Mind Over Mountains/Isis Goddess Scholarship Fund

Isis is pleased to announce the opening of nominations for the Isis/Mind Over Mountains Goddess Scholarship fund. This fund was started in 2005 to acknowledge inspirational women of all ages and all walks of life for their often unrecognized deeds, commitment to their communities or mentorship to a younger generation of women. Winner of this award will receive airfare to Ridgway, lodging at the Chipeta Lodge and Spa and a transformation retreat at Mind Over Mountains.

Last year, Sue Hagie, nominated by her daughter, was the recipient of this award. She attended a Mind Over Mountains retreat in Ridgway Colorado in August. Click here to read about her experience:

 

Sue Hagie, Winner of first Isis Goddess Scholarship

Describe yourself before the retreat & then how you see yourself afterwards.

Prior to the retreat my outlook was pretty "down." I had been working as a nurse practitioner in a job that I loved and had been notified that there was no more grant funding for my position. Although 22 of my peers had previously lost their jobs because of financial cutbacks, that didn't make it any easier. Insecure thoughts were filling my mind and I was having problems moving past that. My life had been filled with my "work" but now that was going to be gone.

Returning from the retreat, I again started working 12 hour days until my job ended 10 days later. It was difficult jumping back into a fast paced schedule after peaceful, relaxing days at the retreat. However, the focus & mindfulness that we practiced to achieve during the retreat would occasionally surface & I knew that I could deal better with anything that might happen. I just had to remember to concentrate on one step at a time. My outlook was more optimistic.

What was your "Aha!" moment...in other words, what surprised you?

I was surprised that I was able to do the outdoor activities. Many years had passed since I had even gone on a short hike much less the climbs & long hikes that we did. I felt that with being out of shape and the effect of the altitude, I probably wasn't going to be able to keep up. On the last day, when we got to the top of the climb, was the moment that I realized that I had surprised myself. I had spent 3 days doing what I was certain I would not be able to do!

How did the outdoor experiences have an affect on you?

It was good being outdoors, enjoying the peacefulness, beautiful scenery and the company of the other women. It had been so long since I had taken time to enjoy the outdoors that I had forgotten how good it felt. It was an effort for me to try to "slow down" as my daily life is filled with cramming as much as possible into every hour.  I found that when I could manage to take a deep breath & relax, I became much more aware of everything around me.

The rock climbing was something that I never thought that I would attempt. I have always felt panicked when up high. I try to avoid getting up on stepladders, standing near the edge of scenic overviews and any other time that I look down from above. Now here I was, with a group of other women who had never tried to climb, wearing funny looking gear, climbing a rock that seemed to reach endlessly upward.

All went fairly well with the climb until I got about three quarters of the way up. It was then that I couldn't find a place to put my foot & I still had at least 10 feet to get to the top. It felt like I was stuck in that one spot forever. With encouragement from the ladies below, and taking a deep breath & trying to focus, I managed to get to the top. I was even able to look at the scenery and down to the ground without feeling my stomach "drop."  I have spent my entire life being terrified of heights and look what I was doing!

To surprise myself even more, I decided to make the second climb blindfolded. It was very peaceful as I didn't analyze all of the choices. I became more focused on taking one step at a time. After accomplishing each step, I searched for one more without letting numerous choices overwhelm me. If I take nothing else from that experience, I want to hold onto that lesson.

What was the highlight of the Mind Over Mountains experience?

It would be difficult to single out just one thing as being the highlight as the retreat was composed of so many memorable experiences. One of the highlights was being with a group of supportive women who were all there to take a couple of days for themselves & have an outdoor adventure. I think that all of us went there to sort out something in our lives.

I felt good about being able to physically manage the outdoor activities. I liked trying yoga, the wonderful, relaxing massage, the pool & hot tub. I enjoyed the inspirational readings during our mountain hikes, the picnic lunches and the exercises where we practiced focusing & trying to become mindful of our surroundings. It was always a nice touch to go back to our rooms & find a gift of a recent photo & inspirational quote, a rose and food. The hotel where we stayed was a perfect setting for the retreat. I especially liked being able to hear the water from a fountain regardless of where we were.

The life counseling, getting us to think about what is important to us, what makes us happy & what doesn't, was very helpful at this point in my life.  

“In the process of running ISIS, we have been inspired by women who have found ways to sidestep the conventional. They go out of their way to help their communities, break through challenges, climb peaks and touch the lives of others,” said Carolyn Cooke, co-founder of ISIS. “We established the ISIS Fund to reward the unrecognized woman who bring incredible strength, grace and determination to their work, families, friends and themselves. These women have the sprit and the passion that we believe in and that drives ISIS products and our company mission”.

The ISIS Fund is open to women of all ages. To nominate someone for consideration, simply send a story of 500 words or less describing someone you know that should be considered as a candidate. It can be a woman that is going through a difficult time, someone who gives to her community, or someone who has inspired your own life. Email stories to ISISFund@isisforwomen.com. The deadline for submissions is a postmark of April 1, 2007. ISIS co-founder Carolyn Cooke and Mind Over Mountains owner Kim Reynolds as well as other outdoor oriented women will serve on the ISIS Fund panel reviewing the submissions

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