A Solstice Blessing: Listening at the Threshold
At the solstice…
we stand at a threshold.
A place where light and dark meet…
in dynamic balance.
The dark invites us to listen deeply.
The light calls us into expression.
In dark times,
May we Listen not only for what it ours to do—
But for who we are to become to meet them.
May we trust the medicine
that is uniquely ours to carry.
And may we offer it in service of a world
that honors all of life.
May this turning of the year
meet you exactly where you are.
And may your Listening
guide your light.
Solstice blessings, dear soul.
All Love,
Gail
On October 31, thirteen of us gathered on the Listening Playground and asked the question
By Listening Together, we received an answer that is teaching us how to live –and play!
There is no hierarchy in the web of life.
There is only relationship.
When we play, we restore flow.
When we listen, we remember how to belong.
Big News! Transformational Speaking moving to Modern Elder Academy in 2026
Stop Performing. Start Connecting – Live with Gail Larsen Tuesday, Oct. 21
Big news! Beginning in 2026, I’ll be offering my public programs exclusively through Modern Elder Academy (MEAWisdom) at the 2,600-acre Rising Circle Ranch just outside Santa Fe.
It’s a homecoming of sorts — a collaboration that allows this work to deepen in the very landscape that birthed it.
All this unfurled after Derek Gehl, CEO of MEA, traveled from Vancouver to attend my June Transformational Speaking Immersion. (Yes, the one I keep calling my “final one”… except every time I do, more people clamor to come! Life is funny that way.)
Is Your Story — Told or Untold — Holding You Back from a New Story?
I’m writing to you today in service of better stories — yours, mine, and the ones we’re here to co-create. After all, the subtitle of my book Transformational Speaking is: If you want to change the world, tell a better story.
Oh, the stories we tell!
- There’s the “signature story” we tell from the platform that defines us (and can become the very thing that holds us back.)
- There are the stories we hold in silence and are afraid to speak. They need to be told — not to an audience, but to someone who can truly hear us — so we can heal and move forward.
- And then there’s the new story, beckoning us to the possibility that awaits.
Recently I heard from two clients — both from 2015 — whose stories are changing. Our renewed connections reminded me of the deep privilege it is to witness new stories as they begin to take form and how agonizing that process can be. We’re attached! These stories — and the identities they’ve shaped — have often carried us to the pinnacle of success. So why must they change just when we think we’ve arrived?! (And really, how could we ever “arrive” when life itself is in constant motion?)
Presence or Perfection? Why Your Most Powerful Talk Can’t be Scripted
I’ve spent years helping others find their way back to the truth beneath the script. As I walk that path myself, this blog post offers two reflections:
- The Trouble with Scripts
- Where My Unscripted Life is Leading Me Now—and your invitation to join me!
Recently I witnessed a speaker who showed up with a beautiful script. A page was missing and she proceeded to “lose it.” A blank stare, then panic.
I’ve often witnessed that “losing it” is the beginning of “finding it”, although the speaker usually doesn’t experience it that way! That’s what happened here. In losing her place, she found herself in the moment. Only then did those of us in the audience feel something real happen and begin to relate to what she had to share.
One More Transformational Speaking Immersion! Santa Fe May 8-11
I’m sending this email to my entire list, including beloved clients and those I have yet to meet. Many graduates return to the Immersion years later when things are changing—and change is definitely afoot! Here’s how life and work are shifting for me, and I invite you to join me to get out of jetlag of your own life and catch up to who you’ve become and explore what wants to speak through you now!
One More Immersion. May 8-11, Santa Fe.
In December I celebrated my 8-OH! and it is actually the first birthday that seized my attention as a significant number! I understand the blessing of a long life and the opportunity it provides to review and reflect. As I do so, I recognize I have gifts to continue to bring to the world that are needed in these transformational times. Yet how might that form change as I embrace elderhood? And embrace it I do!
Hey, Holy Fool — Today Is Your Day!
Dear Holy Fool (or Holy Fool in Waiting),
This is the day I celebrate those of you who step outside convention to find your voice and become the radical change artist your soul is calling you to be!
You don’t do what’s expected. You transcend conditioning and do what the more “sensible” among us would avoid, choosing a path that others deem “impossible.” Doors open where others wouldn’t think to knock. You hear the knocking from the inside and live the life you came to live.
In 2014, I was besotted by Joseph Campbell’s statement that the Holy Fool is the most dangerous person on earth and the most threatening to all hierarchical institutions. That’s when I created Holy Fools Day, and I’ve been celebrating Holy Fools ever since.
When Transformational Speaker Tania Vasallo interviewed me for her podcast, The Courage to Be, I realized my affinity for the Holy Fool is because I am one! Here’s the podcast in two sections:
First, my storied path to an unconventional life and business: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-courage-to-be/id1664543123
Second, the original way I approach public speaking in my Transformational Speaking classes — from the inside out. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-courage-to-be/id1664543123
Books by Transformational Speakers 2024
From captivating stages to compelling pages, my Transformational Speaking clients are not just masters of the spoken word but also prolific writers. I’m thrilled to showcase the diverse array of books written by these remarkable individuals, each reflecting the unique essence of its creator. With such a rich tapestry of offerings, I’m confident there’s a book waiting to inspire, educate, or entertain you and anyone on your gift list.
During my Transformational Speaking Immersions, the sheer wealth of ideas often sparks a creative fire in our clients. It’s not uncommon for them to outline their entire book while crafting their latest talk.
Wisdom is earned for all of these authors, and I want to especially highlight the elders who continue to thrive by living their purpose and bringing their gifts to the world.
Holy Fools 2024
Have you met your inner Holy Fool? That wild, world-changing risk-taker who lives within you? I have! Holy Fools Day is upon us, and it’s the perfect time to ditch the ordinary and celebrate with this powerful “What If?” challenge.
Ask yourself: What If? What if we create a world based on our wildest dreams?
An emergence story for these times … and all of time
Once upon a time I was working with an extraordinarily gifted woman and seer who had an image of me standing on the edge of a cliff. I was looking across a wide divide where I could not see my way to the other side, and a step forward would lead to certain death. But I was not alone. I had two allies supporting me: a skunk at my left foot who was creating a boundary so I would not step over the edge, and a hawk on my right shoulder.
As I stood there, I was blowing kisses to an unknown future. The hawk would follow the energy of those kisses, fly across the horizon, and return with what I was to know. Only then could I act.
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Books by Transformational Speakers 2025
We love our authors and Transformational Speakers!
And every year, I gather their newest creations into a holiday giftbook list that just might save you from wandering the aisles (real or virtual) wondering what to give.
Think of this as your one-stop inspiration shop — with something for everyone on your list, from the wonder-filled children to the kick-ass elders who keep life interesting.
This year has been amazing.
In September I travelled to Bath, England and had the joy of working with 8 illustrious Hay House authors in a manor house that felt like a castle.
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