Awakening the Goddess – Book + Event Reviews

For a review of the Conscious Divas’s Diva Date Night, scroll below to “Continue reading”.

1) Kelly Cutrone – If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You

I’ve been dying to read Kelly Cutrone’s first book since I watched her hit show Kell On Earth, which I was tipped on by a fellow fashion publicist. Since then, Cutrone has gone on to write her second book, Normal Gets You Nowhere, and be a correspondent on the Dr. Phil Show.

I typically don’t review books, but I was blown away by this one because it was so not what I expected. Kelly Cutrone is one of the world’s most famous New York fashion publicists, but also a tell-it-like-it-is personality that many would simply refer to as a “bitch.” Though I knew that this wasn’t going to be a book about how to become a publicist, the reviews I read on it mentioned this aspect quite a bit. On the contrary, I describe If You Have to Cry, Go Outside as part memoir, spiritual self-help guide, and branding book.

Cutrone describes her life, from making appearances on local TV as a young kid, to climbing the ranks in LA & New York jobs weaving celebs like Michael Jackson through crowds, to her position now as CEO of international PR firm People’s Revolution. However, the journey is not told chronologically but when the lesson is most needed. I loved this about the book. There is so much I could say about her personal and career journey that is so wild, but you can read all about it – after Cutrone’s early years in New York (her dream city), she moved to the hippie streets of Venice Beach in LA, discovering herself again after getting off drugs. Learning about the many religions out there and learning from the teachings of her guru, “The Mother,” she created her own religion, and this is what she encourages each woman to do in life in order to be able to identify their life purpose and work toward it (very similar to former New York publicist Gabrielle Bernstein’s lessons in Spirit Junkie). This statement really spoke to me and I read it about five times over:

“My religion is about manifesting the Divine in myself and in everything I do. For me, the Goddess embodies compassion, perception, ruthlessness, and a total commitment to the destruction of falsity and ignorance; I aspire to embody and be all these things.”

The other part of Cutrone’s book is about self-branding – it’s funny because I had just finished reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It!: Why Now is the Time to Cash in On Your Passion and Cutrone echoed this about needing to find out who we are and embodying and expressing it in the best way possible – through our personalities, demeanors at work, how we dress, and how we treat people. Cutrone swears by using the phone as much as possible to keep the human connection going in this age of text, email and social media. Yes, branding is how companies appear to the public, but since companies are run by people, it’s ultimately people who do business. In the book you will find tips on do’s and don’ts on working in fashion and interning for her company, People’s Revolution.

I would recommend this book to any girl or woman 14 and above (bearing in mind there are tales of sexuality and swearing), because even though you may not relate to her in the least bit (I definitely could identify as a publicist and someone striving to find wholeness), you will appreciate where she came from, what she learned in her hard life experiences, and maybe even be amazed – as I was – that this hard, punk-like fashion publicist actually has a HUGE heart and soul and strives for awakening for all women. What I feel was the thesis of the book:

“My journey has been about forming an “X” on the spot where the heights of glorious superficiality meet the depths of spirituality.”

I know this isn’t exactly a new book, but I feel that women in 2012 could use a different “Goddess” to inspire us this year. I would highly recommend this book and Spirit Junkie to help you (a woman) on your path if you feel that calling. I look forward to getting my hands on Normal Gets You Nowhere and will blog on that if I have things to say about it. Oh, and I’ve discovered the holy grail of e-book resources: BCLibraries.ca – all the e-books you can borrow!

2) Conscious Divas‘s Diva Date Nights

Speaking of spirituality, if you are a woman in Vancouver who hasn’t heard of the Conscious Divas, you’re in for a treat. I met the Conscious Divas founders mid last year and signed up to their newsletter called “Weekly Wisdom,” which is a great dose of personal stories and articles compiled by co-founder Kate Muker. Founded in 2010, the Conscious Divas is a fast growing community of women who are looking for more than the obvious ingredients of a good life: love, money, career, kids… With inspiring articles, monthly Diva Date Nights held in West Vancouver and Vancouver, and Virtual Diva Date Nights via telecall, joining this group of women is a great way to feed your soul with goodness, meet like-minded women, and get inspired this year.

My first Diva Date Night was the anniversary party, where I had some great conversations with women going beyond the level of “I love your outfit!”. In October, the Conscious Divas hosted the Vancouver stop of Gabrielle Bernstein’s Spirit Junkie tour, where I heard this amazing woman speak and was able to get my book copy signed (like me, Bernstein is a flexitarian who is mostly vegan!). Then I attended my first real Diva Date Night last Monday with guest speaker and naturopathic doctor, Alexina Mehta. I cannot tell you how much I have changed since I discovered the Conscious Divas. Thanks to my reading of Spirit Junkie, I have gone on to re-read A New Earth, meditate daily, read more books, and identify daily miracles, which has all helped me to have a much more positive life.

I wrote on the Conscious Divas Facebook Fan Page that my three word testimonial of Diva Date Nights was “Better than church!” and I fully believe in this statement. I’m not about bashing other religions, but the spirit and positive energy I felt from the other women at the event cannot be described in words – there was a higher force at work there. Other women who have attended regularly say that they always come away feeling great or with a piece of knowledge that they can practice in their real lives. And it’s not about boosting self-esteem for the sake of making women feel good – it’s a genuine and practical how-to of things we can do to better our lives and ultimately, help our own communities become more conscious of spirit and happiness.

Check out consciousdivas.com for all the info – the next Diva Date Night will feature the Queen of Hearts Kim Carrasin and Saje’s Jean-Pierre LeBlanc, who will discuss men-women dynamics and “How to Divinely Train a Man’s Brain”!