Drama Queens and Real Rock Radio

I spent the past week in St. Louis, which is one of my favorite places in the world. Great food, great people, and the best radio station ever; K-She 95. Nowhere will you hear as much Sammy Hagar, Rush, or REO Speedwagon as you will in St. Louis on K-She. I love it. They thumb their nose at what is supposedly "relevant" in music and play what they love. Rock on K-She.

I went to St. Louis to do another seminar based on my book and a book signing. It also gave me the chance to spend some time with the staff at Crossroads, an adolescent drug treatment program in St. Louis. Leading up to the week there was a little bit of fear of possible disruption. There are a few people who were at one time associated with programs like the one I own who have left and made it their life's purpose to sabotage the work that we do. Being the sensitive person that I am, if I get any indication that someone doesn't like me, I become very bothered. Most of the time that is a very easy emotional state to deal with, but if I get caught off guard it can send me into a tail-spin.

I did go into the week feeling very prepared. For one, I love my book. Being able to share myself that intimately has been extremely rewarding. The seminars have been an extension of that feeling and every time I do one I feel as if I have grown immeasurably. Although I had never done a book signing before, I had a lot of confidence going in because Kerry and Jim Winkelmann had done an awesome job of preparing the event. It was set up at a great coffee shop, Wired Coffee, and the Winkelmanns took care of invitations and other details.

For the entire week Mike, Megan, and Desiree were awesome. Every detail was taken care of. The hotel that held the seminar was perfect. Everything along the lines of organization was extremely smooth. I was able to focus on the tasks at hand because I didn't have to worry about anything else. Following through with these events was a huge deal. The terrorists had been threatening to sabotage both events. They sent letters and made phone calls to the hotel. They called the owners of the coffee shop. For the first time I was able to see these people through objective eyes. The hotel manager and the owner of the coffee shop saw these people for what they are; terrorists holding on to sour grapes. They didn't feel at all threatened and were more annoyed than anything.I was able to meet Rose Jonas who gave me great perspective on the whole situation. Not only were there no problems at either event, there was a ton of validation that if I choose to become afraid at the threats of angry and irrational people, I am being a drama queen. The only action taken by these people was a guy that used to work for me taking my picture with his cell phone and then scurrying off. Wow.

Getting to spend time with the staff at Crossroads was a big time highlight of the trip. What a wonderful group of unbelievably talented and exciting people. They have a tremendous amount of power and do great work with the families who come to them for help. As they continue to gain more confidence their ability to provide solid guidance will only continue to grow. It's fun to be around people who so clearly love what they do. 

As I mentioned before, what a wonderful week. Hopefully it was as beneficial to other people as it was for me. I am home now very satisfied and grateful.