“It all started with a dare. Now she wears a pink tutu whenever she runs a marathon. Listen as teacher and life coach Kristine Binder (#tutulady) talks about dealing with anxiety, depression and divorce to inspire girls and women to run the marathon of life.” Show notes from episode #16 of the Dream Highway podcast
In this episode of the Dream Highway Podcast, host Steve Pedersen and I discuss running, coaching, the LGBTQIA+ community, Girls on the Run and my book, The Lemonade Stand. We talk about faith, acceptance, belonging, shame, vulnerability, as well as dreams and goal setting. Tune In to learn where we find strength, grace and peace in our current climate that contains so much negativity and division! Be sure to listen and leave a comment! Available where ever you listen to podcasts! http://bit.ly/DreamHighwayPodcast
Last month I was asked to write an update about my like since The Lemonade Stand Book was published for a magazine. Below is what was published as well as a link to the magazine.
If someone had told me all of the changes that would happen to me in one year…that I would connect with some amazing women, write my story and become a bestselling author, I would have told them they were silly ….but a lot can change in a year! In the spring of 2019 a high school friend of mine invited me to be a part of a book project. She had been following me on social media and knew part of my story. She said that this was a perfect opportunity to share my stories, inspiring others, as I had inspired her. Well, through her insistence, I connected with the publisher and editor multiple times. I gave them every excuse not to be a part of the project and they had a response for each one! I had recently started a new business. The additional investment of this project scared me to death. They soon helped me realize I was investing in myself and my future. We then created a financial plan that worked for me and my budget. Once I took that initial step forward, it was all downhill from there. The scariest part was over! Ok, that is not really the truth but I had taken the first step on a journey that would further change the course of my life. Forward is a pace has long been my motto. It matters not how fast I am going as long as I am moving forward. One step was leading to the next as I moved forward. Step two was actually putting the words on paper and writing out my story. Once I sat down and got centered, the words flowed out like water, flooding the pages. It was one of the most cathartic experiences of my life! Putting my story on paper was like opening the curtains and letting the light into a room that had been dark for far too long. I think I had forgotten the feeling of the warm sunshine on my face, the freedom that comes with sharing what has been hidden. The freedom that comes with sharing the truth . Oftentimes the reason that truth is hidden is because, like in my case, it was not pretty. Step three was allowing my own children to read what I had written. This was difficult. I am always careful about sharing parts of my life as this directly affects my children. They are now young adults, each having their own narratives and lives, thus they are affected indirectly. Once they approved, I hit send for the final time! Women are powerful when we believe in ourselves and each other. We are unstoppable when we channel our energy towards a positive purpose. I leaned heavily on the women who had been in this space before as we moved throughout the process, bringing this project to completion. Once the book was released, it became a bestseller! I was overwhelmed and overjoyed! How has this process and the past year changed me? Well, with the pandemic and all the changes that have accompanied it, the trajectory of the school year and my life have been drastically altered! Having the experience and confidence with the book project, allowed me the freedom to grow my brand. Prior to the shutdown, I had the opportunity to speak to women’s groups about the book and my story which ignited a new fire within me. I used the time during lockdown to create and release my own website. I am currently in the process of developing and launching my own personal empowerment coaching business, learning new things daily from my “Lemonade Sisters” I was fearful to open myself up to this new opportunity. I realized that by sharing my story, I gave others permission to do the same. I have been contacted by many people who were not aware of my journey. They shared the ways in which they were inspired by my bravery, honesty, and vulnerability. I have learned to believe in myself and my potential. I continue to take risks and trust myself. I am a firm believer in God-incidences. I believe that God brought me to this project so that I could learn and grow, becoming more confident, all while inspiring others. It is no accident that these women have become a strong support system and lift me up when I lose my way. I made myself a promise long ago that I will always move forward, no matter how fast or slow. I have spent the past year moving forward, navigating each detour, moving over every speed bump, and pulling myself out of each ditch along the way. I have put myself back on the road forward….with the help of my newfound confidence and help from some friends. No matter what happens moving forward, I will always be putting one foot in front of the other inspiring others to do the same. Peace, #tutulady #forwardisapace To read the whole issue of the magazine, click HERE
IT IS HERE! I can not believe it! I really and truly can not believe it is here! I am an author! My name is searchable and associated with a book on AMAZON!!! (click the title below to see for yourself!!) The Lemonade Stand Book!!!
The Lemonade Stand(Kindle Ed)!!!!!! Several months ago I was contacted by a high school friend who asked me to be a part of a writing project. She knew only a small portion of my story and thought I should share more, taking a deeper dive. I was intrigued and wanted to know more so, I contacted the collaborator and she put me in touch with the publisher. I learned the working title was the Lemonade Stand and liked it already. I hemmed and hawed, emailed back and forth with these women, had lengthy phone conversations with them, and battled my own inner demons. There were so many signs along the way that told me that this was the right project at the right time. I mean, I had just bought a lemon tree for heaven’s sake and I was seeing lemons everywhere I looked. So I finally made the decision to join the project, took a giant leap and made the call ….#forwardisapace is my motto, right? Once I made the decision to write my chapter, I sat down and the words poured out of me like water over the falls. I wrote it all in one weekend. Like Goldilocks…first it was too long and then it was too short and then it was just right. I sent it off for editing and it came back with only a few suggestions of changes. So we moved forward. I let some of my children read it at that point as I wanted their honest opinion. And they gave it to me…in spades. They were proud of their momma! And I moved forward. I got it back one more time for final approval. Hitting send that last time meant sending my words, my story, out into the world. It was as if my soul exhaled. The fear and apprehension of being so vulnerable had yet to set in! I continued to move forward. And then it was a waiting game. I waited for the other women to finish their chapters. And boy did those other women deliver! When I received a proof of the book I sat for a while feeling the weight of these words and the women who wrote them. Then I started to read….. And I could not stop! But I really had to….I had to put down the book between each chapter and breathe. Each story was more compelling than the next. These women poured their souls on to the pages of this book. And then I realized I was one of them. Seeing my name in the table of contents was surreal, but then reading what I had written? It was an out of body experience and I kept moving forward. But the best was yet to come because #forwardisapace !!! The book was listed on Amazon this week and has already reached best seller status in 8…yes…EIGHT…kindle categories! The reviews are pouring in and all so positive! The paperback copy of the book will be released Wednesday, December 4, 2019, and I know that things will only go up from there! FORWARD!!!! The fear and apprehension of vulnerability have fully set in but in the words of some of my co-authors, that fear is an ever evolving beast and will always be there until we release the shame and face it all head on. so…. #forwardisapace I am so proud of the book and sharing my story. I am blessed and honored to be in the company of such strong, resilient, and gifted women! I hope that you will not only buy the book to read my story, but also read the stories of these other amazing women. While my story may not resonate with you, perhaps the story of one of the other women will. Perhaps you know someone who could use a little lemonade in their life and you buy them a copy as a gift. I am so thankful for the opportunity to share my story, share what running, Girls on the Run and being the #tutulady means to me and share the life experiences of my amazing co-authors. My gratitude is beyond words at this point. Let’s just say that my heart is sooo full….I am DANCING and I am moving forward This #tutulady thanks everyone she knows from the bottom of her overflowing, glitter filled, sparkly, tutu wearing heart! I am who I am thanks to of all of you! Peace #forwardisapace #tutulady
Kristine Binder 