Discovery Seminars: Are you willing to explore your possibilities?

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Louise Gallagher

Imagine spending five days diving deep into the core of your being, challenging the thoughts and habits that hold you back from joy, growth, happiness, love and so much more.

This past week, coaching at the D iscovery Seminars, I did all of that and more. From the lightbulb moments of self-forgiveness to the awakening of personal power and the unfolding of miracles, the journey was full of inspiring moments and transformation.

It all begins for trainees at noon on Wednesday. People walk in with a full spectrum of emotions: reluctance, desperation, hesitation, excitement, and even anger. Some are unsure why they are there or what they are seeking, or have come simply to please their boss or get a loved one of their back. Others are holding onto a last thread of hope they will find a reason to take another next step.

As the days unfold, so dp the stories shared. There are so many moments that stand out for me: someone who walked in skeptical about what was in the room for them realizing their worth. Another finding the courage to release shame by sharing something they’ve never told anyone. Another choosing to forgive themselves; breaking through a barrier that had once seemed insurmountable. These acts of courage and vulnerability became a continuous thread of turning points, transforming the seminar room into a sanctuary of empathy, understanding and loving kindness.

Through guided discussions, reflective exercises, and shared experiences, we delved into the habits and thoughts that trigger unhealthy responses. The process wasn’t just about identifying these triggers but learning how to confront and reshape them.

And then, the fifth day happened. Everything changed. It wasn’t just one event but a culmination of moments, insights, and revelations that led to this transformation. Participants who had walked in carrying the weight of their pasts were now looking forward with determination, their faces and hearts alight with hope. Others found a friend to lean on. Others a shared experience to grow through. Others a glimmer of possibility to take in and nurture its flame.

For me, one of the most beautiful momments is always watching the trainees say goodbye. When a group of strangers gathered on Wednesday, they held themselves separate. Now, in their goodbyes, it’ss clear that the bonds formed were unique and profound. They weren’t just leaving with new friends; they were leaving with a new perspective on life. The power of hope was palpable, urging everyone to not let the lessons fade but to actively apply them in their pursuit of a life free from past regrets and pains.

I spent five days in the Discovery Seminars room last week. I am changed. I am inspired.. I am grateful.

So, here’s my challenge to you: Are you willing to reflect on the habits and thoughts that may be holding you back? What if… you decided to confront the habits and thoughts that are keeping you playing small in a supportive, transformative environment like Discovery Seminars? What if… you decided living at a 6 isn’t enough — and to find your 8 or 9 or 10, you choose to explore something new? What if… you decided you’re worth fighting for?

Fact is, on Wednesday at noon, few people walk into the Discovery Seminars room eager to dive into the essence of what drives them to do the things they do that keep them falling down, beating themselves up, or playing small.

And yet, on Sunday, people always walk out grateful they did.

The #ShePersisted Series Calendar is Here!

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Louise Gallagher

I did it!

Yesterday, I decided it was time to ‘get real’ with my #ShePersisted Series paintings.

I made a start.

I spent the day creating a desktop calendar and video to go along with it.

And… you know that saying, the devil is in the details?

Well, after spending several hours loading in the photos, smoothing out the page turns, creating graphics and getting the music to sync I read the fine print on Etsy.

Videos are 5 – 15 secs. No sound.

LOL — man those details can be annoying!

Today, I shall create a soundless short video to put up on my Etsy Store a

There is a silver lining. The 1 min video I did create gave me lots of opportunity to stretch my video-editing skills, and, I do have good promotional video for the calendar! Win/Win

It also gave me a chance to use one of my favourite songs by Taylor Cochrane of 36? fame.

So… if you want to hear 1 min 14 seconds of Man at the Door by 36? please do click on the video below.

Full disclosure… Taylor is C.C.’s incredibly talented son. Once you hear him, you’ll understand just how talented.

I have been blessed with Taylor and his partner Laura Hickli’s permission to use any of their music in my videos. It is both a privilege and a gift to be able to share their music and to in some small way support them in their creative endeavours.

And now, Beaumont the Sheepadoodle and I are off to walk beneath winter’s soft grey sky and falling snow.

Once I’m back, I shall continue to update the #ShePersisted Series on my website and work on a new painting.

It’s the ‘thing’ I find so inspiring and amazing about the creative process. When I least expect it, ideas drift into my mind calling my imagination to run wild in creative fields of abundance.

The quote that drifted in as I lay between awake and dreaming this morning is:

“They said, it would be easier for everyone if you play by the rules.”

“She said, It’s not about easy. It’s about fairness, justice and dignity for everyone.”

Stay tuned for No. 61 (or is that No 59 or 62? gotta get that numbering fixed! :)) in the #ShePersisted Series.

The full version of The Man at the Door is available on your favourite music-listening site. Or click HERE to listen to it on YouTube.

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Click HERE to order from DareBoldlyArt on Etsy. Or DM me.

They make a great stocking stuffer! 🙂

One community. One voice. One vision for our city.

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Louise Gallagher

In the Diary Of Anais Nin Volume 5 1947-1955: Vol. 5 (1947-1955) Nin wrote, “It is a sign of great inner insecurity to be hostile to the unfamiliar.”

Yet, everyday, we resist change, different, new.

Way, way back in the late 70s, I worked for a technology company that built and sold word processors. The goal was to put a system on the desk of every secretary. Even the scientists, the visionaries, the trailblazers missed the mark on that one. ‘No manager, or lawyer, or doctor, or engineer is going to want a computer on their desk,’ the pundits said. ‘Only secretary’s need them.’

Fast forward 40 years and the ubiquitous laptop appears everywhere, in everyone’s hands, in coffee shops, in accounting rooms and word processing pools, on planes and boats and trains, in libraries and executive offices. The laptop belongs to everyone. It doesn’t care about gender. It’s egalitarian.

When I look back on the changes to views of women, there are so many changes. Hard fought for. Hard won. The right to hold title to land, the vote, the fall of men only clubs and bars and, the word processor.

The word processing system was meant to make a woman’s life easier — the majority of secretary’s were women, and making them work faster, more efficiently, and less repetitively was the goal of getting the systems into the marketplace.

How wrong can we get on where change is leading us?

Which brings me to the point of this post.

When laptops began to take over the desktops of the corporate world, there were many, many executives and professionals of every age who swore they would never use one. Like a lion holding court over its den, there was a certain pride in not having one on your desk, in not knowing how to type.

Now? Knowing how to type is invaluable. For everyone.

Which leaves me wondering. As voice recognition continues to become ever more effective and decipherable (I love how dictating texts can create such delightful mis-meaning!), will typing become the thing that ‘the older generation’ did? Will it too become a thing of the past like the dusty Underwood typewriter I have finally chosen to let go of as I clear and cull our house?

If instead of thinking about all that I am letting go of, I chose instead to embrace this move with the anticipation of all I am creating room for in our lives, would it be easier to be less hostile and insecure in the changes. In that place, would I be able to joyfully accept the inevitability of change and welcome in its possibilities?

A meandering stream of consciousness this morning as we prepare to put this house on the market and I prepare to greet my day.

The sky is slowly lightening. The world continues to turn as Calgary faces the outcome of another civic election. Not many faces have changed on the mayoral and councillor list. Yet, so much changed throughout the campaign.

I hope as the Mayor and Council get back to the business of running this city, they see the outcome of the election, not as a statement of their need to hold onto what they’ve got, but rather, as an invitation to let go of the bitterness and hostility that bubbled up all over the campaign trail.

In that space of letting go, I hope they find the courage to give into acceptance and forgiveness, courage and possibility. I hope they can feel secure enough to embrace change as together, with all of community, we work to create a great city for everyone. One community. One voice. One vision for our city.