Gia'sou, Aloha, Shalom, Dia dhuit, Ciao, Sawubona!

Last week, my husband Lee and I closed escrow on our new home in Sherman Oaks. We were planning to do a walk-through of the house together, after he got off work. Then he called me on his way home to tell me he had just realized the electricity might have been turned off since the previous owner had vacated. I agreed to pick up some food and then go to the new house and check if the electricity was on. If it was, I'd call him and have him meet me there.

I arrived in the early evening. Talking on my cell phone to my best friend Deborah Kagan, I opened the door and flipped the light switch. The room brightened immediately. "Yes!" I told Kagan, "The electricity works!" I continued walking though the house while chatting away, telling her everything I was seeing and experiencing. Approaching a closet door, I pulled on it but it seemed stuck. "Hmm," I tell Kagan, "the closet door won't open. Strange. It opened when Troy, the lovely seller, showed me the place." I tried pulling again while peering through the crack; it opened a bit more but was instantly pulled back. Freaky. I blurted out, "Kagan, I think there's a ghost in there!" But ghost or not, this was my new house and I wanted to get into my closet. I braced my right foot against the wall and pulled on the knob with both hands as hard as I could. To my surprise, the door opened about three or four inches, then was immediately and dramatically pulled shut! I almost screamed something about ghosts again, but then I got a flash of insight. It must be a prowler. I was panicking on the inside, but managed to keep calm on the exterior. I blurted to Kagan on the phone (lying), "Lee and Gary are here." Then I quickly walked out of the room and out of the house.

While Kagan called the police, I kept my eyes focused on the house from the front yard. My heart was racing. Within two minutes, a medium-sized Latino man with a black leather jacket came out of the office into the living room, saw me and quickly slipped back into the office. Now I really freaked out. I had been in an empty house with a real-life boogeyman hiding in my closet. Kagan assured me over the phone that the cops were on their way.

I hung up from her to call my husband, who said he was on his way. Then I heard Kerplunk! and saw my visitor walking out of the space between my house and the neighbor's, whistling as if nothing strange were going on.

I yelled, "Hey!" But he kept walking, faster and faster. I had no choice but to let him get away.

About a minute later Lee arrived, and we went into the house together. We headed straight to the closet. When we opened a few drawers, we found to our surprise toiletries, boxer shorts, t-shirts, and notebooks. Our intruder was a squatter! I picked up what looked like a journal and flipped through the pages. I read the words, "If you can visualize it, you can have it." Our squatter was a New Ager! There was a flyer from the Zanzibar Club in Santa Monica and The Temple Bar -- two of my favorite places with fantastic music and spoken word poetry. On another page he had written down the prayer of St. Francis:

"Lord, make me a channel of thy peace, that where there is hatred, I may bring love; that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness ..." (etc.)

It was one of Lee's favorite prayers. The intruder had also left a notebook full of fabulous drawings. I felt these somehow represented his soul, and were perhaps all he had in life. By this point Lee and I had both lost our fear of this stranger, and I even began to feel spiritually connected with him. We agreed we would put his things outside the front door so he could retrieve them later. I wanted to put a note in his bag introducing myself and offering him free Soul Blazing sessions. I wanted to give him some hope because it seemed he was committed to creating a better life for himself. But when the police finally arrived they insisted on confiscating his possessions, despite our protests.

So, what did I learn from this strange experience? First, always carry mace when checking out your new home. But seriously, I was reminded that things are not always what they seem. Someone who initially freaked me out turned out to an artistic and spiritual soul. But beyond this, in reading through this man's journal and reflecting on his struggles I was reminded of my own struggles to come out of my closet and be the person I've always dreamed of being. Even today, I sometimes still feel like an imposter or intruder in a place I don't belong. I feel like that man, living in a closet owned by a stranger. But what I would have said to him, if I could have, is that your dreams and your talents are great enough to take you out of that closet and to the place you want to be. You are not an imposter!

Some of my clients (you know who you are) have a difficult time speaking in public or with performing anxiety -- butterflies in the stomach, the body tightening, adrenaline pumping hard, etc. Others suffer from chronic procrastination. Still others consistently under-perform because of lack of preparation.

What do all these shortcomings have in common? They are things we do to ourselves to keep us in our closets and prevent us from achieving our dreams. But all can be overcome, with the right re-patterning and coaching.

Take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of this newsletter because I want to inspire you for 2007. You are about to meet three remarkable people who I truly respect.

And until next time... Don't compare or compete, simply be yourself.

Your Soul Blazer,

Lisa Haisha
Composing a Life

What is Soul Blazing?

Soul Blazing is an accelerated method of stripping away a person's masks, revealing "character flaws" and turning them into strengths. It is about discovering one's authentic soul and embarking on the life journey one was born to take. Soul Blazing adapts proven techniques from a variety of different analytical approaches (Gestalt, Psychosynthesis, Jungian Analysis, Reality Therapy and others) and adds original techniques to form a completely new paradigm in emotional healing. It is not for the faint of heart. It is tough love to help you break down the mythology that you created for yourself and together we rebuild you from the inside out. THE KEY IS ONE SOUL TALKING TO ANOTHER UNFETTERED BY THE CONSTRAINTS OF OUR MINDS OR OUR PERSONALITIES. WHEN THAT DIALOGUE IS ALLOWED TO OCCUR, THE POSSIBILITIES FOR GROWTH ARE ENDLESS!

Thom Bierdz

Thom Bierdz is a remarkable individual - an actor, author, and artist extraordinaire. He fits perfectly into this newsletter's theme as a man who has truly come out of his closet (not just sexually; Thom is openly gay) but in terms of embracing his multitude of talents and opening up to his dreams in every way. Upon meeting him, I was struck with an energy force that was almost overwhelming. His charm and good looks caught me off guard. We talked, laughed and cried for what was supposed to be an hour but turned into an entire afternoon, non-stop. He kept me riveted by his personal story-a real life soap opera full of tragedies and twists. Ironically, Thom began his career in Hollywood by starring in the soap The Young and the Restless, but was forced to quit after one of his brothers shot his mother, and the other brother then committed suicide. This series of tragedies led Thom to painful discoveries about life and the human condition and changed his world life forever.

He turned his focus from ambition and material success to trying to mend his heart and to find out why his life seemed to be spiraling out of control. This search led Thom ultimately to painting. He emerged as a powerful force in the art world, raising thousands of dollars for a variety of charities and winning such prestigious awards as Emerging Artist of the Year from Vox/Out. He also embarked on a must-read tell-all book called Forgiving Troy, an autobiography of his incredibly challenging personal journey. Forgiving Troy is now available on Amazon and Thom's website: www.thombierdz.com

In Hindu mythology an Avatar is a spirit guide and helper, and that's what we call our monthly selection of a person or organization whose mission is to assist individuals and companies on a higher level than most, and whose skills and talents we believe will make your life easier and happier. They will give you the room and support to grow into your life's work.

Jamie Suard

Jamie is a tennis coach as well as a holistically and spiritually oriented healer, and she has found a way to merge these two passions in a unique synergism she calls "Transformational Tennis." The connection between optimal athletic performance and one's mental and emotional state is unquestionable; when you're not feeling good about yourself, it's pretty hard to excel on the field or the court. While more and more professional (and even ambitious amateur) athletes are turning to sports psychologists to supplement their athletic training and enhance performance, most of those psychologists represent the more traditional, mainstream approaches to mental health. Jamie feels that she brings a much broader, deeper and more nurturing perspective to the process.

I haven't played tennis in a long time, but as soon I was introduced to Jamie by a mutual friend, whom I respect tremendously, I was impressed with her sense of confidence and knowledge in the field of enhancing performance and self-esteem. She specializes in helping players of all ages become consciously aware of their limitless potential by developing a sound mental and emotional approach to the game, as well as solid technical and strategic skills. Her passion for helping others achieve their greatness is real and powerful. You can't help but fall in love with her sensitivity and heart. As good as she is today, Jamie is also in the process of getting her Ph.D. (in pre- and perinatal psychology), in order to be her absolute best.

To learn more about Jamie and her extraordinary work, call 310-937-2890 or, e-mail her at: beyondjamie@yahoo.com

Scott Neeson

What can I say about this remarkable human being! They even named a country after him. Just kidding - but Scott is originally from Scotland. He moved to Australia as a child, and then to the U.S. where he worked for ten years in the film industry. He rose to the level of President of International Marketing for Twentieth Century Fox, and later headed Sony Pictures' International Marketing department. He now lives in Phnom Phen, where he is the creator and Executive Director of the Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF), a safe-haven (and so much more) for abandoned, abused and orphaned children, providing secure shelter and nutritious meals within a caring environment.

I was introduced to Scott last year through my then-assistant. She had been his assistant a few years before coming to me. After she saw what I was about and the direction my life was taking me by reading my book, Whispers from Children's Hearts, she said I had to meet this Neeson person. I immediately went to his website and spent about an hour perusing it, reading every word. My heart cracked opened. I e-mailed him immediately. It turned out he was coming to LA in a few days for a fund-raiser.

A few days later, I was sitting across from him at Literati Café on Wilshire Blvd. -- a hip, cozy place where artists and writers hang out all day -- eating, sharing ideas, getting inspired. I begin asking him a hundred questions: What is it like to live in Phnom Phen? How do you handle the pressure of so many children depending on you? How do you protect yourself from the sex traffickers trying to steal the children? He answered all my questions without flinching. Nothing seemed to faze him. I could tell he had found his calling; that he was committed to doing whatever it took to make a big difference in the lives of many children. I truly admired his guts, patience and big heart.

A few months later Lee and I traveled to Cambodia, where we saw Scott in action. We walked with him through the vast garbage dump of Phnom Phen, where children as young as 6 years old spend their days searching the steaming piles of trash for recyclables to sell for a few pennies. We visited the CCF facility where Scott has provided many of these children with a new home -- and hope. It was an experience I will not soon forget.

I am sponsoring two children and it's one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.

To learn more about Scott and his mission or to sponsor a child or donate to his cause, please visit his website at: www.cambodiachildrensfund.com.