Sophia's Children

“When setting out on a journey, do not seek advice

from those who have never left home.”

~ Rumi

I’m Jamie.

I definitely left home,

literally and metaphorically.

 

I honed and picked up quite a bit along the way —

through more than a few “adventures by choice,”

ideas that turned into real things (like a

San Francisco consultancy, a book …

the kinds of things that impress others,

and that your mother likes to brag about).

 

I’ve also had the sorts of experiences and losses

that left me stunned, unmoored,

and shattered to the core.

Real-deal passages, not the ‘bad hair day’

or even ‘normal’ life challenge

sorts of ‘plastic dark nights’ that are popularized

on web site bios these days.

 

Here’s one wild thing I learned:

Our core, revealed by these experiences,

is what’s truest about us and in us.

 

Wild what it takes for us to get a clue

about that, to remember ourselves

and to hone and gain some mastery

with the gifts that are natural for us.

 

(As Hafiz wrote, ““Love sometimes

wants to do us a great favor: hold us upside

down and shake all the nonsense out.”

Consider me shaken.)

 

This is a wealth of experience,

and you’ve got your own kind

of Experience Wealth, too,

(plus the gifts that you came in with).

 

I’m committed to sharing what I’ve

experienced and picked up along the way,

as well as gifts I came into this life

with and have honed and shaped

with the seasoning of experience,

to help my fellow Dark Nighters and

Persephones phoenix and share your

unique and journey-honed

Experience Wealth and transformed presence

with a world that very much needs it,

from right where they are.

 

You’ll find more ‘normal’ (ish) Bio Stuff

below, but here are a few of the ways

I’ve assisted, mentored and guided others in

navigating the big-change and Dark Nights passages,

and in sharing their unique gifts with the world.

The following nuggets were reflected back

by my clients, mentees, and creative collaborators:

A Skillful Transformation Partner.

A Graceful Communication Guide.

The Creatrix & Curator of Sophia’s Children.

A Dark Night and Spiritual Awakening Doula.

And … Jamie is …

A calm, kind presence.

A Pattern-tracker.

A Sense-maker.

A Meaning-finder.

An Inquiry adept.

An Insight and inspiration catalyst.

An Idea-Jam partner.

An Underworld & Hero’s Journey Returnee —

a real Persephone, a Phoenix.

An Ancient-Wisdom, Modern-Times strategy weaver.

An experienced guide for Change Agents & Transformation Leaders.

A Writer and “content” strategist and creator.

A Skillful-communication coach.

All with warmth and a fair bit of humor woven through.

Most of my clients, apprentices, and ‘mentees’ over the years have wanted (or needed) to get ‘from here to there’, preferably with some grace, skillfulness, and effectiveness.

They’ve asked …

• How do I navigate this rough patch?

• How do I navigate (and survive) the patches of the sort that come after some epic life-storm or spiritual awakening experience?

• How can I move more gracefully through this change cycle?

• How can I communicate this more skillfully … and authentically?

• How can I manage this heightened sensitivity and ‘mind chatter’?

• Where has my sense of clarity, motivation, and purpose gone?

• How can I more deeply explore the re-emerging Divine Feminine and the ‘fruits’ of all of the loss and/or transformation I’ve experienced?

The Question is the Lantern

Questions like these make the most of the gifts I’ve been given … the skill, understanding, and perspective that I’ve earned through deep ‘in the trenches’ experience with change, transformation, and communication.

I enjoy making the most of my experience to help someone else navigate these ‘from here to there’ patches more gracefully, confidently, effectively.

So I serve in these roles:

Coach, mentor, idea-jam dialogue partner, believing mirror, content-strategist, wordsmith, and experienced counsel.

Reflecting my own journey, I draw from and weave in multi-tradition timeless wisdom and practices that help do the above more skillfully … and keep-center and stay sane (sort of) while traversing the in-between patches.

Highlights of courses-of-study and/or certifications include:

• Strategic Change Facilitation (Interaction Associates, San Francisco)

• Coaching for Performance (Interaction Associates, S.F.)

• Skillful Meeting Facilitation (Interaction Associates, S.F.)

• Crisis Communication

• Energy & Intuition Medicine, Emei Qigong, and other Ancestral-Wisdom and Energy Healing studies (mid-90s into the present — for more, see the detailed Bio).

• Berrett-Koehler author, and published writer and blogger over many years and in many formats.

(See Jamie’s full professional bio for more details.)

How can you schedule a coaching or mentoring session, or consulting engagement?

Embrace your mojo — schedule a coaching session or trio of sessions (that’s really optimal for getting some momentum).

Explore the Current Featured Offerings.

For more in-depth consultations around communication, content, or navigating change, send me an email (info ‘at’ sophias-children ‘dot’ com) and we’ll see what might work best given where you are and where you’d like to be … here to there.

For a bit more on my own ‘journey story’ and the ‘why’ of this blog and my work, read on. You’ll find more below.

Big Love,

Jamie

Oh, and What’s With the ‘Sophiastrology’ Thing?

Certain astrology traditions can help shed light and insight where purpose and transformation-cycles are concerned.

I’ve tapped the astro-wisdom for years now, and it’s helped shed light and illuminate clues where light and clues were most appreciated.

Since I often drew up a chart for clients moving through Big Change & other ‘W.T.F.’ Cycles, some started asking for Sophiastrology checkins and sessions specifically.

So that’s an option, though it’s usually best when it’s part of ongoing coaching. Even so, you can schedule a Sophiastrology ‘reading’ and go from there.

A bit more of my own story …

I’ve lived a fair bit (just post-Chiron Return now), and had the good fortune to do and experience some things I never really thought I’d be able to do or have the chance to do, like creating a business, getting my writing published, traveling, being a coastal-Californian for two decades, learning from some amazing elders, and having some truly wonderful friends, and so on.

And in some cases, I’ve navigated things I never thought I would ever have to do…like a Near-Death Experience (and the common NDE ‘aftereffects’ and other Epically Transformative Experiences).

That landscape included some real-deal Dark Night sleepovers, Underworld excursions, and Life As I Knew It crumbling into rubble and ash.

All so I could be stirred alive and remember what’s truly real and valuable and investigate what it’s like to do the Phoenix Thing (and the ‘Return’ part of the Hero’s Journey!).

Sounds glamorous to some, perhaps, and while it surely had its dazzling moments and gifts, there were also some core-challenging rough patches that knocked me flat.

A real buffet of experience!

So I’m moved to write, consult, and otherwise draw from experience as well as research to hold a lantern and share ‘intel’ that might make my fellow NDE/EPErs and Underworld Journeyers way just a bit easier in places than my own has been.

Particularly when those in the Transformation Zone are also those who are the horizon-edge, paradigm-shifting transformation leaders, change catalysts, vision ‘seeders’, and creative nonconformists of our times.

Why?

Because I know only too well that every little spark of light, every graciously extended hand, every bit of heart-sparking inspiration, and every bit of true care and kindness can make such a huge difference in the dark or seemingly forlorn places we find ourselves in sometimes — or even just at the beginning of some audacious, seemingly impossible endeavor or vision that other people seem a bit too keen on diminishing and discouraging.

As it happens, I’ve gathered up more than twenty-five years of experience consulting on things like high-conflict communication scenarios and navigating big — or epic — change and transformation.

I’ve also logged a couple of decades studying a variety of ancestral and spiritual wisdom traditions with some amazing elders and wisdom keepers, and like all good students do, I practiced, practiced, practiced. I’m so genuinely grateful to my teachers.

Drawing and weaving the best from both streams of experience, I write for and consult to the transformation leaders and change agents who are in the crazy-wilds of transformation, and/or who are doing their bit to “tip” things in the direction of an emergent conscious, sustainable, Wisdom-centered culture.

I’m definitely a geek for the latest findings coming out of food-medicine (aka conscious and ancestral nutrition insights), neuroscience, and consciousness research — both the Ancestral Wisdom and contemporary sciences offer clues and practices for navigating change, renewing vision, rejuvenating from burnout, and staying sane in these crazy times of ours.

I created Sophia’s Children, founded Ivy Sea, and had the good fortune (and writing discipline!) to be a Berrett-Koehler author (and researcher and writer of many things along the way).

Chocolate and Other Wee Tidbits…

I’m really fond of these things …

Quality conversation; dark chocolate; stories of heartful daring, graciousness, and magic; explorations of how strengthening our roots helps us to weather transformation-storms; conversations with anam cara (over food, or at least an enjoyable beverage!); sharing intel that helps us be more aware and mindful, and thus reduces the ‘isms’ in the world; moments of genuine connection, delicious sensuality, myriad walkabouts, my beloved felines Luna & Baby Cat, and various other explorations and adventures.

To learn more about working with me via coaching, consulting, multi-tradition spiritual direction, mentoring, or self-study resources, begin here.

I can be found through this Sophia’s Children blog, the Berrett-Koehler Author web site, or you can connect and send a direct message or inquiry via email (info ‘at’ sophias-children ‘dot’ com) or social media:

Jamie via Twitter

Jamie via Facebook

Jamie via LinkedIn

Berrett-Koehler Publisher’s Author Page

If you want to know more about my longer-running history facilitating and advising on Skillful Communication & Change/Transformation Leadership, send me an email and I’ll be happy to speak with you about that!

info ‘at’ sophias-children ‘dot’ com

Thanks so much for stopping by! I genuinely appreciate it.

Big Love and Be Well.

Jamie

Image credit: Japanese Garden, by Linnaea Mallette, PD Pics.

Collaborations with Kindreds

You’ll also find me in collaboration with kindreds such as Leeby at ShamaGaia and his ShamaGaia Universal Healing Archive here: