As much work as I’ve done on myself and my ability to communicate with integrity, I still goof sometimes.
I did it with a dear friend the other day. I said something that really hurt her. I actually used a word I’ve never used in that context before. It was extreme hyperbole, and totally inappropriate.
I was stunned that it came out of my mouth, and BOY was I ashamed.
And irony of ironies – we were having a meeting about a retreat we’re doing on difficult communication.
I remembered the old tale where an uncivil little girl is cursed by a fairy to have toads & snakes come out of her mouth, while her civil and kind sister is given the gift of flowers and jewels.
We sat there, looking at the toad I had spoken, sitting in the middle of the room. I was squirming inside. My friend is a very accomplished communicator herself, and we worked it out pretty quickly.
But my shame didn’t go away for more than an hour. Continue Reading

“Ariana is an amazing lady with a big heart and amazing power to intuitively know what’s is blocking you. Within minutes, we found an incident that had troubled me for over 40 years and Ariana gave me some tips and tools to use for speaking that are invaluable. Thank you so much Ariana, amazing experience” 🙂
“If you are having difficulty finding your authentic voice (like I was because I was focusing on how “I” thought things should sound), schedule a chat with Ariana. I’m a woman and I own it! No more trying to be “perceived” as “one of the guys” by manipulating my voice.”