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Our Magical Mini Midwest TourWe had an AMAZING 11-day road trip of book promoting and selling, networking, and reconnecting! Here are the daily updates of our Magical Mini Midwest Book Tour.
Day 1: SUNDAY, JUNE 13TH Michelle: What a day! Had breakfast with Bart, Nancy, Carol - and Ann. It was great to see her! We headed over to Barnes & Noble, where we met with Steve, the assistant manager. He and his staff had already set up our book signing area. We went our separate ways to get ready. When I came back, our area had been transformed by Ann, who had decorated the table with flowers and festive lights! I gave Ann her lei and put on mine. Zoe helped put out the food, while Bart set up his cameras. Our friends Carol, Chris, and Nancy arrived early, and started buying books! Thanks for buying the stack for your book club, Robyn!! Women we hadn't met before sat down and we introduced ourselves. More friends arrived. Shortly after 2 pm, Ann and I launched into our story of how Goal Sisters came to be. And then the unexpected fun started: 2 women sat down in front of me. One kept smiling broadly at me, but I didn't recognize her. She began giving me clues about who she was. After a while I figured out that she was Jill Goldstein and that our dads had worked together over 30 years ago! I hadn't seen her since 1969. Jill lives in Atlanta and is here, visiting her roommate Jennifer from college. She had gone online and read about the book signing, knew she was supposed to meet me, and is now on her way to creating her own Goal Sister story! Talk about serendipity! Also got a chance to sign books for our friends Ginny and her Goal Sister; Joyce and her daughter Stephanie; June, Bill, and Joey; Linda (thanks for buying all those books!); Libby; Pat, my super Nurse Practitioner (thanks for your many purchases as well!); Robyn and Greg; and our Bloomington family, Sukyong, Scott, and their children. We sold out all the store's books - plus 6 more from Ann's personal stash! What a great first stop on our tour. Thanks to everyone who was there in person and in spirit, and to Steve and all his staff! Day 2: MONDAY, JUNE 14th Ann: We are so blessed! So many wonderful friends came to our book signing yesterday! It was terrific to have this phase of the dream realized! We sold out of books!!! Woo Hoo! And tonight we had a "Goals Night Out" at Lisa Ford’s - she has so many cool friends which makes perfect sense, because she is a cool friend herself! We are having fun introducing the book to area shops. Being back here is really healing for me right now. I look forward to heading into Chicago tomorrow to meet the staff at DBSA national…I can sleep on the train! Thank you, God for all of our good. Michelle: Started out the day by saying "goodbye" to my family, who headed west to see family in Omaha. Sad to see them go!! Worked on the Web site this morning. It's fun to see our B&N photos already online! Had lunch with Ann and Ruth in downtown Bloomington, did a little shopping with Ann, then rested before I had my scheduled radio interview (which never took place - the radio host was unavailable). Packed up my things, and said "goodbye" to Sukyong. Another sad moment! Ann picked me up and we headed to our first "Goals Night Out" event. We were greeted by Lisa and her circle of 7 friends and family members. Lisa had put together a beautiful spread!! Ann and I told our story about the Goal Sister process, and shared our experiences with support, accountability, and trust. Each woman wrote down 1 to 2 goals, and some shared them with the group. It was a gratifying experience! We also sold 6 books and gave 2 to Lisa for hosting the party. We hope our new Sisters let us know how they do with the process! Ann and I stopped by Borders on our way back to the hotel, and gave a copy of Goal Sisters to Tami the manager. She was stoked about the book! Day 3: TUESDAY, JUNE 15TH Michelle: Ann took off to Chicago today for business unrelated to Goal Sisters. I drove around and visited old haunts and friends. Worked on the site, had a wonderful lunch with Sukyong and her kids, and met Ann at the train station before heading out for a great dinner/evening with my friend Mike! Day 4: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16TH Michelle: Started the day with a large cup of Joe while listening to Ann being interviewed by a radio host in NY. After Ann finished, we drove to Panera Bread and met with Sukyong and her friend Susan (who's a life coach). Susan asked us how she could help spread the word about the book; she gave us several terrific ideas and leads! Thanks, Susan and Sukyong! Then Ann and I headed to our favorite store, The Garlic Press. We met with 2 of the owners, Dotty and Pam, and told them about Goal Sisters. They bought 12 books! Woo Hoo! We shopped around a bit, oohing and ahhing at their jewelry, clothes, and other cool stuff. Needless to say, we left with less $$ than we came with!! Drove over to the ISU campus where we met with WGLT 89.1 FM's Laura Kennedy, who wasted no time in miking us and interviewing us about the book. It was awesome to be at the NPR radio station that Bart and I had listened to for so many years! Our interview will air on WGLT on Saturday, July 31st at 8:34 am (Central time) and Sunday, August 1st at 7:34 am (Central time)!! Be sure to listen in via the internet! Spent the rest of the day with my Bloomington family. Had a great dinner with Sukyong, Ian, Brian, Kimmy, and Scotty (missed you, Scott!), and gave everyone tearful hugs as I ended this leg of my journey. Ann: What a great couple of days! I took the train to Chicago yesterday and met the folks at DBSA -the depression organization we're a part of at LifeSupport. It was so much fun to meet Gloria and Sue in person! The offices were terrific - lots of exposed brick and wonderful art everywhere. I met Dan and Jenna too - what a great group of talent! And Barbara was there who oversees all the chapter coordination - what a great team they are! I am so proud to be a part of their efforts to break the stigma associated with depression and build awareness about this treatable, medical disease. Got back and had dinner with Jarie and her crew at her home - sitting on the back porch was wonderfully relaxing. Thanks you guys for the visit! And thanks again Lisa, for the gathering the night before! You have such wonderful friends! Today was a full day! I enjoyed our coffee hour that Michelle told you about and had fun being back in Garlic Press! It was so neat to feel the energy there and enjoy some of the Brian Andreas prints they have displayed. I love that guy's work! Seeing Laura Kennedy and Kevin Conlin at WGLT was another trip down memory lane - we used to do the Health Update show there when I had the Cancer Support Network! Later, I did a bit of financial business with Karen Fleming, who is a regional Governor with Soroptimist! She enjoyed hearing that I had been a member in Joplin and that Karen and Deborah still are. She promised to spread the word of the book through her chapters in six states...woo hoo! Then a oh-too-short visit with Linda Kimber Weber who has been a best friend for many years. She is thriving in her Edward Jones office and I am so happy for her! Joined Gary and my friend, Susan for drinks and jazz downtown. Susan is as sweet as ever and shared some great stories of her trips abroad and life with her beau, Rudy. She left and Gary and I continued the party at the Lucca Grill. He is really doing well -bought a boat and shared some pictures of it. We had a great time remembering and sharing...I realized that I am still connected to all these great folks in the heart. I think it was Richard Bach who wrote that there is no distance between those who are truly friends. Michelle and I are proving it on this trip! Tomorrow we leave Bloomington and head on down to Springfield where we get to see Kate for lunch and then meet Diana and her friends at a gathering that evening. I am certain we will meet more Goal Sisters along the way! I miss being at my home in Joplin though...I wish that you all could be with us physically as we do this process! I feel the prayer support - it is cool to know that my mastermind partners are visioning our successful journey and that Ted and the group members were sending us some good thoughts tonight at their meeting. I hear the collective 'breathe!' from you all and thank you for the reminder! Have a good night you guys! Day 5: THURSDAY, JUNE 17TH Michelle: Dragged ourselves out of bed and packed up our belongings, which seemed to multiply threefold in 3 days. Drove by Ann’s former home on Evans and attempted to visit my family’s Lowman neighbors. No one there but the dog! Snapped a few photos before waving goodbye to Bloomington. Met with Kate (she helped us edit our book proposal!)at the appointed place and time, and followed her to the Women In Management meeting in Springfield. What great energy from great women! Ann and I introduced ourselves and the book at our respective tables, and connected with several women (including Val the wave maker)!! Decided to visit the local Barnes & Noble, where we introduced ourselves to the acting manager extraordinaire, Michelle. After we told her about the book, Michelle instructed the information desk person to order 50 books. Woo hoo!! Headed to Kate’s home in the country and rested before hitting the road to Diana’s house, where we met with 5 women for our 2nd Goals Night Out Event. These women are more than ready to make time to work on their goals! They were inspired by our time together and bought the rest of Ann’s book supply. Thanks much, Diana - you have a wonderful home and wonderful friends! Ann: I rearranged the car this morning so that all our stuff could fit! That took about 1 hour - kidding!!! We don’t have that much stuff…uh, well, you will notice there are no pictures of the Goal Sisters ‘bus’ - no need to disclose the fact that some of us need to learn to pack light! It was during this rearranging phase that I realized we’re in the midst of a wonderful crisis - we only have NINE books left in our box! That means that the women at the gathering tonight will get those and we now have NO books to share the rest of our way back to Joplin! I loved meeting everyone at the WIM meeting in Springfield. It is so great to see Kate again! Our friendship came about in such a unique way that it was just meant to be! I am grateful for her support. We get to spend tonight at her peaceful home - I am ready! I am winding down and need to go energize myself before tonight’s Goals Night Out experience. I think I will throw my cell phone out the window - who invented these things anyway? I used mine to make contact with Holley at the St. Louis Borders today - she is ready for us to appear on Saturday! She promised to have coffee on hand for our guests. Thank you, Holley! Well, time to get Michelle and head over to Kate’s so we can get ready for tonight. Where is Karen when I need her wonderful massages??? I am tired and energized by this whole process…thank you, God! Day 6: FRIDAY, JUNE 18TH Ann: I wish you could spend time in Kate and Ed’s home in Rochester! She was so nice to let us stay there last night - it is incredibly peaceful. I needed that! We had coffee and muffins with her this morning and then hit the road for St. Louis! I have to admit, it was nice to be back on Missouri soil again! We stopped at Barnes & Noble in Crestwood where we met the manager on duty, Paul. He was very welcoming and was happy to hear that we had discovered 4 copies of Goal Sisters on their shelves and were offering to sign them! “We love it when authors stop by,” he said. I then went shopping while Michelle rested and updated the site. It wasn’t the same without her - I ended up getting lost and there was a huge storm, but I found my way back. We had dinner and are now hitting the hay before another big day tomorrow! Michelle: Today was definitely a “Driving Ms. Michelle” day. I slept most of the way out of Illinois, waking up to use the restroom every 10 miles. Sorry for all the stops, Ann! I had a killer headache all day because I didn’t load up on caffeine early enough this morning. Ugh! Can you say “caffeine dependent”? Missouri welcomed us with her arch and familiar slow down on the bridge crossing into St. Louis. We decided to stay out of the city at the Kirkwood Best Western, a place where my family and I previously stayed and had lots of fun! After Ann and I unloaded our cartload of stuff, we headed for a mall that sold cell chargers. Yep, I left mine in the hotel back in Bloomington. Ugh! Thanks to a persistent young man in the Crestwood Mall, I had a new cell charger. Ann and I made an impromptu jaunt to the Crestwood Barnes & Noble. It was awesome to see and sign 4 of our books there! I rested at the motel while Ann shopped during a huge thunderstorm. Three hours later (just like in Gilligan’s Island!), she stumbled into the room looking quite windblown. Time for a drink! Went out for dinner and had a heart to heart talk about our friendship over nachos and margaritas. I appreciate that we can still be honest with each other. Onward and upward! Day 7: SATURDAY, JUNE 19TH Ann: Packing and unpacking is getting OLD!!! We had a morning of talking and planning. Took off for Border’s and the book signing - what a great store and manager, Holley! They welcomed us and had us set up with coffee,a great table and lots of chairs! Jan and Rich came from across the river in Illinois. Jan is Jarie’s (from Bloomington) step-daughter and wanted to show her support. They were so kind to drive in just for us! I last saw Jan about six years ago when I gave the service at her father’s funeral. Time marches on! Patt and Darrel came, too. They are fellow coaches from the St. Louis area and while we had visited on the phone several times, we had not really met in person before today! Patt attended a workshop I did about four years ago and had kept my business card -ahhh, the power of paper! It's led to a nice association. I'm supposed to tell you now that the event was so successful that we went fifteen minutes over time, due to the demand of the public asking questions about the writing and publishing process, what does it mean to be a Goal Sister, etc., etc. In reality, we did go over time, but it was because Darrel and Patt were regaling us with great stories of their marriage and their search for a new home (they have looked at over 100!). While we did not have the usual crowd at a signing, I still call it a success for me because of these great friends who were willing to come out and say ‘yes’, you are on the right path - we understand what you are trying to do and we support you both. I believe we were also there for a woman who works at the store who wants to go to Scotland. We had a great chat with her about her life ‘coincidences’ and her goal of traveling to Scotland - a place she has felt ‘pulled’ to for many years, and encouraged her to keep taking those small steps toward her big goal! We left St. Louis and drove to Rolla. What fun to be back there with Michelle! We talk about Zeno’s in the book and that’s where we stayed again tonight! Tracey, the manager, took 4 books for their gift shop. She was so nice to the original Goal Sister group when we had our overnight adventure there last January. It was fun to have her meet Michelle! A quick trip to that oh-so-famous gift shop garnered a fun bracelet for me and some of Michelle’s favorite soap for her! And dinner was great as usual!! We took a nice walk afterwards and enjoyed the peace of the Ozark sunset over a nearby pond - great to be back on familiar ground where much of our time has been spent! Michelle: After we packed up our belongings, we drove to University City and window shopped. What a beautiful day! It's sunny, breezy, and everyone seems to be outside. Ann got us to the Brentwood Borders with 45 minutes to spare. Holley and her crew had set up our table, chairs, and mikes upstairs, in a great open area sandwiched between the music, DVD, and self-help book sections. We're ready to go! The clock struck one, Holley made our announcement, and no one sat down. Fifteen minutes went by. Ann's friends stopped by to support us and buy a book. In between these visits, I drew in my journal and watched many people divert their gaze as they walked by us. The event was a BUST in terms of selling books. After thanking Holley and her crew, we headed down I-44 toward Rolla. It was fun being back at our old Zeno's stomping grounds! Tracey the manager was great - she bought a book, and took 3 on consignment. We had a relaxing rest of the evening, and ended it with a swim in the outdoor pool. Day 8: SUNDAY, JUNE 20TH Ann: A beautiful morning! We had breakfast at Zeno’s and then sat out by the pool to begin work on our next quarter goals. It was perfect weather! When it came time to pack up and check out we headed back to the room and gave a quick farewell to Tracey. Carmen at the front desk remembered me from the January adventure and reported meeting a goal she had talked about then! She has gotten a promotion at her regular job and is much happier! Go, Carmen!!! Next stop was to see Shane in Springfield. I write about him in the book in the ‘plateau story’. It was great to reconnect with him and hear of his new business ventures and how his relationship is going. He has such a loving partner - they are very happy. It was nice to just relax with his coffee and cheesecake in his peaceful home. Then off to Adobe Café for dinner and on to Barnes and Noble and Border’s to check on our book’s status. It was fun to have Michelle see where I did the signing. Then finally back to Joplin! The plants were a little droopy but so were we - other than that, it looks like home! Up until midnight unloading my suitcase, briefcases, and hanging bag, and checking phone messages and emails and planning the next two action-packed days before Michelle takes off. We still have a ton of work to do and discuss -but join with me in affirming “There is plenty of time to do all that we want and need to do.” See you tomorrow, after my 9:10 a.m. radio interview with a Wisconsin radio station whose show has 50,000 listeners! We also get to go to MAGIC and I can introduce Michelle to the folks at Zimmer Radio Group who have been SOOOO supportive of our book! It's going to be a great day and then we join the 2 Goal Sisters groups for a session tomorrow night! Woo Hoo! See you then! Michelle: Breakfast rocked and so did the weather - another sunny day in Missouri! Sat by the pool for about an hour, talking about and writing down our 3rd quarter goals. Then we got to do our favorite activity - packing up! - before checking out of Zeno's and getting back on I-44 to Springfield, MO. We hung out with our friend Shane, sipping strong coffee, exchanging stories, and catching up. Feel fortunate to have many wonderful friends like Shane in my life! It took FOREVER to get to Joplin! Guess I'm a little tired of being on the road...got to Ann's home and unpacked the car, then unpacked my suitcase. Her home is a familiar, welcoming place. Took a shower, tried to upload photos on Ann's computer (it didn't work!!), and collapsed in bed after we went over our next day's agenda. Day 9: MONDAY, JUNE 21ST Ann: Today was another full day! I had a radio interview with an out-of-state station. We then met with our new Goal Sister, Natalie, for breakfast since she couldn’t be at the meeting tonight. Michelle and I went to Zimmer Radio Group and recorded an interview with Steve Scott at MAGIC. Michelle got to meet Ray Michaels, the Operations Director who was as welcoming as ever. Then she and I did a little goal setting and I ran some errands while she visited with Michelle Jones. It was time to run by Changing Hands Book Shoppe and set up for the book signing event! Susie and John were great - gave us some wonderful space and provided some yummy snacks and lemonade for the evening! Thanks, you guys! It was great! We took off up the street for dinner with the original Goal Sisters group and had a great time toasting and celebrating the book and their role in it. They really enjoyed seeing Michelle again and Deborah was back from California, so we were all together again. It was really nice. The original Sisters got to meet the new group at Changing Hands and that was fun to facilitate. We had other guests there, including Michelle Jones’ mom, Marilyn, and my good friends Pat, Robin, Lee, and Greg, among others! There was such a great energy in the room. I have to say it was really fulfilling to hear women meeting and sharing their goals and their progress with each other. The 2nd group didn’t meet last week so they promptly adjourned to a back room and got down to the business of accountability - it was fun to watch! Michelle and I headed over to Michelle Jones’ for a mini overnight adventure. We enjoyed visiting with Michelle and her friend, Steve in her home. Morning came too early but her toasted coconut coffee and crepes were worth getting up for! Michelle: Woke up this morning wondering where the heck I was! After I had some coffee, Ann and I headed to downtown Joplin to meet Natalie, who’s from the 2nd group. It was nice to meet her! Ann and I drove over to the Zimmer Radio group, where we chatted for awhile with Linda the receptionist extraordinaire. Met with MAGIC 93.9’s Steve Scott - the sweetest guy in Joplin – and taped an interview with him. Also met Ray Michaels, another great radio guy! So glad Ann has connected with this station. Worked on our marketing plan at the 4th Panera Bread franchise we’ve been to on our trip. Michelle Jones arrived 20 minutes later. It was GREAT to see my Kauai Goal Sister!! Ann graciously let Michelle and I have our alone time together. Michelle showed me her glimpses of her awesome Joplin life. Hurried back to Ann’s house, where she and I changed clothes and headed over to Changing Hands Book Shoppe. We were warmly welcomed by the store’s owners, John and Susie. I quickly uploaded a few photos onto the site while Ann and Susie set up the book signing area. Ann and I headed over to the Red Onion, where we were greeted with drum rolls by the 1st Goal Sisters group. Talk about déjà vu – we sat at the same table where we celebrated the book being picked up by New World Library over 2 years ago. Needless to say, it was fantastic being with the Sisters again. They've all come a long way in their goal setting and achievement! After dinner, we all headed over to Changing Hands, and had a wonderful event. Folks bought 9 Goal Sisters books! Woo hoo! Then Ann and I drove to Michelle Jones’ home for a sleepover. No pillows were thrown, though – we were too tired from our full day. Day 10: TUESDAY, JUNE 22ND Ann: Raining in the Ozarks and actually chilly, too! Boo! We headed back to my house and discussed our marketing plan for Goal Sisters and all the next steps we have for this book! Ran a ton of errands and spent a lot of the day in denial that Michelle leaves tomorrow to go back to Hawaii! Took her to Hasting’s to meet Carl, the book department manager, who helped me with our first book signing here. Then off to Karen’s where Michelle had a massage. I ran some more errands while she was relaxing and went back to pick her up. She came out in a dazed, relaxed state! Back home to pack up and then we’re heading to Tulsa for the night, since Michelle leaves at 9 a.m. tomorrow!!! Only one more night of living out of a suitcase, Michelle! Hang in there!!! What a great time it has been! Michelle: Felt like a zombie this morning! Thank goodness for Michelle Jone’s scrumptious breakfast and full pot of coffee. Said goodbye to Michelle – our time together was too short – and headed back to Joplin for a day of Goal Sister planning. Had a productive meeting with Ann before heading over to Karen’s massage business, The Right Touch, where I got my birthday present massage from Karen! Thanks, Ann and Karen for the present – I'm feeling VERY relaxed. Ann got us into Tulsa around 9:30. We checked into our motel and ate dinner across the way at Denny’s. Over oatmeal and fried chicken, Ann and I finished writing down and committing to our personal goals for the next quarter. Then we walked back to our motel room, got ready for bed, and chatted past midnight. Day 11: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23RD Ann: I'm exhausted! Got up and dropped Michelle off at the Tulsa airport at 6:45 a.m.!! I was home by 9 a.m. - in time for my 10:30 a.m. phone interview with a station in Chicago! It was hard to say ‘good bye’ to Michelle. I hate our farewells, but I know that they lead to more creativity and communication. We have mapped out a marketing plan that will move us forward, complete with talk of a journal and calendar, a national retreat one year from now and the creation of Goal Sister groups across the country! It's going to be a grand adventure! Headed into my volunteer office where we are preparing to close our operation. Got some startling news from the Director and decided to take the afternoon off! Had an enjoyable time chatting with a friend and am now getting ready to do a little work before my radio interview tonight at 8:40 p.m. We have learned a lot on this trip and met so many great women who are embracing the Goal Sister process! I hope that you will all email and let us know how your summer goals are coming and continue to share the ride with us. Thank you all for your support. We are so blessed. Michelle: We checked out of our motel and Ann drove me 2 miles to the airport. I asked Ann to drop me off instead of parking at the airport; growing up on an island with many visitors coming and going over the years has taught me that short and sweet goodbyes are preferable to long and painful ones. So, drop me off Ann did! We stood at the United Airlines curb, hugging each other as our eyes welled up like they always do when we end our time together. And like so many of our endings, this one represents the beginning of a new phase of our friendship and connection. As I flew home and reflected back on the trip, the first thing that popped in my head is how grateful I am for all that Ann did on this trip - for being a terrific group facilitator, for setting up media contacts prior to our trip, for letting us use her trusty car, and for her wonderful hospitality. I am equally grateful for the people we connected with on this journey, and am glad we're on it together! Copyright © 2004-2010 by Michelle Beaulieu Pillen, Ph.D., and Ann Leach. All rights reserved. No part of this Web site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise. |
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