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Video Replay of Mal Duane on My Fox 25 TV Interview

(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) – It’s inspiration and comfort for anyone who’s ever felt trapped by failed relationships, depression, and addiction. Decades ago, “Alpha Chick” author Mal Duane had an epiphany, and now she’s got some good advice and perspective.

Watch Video: Personal success: From pain to power: MyFoxBOSTON.com

My sincere thanks to My Fox 25 in Boston.

Live Faithfully,
Mal Duane

Mal Duane is a Best Selling Author and Personal Life and Recovery Coach who has overcome life challenges using the steps in the Alpha Chick Process. Her personal mission is to help women excel in all areas of their lives from business to personal relationships. Mal has been featured with Fox 25 Boston Morning Show, Aspire Magazine, Healthy Living and Metrowest Daily News. She has also been a featured guest on over thirty Blogtalk Radio shows discussing recovery and personal transformation.

Mal’s book, Alpha Chick, Five Steps for Moving from Pain to Power, is a best selling book and is available on Amazon.com.

Alpha Chick in Framingham

My thanks to Chris Bergeron of the Daily News staff at MetroWest Daily News for this 2/20/2012 article. Photo taken by Allan Jung for the Daily News.

FRAMINGHAM —

After years of alcoholism and self-doubt, Mal Duane transformed herself into an Alpha Chick.

Now the Framingham resident has a book and message to share with women trapped by addiction, depression and failed relationships.

On Feb. 14, Duane launched “Alpha Chick: Five Steps for Moving from Pain to Power’’ as a “personal Valentine’’ to women in need.

“I want to help others learn how to call our authentic voices, which give much clearer, truthful guidance about how to live our lives,’’ she said in her Salem End Road home.

“Alpha Chick’’ has shown strong sales, achieving a ranking around 41,000 on Amazon.com, which tracks 10 million titles.

Part coming-of-age tale, part self-help manual, Duane’s memoir recounts a story that might be all too familiar to women conditioned to feel they’d failed to meet society’s expectations.

Growing up in Chestnut Hill as a 6-foot tall, 100-pound “beanpole’’ who attracted bullies, she began drinking early and developed a crippling lack of self-esteem that poisoned relationships and led to a failed marriage.

“The exterior looked good. Inside, I was emotionally hollow,’’ Duane recalled. “After my marriage failed, I started to spiral downward.’’

Though professionally successful, she saw a psychiatrist for depression but found herself mixing medication with alcohol, compounding her problems.

“My private life was a train wreck. I felt I had no choice or options,’’ Duane remembered. “I found myself in a very dark place. I started looking at death.’’

On that day, Dec. 30, 1989, Duane had an “epiphany’’ that ended her drinking and changed her life.

She recalled, “A voice in my head told me, ‘You are going to survive. You are going to turn your life around. You have lessons to learn. You will need to master those lessons and teach them to others.’’’

She joined Alcoholics Anonymous and has never relapsed. She began a regimen of daily meditation which provides the chance to “sit still, shut out the monkey mind that’s constantly chasing me and decompress.’’

In her living room next to a tile mosaic that reads “Strength to Endure,’’ she’s fashioned a domestic temple where she communicates with “a higher spirit’’ that has guided her toward confidence and self-esteem.

In 2007, she began “Alpha Chick,’’ working through four drafts, sometimes writing eight hours a day.

Self-published by Alpha Chick Press, the 276-page book is divided into a mostly autobiographical first part and the second part which outlines the “Five Steps of the Alpha Chick Process.’’

Duane described an Alpha Chick as “a spiritual being who has worked to deepen her connection with and faith in the Divine Presence within in order to meet life’s challenges with purpose and strength.’’

She seems an unlikely candidate for a retelling of how an “ugly duckling’’ became an “awakened woman.’’

She started and ran a successful real estate business, Mal Duane MetroWest, which merged with Keller Williams to become Keller Williams MetroWest. Several years ago, she married a psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Pearlman.

In memory of a relative, she formed Holly’s Fund, which provides funding for a school in Mali, Africa, that educates 100 girls a year.

Duane said her own growth from “lost soul’’ to empowered woman is “living proof’’ of the message of “Alpha Chick.’’

“No one would have wanted to be in my shoes 25 years ago,’’ she said.” That what I hope the book will do.’’

Mal’s book, Alpha Chick, Five Steps for Moving from Pain to Power, is a#1 Best Seller Recovery Book in Canada and
#11 Best Seller Recovery Book in the USA, and is available on Amazon.com.

Standing Empowered Doesn’t Make Life Perfect

I write a lot about women discovering their authentic voice and standing in their power. It is wonderful to leave your past mistakes behind and embrace the present moment with complete focus. However, it does not mean that challenges will not arise and even try to knock you down, or pull you off course. Staying connected to that the divine guidance that you have discovered will eventually be tested — and you need to be prepared.

Without a daily spiritual practice you can easily slip back into your old thinking. The lower self-ego-driven-voice (which we have worked so hard to silence) can come screaming through. All the negative and painful emotions from the past can surface like old seaweed on the ocean beach of your dreams. You need to tap into that higher guidance through mediation and prayer to stay on your course. The silence you experience will steer the ship on which you are traveling.

Don’t throw your anchor overboard because someone disagrees with you. Dig deep into your soul and examine your intentions and your purpose. Are you living your truth? Are you standing in the light? Don’t allow someone else’s darkness to obscure the voyage you are on.

“It takes courage…to endure the sharp pains of self discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives.”

― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”

Life will always have unhealed perceptions swirling in the winds around us, but stay on course and this storm, too, shall pass.

Live Faithfully,
Mal Duane

Mal Duane is a Certified Personal Life and Recovery Coach who has overcome devastating life challenges using the steps in the Alpha Chick Process. Her personal mission is to help women excel in all areas of their lives from business to personal relationships.
Please join Mal on February 7^th, 8^th and 9^th, 2012 for her Transformational Telesummit featuring such luminaries as Lissa Coffey, Joseph Rubino, Brenda Adelman and Christine Kloser as her guests. Her book Alpha Chick, Five Steps for Moving from Pain to Power is being released on February 14, 2012 on Amazon.com.

Virtual Interview with Michelle Casto The Destiny Discovery

Today I have the great pleasure of being the host on Day 3 of the Virtual Blog Tour of author Michelle Casto whose book The Destiny Discovery: Find Your Soul’s Path to Success launches on Amazon on Tuesday January 17, 2012.

A renowned Life & Business Coach, Michelle L. Casto is an advocate for “everyday enlightenment”, and author of the book The Destiny Discovery: Find Your Soul’s Path to Success. Throughout her 20-year career, she has published over 30 life empowerment and career development books, including Get Your Career on the Fast Track. A former university lecturer and career counsellor, Michelle has worked with thousands of international clientele to find their ideal career path. A natural-born empath and healer, Michelle has become well known for her potent magic that transforms people into knowing & honoring who they are at a very deep level. Michelle’s mission is to awaken people to their soul purpose through her unique Destiny Success Process. She lives in San Antonio, Texas with her beloved husband and two dogs. These days, Michelle’s mission is to awaken people to their life purpose through her unique Destiny Success Process.

Yesterday, Michelle visited Callie Carling at //www.positivitybubbles.com/2012/01/destiny-discovery/, where they talked about choice stepping stone, identifying soul purpose and overcoming low self-esteem.

Today, I’d like to share with you a recent interview I had with Michelle when I got to ask her some questions on life and soul purpose, destiny process steps and overcoming mediocrity. I hope you enjoy it.

——-

Mal Duane: What is the difference between life and soul purpose?

Michelle Casto: Life Purpose and Soul Purpose are often used interchangeably to talk about the greater concept of PURPOSE. I would like to make a distinction between them.

Life Purpose is about the human choices you make along the way about who to marry, what job to do, what beliefs you will adopt, etc. It is about what do I want? It is about the way of living that you choose. It comes from the personality. Life Purpose is important though because everyone wants to live life on their own terms.

Soul Purpose answers those deeper questions: Who am I? Why am I here? How can I help? It is about your gifts and the growth you are here to experience. Your divine gifts are the ways of being and the things that only you can do that help or serve others and lift them to a higher level. It is also about learning your Soul’s Lessons, most especially about how to love more. When uncovered, your Soul’s Purpose leads to living a life of authentic happiness.

When you are connected to your Soul Purpose, your life becomes easier and more satisfying and rewarding. Why? Because you are no longer operating as an isolated individual out of tune with the Universe. In my book, The Destiny Discovery, I discuss how to get all of yourself (ego included) on board with your highest purpose. It takes your personality, soul, and heart to design that life that you truly desire, and you deserve to have that!

Mal Duane: What are the steps on the destiny process?

Michelle Casto: The Discover Your Destiny Process:
Stage 1: Awakening
Without awakening, you will never experience the destiny that is waiting for you. Learn how to have an “easy awakening” vs a rude one.

Stage 2: Awareness
Awareness is the stage where you begin to pay attention to the fact that you need to find out exactly what your life is meant to be.

Stage 3: Acceptance
Acceptance is the stage where you accept who you are meant to be; your Divinity and your unique Purpose, and then come to terms with what it means to your life.

Stage 4: Articulation
Articulation is the stage where you articulate your life Purpose by putting it into words. It may be very simple or it could be comprehensive, but there will be a clarity that will resonate with you at the cellular level.

Stage 5: Action
Action is the stage where you initiate moves towards the fulfillment of your Purpose. Taking the right action at the right time leads to success.

Stage 6: Allowance
Allowance is the stage where you are in a state of ease, contentment and peace. You begin living in the flow of your greatest life.

I go into great detail about each of these stages in the book. What to expect, what detours to watch for, and how to successfully navigate your way through each stage.

Mal Duane: How does one overcome mediocrity in life?

Michelle Casto: Too many people let fear and doubt make their decisions in life and end up living a ‘default reality,’ one that they fall into with little conscious choice or deliberate intention. Stagnation and a feeling of “settling” is all too common.

Historically, we have accepted that life is about mere survival and accepting whatever crosses our path. With the shift of consciousness that is happening, millions are being called forth to answer the call of their Soul, which desires to live a life of more passion, purpose, and empowerment.

The path of Greatness is about rising from the mainstream to carve out your own unique path. This way of living is not for the faint of heart, it takes the ‘faithful’ of heart —those willing to dig deep and Find Answers In The heart. If you are ready to let go of the life you have outgrown and step into your greater Destiny in life, then the first place is to look within at your own heart.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to begin your self-discovery journey:

What does my heart long to experience?

What do I really, really, really desire?

What would make my heart sing?

After you have had a good honest look at what your heart is calling for, then you are ready to take stock of where you are in life and where you want to be. Gather tools to help you cross the gap including the right information and the right support (books, mentoring or healing), and you are sure to chart a new course for your life this year.

Finally, the greatest key to overcoming mediocrity is to use your power of CHOICE to decide to go in a new direction…and remember to always course correct when your Soul calls for it!

———-

I hope you enjoyed this interview with Michelle Casto and that you’ll check out her book The Destiny Discovery: Find Your Soul’s Path to Success at //www.liveyourdivinedestiny.com/book-launch/pages/pre-launch.html

Here’s why:

The Discover Your Divine Destiny Telesummit

How Can We Discover Our True Destiny in 2012?

12 Destiny Mentors Discuss this Question on this

FR*EE 3-Day Online Event

January 10th, 11th & 12th, 2012

10am Pacific/1pm Eastern/6pm UK

Over the course of 3 days, we’ll be exploring the journey of AWAKENING to the path of destiny, FINDING the path of true destiny, and SUCCEEDING on the path of destiny.

Here’s our wonderful guest line-up:

Michelle L. Casto – Life & Business Coach; author of The Destiny Discovery
Lynn Serafinn – Coach; marketer; author of The 7 Graces of Marketing and The Garden of the Soul
Christine Kloser – award-winning author; mentor to transformational authors and conscious entrepreneurs
Paul Zelizer – business success coach for spiritual people
Brenda McIntyre – healer, business coach, spiritual mentor and award-winning singer
Dee Wallace – acclaimed Hollywood actress, acting coach, internationally known healer, author of Bright Light
Dr. Roy Martina – world-renowned holistic medical doctor, author of #1 bestseller Emotional Balance: the path to inner peace and harmony, and 40 other books
Nan Akasha – CHT Mind over Money Coach, #1 bestselling author of Already Rich! Secrets to Master Your Money Mind.
Eva Gregory – master coach, conscious channel, speaker and author
Jackie Lapin – speaker, coach, transformational business consultant and mentor in Practical Conscious Creation
Gail Goodwin – Founder of InspireMeToday.com, providing free inspiration from world-renowned luminaries every day to members in more than 120 countries
Steve D’Annunzio – productivity trainer, life success coach, author, President of the Soul Purpose Institute, member of the Transformational Leadership Council

This special 3-Day telesummit is Michelle’s FR*EE gift to you,

to celebrate the launch of her book, which is coming

Tuesday January 17th, 2011.

FREE GIFTS TOO!

When you buy Michelle’s book on Tuesday January 17, 2012, you can ALSO receive the MP3 download of all 3 days of this inspiring telesummit, plus a complete library of beautiful personal development gifts from authors, speakers, coaches and other enlightened professionals from around the globe including one from me;

The Alpha Chick Action Guide for Personal Transformation

To claim your FREE pass to the Discover Your Divine Destiny Telesummit

and read about the free gifts, go to:

//www.liveyourdivinedestiny.com/book-launch/pages/pre-launch.html

Thanks for reading! As usual, please feel free to share your comments and thoughts below. I love reading your feedback.

AND… be sure to follow Michelle tomorrow when the next stop on the Virtual Blog Tour is Paula Tarrant, who will be interviewing Michelle on Work, Career & Soul Purpose. To visit that “stop” on the tour, go to //inspiredwomenwork.com/finding-your-souls-path-to-success/

Live Faithfully,
Mal Duane

The Greatest Lesson I Learned in 2011!

Live your life with integrity and heart-centered intention.

For many years, I woke up every day paralyzed by my own fears. I would be tormented by the possibility that people would discover I was a fake; I wasn’t who I pretended to be. The persona I projected was this happy, fun loving care free, extremely funny girl who acted as though she had the world at her feet. Behind the mask that I wore for so many years was a deeply depressed and dependent soul searching to be loved. I would drink to feel good about myself but after a while the numbing effects didn’t work. On December 30, 1989 I thought I couldn’t continue. I did not see many options available to me. Death was starting to look like a pretty good one when I heard a voice I had never heard before giving me instructions. If I learned these lessons, my life would be amazing. That was the first day of the rest of my life. I started on a journey of personal transformation and empowerment and I have never looked back. Today I live my life with intention and integrity.

This year has been the most challenging for me personally and professionally. I don’t need to remind all of you what the real estate market is like. Going to work every day was like jumping in a pond with gators. People were fearful and anxious which ultimately caused very aggressive behavior. In addition to my real estate company, I finished the final touches on my book and launched the author platform. I never had any idea just how complicated and consuming this could be. I have been challenged more than once about various aspects of the book. Each time I was presented with conflict, I would step back and really focus on my intention. What am I trying to do here? Who am I trying to serve? Who will benefit from this? I soon recognized my heart centered intention for my work and for the book. I needed to listen to my “voice”, the authentic guidance that was coming from within.

If you work from your heart rather than your head, you can’t help but create what you want. When you know who you are and why you want to do something, you are connecting with your divine purpose. We all have a reason for being here. Take time to discover what ignites your passion to do a specific thing. When you heart is behind it, it becomes a perfect manifestation. Don’t allow other’s to sway you from your purpose. When you seek approval from others, you live by their standards not your own. You can feel the vibration within you, knowing that you are walking the right path. What you create will impact others in a positive way and at the same time contribute to your own personal growth. In the next few days spend time to discover your heart centered intention for 2012. Release the fearful you that thinks and reacts only from her head. Close the door on those negative thoughts that have been holding you back. Embrace the perfection of the image that you were created in. Start sharing your divine brilliance with the universe.

Live Faithfully,
Mal Duane