Anything Is Possible!

Dare, Dream, Discover
How Two Female Entrepreneurs Are Sharing Their Strength with Others by Melanie Joy Douglas, Monster.ca “You come back renewed, ready to take on the world, and create the life you deserve.” – Darlene Christianson The story of Dare-Dream-Discover goes something like this: two bright, vibrant, and entrepreneurial women were sitting around talking one night when they thought… wouldn’t it be neat to be able to help other women empower themselves in a one-of-a-kind experience? They decided they could only accomplish such a transformative experience if they could take a group of women away from everything around them – their familiar surroundings, their every day lives and people – and immerse them in a completely new setting. And they had just the place in mind… Italy! Darlene Christianson, co-host of a daytime television show and perennial tour guide, and Jane Schnurr, a successful entrepreneur and full-time life coach, put their talents together – touring and coaching – and developed Dare-Dream-Discover, an all-inclusive 10-day women-only touring experience in Italy, complete with personal coaching. I recently sat down with these women to find out more about their new venture.First of all - why women-only? ”I think a lot of women have forgotten who they are,” says Schnurr. “They get to a place in life and they’re taking care of everyone else except themselves, whether they’re a high-powered executive or a stay-at-home mom.” ”This trip,” she continues, “is all about remembering and accepting… and starting to stand in the place of who you really are.” Both Christianson and Schnurr have encountered personal hardship in their lives, but they recognize how those “speedbumps,” as Christianson puts it, have given them credibility, strength, and power as women. Their goal in life is to share what they’ve learned with other women – to inspire and empower as many others as possible. But the tour is not just for women who may feel out-of-touch with themselves; it’s for any woman looking for a little something more and wanting to take the time (and money) to treat herself. “A lot of women get really busy in their careers and they don’t have the same network of girlfriends they used to have,” Schnurr points out. “From my own experience and the people I work with, girlfriends are hugely important! But there are many women out there who have lost that. Well, they’ll have plenty at the end of this tour,” she says with a laugh. “I think a lot of successful women always want to be learning, always want to be getting better,” adds Christianson. “This tour helps them continue the journey.” And so the tour name? “Dare to be who you really want to be, dream about going away and reaching your ultimate goals, and discover your true authentic self,” says Christianson. “Dare to dream and discover everything that you’re supposed to be.” Schnurr, who runs her own coaching business, Awesome Coaching Enterprises, has three coaching sessions with each of the Dare-Dream-Discover women before they leave for Italy (all of which can be done over the phone if necessary.) “I’ll have a good sense of what they’re about,” she says. “They’ll get some homework and they’ll already be working on some change in their life before we go, so the trip is really designed to have a huge impact – to be a transformative process.” While in Italy, there will be some structured workshops as well as more informal coaching sessions, and the ladies will have a follow-up coaching session with Schnurr upon return. ”The experience is designed to make some changes - to hold people accountable and celebrate them,” she explains. But don’t underestimate the fun-factor. “A lot of my clients don’t know how to have fun anymore,” Shnurr says. “They get so wrapped up in their business, their work, their responsibilities, that they completely forget how to just have fun. One of the components no one could ever have enough of is fun.” New trends in travelChristianson has been working in the travel industry with her husband, Tom, for the past six years, designing and running custom tours with their business Venture Bound Tours Inc. “The travel industry has really changed in the last ten years,” she explains. “People are wanting to do more than just sit on a beach. That’s kind of a been-there-done-that. They want an adventure. They want to do something different, and they want to come out of it learning something new.” And Christianson should know: Venture Bound Tours Inc. offers European getaways built around such themes as military history; art history; ballooning; golfing; biking and hiking; culinary adventures; chateaus; wine, olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting; alpine skiing; photography; opera; even tours built around designer outlet shopping or ‘Christmas in Germany.’ Christianson notes a hot item in the adventure travel and unique tour trend is girlfriend getaway tours. “They’re becoming huge,” she says. “I’ve seen a lot of magazines doing features on these types of getaways.” Life-coaching tours seem to be the next step. ”There are a lot of people looking for more fulfillment…” says Schnurr, “for those wonderful moments that make you go, ‘Ah! This is what life is all about.’”Christianson and Schnurr have blended the girlfriend getaway tour with life-coaching and have carved out their own niche - quite the recipe for success.The importance of Italy”When we talked about taking people away, Italy was the number one choice,” explains Christianson. “Italy is the kind of country you go to and you fall in love with automatically. I don’t know what it is… You’re surrounded by beauty everywhere you look. The people are so happy, so gregarious… just so excited about life. And the aromas… oh, it really touches all of your senses. There’s a tranquility about it.” ”We go into the middle of Tuscany in the Chianti region and we stay in a 900-year-old castle,” she continues. “There’s so much history. When you get up in the morning and you look out, you’re surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, and the air is so sweet… You can’t help but become renewed and refreshed just with the scenery, let alone being there with other women who are open and welcoming change into their lives. It just catches on.” “When you’re surrounded beauty – beautiful scenery, aromas, people, and food – it just opens the door to change,” adds Schnurr. “The coaching is part of it and Italy does the rest.” Being positive is a choice The enthusiasm of these two women, who met back in 2001, is insurmountable; they just radiate positive energy. So, what’s their secret? Have they always been so balanced and engaged in life? “Balance didn’t come easy for me,” admits Schnurr, who, prior to coaching, ran a costume company, designing mascots as well as a flag and banner business. “I was a single mom with two little kids and a business. I remember coming home, putting my kids to bed, and having to tell them I’m going back to work now.” ”But when challenges were continuously thrown at me in life, I increasingly began to look at things from the perspective of – what can I learn from this? I think I realized quite a while ago that if you don’t learn the lesson the first time, it’s going to come back and you’ll get it again. I just keep moving on, learning new things, trusting the universe, and loving my life.” ”If I could go back to who I was in my early twenties and give myself some advice,” Christianson pipes up, “I would say ‘believe in yourself’. Nobody’s perfect… don’t get too caught up in trying to be accepted… you’re capable of doing whatever you put your mind to. And, ‘don’t be afraid to fail’. For years, I was so afraid to try things or to make changes. Now I see that I have so many other adventures ahead of me. I might not be the best at them, but I’ll try them.” Both women are extremely involved in their community and have even started their own women’s group in Collingwood called WAM: Women Achieving More. The group has informal meetings where they get together, and as Christianson says, “eat, drink, and talk.” They have ‘goal’ nights and support each other when someone is going through a tough time. Informality aside, they also participate in charity events, raising money for MS and cancer, and take initiatives like sponsoring a family at Christmas. What does the future hold for these two? “The possibilities are endless,” says Schnurr, who is currently writing a book, while Christianson is pursuing public-speaking opportunities, in addition to her touring and hosting gigs. “We want to reach as many people as we can and get them excited about their lives,” Christianson says. “We’re starting with women, but this could lead to tours for both men and women, couples, or corporate get-aways. We have so many ideas.” “There’s a time in life when you’re always trying to ‘get’," she explains. "Get ahead, get a job, get more money, get things for your kids. Then it gets to a point when you want to do more, be more, to do something that means more. It stops being about 'getting.'” Their passion for life is contagious. ”If you love what you do and you’re happy with who you are and love your life, it’s like a fountain… It keeps flowing and goes to other people,” notes Schnurr. “It’s a privilege to do this work. It’s really neat to be part of someone’s life and have an impact.” Dare-Dream-Discover’s next voyage is October 26th to November 3rd, 2007.