Recipe: Very Green Avocado-Tahini Dip from Wild About Greens

 I can't wait to start cooking from July's VegCookbook, Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas. I hope you'll join us.

To get you excited about eatin' your greens, I asked Nava if I could share a recipe with you from the cookbook. She sent over her recipe for Very Green Avocado-Tahini Dip. Yum yum.

Enjoy!


Very Green Avocado-Tahini Dip
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Kind of a marriage of guacamole and hummus, and infused with a good amount of leafy greens, this rich dip makes its own unique statement. Serve with tortilla chips, fresh pita, pita chips, raw veggies, or a combination.

3 to 4 ounces baby spinach or arugula, or a combination
1 large, ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, cilantro, or dill
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Rinse the greens and place in a large skillet or saucepan. With just the water clinging to the leaves, cook until just wilted down. Remove from the heat.

Place all the ingredients in the container of a food processor, and process until smooth. Add 1/4 water, as needed, to achieve a medium-thick consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl. Keep covered until ready to serve.

Serve at once as suggested in the headnote. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Photo by Susan Voisin.


Full disclosure: The link to Wild About Greens is attached to my Amazon Associates account. If you buy something after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale, which I'll probably use to buy more books!

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Nonprofits and Pinterest: Nonprofit Blog Carnival Round-up

Last month, I put out a call for posts about fun ways nonprofits are using Pinterest for the Nonprofit Blog Carnival.  Below are links to some examples, plus additional info and inspiration. Enjoy!

• Susan Chavez shared 4 ways she's using Pinterest with The Association of Junior Leagues International.
~ Pinterest: One Nonprofit's Story, Susan's Site

• Marc van Gurp highlighted the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Israel's "Pinsulin" campaign.
~ Pinsulin: repin for those who pin 12 times a day, osocio

• Christine Sculati created four Pinterest Boards to raise awareness about the California State Parks crisis.
~ Can Pinterest Help Nonprofits Promote Their Causes, Christine Sculati's Blog

• In her roundup of Pinterest resources, Lori Halley linked to a piece about how to organize an event with Pinterest.
~ Pinterest - What's It Good For?, Wild Apricot Blog

• Allison Fine interviewed Ian Haisley, Opportunity International's Director of Online Strategy, about how they used Pinterest to fundraise.
~  Using Pinterest to Raise Money: One Charity's Experiment, The Chronicle of Philanthropy

More examples, info, and inspiration

• 9 Pinterest Best Practices for Nonprofits, Nonprofit Tech 2.0
• 10 Strategies for Nonprofits on Pinterest, Mashable
• 12 Ways to Use Pinterest for Your Nonprofit, John Haydon
• Pinterest: A Tool to Curate Relevant Visual Content for Your Audience, Beth Kanter
• Pinterest for Nonprofits: 7 Orgs to Watch, Huffington Post
• Storify: Nonprofits on Pinterest, Beth Kanter
• Why I love Pinterest and Nonprofits Should Too, Social Velocity 

What do you like about using Pinterest?

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The July Nonprofit Blog Carnival will be hosted by the Fundraising Detective and has an Olympics theme!

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Comic and Video: Ocean Acidifiction

 

Before I started working with Upwell a couple months ago, I'd never heard of ocean acidification. You've probably never heard of it either considering that a study found that the Kardashians Get 40 Times More News Coverage Than Ocean Acidification.

Here's the skinny: burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and into the oceans.  Having all of that extra CO2 in the oceans is changing the chemistry of the water. It is becoming more acidic.  Not good.

Rosemary Mosco, a field naturalist and science communicator who loves using cartoons to express environmental issues, was nice enough to let me share her comic about ocean acidification (above) with you.  I appreciate that she explains such a disturbing  concept in a whimsical way. You can see the original illustration, and her other nature comics at birdandmoon.com. The bird are gross one really cracks me up.

 If you want to learn more about ocean acidification, watch this mini-documentary by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification, and check out the links below the video.

•  What is Ocean Acidification? on NRDC
• Ocean Acidification This Way Comes: A Wake Up Call for California on The Blog Aquatic. 
• Global Warming's Evil Twin Threatens West Coast Fishing Grounds on The Christian Science Monitor
• Acidifying Ocean Threatens California Coast on WIRED

If you'd like to get more involved in overall climate change issues, check out Philanthropedia's list of top climate change nonprofits. Note: The list was made in 2009, and they are in the process of updating it.  One org I think is missing from the list is 350.org.

Had you heard of ocean acidification before reading this post?

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Fair Trade Fashionista Discount at One Mango Tree

Isn't this One Mango Tree dress cute? Long time readers might remember One Mango Tree from my Big Vision Podcast interview with its founder, Halle Butvin, in the fall of 2011.

One Mango Tree is a clothing company that uses a fair trade model to provide income-generating opportunities for women in impoverished and conflict areas around the globe. At the moment, their work is focused in Uganda.  

Halle asked me if I'd like to share a special discount with you this month, and I said sure! Here's the scoop:

• Between June 23-June 30, 2012, Have Fun * Do Good readers will receive a 15% discount on everything in the One Mango Tree online store (including sale items!)


• To receive the discount, enter the discount code HAVEFUNDOGOOD at the very end of the check out process. There will be a prompt that says, "Have a discount code?" and a box to enter the code into.

• Each person who uses the coupon between June 23-June 30, 2012 will be entered into a drawing to win a Signature Hobo bag.

Have fun shopping!

P.S. I don't receive any compensation from One Mango Tree sales. I'm just giving them a shout out to help 'em out (:

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Do Good Movie for the Weekend: Oceans (VIDEO)

On World Oceans Day, I pledged to highlight the ocean on Water Wednesdays for the next three weeks, so today I'm sharing the trailer from the Disneynature movie, Oceans.

It's available on Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and of course, you should check and see if your local video store has it. It's rated G so *hopefully* it will be fun and appropriate for little ones too. Let me know if you watch the film, and what you think of it. 

During the trailer, you'll see oceanographer Sylvia Earle speaking. You can learn more about her work on the Sylvia Earle Alliance website.

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What's Your Big Vision for Summer 2012?

Hello Have Fun * Do Gooders!

Can you believe that we're halfway through the year, and that the first day of summer is on Wednesday? Take a look back at your Big Vision for 2012. How's it going? Do you need to change it in any way? What are your Big Visions for this summer, and this lunar month? How do they fit into your Big Vision for the year?

The hubs created another beautiful Big Vision worksheet (above) for us that you can download from Dropbox for free.  If you need help filling it out, lemme know!

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Whale Song (Video) for Water Wednesday

Last week, I pledged to highlight the ocean on "Water Wednesdays" for the next four weeks, so today I'm sharing this beautiful video of whales "singing" from The Oceania Project's YouTube Channel.

If after watching the video, you're interested in learning more about whale conservation, here are a handful of organizations to check out:

• American Cetacean Society (@CetaceanSociety)
• Pacific Whale Foundation (@PacificWhale)
• Whales Alive
  
• Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (@WHALES_org)
• Whalewatch

P.S. I'm not recommending these orgs over any others. I just thought their sites were worth sharing. 
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World Oceans Day (June 8) + Water Wednesdays

Hello Have Fun, Do Gooders!

As part of my work with Upwell this month, we're helping to spread the word about World Oceans Day (June 8).  One way you can help raise awareness about the importance of ocean conservation is to take a photo of yourself with a sign that says one thing you'll do to help the ocean + #worldoceansday

You can share your photo on:

• Facebook: Tag the World Oceans Day Facebook Page, or post directly on it.
• Twitter: Include #WorldOceansDay and @CelebrateOceans in your tweet.
• Flickr: Upload to their group.
• Instagram: Tag it with #WorldOceansDay.

I'm pledging to highlight the ocean on Water Wednesdays on Have Fun • Do Good for the next four weeks (June 13, 20, 27 and July 4). As a teaser, here's a  peaceful little video I've been loving by the Living Oceans Foundation of a whale shark near Wolf Island, Galapagos.

Twive and Receive: Nationwide Social Good

Guest post by Ifdy Perez. Ifdy is the community manager at Razoo, an online fundraising platform that empowers individuals and nonprofits to meet their fundraising goals through online giving campaigns. She's also editor of Inspiring Generosity, a blog that gives nonprofits helpful resources on online community management and social media tools.

It’s truly remarkable to see when communities come together to make a change for the common good. Heard of HopeMob or Twestival? In some cases, complete strangers come together to make a difference.

Next Thursday, June 14th, communities across the U.S. are coming together to make a difference in their hometown. Over 200 nonprofits have signed up to represent their city in the upcoming Twive and Receive competition (pronounced like Give and Receive). This competition pits nonprofits to see who can fundraise the most in just 24 hours. The top three organizations get an additional share of $30,000 in prizes to add to the pot they collected.

Starting at 12AM Pacific on June 14th, you can join the thousands supporting their local community by donating to your favorite cause and help them rise to the top of the leaderboards. Check out the list of participating cities and nonprofits, and show your support for this epic nationwide giving event!

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Cook Through Everyday Happy Herbivore with the VegCookbook Club in June

As some of you know, I have a second blog, VegCookbook Club, where each month we try recipes from the same vegetarian, or vegan cookbook, and share our experiences.  This month's VegCookbook is Everyday Happy Herbivore by Lindsay Nixon.

I hope you'll join us!

You can learn more about Lindsay on her website happyherbivore.com, her  blog, her Twitter feed (@happyherbivore), and her Facebook Page. You can also check out some of her recipes at happyherbivore.com/recipes.

Full disclosure: The link to Everyday Happy Herbivore is attached to my Amazon Associates account. If you make a purchase after you click on a link, I receive a small percentage of the sale.

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Call for Submissions: What Are Fun Ways Nonprofits Can Use Pinterest?

my pinterest boards

 Did you know that Pinterest is the third most popular social network? 

As the host of the Nonprofit Blog Carnival for June 2012, I want to tap your collective wisdom to explore the theme of: 

Fun Ways Nonprofits Can Use Pinterest

You’re invited to submit your blog posts for consideration any time before Monday, June 25th. On Wednesday, June 27th I'll post a round-up of some of the best posts on Have Fun, Do Good.

To see an example of a blog carnival, check out the May Nonprofit Blog Carnival roundup hosted by Lori Halley at Wild Apricot on the topic of Nonprofits Going Mobile.

What Kind of Blog Posts Would Be a Good Fit?

Your post doesn't have to be long (100-200 words). Some possible post topics are:

• Examples of fun and effective nonprofit Pinterest boards
• Tips for creating a fun and effective nonprofit Pinterest board 
• How to choose fabulous photos for your nonprofit Pinterest boards
• What nonprofits can learn from Home, Arts and Crafts, Style/Fashion, and Food Pinterest boards (these are some of the most popular board categories)

What's in it for you?

Entering a blog carnival is a great way to bring traffic to your own blog. If your post is selected for inclusion in the carnival round-up, I'll link back to it (which search engines love), and your writing will be introduced to new readers.

To submit your blog post for consideration

• Email: nonprofitcarnival@gmail.com
• Put "Nonprofit Blog Carnival" in the subject line
• Include your name, your blog’s name and the URL for the post in the text of your email.
• Submission deadline is Monday, June 25th

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Good Food Revolution: Will Allen of Growing Power

Folks from every aspect of our society, and every profession are involved in the food system.  As I vision ahead, I see this being a situation where hundreds of thousands of young people want to do this, but we have to quantify a lot of things to make this a reality for folks. 
There's lots of excitement, but now we have to prove that this works. ~ Will Allen

Will Allen is an urban farmer who is transforming the cultivation, production, and delivery of healthy foods to underserved, urban populations. After a brief career in professional basketball, and a number of years in corporate marketing at Procter and Gamble, Will returned to his roots as a farmer, using his retirement package to purchase a plot of inner city land with greenhouses, where he has built the country's pre-eminent urban farm.  He is now the CEO of Growing Power, an organization that develops community food systems.

In 2008, Will was named a John D. and Katherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellow, a "genius grant," only the second farmer ever to be so honored.  He is also a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, and in February 2010, he was invited to the White House to join First Lady Michelle Obama in launching, "Let's Move!" - her signature leadership program to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity in America.

In May 2010, TIME magazine named Will to the TIME 100 World's Most Influential People.  In 2011, Allen was named one of the 7 World's Most Influential Foodies by Michael Pollan and Forbes Magazine. He was named the 2012 NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award recipient. He lives with his wife in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and is the author, with Charles Wilson, of The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities.

You can listen and subscribe to the Big Vision Podcast via iTunes, or on the player above.  If you have suggestions for people I should interview, or a do-good business that would like to sponsor the show, please email me at britt AT brittbravo DOT com

*Show notes* 

I mentioned in the intro that I was first introduced to Will's work in FRESH the Movie, which came out in 2009. I also saw a more recent profile of him this spring on Food Forward.


Learn more about Will Allen and Growing Power

• Website: www.growingpower.org
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/growingpower
• Twitter: @growingpower

Connect with me

• Website: brittbravo.com
• Speaking and workshop calendar: brittbravo.com/speaking
• Facebook: facebook.com/britt.bravo
• Twitter: @Bbravo
  

Music

• "Mango Delight," by Kenya Masala
•  Connect with Kenya through CD Baby and Source Consulting Group

Full disclosure: The link to The Good Food Revolution is linked to my Amazon Associates account.  If you purchase something after clicking on the link, I receive a small percentage of the sale, which I'll probably spend on more books! Also, I received a review copy of Good Food Revolution.

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I'm a Little Bit Green, I'm a Little Bit Chemical

I have a confession to make. I'm not a totally green cleaner.  If you look under my kitchen sink, you'll see that I have Ecover Automatic Dishwasher Tablets next to Comet, Seventh Generation Toilet Bowl Cleaner next to Windex, Planet Dish Soap next to Soft Scrub.

I've been OK with this duality until two things happened:

• I did some work this month with Upwell, a nonprofit social media PR agency that is working to amplify ocean stories online.

• I saw a documentary called Watershed about the threats to the Colorado River (find a screening near you).

Water is so darn important.

I can't justify putting chemicals down the drain anymore.

Sooooo . . . . I'm asking those of you who are green cleaning machines:

What do you use to clean your home in an environmentally friendly way?

Flickr photo credit: My Green Cleaning Kit by go_greener_oz

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Create and Connect: Guest Curating at CRESCENDoh

I'm a guest curator over at Jenny Doh's CRESCENDoh this week!

Each day I'll share links to two blog posts about creative projects that inspire me.  Jenny also asks guest curators to share a story about how art has been a positive force in their life. You can read mine by clicking here.

You can learn more about Jenny, CRESCENDoh, and her book, Art Saves: Stories, Inspiration and Prompts Sharing the Power of Art, in my interview with her on the Arts and Healing Podcast.

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Full disclosure: The link to Art Saves is connected to my Amazon Associates account.  If you buy something after you click on it, I will receive a small percentage of the sale, which I'll probably use to buy more books!

Your (Free) Big Vision May/June 2012 Worksheet

Hello Have Fun, Do Gooders!

Here's your Big Vision worksheet (created by the hubs!) for the next lunar cycle (May 20-June 19). You can download a PDF of it from Dropbox by clicking on this link: http://bit.ly/KuIBWb.

Tip: I email mine to the local copy shop, and ask them to print it on their super duper color printer.  I write out my goals for the year, season, and lunar month with a Sharpie, and tack it to my home office bulletin board, so I can look at it often.

If you're having trouble filling it out, and need a "thinking partner," lemme know.

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Meg Worden, Feed Me Darling : How I Have Fun, Do Good

The fourth blogger in this run of the Have Fun, Do Good guest post series is the delicious Meg Worden (I say delicious because I love her e-cookbook, Salad Alchemy). Meg is a writer, speaker, storyteller and a certified Holistic Health Coach. She is the founder of Feed Me Darling, a business that helps professional women eradicate food cravings and gain lasting control over emotional eating. Meg works with clients to heal and balance their bodies so that they can do their best work in the world. She writes for Elephant Journal, The Nervous Breakdown, Jack Move Magazine and has been published in a variety of other places both online and in print. She is also a registered yoga teacher and plans to have a finished memoir project by the end of this year. You can connect with her at feedmedarling.com and on Twitter @megworden.

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During a nutrition summit last year in New York, I was listening to Deepak Chopra speak (which was awesome), and he was talking about different kinds of happiness. Some choices give you pleasure in the short term and some choices give you long term fulfillment. And the fastest way to long term fulfillment is to seek the happiness of others, he said.

The idea that pleasure is more deeply inherent in service than selfishness thrills me. Doing good is fun. And it’s a sweet life to have been able to turn service into a supportive business model. My work as a Health Coach is deeply rewarding. And incredibly fun. I get to talk to brilliant women all day long. There is always a lot of laughing. And witnessing of miracles.

Also, I am a writer, storyteller, and part time editor of other people’s novels. Story is incredibly important to me. It is both integrated into my coaching practice, and spilling over the edges in its own lovely world. Learning how to tell a personal story is a powerful tool for healing. Or more accurately, learning that we can tell our own story. That we don’t have to be chained to the singular story of suffering looping around in our mind. We can rewrite it as a beautiful adventure anytime we like. And then when we take it to the world, sharing a story is a direct pathway to human connection, open heart to open heart.

Really, this is only the tip of a very long fun/good list that would include spending time with my tough and tender little boy, taking him to museums, restaurants, parks, the climbing gym, letting him ride his bike to his friend's house. I love how he comes home smelling like fire and mud. Music, walking, running, happy hour with girlfriends, yoga, living by the ocean, and the way the internet bends time and space so I can meet people anywhere at anytime. Supporting art and artists, writers and books. Reading. Feeding people. Breathing…

*****

If you liked this post, you might like past Have Fun, Do Good guest posts:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Allison Jones, Millennial Leader: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Beth Terry, Fake Plastic Fish: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Katya Andresen, Network for Good: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Kimberly Wilson, Tranquility du Jour: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Lisa Sonora Beam, The Creative Entrepreneur: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Heather Meyer, Work it Out!: How I Have Fun, Do Good
•  7 Ways to Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Lee, Right-Brain Business Plan: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Wendy Harman, Social Media Maven: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Tara Sophia Mohr, Wise Living: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Jen Louden, Savor and Serve: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Emily Goligoski, The SanFranista: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Desiree Adaway, Global Service and Leadership: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Jamie Ridler, Creative Living: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Mary Mulliken, Intentional Motherhood: How I have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Kessel, Unfurling: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Jocelyn Harmon: People, Words, Technology & Truth: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Christine Egger, In Conversation: How I Have Fun, Do Good

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Blogging for Nonprofits + Juicy Blogging Circle and E-Course

Hello Have Fun * Do Gooders!

I wanted to let you know about 4 blogging workshops coming up, in case you're interested.

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Juicy Blogging Circle: Grow Your Blogging Habit

May 16-June 6, 2012
Virtual
A fun group blog coaching experience!
Each week you'll:

• Check in with the Circle on a weekly conference call, and/or on the private class blog.
• Share your blogging goals for the week.
• Celebrate your successes.
• Ask for suggestions for how to move through challenges.
• Support other Circle members with their successes and challenges.
• Receive ideas, tips, resources, and cheerleading from the Juicy Blogging Circle’s facilitator (me!).

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Blogging for Nonprofits E-Clinic 

June 4-14, 2012
Virtual
I'll be teaching with the fabulous Kivi Leroux Miller, author of The Nonprofit Marketing Guide.  The e-clinic includes five hours of training and personal coaching via webinars where you'll learn how to create a relevant blog that keeps supporters tuned in to your nonprofit. Every session will be recorded in case you can't make a session live, or want to go back over certain sections.

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Juicy Blogging E-Course: The Art and Play of Blogging

June 20-July 11, 2012
Virtual

While working at your own pace, this course will help you:

• Discover what you love to write about
• Create a big ‘ole list of juicy blog post topics
• Learn tricks and tips for building community and traffic
• Design a blogging schedule that works for you
• Connect with other juicy bloggers

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2013 San Francisco Writers Conference
Blogging for Writers
February 14-17, 2013
Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel
999 California Street
San Francisco, CA

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Questions? Shoot me an email.


Full disclosure: The link to The Nonprofit Marketing Guide is linked to my Amazon Associates  Account. If you make a purchase after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale, which I will most likely use to buy more books!

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Christine Egger, In Conversation: How I Have Fun, Do Good

 The third blogger in this run of the Have Fun, Do Good guest post series is the wonderfully wise, Christine Egger.  Christine is a facilitator, network weaver, and catalyst. She works with individuals and organizations whose mission is to increase our capacity for empathy, generosity, and creativity. You can learn more about Christine at cdegger.com, or find her on Twitter at @cdegger.

How do I have fun and do good?

I create conversations.

In my experience the most fun, most good-doing conversations are the kind in which the participants not only learn about themselves and each other, but actually become themselves in the process. I come away from them feeling changed, like some part of me shifted into something that’s, well, more me. And the others involved do too, whether they’re individuals or organizations or projects or whatever.

Sometimes – not always – the connection is prescribed and there’s a goal involved. Something we’re “conversing for the purpose of.” It might be as simple as catching up with a friend. It might be as complicated as bringing many companies (or countries!) together to see whether there might be untapped opportunities for them to partner in new ways.

In between?

Room. To meander. To be surprised. To follow impulses and question-threads and then circle back and follow another.

And acceptance. Of who and what we are when we show up. Of what we discover about ourselves and each other. Of the new who and what we become as we explore.

The word conversation has come to primarily mean an exchange of words and ideas. But I’ve found the most-fun-and-most-good-doing kind aligns best with the word’s origins. In late Middle English, and before that Old French, and before that Latin, conversation meant “living among, keeping company with, being with.”

Those are the kinds of conversations I love. Where the participants are living among. Being with. Feeling simultaneously accepted and invited-to-change. Given room. And generating words that ring true, and ideas that resonate.

It’s practically impossible to have that kind of conversation and NOT have fun and do good. ☺

If you liked this post, you might like past Have Fun, Do Good guest posts:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Allison Jones, Millennial Leader: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Beth Terry, Fake Plastic Fish: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Katya Andresen, Network for Good: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Kimberly Wilson, Tranquility du Jour: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Lisa Sonora Beam, The Creative Entrepreneur: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Heather Meyer, Work it Out!: How I Have Fun, Do Good
•  7 Ways to Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Lee, Right-Brain Business Plan: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Wendy Harman, Social Media Maven: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Tara Sophia Mohr, Wise Living: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Jen Louden, Savor and Serve: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Emily Goligoski, The SanFranista: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Desiree Adaway, Global Service and Leadership: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Jamie Ridler, Creative Living: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Mary Mulliken, Intentional Motherhood: How I have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Kessel, Unfurling: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Jocelyn Harmon, In Conversation: How I Have Fun, Do Good

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Jocelyn Harmon: People, Words, Technology & Truth: How I Have Fun, Do Good

 My second guest blogger in this run of the Have Fun, Do Good guest post series is the warm and wonderful Jocelyn Harmon. Jocelyn is passionate about helping nonprofits to succeed online so that they can change the world! As Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Network for Good, she is privileged to lead the team to help over 5,000 nonprofits raise more friends and funds online. Prior to joining Network for Good, Jocelyn was Director of Business Development for Care2, where she worked with some of the most respected national nonprofits, including ASPCA, Environmental Defense Fund, The Carter Center, Legacy and IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) to help them acquire new donors, members and advocacy supporters online.   Jocelyn is also a recognized blogger and speaker on online marketing and fundraising. You can read her writing in Fundraising Success magazine and her personal blog, Marketing for Nonprofits. Finally, she serves on the board of directors for NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network). Jocelyn has a bachelor's degree in literature from New York University and a master’s degree in sociology from University of Washington. You can follow Jocelyn on Twitter at @jocelynharmon.

“I like people, words, technology and telling the truth.”

This is the headline of my Twitter account and accurately expresses what makes me happy and keeps me in “flow.”

Developing deep, engaging, inspired and inspiring relationships with my nearest and dearest is one of the great joys of my life.

I also LOVE being a connector, coach and mentor to others and helping them to succeed.

Words are another passion of mine. For me there is nothing like the thrill of curling up in bed with a book or polishing off a (hopefully good) blog post. It sounds “old-school” but I love to go to my local library every Saturday to wander up and down the stacks. If I'm honest, my hope is that weekly practice will spontaneously ignite the manifestation of my own memoir! Another big treat is for me is Amazon Overnight Delivery. Seeing that box on the deck after a long day of work is like magic!

Expressing my love for technology is not totally accurate. While I’m often glued to my iPhone or Mac (ask my husband and daughter), more than the devices themselves, I love the PROMISE that technology offers. Access to new and diverse individuals. The opportunity to create and be creative with little cost. Instant connection to unlimited knowledge and ideas! All of these benefits energize me and (for all of it’s challenges) I feel privileged to live with technology and in the Connected Age.

Finally, telling the truth or living an authentic life, keeps me having fun and doing good. Being honest with myself and others is critical to my happiness. And, I’m on a quest to live a more authentic life every day by staying in touch with my deepest truths, accepting (even loving) my imperfections and asking for help.

If you liked this post, you might like past Have Fun, Do Good guest posts:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Allison Jones, Millennial Leader: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Beth Terry, Fake Plastic Fish: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Katya Andresen, Network for Good: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Kimberly Wilson, Tranquility du Jour: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Lisa Sonora Beam, The Creative Entrepreneur: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Heather Meyer, Work it Out!: How I Have Fun, Do Good
•  7 Ways to Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Lee, Right-Brain Business Plan: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Wendy Harman, Social Media Maven: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Tara Sophia Mohr, Wise Living: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Jen Louden, Savor and Serve: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Emily Goligoski, The SanFranista: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Desiree Adaway, Global Service and Leadership: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Jamie Ridler, Creative Living: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Mary Mulliken, Intentional Motherhood: How I have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Kessel, Unfurling: How I Have Fun, Do Good

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Plant a Kiss Day

"Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty" ~Ann Herbert

On Sunday, my friend Heather of Create Your Own Beautiful, and I participated in Plant a Kiss Day. Plant a Kiss Day was organized by pal Sherry Richert Belul to celebrate the message behind Amy Krouse Rosenthal's book, Plant a Kiss, a story about how one small act of kindness can bloom.

Heather teaches an awesome dance fitness class, ShimmyPop!, at Hipline on Sundays, so after class we "planted a kiss" by giving all of her students flowers and oranges.  Fun!

Today through May 4th, 16 bloggers (including me) are posting about what we did on Plant a Kiss Day, and taking part in a Blog Hop Party. If you go to the main Plant a Kiss page, you'll see links to the other bloggers' posts. For every blog you visit and comment on, your name will be tossed into a hat for a chance to win one of an array of fun prizes (I'm giving away a one-hour juicy blog coaching session).

Even though Plant a Kiss Day was on Sunday, you can plant one yourself any day (like today!).

Full disclosure: The link to the Plant a Kiss book is attached to my Amazon Associates account.  If you buy something after clicking on the link, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.

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Amy Kessel, Unfurling: How I Have Fun, Do Good

 I'm starting the Have Fun, Do Good guest post series up again!  My first guest blogger is the lovely Amy Kessel.  Amy is a certified life coach devoted to helping women unfurl into their authentic selves. You can learn more about her work at www.amykessel.com, and connect with her on Twitter at @AmyKesselcpc

My favorite way of expressing myself is to spend time deeply connecting with other women. Lucky for me, I turned this into a career. As a life coach, I welcome what my clients want to expose to the light, and together we explore the learning that comes out of it.

I feel most alive when I’m in the place of deeply witnessing another person. This is how I provide service, and it energizes me in huge and profound ways. When I trace back the main themes in my life and within my career, I see that I have always found way to step into the role of witness, whether formally or improvised. It’s what I love most. It’s also what I do best.

I recently created an interview series on my blog called Unfurling, where I conduct interviews with women and record them as videos. The interviews give each woman a chance to explore what’s unfurling in her right now, and to fall in love with that unfurling a bit more.

While I had a hunch that this was a cool idea that others might appreciate, I had no idea how joyful this would be for me.

The interviews all contain the same five questions. From there, the fun begins! The women who play along unfailingly delight me, and our conversations take twists and turns. This doesn’t mean each interview is full of giggles and slapstick (though some are) … it’s the spontaneity and improvisation that creates magic in the moment.

As the willing witness, I point out what I see and ask questions to bring out what isn’t being said in words. I reflect back what I’m hearing. I wonder about implications.

The interviews are powerful both for the woman answering the questions and for the rest of us. The feedback I’m receiving on this series is extraordinary. We’re all unfurling in some way, and the questions I ask lead the viewer to think about what newness is coming alive in her right now.

In this way, I’m sowing the seeds for others to consider what’s unfurling in them, and to notice how it brings them more fully alive. This is powerfully good stuff.

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If you liked this post, you might like past Have Fun, Do Good guest posts:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Allison Jones, Millennial Leader: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Beth Terry, Fake Plastic Fish: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Katya Andresen, Network for Good: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Kimberly Wilson, Tranquility du Jour: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Lisa Sonora Beam, The Creative Entrepreneur: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Heather Meyer, Work it Out!: How I Have Fun, Do Good
•  7 Ways to Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Lee, Right-Brain Business Plan: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Wendy Harman, Social Media Maven: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Tara Sophia Mohr, Wise Living: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Jen Louden, Savor and Serve: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Emily Goligoski, The SanFranista: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Desiree Adaway, Global Service and Leadership: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Jamie Ridler, Creative Living: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Mary Mulliken, Intentional Motherhood: How I have Fun, Do Good

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Your Free April/May 2012 Big Vision Worksheet

Hello Have Fun, Do Gooders!

How CUTE is the worksheet that the hubs created this month with our kitty? I *love* it.

You can download a PDF for free from Dropbox by clicking here.

Enjoy!

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Blissful Bites Giveaway

Un-tuna salad + green salad with balsamic vinaigrette

It has been a fun month so far cooking from Blissful Bites over at the VegCookbookClub. Some of my favorite recipes have been the Un-tuna Salad (see Veggie Goes Vegan's post about it), the Spring Kale Salad with Miso Dressing (see the recipe here), and the Balsamic Vinaigrette.  I've made the un-tuna salad and balsamic vinaigrette twice already.

The nice folks at BenBella Books, the publishers of Blissful Bites, have offered to give away two copies to VegCookbook readers, so go on over to VegCookbookClub and enter for a chance to win.

All you have to do is leave a comment at the bottom of this VegCookbookClub post with the name and url of your favorite vegetarian, or vegan blogs. Be sure to add a link to your blog, your Twitter name, or your email, so that I know how to contact you if you win. I'll announce the winners on April 30th.

Full disclosure: The link to Blissful Bites is attached to my Amazon Associates account. If you make a purchase after you click on it, I receive a small percentage of the sale.

One Love Nuggets

You are not the same as you were
 a month, a day, or even a minute ago. 
Change is imminent.
Embrace and participate in
your reinvention.
~ One Love Nuggets

I wanted to give a little shout out for my friend Gabriela Masala's first book, One Love Nuggets.
 
 Each page has a little "nugget" on it, like this:

I like to  flip through and read one, or two in the morning while I'm writing in my journal.

What books do you turn to for daily inspiration?

Full disclosure: The link from One Love Nuggets to Amazon is attached to my Amazon Associates Account.  If you buy anything after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale. Also, I've been Gabriela's creative business coach on occasion.


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Juicy Blogging Giveaway and Interview

Guess what? This week I'm the featured guest on one of my favorite podcasts, the Tranquility du Jour Podcast, hosted by the inspiring and lovely Kimberly Wilson.  Wahoo! You can listen to it on her blog, on the player below, or via iTunes.

To celebrate this fun event, I'm giving away a one-hour blog coaching session (via phone or Skype). To enter, share the URL and name of one of your favorite blogs in the comments below, or on Facebook by Friday, April 20th.  Be sure to put a link to your blog, your Twitter name, or your email, so that I can contact you if you win!

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I've got two blogging e-courses and one in-person workshop coming up:

Juicy Blogging E-Course: The Art and Play of Blogging (April 18-May 5)

Blogging for Writers, The Writing Salon, San Francisco (May 5)

Juicy Blogging Circle: Grow Your Blogging Habit (May 16-June 6)


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What Are Easy Ways to Be Generous Every Day?

 
"Being generous or kind to oneself and to others can help.  During times of sorrow and suffering, the heart becomes more open than usual. Creating the conditions for generosity to arise can help the heart open in a powerful way." 

The quote above is an answer to my question, "How do you ride the waves of challenge?" from my friend, Noel.

So wise.

I'd like to create a list of easy ways to be generous each day that I can use as touchstones, and of course, I'll share them with you, so that you can use them too.

Will you help me create the list?

Please share your ideas for easy ways to be generous every day in the comments of this post, on Facebook, or on Twitter (I'm @bbravo).  If you're shy about sharing your ideas publicly, you can email me at britt at brittbravo dot com, as long as it's OK for me to share your ideas (anonymously, or course) in the final list.

♥Thanks!♥

 

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