Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?
Central Florida, Big Island Hawaii
If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?
I escaped the tropic of torpor of Florida and journeyed to the Rocky Mountains and on to the Pacific Northwest, with my soul leading the way. I needed warmth, and Hawaii beckoned me home to myself. I resonate deeply with the notion of Kapu Aloha, sacred compassion, that fills the island consciousness with great healing and presence.
What made you decide to write and publish your first book?
To be of maximum service to God and my fellows. If I didn’t write and publish this memoir, it was going to eat me alive. It is still gnawing at me, but less aggressively.
How would you describe your books to first time readers?
A transformational memoir full of grit and grace and gratitude. The journey into dark neighborhoods of the human mind and shedding light on the shadowy corners of human experience. A poetic heart-felt perspective of the Divine Feminine that human consciousness embraces.
Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?
People who recognize they are addicted to substances or behaviors that are getting in the way of their extraordinary lives. People who are willing to be responsible for living an extraordinary life of resilience, compassion and service. People who want to know there is no challenge too great or no trauma too debilitating to overcome and be of service. Yoginis, Buddhists, holistic practitioners, recovering Americans.
What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?
Balboa Press told me mentioning my brothers bought me booze when I was underage or mentioning the Catholic Church could raise issues of libel and they encouraged me to cut it from the manuscript or use a pseudonym.
If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?
write it earlier
people thought I was too young to write a memoir in my 40s.
this is untrue.
to read the rest of this interview visit authorvoices.com or simply click this link
Aloha We-Day Wednesday: Today I invite us to pause, to reflect, to inspire each other. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
On this day in 1929, my hero and silence breaker and non-violent change maker, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born.
In Boston he met and married Coretta Scott, a young woman of uncommon intellectual and artistic attainments. Two sons and two daughters were born into the family.At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.
On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated. Please follow this link for a more detailed history
On this day in 1934, my loving and loyal father was born to a militaryfamily on the Chesapeake Coast in Virginia. He died of heart dis-ease at the age of 69. The following is taken from the first draft of my transformational memoir, Moonshot aim high, dive deep, live an extraordinary life
This book is dedicated to my Dad, an unsung hero in his right. A man growing up in America, to me he represents warmth of heart and poetry of soul. He loved birds and sunrise was his favorite time of the day. I pushed at the stickiness of his torment gingerly with my small hands, and for a time, I was stuck. Unable to let go of the past, my Dad also chased the promise of new beginnings.
To me, his only daughter, he embodied the Albert Camus quote, “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
Life being both beautiful and terrifying, he introduced me to both the sunrise as well as the dark night of the soul. Be prepared for anything, he taught me, and this, I now see, can be an incredible “come from” in how I see my life. We can dwell in possibility, that anything could happen, and to be prepared for anything. In the past, for me this perspective was incredibly nerve-wracking. Now, this same truth, is indeed, incredibly liberating; I am responsible for everything.
My father taught me to be prepared for a slight change in temperature, a sudden rain storm, and how to test the brakes on a car. He advised me to quit looking busy for busyness sake, to slow down and smell the roses. Generate warmth, prepare for anything, and know how to slow down effectively, these are the great guidelines that still steer me today.
My thoughts today, inspired by these two powerful men. our lives begin to end… when we forget to care when we forsake our resilient heart when we forgo our right to speak up about injustice
our lives begin to thrive… when we forget to seek revenge when we forgive ourselves and others when we forgo our right to retaliate with hate
May we reside in the privilege of nonviolent committed action and break the silence that locks our heart in hate. My heart is with the movement on ʻOahu today. Kapu Aloha. Aloha ʻĀina. may it be so.you matter. your relationships matter.
My best quality of love, Amy Elizabeth Relational Health Coach
heal your heart, open your mind cover it with love, transform your world change in here, ignite out there
’tis magical, this season of excellence, abundance & gratitude
As I’m sitting here, I’m operating from a sense of excellence, abundance and gratitude. Living my Moonshot, my declaration of extraordinary living as I send love to:
Everett, my son, as I tend to his sickness
the fresh biopsy wound on my nose after yesterday’s dermatology appointment
my mind as I recognize this email didn’t get out “on time” and release the pinch of perfectionism
the earth as I prepare for a “plastic free event” at the luau tomorrow at our local canoe club
Juggling all of this can feel like a lot, even too much, if I entertain the story of overwhelm in my head. Though it’s tempting, instead, I tune in to a different story, one of abundant love and supportive energy that surrounds us all. I trust it like I trust gravity. Penetrate the surface, much like the rains are penetrating the dry ground in this season, and there is indeed a rich sense of abundance and the ever-present-presence of gratitude.
From this wellspring of gratitude, I delegate. I ask for support from my Moonshot team, my family, my angels and ancestors, from those seen and unseen energies that are conspiring tirelessly in my favor. I let go and allow the extraordinariness of life to unfold in magical ways. All of this is coupled with my committed action; my overarching intention of excellence, abundance and gratitude.
’tis magical, this season of excellence, abundance & gratitude
Many of you may think I’m referring to Thanksgiving and the December major holidays. It’s more than that. Here in Hawai’i it’s also the season where we say, Lonoikamakahiki.
What is Lonoikamakahiki?
This is the greeting we share to acknowledge Makahiki. This marks the time of year when the god Lono returns to Hawaiʻi from Kahiki. Makahiki lasts for roughly four months. This season is a time for rest and rejuvenation. Tribute would be given to the aliʻi, the chiefs, there were no wars, and games and sports were the main pastime. (from kumukahi.org)
Season of attunement
We wake up our senses and notice a shift in the weather around us and within us. The storms come. The rain penetrates the earth and ends the dry season. It is time to fully reconnect with loved ones. We enjoy prosperity and the fruits of fertility.
Learn more about this season in an amazing 10 minute talk from my kumu Kekuhi here.
Annual tradition
My family, my team, participated in the annual tradition of Makahiki “Aha Pule ʻĀina Holo” relay run on Sunday, 17th of November. This four-day ceremonial relay run around the entire island of Hawaiʻi is in its sixth year and has become a significant community event, mirroring the traditional clockwise Makahiki procession. We ran part of it.
A great honor to participate shows in this photo, my youngest, Toby, carrying the Lono staff. We run in prayerful ceremony to honor the ripple effect of the power of peace, prosperity, and attunement.
Finally, we pause to celebrate. We intentionally magnify the power of excellence, abundance and gratitude. Together we rise, like a mighty wave. Join the Moonshot Movement, build your Moonshot team, and let the magic of the season of excellence, abundance & gratitude unfold. Stay tuned…
When I reflect on those who inspire us to bring our Best Self forth to any situation and make any experience benefit from our presence, a flurry of people come to mind.
My kumu, my Hawaiʻi life ways teacher, Kekuhi, is one such person in my life. She’s a transformational leader in bringing awareness to Kapu Aloha, the sacredness of compassion.
Kapu Aloha is an invitation to bring our best self forth in every moment, in each interaction and to cultivate genuine responsibility for our presence on this planet and in all our relations.
Presently, on Hawaiʻi Island, protecting Maunakea from further desecration. We connect to the land, the ancestors, to each other and to ourselves in the spirit of Kapu Aloha. Hawaiʻi lifeways is flourishing and growing. It is an honor to be here now.
If you are interested in learning more about this movement: Check out these links
We are standing together, peacefully, for what matters most. And we rise, like a mighty wave.
My kumu endorsed my book with this:
Moonshot is an elegant and visceral memoir that dares one to question one’s own resilience and courage. Indeed, Amy Elizabeth is as transparent as she appears in these pages. Love the interactive curriculum & it’s usefulness. While Liz (her name of endearment) has had to turn her focus to her profession and her particular contribution to the community, we miss her authenticity and presence in Hālau ‘Ōhi’a.
Kekuhi Keali’ikanaka’oleohaililani, Trainer
Hālau ‘Ōhi’a
Why I wrote my memoir: Moonshot
I wrote Moonshot: aim high, dive deep, live an extraordinary life, as an invitation to approaching the present moment with greater awareness, allowing a moment of acceptance, and then acting accordingly. All of this stems from a place of tender, powerful generosity rooted in resilience.
This transformational memoir is for you if you have severed contact with your inner guidance system, felt blamed and shamed, and then criticized others and compromised your morals.
Perhaps you suffer, as I once did, from the epidemic in our dominant culture of distraction and busyness. You’re addicted to things that rob your soul of the beauty of the present moment. You avoid the direct experience of the moment by chronic “doing” versus “being.”
Are you ready to stand for what matters most in your life? Join me in the coming weeks as we declare our own Moonshots for 2020.
Moonshot: that something extraordinary that wouldn’t otherwise happen.
Why we get to declare our Moonshot is because, without it, we have no real aim, no real goal, no real desire worth working toward.
Aim high, dive deep and live an extraordinary life.
Then release the grip, surrender the striving, and allow the Moonshot Magic to unfold. There is magic in recognizing you are an energetic being having a human experience and the spiritual support is surrounding you in powerfully positive ways.
Moonshot: commitment to something extraordinary; declaring what, by when.
Magic: surrender to something greater than yourself; inviting ease, flow, and grace.
You don’t have to do this gig called life alone. Join a movement that matters. Moonshot Magic is the launch of such an invitation. Stay tuned for more details about a year-long coaching Mastermind to give you the inspiration and accountability required to live an extraordinary life.
BUY MY NEW TRANSFORMATIONAL MEMOIR RELEASED 6/18/19 NOW:
Amy’s transformational memoir explores the journey from despair to repair and serves an invitation to us all to understand the distinctions of an extraordinary life through the lens of resilience, compassion, and service.
Picture
the meat tenderizer mallet in my mom’s hands. Hear the thud of the mallet on
the steaks on the counter. Again. The swinging and pounding of the mallet
repeats, tenderizing the meat. The mallet penetrates deeply. It looks
dangerous, but its purpose is to tenderize, to penetrate deeply, to make the
tough meat palatable. As so it is with memoir. Thoroughly overcooked, my story
sits, dried and tough. My past is marbled with drama and trauma; unappetizing
yet intricately laced in the meat of the story.
Believe me, I tried to digest it all; I chewed and chewed, yet the
blob stayed in my mouth, gag-reflex triggered. The undigested, flavorless meat,
grey and unappetizing, bothersome at best.
I spit it into a paper napkin and throw it away; yet there is no away.
Not with our life stories. They can clog our arteries and hurt us, or they give
us the choice to tenderize our hearts and fertilize the space between.
“Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine,”
Mary
Oliver reminds us.
Summers in Florida are hot. Period.
It all started as a moonshot.
It all started as a moonshot.
July of 1969, no exception. The forecast called for humidity, but
no thunderstorms, a crucial piece of data for determining the moonshot. JFK’s
imperative that man gets to the moon by the end of the decade generated
internal heat for beings around the world. This heat, for many, had the flavor
of mind-blowing, exhilarating optimism, and infinite potentialities. For
others, the heat took on a more negative charge; resentment that funds went
upward toward visionary aims instead of dealing with domestic issues down on
Earth like poverty and crime, down here in America.
Thankfully, my parents, gathered with family and friends on the
coast of Florida, celebrated the moonshot. They were in the exhilarated camp.
This was indeed extraordinary.
Dad got the coals ready on the Coleman BBQ while mom pounded the
meat tenderizer on the steaks. Steaks meant celebration. The neighbor, Susan,
shucked the ears of fresh picked Zellwood corn. Always around, always helpful,
Susan prepared the sides and desserts. More butter needed, always more butter
needed, Susan and butter were hand in hand. My mom prepared the main dish.
Everyone brought the booze.
My parents had, at this time, four children, ages 10 and under,
who ran down the beach, lighting fireworks and getting high off the energetic
buzz of excitement that historic night of the first lunar landing. The moon,
symbolic of the unconscious, loomed high in the sky, no longer a hope and a
wish.
We were, collectively, bridging the conscious with the
unconscious. This took place at a pivotal time. The moonshot, the Apollo
mission, was “the result of thorough research carried out by a successful team,
whose strength rises from a common thought made up of simple ideas, growing and
coming together in one dream, yours and ours.” I came across this description
on an ordinary clothing tag recently, but it sums up most worthwhile endeavors
in life.
It takes more than me. Simple ideas, common thought.
It takes more than me. Simple ideas, common thought.
The late 60s in American history, full of swirling energies of
change and possibilities, the fertile ground for greater consciousness, was the
birthplace of the moonshot, both for Neil
Armstrong
and for my conception. Suspended in a moment pregnant with possibilities, my
parents consummated this joy. The backdrop of the American culture, so
promising and inspiring, had a moment to shine. Those in power advocated
overcoming scarcity, fear, and negativity, and finding common ground. This
climate of greater consciousness, of human advancement, bathed my parents as
they made love.
The backdrop of my conception is creative non-fiction. I don’t
know if they ate steaks the night man landed on the moon, but it certainly goes
with the meat tenderizer concept. And you know what? It doesn’t matter. It
works. It works because tenderizing my heart makes for a more palatable
offering.
Where I’d like to be is offering you a tender, juicy, tasty offering of a life worth
living, in order to inspire you to see, in case you haven’t already, that your
life is worth living, extraordinarily so. I do not have to keep chewing the
bland steak, the old overcooked story.
Where I’m from, I tethered myself back to the reality and power of love.
As I’m sitting here, a tender, powerful, generous woman, my history, my story, sits
before me. My heart opens wider to a heart-centric life. I consciously choose
to tenderize my heart on a daily basis, to cover it with love, and let that
love spill out and make a mess. Tears come with tenderizing, and usually a good
bit of snot, and sometimes an imploding headache. I take a deep breath and
remember the wisdom of my body. The body speaks my mind, releases the pinch of
constriction, lets the blood flow freely to the sore spots, feels it to heal
it, and releases any issues stored in my tissues. I thank my body by taking
another deep breath.
What matters most is embracing the magic of choosing love over drama, or as we say
in Hawai’i, choosing aloha
over pilikia, trouble of any kind. In
the past, the troubles dominated my mental real estate, taking up the scenic
landscape with high-rise pillars of doom. I lost sight of the clouds, the
birds, the beautiful sunrise that happens every day without fail. In the past,
what it was like was I was adrift, spinning out of control at times while
exerting control in a grasping, constricting way. I trusted everything and then
nothing. Trust bled to mistrust and I landed in a psychological hell realm.
One thing I can do is recognize I am 100% responsible for my life’s story, and as
such, be source for a transformed world. I can integrate what happened in my
life and see how my experience does not define me.
One thing I appreciate is
that I’m on this incredible journey, this opportunity to live an extraordinary
life of love, connection and commitment. I can get out of those scary places in
my mind more quickly and with more grace than ever before. And truthfully, I
don’t enter them as often as I used to.
This is what it was like. Losing trust in myself, unable to focus on what mattered most, creating wreckage and losing faith in the carefree feeling of youth. My adolescence fostered resilience in me. Resilience of staying alive, strengthening my soul and returning to love, despite trying experiences that tested my trust.
from Moonshot: What was it like living in a culture devoid of rites of passage other than binge and puke and spread your legs? Naturally, my heart hurt, my soul ached, and my spirit floated lost. From this place of intensity, I developed incredible resilience. This is what happened: settling into sobriety, grounding into gratitude, and cultivating a compassionate heart, my mind cleared, my heart opened, my spirit reactivated, and my energy expanded. This is what it’s like now: breathing aloha into every moment, recognizing our interdependence, and claiming responsibility as a source for transformation, naturally, my grateful heart has more blessings than I can say grace over.
back cover
MOONSHOT ENDORSEMENTS
“Equal parts lyrical, confessional, and practical, Amy Elizabeth vulnerably uses her own journey through addiction and trauma to inspire readers to move beyond limiting beliefs and heal from the past” (Alicia Munoz, author of No More Fighting: 20 Minutes a Week to a Stronger Relationship)
“Moonshot is an elegant and visceral memoir that dares one to question one’s own resilience and courage. Indeed, Amy Elizabeth is as transparent as she appears in these pages. Love the interactive curriculum and its usefulness” (Kekuhi Keali’ikanaka’oleohaililani, trainer, Halau ‘Ohi’a).
“This work is the bridge between despair and repair. It is an invitation for women to tenderize our own hearts and to craft a new heart-centric story, the true story of who we are at our core” (Kristen Noel, editor-in-chief, Best Self Magazine).
“Nature did not design us to be alone. Evidence shows that people who enjoy close, fulfilling relationships with others are happier, healthier, and more creative. If this does not prompt you to the wonderful Moonshot, please reconsider. Highly recommended!” (Larry Dossey, MD, author of One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters).
“What an enchanting, captivating, beautiful, practical book! Based in personal experience and penetrating prose, Moonshot is meant for anyone who needs more love, empathy, and compassion in their life-and who doesn’t? Let Amy be your guide to a richer, deeper commitment-not just to others but to the world” (Barbara Montgomery Dossey, RN, PhD, FAAN, author of Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer and Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice).
On this mother’s day, may we remember that we have a choice in how we experience it.
On one hand we suffer, and at times we manufacture our own suffering, all while trying to buffer ourselves from the harshness of reality.
For example, I heard someone today describe how she has to fatigue herself with running twenty miles so that the penetrating struggles of life don’t get to her. And she is sick – has been all week – and can’t imagine not running. She barked at her daughter and left the restaurant without goodbye to her friends. Ouch.
Another alternate reality, is to live from our vision of love.
For example, a beautiful colleague, from a land far away, wrote to me last week and shared with me her vision of her marriage as a safe harbour and a launching pad.
She has troubles, too. We all do. And she lives from her vision.
I asked her to paint me a picture of the vision of what safe harbour and a launching pad, would look and feel like.
Her reply took my breath away, then I inhaled deeply, sweetly, it was so beautiful.
It so perfectly sums up my wish for all the mothers on mother’s day, for all of us looking for a more extraordinary relationship.
I’m going to share it here with the upmost gratitude, respect, and admiration.
I dedicate this blessing to all of us willing to show up to this moment, and this moment, and yet again.
To choose our vision (aloha) over our troubling stories pilikia).
May it inspire you as it has inspired me.
An anonymous mother’s day blessing to inspire you to dream…
of your own safe habour and launching pad of an extraordinary relationship…
I’d have more energy to bring to others.
I’d smile at more people.
I’d crave cake less.
I’d think of death and soften, instead of cringing.
I’d weep when I am sad, I’d laugh out loud even more than now.
I’d make love, and let my sexual energy flow into our sacred dance, using our physical meetings and matings as a crucible for growth, and as a keyhole into you, myself and us.
I’d be prettier. More radiant.
I’d insist on finishing our writing projects together and we would make the most of our very different and oh-so-sharp minds and tender hearts, birthing helpful articles to big newspapers occasionally.
I’d feel calmer about what our children carry into their own relational life.
I’d stand stronger, as the pain of others crashes into me.
I’d curl up with you, open-hearted and grateful, daring to bring my truth more often, and owning my shadows more easily.
Our garden would look even better, and find us playing more often.
I’d bring more energy to my curiosities, and my business, helping more people and doing so more effectively.
