• 1.415.860.5463
BOOK MELISSA

183: Asking for What You Need

CSW 183: Asking for What You Need
The Creative Sandbox Way™
183: Asking for What You Need
Loading
/

Note: For the fullest experience, I recommend listening to the podcast, as the audio version always contains additional comments and tangents not found in the blog post version.

CSW 183: Asking for What You NeedIn the wee hours of Monday morning (my birthday!), I got back from a two-week trip.

There are so many amazing things to share with you about this trip.

I started my journey in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, at the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® UnConference, where I was completely blown away when my Master Trainer presented me with a surprise award — the Facilitator Development Award — on the first day.

I even got a trophy made out of LEGO® bricks by a Certified LEGO® Professional!

Me and my LEGO® trophy - Strategic Play® Facilitator Development Award 2018

[Read more…]

171: My Painful Wake-Up Call

CSW 171: My Painful Wake-Up Call
The Creative Sandbox Way™
171: My Painful Wake-Up Call
Loading
/

Note: For the fullest experience, I recommend listening to the podcast, as the audio version always contains additional comments and tangents not found in the blog post version.

CSW 171: My Painful Wake-Up CallPeople who know me often tell me that I have a lot of energy.

“You’re like the Energizer Bunny!” they say. “How do you get so much done?”

But that’s what it looks like from the outside.

And that’s when things are normal.

And things have definitely not been normal lately.

What you don’t know is that for the past month, with I believe three exceptions, I have had a migraine, or at least the start of migraine symptoms, every single day.

Now, I should clarify [Read more…]

LCN 132: A Gentle Reminder that Falling Off the Wagon Is Not the Problem

LCN 132: A Gentle Reminder That Falling Off the Wagon Is Not the Problem
The Creative Sandbox Way™
LCN 132: A Gentle Reminder that Falling Off the Wagon Is Not the Problem
Loading
/

LCN 132: A Gentle Reminder That Falling Off the Wagon Is Not the ProblemLast week I was out of the country, in beautiful Whistler, British Columbia, getting 40 hours of training in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methods and materials.

What is LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®? It’s an amazing methodology with a wide range of applications that yes, uses LEGO® bricks, to get people thinking with their hands.

I first encountered LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® at a one-day workshop at the Creative Problem Solving Institute, an annual conference in Buffalo, New York, last June, and I was so blown away by that experience that I signed up for the advanced certification in the methodology with Master Trainer, Jacquie Lloyd Smith, of Strategic Play® (tell her I sent you!).

(If you’d like to hear more about LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, I had Jacquie on the podcast recently, episode 128, so check that out.)

Anyway, this episode isn’t about LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, although that was the entire focus of my last week, and I could happily talk about it for hours.

What I want to talk about is the byproduct of that: falling off the wagon.

Because I was so intensely focused on my training, and on connecting with the other people in my classes when we weren’t in class, that my daily doodles just flew out the window. [Read more…]

LCN 129: My Yom Kippur Screwup (Or How to Make a Not-So-Awesome Experience Awesome)

LCN 129: My Yom Kippur Screwup (Or How to Make a Not-So-Awesome Experience Awesome)
The Creative Sandbox Way™
LCN 129: My Yom Kippur Screwup (Or How to Make a Not-So-Awesome Experience Awesome)
Loading
/

LCN 129: My Yom Kippur Screwup (Or How to Make a Not-So-Awesome Experience Awesome)Last Saturday was Yom Kippur, and just like every year, I co-led the 3 1/2 hour service with another lay leader at my synagogue.

Neither of us is a rabbi, or a cantor, but every year we get to “play one on TV” for the crowd who shows up for High Holy Days.

Because that’s the relationship that most American Jews have with synagogues: they show up once a year for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (collectively known as the High Holy Days).

And that has become my own relationship with my synagogue: I show up and lead services.

Usually I get together with my co-leader a few weeks in advance to go over the service, plan out who’s going to do what, put sticky notes in my book, remind myself of the melodies, and basically rehearse.

But this year there was no  [Read more…]

Renovation Report: Yes, I Am a Sensitive Snowflake

The chaos that is our dining room during our 2017 kitchen renovation

Did I mention we’re remodeling our kitchen?

Well, mostly we’re hiring other people to ​do the actual work. MM and I are not really DIYers.

(MM thinks of himself as handy, but when it comes right down to it, he’s much more into watching videos of other people doing handy things than he is into doing handy things himself… And I don’t even pretend to be handy.

Though we did hack together an awesome standing / treadmill desk for me a few years ago!)

Anyway, last week we were clearing out kitchen cabinets to get ready for the kitchen to be demo’d on Friday, and discovered…

(cue the horror music) [Read more…]

Spend 5 Days Creating with Me, and Walk Away Transformed - Come to Creative Sandbox Retreat

Don’t show this message again.

Would You Like Some Cookies?

We use cookies to customize your experience, to improve the content we deliver to you, and sometimes to show you relevant advertising on social networking sites like Facebook or Instagram. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you give your consent to our cookie use. (Click the X in the upper right corner to close this notice.)

Read our Privacy Policy