felt that she didn’t fit. There was something wrong. But she never gave up. I was somewhat startled when she matter-of-factly disclosed that she had never considered suicide. A warrior, I thought.

Bit by bit she discovered who she was. She came out of her shell. She found her voice and the courage of her convictions. I was seeing a person for whom, I imagined, ‘shining bright’ was the warm glow of an inner light, fuelled by chosen values. ‘Life is about choices,’ she counsels. ‘Sometimes you need to put your life under a microscope.’

Sheila takes us through the journey of a young woman with what I would describe as a contrarian point of view. Pushing against the commercial norm. The chapters take us through navigating her marriage, childbirth, learning to be a mother, the Santa Claus question, the schooling question, Halloween candy, and well, you get the idea. She’s working through her life. Always the warrior. Always with the question, ‘What’s really important?’ Generally, through my pre-boomer eyes, choosing the unconventional path. Perhaps cutting the way for those who will follow.

Sheila is inventing her life as she goes, living like she really does care about the planet and future generations. If you think ordinary means living to please and impress, and if Shining Bright means living your values—even if that requires resisting the norm—you will find this book extraordinary. Buy it! You’ll be inspired. (Kindle of course)” — Michael Worsfold, Enneagram Coach