Each week for the last several months, I've shared my thoughts on how to live an intentional, purposeful life in which you can make the most of your work and your experiences. When I started writing these ideas down -- and publishing them for you to read on KaliHawlk.com -- I wasn't really sure where any of this was going.
I loved writing on these subjects and I was excited to share that writing with you. But I didn't have a particular outcome in mind.
I just wanted to create something and put it out there.
I didn't realize this when I started, but it turns out that what I've been putting out there has been more than just weekly musings on living creatively and making stuff. Somewhere along the way, these ideas took fuller shape, evolved into complex beings, and really came to life.
Building the Foundation for Something More
These posts weren't created in a vacuum. In large part, they were shaped by weekly conversations with an incredibly talented, driven, creative person I am thrilled to consider one of my best friends. We spent months meeting each week for a new conversation about whatever was on our minds.
Frequently, that revolved around trying to understand how we could help others like us live better. It's a big and bold wish for the world, but we both felt like it was so important that we work on it in whatever way we could.
That question kept coming up. How can we help people live better lives?
What started coming out on my end was writing, encouraging you to create your own path, do work that means something to you, and make more of what you experience each day.
But the more I wrote and the more I talked with Shannon, the more we both wanted to start doing something.
We wanted to take our own advice and do the thing.
So... we did the thing. We decided to make something we felt the world needed. And I'm excited to announce that thing exists now, and I'd love to invite you to check it out.
Off The Rails: A Mentorship Platform for Creative Women
Shannon and I founded Off The Rails, a free mentorship platform for creative women. Our mission is to help women recognize and fulfill their callings, and we want to achieve that by offering mentorship, resources, and community -- all the support you need when you make the decision to reject the prescribed path and live your life off the rails.
I feel compelled to build this business with Shannon because, with every bit of who I am, I believe that creative, determined women who want to carve nontraditional paths through this world deserve access to a mentor that can help them live that better life.
It's not easy to locate a mentor -- especially when you're not on a track that traditionally offers such relationships. And even when you do find someone you want as a mentor, it's tough to naturally cultivate that connection.
But having a mentor can make an enormous impact in your life, today and for years to come. We're not talking about life coaches or spiritual gurus that make big (and intangible) promises. Off The Rails is designed to help you find a legitimate mentor as well as your own tribe of people who can grow with and support you.
Off The Rails is brand new and we're still building. You can expect a blog to launch in the beginning of 2016, and a podcast to follow shortly after. We're busy mapping out other resources, too, including a newsletter, community, and curated library.
I plan to take a break from most of my work over the holidays, and I strongly encourage you to do the same. Take a step back from your work in whatever way you can, however small. Use up your vacation days, unplug in the evenings, and make room for family, friends -- and yourself.
When 2016 kicks off, we'll all be fresh and ready to tackle the new year with an abundance of energy. Shannon and I will eagerly bring Off The Rails to the world and working our way through a final buildout and beta launch. If this experience sounds right for you, I hope you'll join us there.
If you're creative and maybe a little quirky, on a mission to create your own way, and want more out of what you experience in life, I invite you to join us at Off The Rails and keep in touch as we officially launch our mentorship platform to help women recognize and fulfill their callings.