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Here's some feedback we've received on Now Is My Time. There
are comments from women contemplating the experience and why they decided
to sign up, as well as quotes from women after they've attended a workshop or contracted for one-on-one coaching.
Plus an endorsement letter from the Mexican consulate. And some excerpts
from media stories on Now Is My Time and/or Lucy's approach to
her work.
Lucy has a file bulging with glowing letters and evaluation forms reading
"excellent," "the best," "really, really motivating." Her university courses
on Now Is My Time and a mini-course entitled Career Strategies
always get an "A+." She's already had repeat customers, and is contemplating
a "graduate course" for women who want to make the workshop a regular
event in their lives.
"I want to re-focus my job. I'm doing too much that doesn't matter, and too little that does." |
"It sounds silly, but I don't even know what I want out of life. I'm really confused about a future direction." |
"I'm a breast cancer survivor. I want to make every day of every year from now on count, and I need to make a plan to be sure that happens." |
"To those around me, I have it all. But it doesn't feel that way. A bulging closet and a big house don't begin to buy happiness. Somewhere along the way, I lost myself." |
"My goal is to find a way to transition out of full time Mommy to meaningful woman, using my pre-kids professional skills to make a difference in my community." |
"I feel like I'm on the go 24/7. I want someone to help me cut though the mental clutter in my life, and show me a way to streamline the superhighway I travel on." |
"My mother gave and gave, and never nurtured herself. Up until now, I've done the same thing. I don't want my daughters to continue this often thankless cycle." |
"My career is dead. I need to revive it or make the decision to go another direction" |
"My life has just 'happened' to me. For years I've felt like I've merely done what others wanted and said they needed. I want to plan the next chapter around my needs and wants. Just the idea makes me excited!" |
"I don't have the support for what I want to do with my life, either from my family or my colleagues. I need to get away, talk to bright people, and more closely evaluate my own options." |
"My life fell apart after my divorce. It took two years before I quit feeling sorry for myself, but now I'm moving ahead. Let's go!" |
"I want to see my life more clearly. All I see are the impediments, the obstructions to what I think I want. I need help in seeing the opportunities, the positives." |
"Kids are gone. Husband's at the height of his career. I'm at loose ends." |
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"Lucy zeroed in on just where I needed to focus. She offered specific, do-able solutions to what I'd seen as long-standing, impossible obstacles to getting on with my life." |
"Sitting in a plant-filled courtyard, nibbling on fresh fruit, writing in my journal as I think about the exciting new ways I've learned to add meaning to my life...why didn't I do this for myself years ago? I want my daughters to take the course, too." |
"Lucy totally inspired me to make some important life changes. And I'm still sticking to them -- something I never did with all those self-help books."
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"The concept of coaching was unfamiliar to me and sounded like it might be a little scary. It's turned out to be really fun and very productive. Lucy quickly became a good friend with my success as her goal." |
"Now Is My Time was a great opportunity to meet some incredible women, who've become wonderful new friends." |
"Paris in the spring may be nice, but Provence in the fall is extraordinary" |
"One-on-one coaching is like a personal trainer at my gym. I get highly-targeted strategies directed at my exact situation, designed for what I can and like to do best, geared around my family, my job, my dreams for my life." |
"A small, family-like atmosphere with dozens of good ideas and lots of support. Many thanks." |
"The week was a wonderful combination of delightful play and serious and productive work. I'd like to do this annually for the rest of my life." |
"Thanks for introducing us to so many dynamic San Miguel residents. What an amazing talented group of women you know. They're great role models." |
"It's the personal attention and focus that makes the difference. I've now got a customized game plan just for me, plus a group of neat female supporters to egg me on." |
"Lucy's accepting attitude and fun exercises made it easy to realize I can have what I want in life without taking anything away from anyone else." |
"Where else would I ever have tried lamb with fresh lavender? Or eaten all those incredible baguettes. French food is so fresh, and soooo good." |
"Some of this I kinda knew. Some of it was new ground for me. But this is the first time I've been invested in making any changes. I'm jazzed!" |
"Personal coaching is a gift every woman should give herself to be fully present for everyone else in her life. Time with Lucy is better than chocolate!" |
"San Miguel in February is the best antidote to winter I can imagine." |
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Media Clips on Lucy and/or the Workshop
On self-maintenance and getting results -
Oregonian Newspaper. "Women Explore Priorities in Exotic Locales"
Through her Now Is My Time trips, Lucy Z. Martin helps others
assess their goals in relaxed settings. "We spend so much time
taking care of our work, our families...that we don't take care of ourselves,"
Martin says. "I teach women to take themselves as seriously as they take
their responsibilities to others."
"It's not about 'me, me, me' at the exclusion of others. It's about recognizing
that you can't effectively care for others if you're not fulfilled," she
emphasizes.
"Participant Kelly Streit was at a strategic birthday and ...wanted to
re-assess where I am in my career and personal life. I was at loose ends
and didn't really have a plan of where I wanted to go next..' "She mapped
out goals and posted them on bright yellow paper on her office bulletin
board as a reminder of what's important and where she's going. (In six
months) she'd been able to meet 50% of what's on her ambitions list."
"I have a much bigger picture sense now, she says"
"The idea, Martin says, is to arm women with self-awareness, along with
practical tools that help bring about desired change. The participants
left as a close-knit group eager to support and encourage each other via
e-mail and phone calls."
On achievement -
Daily Journal of Commerce, "Martin's Track Record Miles Long in Successes"
"She's super good, knows her job, covers every base. She's one in a million,
not like a million others. Lucy Z. Martin remains a superior consultant,
designing a successful career around what she likes to do best. Lucy's
resume is one you would scarcely believe...she overwhelms you with common
sense...Lucy is highly prized: her closets are filled with honors...Her
communications skills and track record of successes have earned Lucy the
reputation as one of the best and the brightest in the West... a popular
Portlander with clients benefiting from her zeal and selectivity... a vibrant
personality."
On focus and support -
Flair Magazine, "Spiritual Siestas to Rejuvenate Your Soul"
"Now can be your time to participate in one of Lucy Martin's 'mind-provoking'
sojourns...for women who want to make changes. Jill P. felt herself transformed
by her Now Is My Time trip. 'The supportive atmosphere allowed
us to really focus on goals in a stress-free environment. We did visualizations
and exercises to get in touch with our creative, right brain sides. Lucy
helped me see that I already possessed the ability to take charge of my
life...'"
On getting support -
Vancouver Business Journal, "How to Accomplish Your New Year's Resolutions"
Lucy Martin says: "Look for colleagues and friends you know will support
you. Look for peers who will mentor you, coach you along the way. Don't
even tell your dreams to anyone who will try to talk you out of them or
pour cold water on your ideas."
"Schedule time for yourself in your daily planner, just as you would with
a client."
"Leverage a small success into a medium-sized one, which leads to a big
one, which leads to a great life."
On modesty and self-effacement -
Lake Owsego Review, "Marylhurst University Course Seeks to Give New
Direction in the Lives of Women"
(Now Is My Time course participant discusses finding new direction and
meaning in her life:) "I grew up with the message that you never talked
about your accomplishments or it was seen as boasting and unladylike.
It wasn't polite to blow your own horn. Later in life, I learned if I
didn't blow my own horn, nobody else did it for me."
On taking care of your health -
Healthy Living Magazine, "SOS: Stave Off Stress"
"You can have 20-20 vision about the rest of the world but be totally
blind to yourself. A fast-paced life and managing many things at once
might be stressful to some people, but to me it was exhilarating. I always
said I'd rather wear out than rust out. Then I hit menopause. I cut back
at work and cleaned up my diet. If aging has taught me anything, it's
that I have only one body and if it wears out, I don't get another."
On multi-tasking -
Healthcare Marketing Report
"Because of multiple and often conflicting demands on personal, family
and professional life, time management and goal-setting is particularly
important to women...Women can capitalize on their ability to make people
feel at ease, and their innate compassion, concern and interest."
On creativity and self-expression -
Oregonian, Feature Section (cover story), "Taking a Chance on Design"
"Her capricious and colorful SW Portland-hills garden is an abundant expression
of fragrance and color unencumbered by tidy placement or forced design.
Lucy is as affectionate toward her home as she is her garden. 'It's cozy
and inviting, like an old friend who greets me every time I walk in
the front door,' she says. . . . Lucy has crafted a cozy, people-friendly
house and garden."
On career flexibility -
Oregonian, Business Section, "PR Woman Finds Small Shop Better"
"She revamped her company from a standing staff of employees to a number
of independent contractors to assist on special assignments and projects.
The change allows her to give more personal attention to clients and offer
tailor-made teams of specialists to deal with specific needs and problems.
Her office overlooking the Willamette River purposely conveys a feeling
of informality. 'I want clients to be comfortable, able to talk freely.
Public relations involves trust-building and mutual confidence.'"
On creativity in the workplace -
Better Homes and Gardens, "A Home Office that Really 'Works'"
"Unlike a corporate workplace, a home office doesn't restrict the stamp
of your personality to a mug. When Lucy Martin set out to create this
office space from a bedroom, she wanted to keep it as warm and friendly
as the rest of her home. At the same time, she insisted that the new office
work as hard and feel as efficient and professional as a 'real' office
with laminate counters and antique accessories...personal touches and
an eye toward practicality."
On selling yourself in a tight job market -
Oregonian, "When You Apply for a Job, You've Got to Do the Little Things
Right"
"You need right-brained thinking in a left-brain industry to stand out,'
says Martin, who counsels people on ways to distinguish themselves from
their competitors. 'The trick is getting through the volume out there.
Avoid the 50-cent business words. Get out of your jargon and tell people
what you do. Applicants are unfortunately reluctant to include attributes
like "good listening skills" when they want a job.'"
On time management -
Entrepreneurial Woman Magazine, "Who's Calling"
Lucy Martin says her portable cellular phone extends her workday by 45
minutes to an hour since she uses her morning commute to call the East
Coast.
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Consulado de Mexico
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Dear Traveler,
I am pleased to endorse the travel-study seminar Now Is My Time,
designed and conducted by Lucy Z. Martin and held annually in San
Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This program not only teaches women how
to set and achieve their lifelong goals, it is also a carefully
constructed introduction to the art, artisans, culture, history,
and clean and scenic beauty of Central Mexico.
Lucy's close ties with the San Miguel community have built a cultural
bridge between the people of Mexico and the United States that will
immeasurably enrich those who attend her seminar.
For the past two years Now Is My Time has taught Americans about
their closest neighbor. It has exposed American women to the previously
unseen cultural and historic riches of our great country. Lucy Martin's
Now Is My Time is a refreshing cultural alternative to the typical
tourist itinerary.
It is my hope that many women will take advantage of Now Is My Time,
as well as other programs that provide opportunities for learning,
sharing and ongoing cultural exchange.
Alma Patricia Soria Ayuso
Consul General of Mexico
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