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The Wild Sister Sampler ~ Jen Saunders www.wildsister.com

Welcome to the Wild Sister Sampler! I'm so excited to welcome you into the wonderful world of Wild Sister Magazine! In this sampler you will find some of Wild Sister's most popular articles, a hilarious and joy-filled video, and an original article I wrote especially for you. You will also find out the story behind Wild Sister and be introduced to some of our beloved contributors, as well as have your chance to contribute, too! I am so passionate about helping women live inspired, love-filled, wild lives. Wild Sister is my vessel for doing this, the soulful women who help create every new issue are my heroes, and you, wild one, are my inspiration. Congratulations to you for stepping forward, for being one of our worldwide tribe of women who know that, together, we can change the world. You are amazing. Stay Wild,

Jen Saunders CEO, Wild Sister Magazine

In this ebook, you will learn: • The key to living your wildest dreams • 10 ways to love yourself now • How I started Wild Sister Magazine in just 27 days, whilst living in China • 50 ways to be wild • How you can be featured in Wild Sister Magazine • + much more!

Ready to be inspired?

Let's do this!

WILDwisdom { 10 ways to love yourself now } { riding donkeys + pouring love } { 50 ways to be WILD } { the key to living your wildest dreams }

10 ways to

love

yourself now By Dani

Love yourself. You've probably heard those words countless times before. It's one of those phrases thrown around often—usually when someone is in a down-and-out state and struggling to understand why he or she doesn't feel loved. If those words are being said to you they can be painful, but the pain underlines a telling fact: those words are true. Whether or not you want to believe it, if you don't love yourself, no one else can truly love you. Certainly you can be in relationships and experience varieties of emotions similar to love, but if you don't love yourself, if you don't respect yourself, I can guarantee you that no one else can really, truly love or respect you either.

How do I know this? From experience. The older I get, the more I get to know myself, and, much to my surprise, the more I actually love myself. And the more I grow to love myself and value my place in this world, the more love and acceptance I experience in my relationships with others. It may seem cliché or even ironic, but I can only speak from a place of my experiences and my experiences have shown me that if you want other people to love you, you must love yourself.

In order to love yourself, you have to actually look in the mirror and really see who you are (which, I know, can be pretty nerve-racking sometimes). It's way more tempting to just float along, letting the world move around you, just hoping that someday you will be loved in the way you want to be loved. As someone who has done this, I can tell you for sure that you'll never find what you're looking for if you don't start making some proactive attempts to love yourself. There's no better time than right now —yep, right this very minute!—to get started on some serious self-love. Here's my advice:

1. Celebrate your past. I'll be honest with you—this is one of the hardest ones for me. There are things about the me I used to be that I just don't want to celebrate. However, I think about it like this: everything that happened to me in the past made me the person I am today so I need to embrace and celebrate that past because, without it, I wouldn't be me. 

2. Indulge in your desires.  Not every desire should be indulged in, but sometimes I think it's important to recognize the things that make you happy, that inspire you, that send little shivers of delight down your spine. Doing so will help you recognize the uniqueness that is you and will help you to identify the things you can focus on, the things that truly bring you happiness. 

3. Let go of your mistakes. Mistakes happen. To everyone. No matter what you look like, who you are, what you do for a living, you've made mistakes. We all have. I look back on some of my mistakes and literally cringe. But you know what? It doesn't do you any good to focus on them. Take what you can from them, learn from them, and then move the hell on. 

4. Transform your mindset. Sadly it's often easier to get down on yourself than it is to lift yourself up, but if you want to love yourself, you have to change your mindset. You have to believe you are worthy of love and you have to actively seek out positive things about yourself and your life. Believe me, if you don't do it, no one else well. Change the way you think about yourself and the rest will fall into place. 

5. Embrace your future. Sometimes you find yourself in a tough spot, unhappy with your life and ultimately unhappy with yourself. While I'm all about living in the present, I understand sometimes that the present can be pretty rotten. So cut yourself some slack and remember that you have a deliciously exciting future ahead of you. Focus on what's to come and remind yourself that you can do anything. 

"You have to believe you are worthy of love + you have to actively seek out positive things about yourself + your life."

6. Dive into your passion.  Most people are passionate about something. They have things that really matter to them—a cause or a job or a loved one or a hobby. Whatever it is that gets you really excited, focus on it. Embrace it. Run with it. One of the best ways you can learn to love yourself is to zero in on the things that make you the happiest and spend as much time as you can on them. 

7. Live in your moment.  While it's not always easy to live in the moment, it's important that you do so. Why? Because to live in the moment is to accept what is, and to accept what is is the best way I've found for truly loving yourself. If you focus on the past or present, you're not loving yourself now. Love yourself by being present. 

8. Sing your own praises. I know some people don't like to toot their own horns, but you know what? It's okay to say how awesome you are every once and awhile. It's okay to admit that, wow, you did an amazing job on something or accomplished something you never thought you could. Celebrate yourself and your achievements and all of that self-love is sure to find you. Love your awesomeness because, seriously, you are awesome. 

9. Listen to your ideas.  Do you ever find yourself ignoring your instincts or avoiding your gut reaction? Don't do that anymore. If you want to love yourself, you have to believe yourself. You have to trust yourself. It's not always easy to listen, but recognize that your thoughts and ideas are always valid (no matter how ridiculous they might seem). You don't always have to act on your ideas, but always listen to them. 

10. Appreciate your life.  So there are some things you want to change about yourself, about your body, about your relationships, about your life? That's okay. We all want to change things. But what if you stopped focusing on the things you want to change and, instead, focused on the things you wanted to stay the same. Appreciating all that you have in your life is one of the very best ways to remember that you're so very lucky to be YOU.  

"Celebrate yourself + your achievements + all of that self-love is sure to find you." {clicktotweetthis}

Of course, there are more than 10 ways to love yourself, but these are, in my opinion, the best place to start.

I recognize that loving yourself can be really hard work. It's something I work on every day and still don't think I have it completely down (or know if I ever will!), but every time I do something or think something that aligns with the idea of self-love, I find that I am a much more positive, more present person.

It’s pretty hard to live in the moment and love the moment you're living in if you don't love yourself so don’t forget to celebrate self-love each and every day of your life!

Dani launched PositivelyPresent.com in 2009 when she decided to turn her life around and start focusing on the positive while living in the present moment. Positively Present focuses on living positively in the present moment, and since its launch Dani’s personal development site as grown and it continues to impact lives around the world. For tips and tactics for how to be more present, check out her workbook designed to help you live a more positive and present life: Live Happily Ever After Now: A Guide + Workbook for Living in the Present Moment.

This article + many more can be found in Issue 08: Self-Love, available only in the Wild Sisterhood.

Riding Donkeys + Pouring Love I first ‘met’ Leonie Dawson through Amanda Oaks of Kind Over Matter. Amanda sent me an email referring to a



process of getting stuff done (fast) called Riding the Wild Donkey where she linked to Leonie. I connected instantly with everything I saw on her website. But, it was months later before I was back again, interested in her Goddess Circle and Business Goddess E-Course. As I was pouring over all of her amazing on-line wisdom, we started a sort of spontaneous twitter chat that turned into a “you’re-so-fabulous” love fest, a divine connection for sure.

I adore this woman for her brightness, her ability to bubble over with sincerity and authenticity, and her connection to spirit that allows her to bring forth her wise and beautiful goodness into the world.

This is a Skype video of me, Lori Portka, in Central New York, interviewing Leonie in her sweet Caravan in tropical paradise, Queensland, Australia.

Lori is an art creator and love radiator. Her artwork is made with an open heart carrying the intention to spread love and healing. Lori’s designs appear on greeting cards, prints, calendars, and magazines internationally and reach other sweet souls who connect with her genuine and compassionate spirit.

www.LoriPortka.com

This article + many more can be found in Issue 09: Women We Admire, available only in the Wild Sisterhood.

Click here to watch my interview with the sparkly Leonie Dawson! Password: wildsampler11

50 Ways To Be WILD By Jen Saunders

1. Go on a random road trip.

2. Get lost.

3. Tell that guy or girl you think they're pretty darn cute, and awesome, and sexy, and rockin'.

4. Thank the Universe, God, Goddess, Buddha, or whoever your heart connects with, out loud. Every day.

5. Dance in the rain.

6. Sing along to your iPod. On a train. At peak hour.

7. Follow your heart.

8. Listen to your inner voice. Especially when the voices outside try to drown it out.

9. Do something for the first time. Share a first kiss. Or a first dance. Or both. Take that first step. Make your first sale. Run your first marathon. Take your first driving lesson. Learn your first instrument. Be the first to say 'I Love You.'

10. Speak your truth.

11. Wear bright colours in winter. Scarves in summer. Flowers in your hair all year round.

12. Admit when your wrong.

13. Fight for what you know is right.

14. Learn from your mistakes.

15. Be proud of your successes.

16. Let your light shine.

17. Shave your head.

18. Take a class in cooking. Or yoga. Or writing. Or psychology. Or French Literature.

19. Be silent for a day.

20. Burn bridges.

21. Mend bridges.

22. Build bridges.

23. Spoil yourself. Without the guilt.

24. Give to charity. More than once.

25. Meditate for an hour. Every morning.

26. Break bad habits.

27. Form good habits.

28. Turn your dreams into reality.

29. Leave your comfort zone.

30. Act like life is a cabaret, old chum! (Because it is!)

37. Forgive yourself.

38. Put your trust in the Universe, God, Goddess, Buddha, or whoever your heart connects with.

39. Worship your body.

40. Love yourself. Un-fricken-conditionally.

41. Live your passion.

42. Turn off the tv, phone, laptop, iPod. Find a tree. Sit under its beauty for hours. Breathe. Smile. Say thank you.

43. Take the lead.

44. Wear bright red lipstick.

45. Create your own path.

46. Write your bucket list. In permanent marker. On your bedroom wall.

47. Go vegan.

48. Admit you're afraid. Know that it's okay.

49. Own your power.

50. Know that you're enough.

I'll say that last one again...

you are ENOUGH. {clicktotweetthis}

This article + many more can be found in Issue 07: New Beginnings, available only in the Wild Sisterhood.

the key to living your wildest dreams By Jen Saunders

“Inspiration is the key to everything.”

~ Olivia Wilde

Have

you ever had moments where you felt so uninspired, so dull, that you can’t even find the strength to get out of bed in the morning?

I’d sleep until mid-afternoon, move to the couch and stay there until midnight, then proceed back to bed and start the pattern all over again.

eventually became too scared of the outside world to leave the house alone – I couldn’t even bring myself to check the mailbox at the end of our driveway.

Almost everyone has experienced this, some for a few days and others for years on end. I think one of the saddest ways to go through life is uninspired.

This wasn’t just a one-day thing.

Looking back, I can see how uninspired I was.

I used to be uninspired.

I had no passion. No motivation. No desire to do anything but sleep and watch TV.

I lived in a house that was very old, cold and extremely cluttered. I surrounded myself with toxic people who created drama and always left me feeling drained and low.

My perception of the world became so warped that I

I looked in the mirror and saw ambivalence in my dull eyes.

I felt numb. Bored.

Done.

This was my daily life. For months. Years even.

Sure, I had dreams. Big dreams, actually. But I had no idea how to achieve them and absolutely no motivation to try even if I did. I really felt like I had no reason to get up in the morning. So I didn’t.

Fast-forward to now...

Five years later, and my life is completely different in every way. I am constantly filled with more inspiration than my mind and heart can handle, so it all spills out on to canvases, into a new issue of Wild Sister, or a blog post like this. I look around me right now and see sun shining through my window, in my happy little apartment. On my desk I am surrounded by inspiring quotes, books, crystals and oh-so-much colour! I have never felt more loved and supported by my family and friends. I only spend time with people who lift me up. I look in the mirror and see my reflection smiling back at me,

dressed in tie-dye with sparkles in my eyes. And those dreams I had? Wow. I made them a reality, and now I’m on to bigger dreams. It feels so GOOD to be on the other side of this story now.

It meant cutting out all the crap in my life, in all areas of my life, from certain foods to how I made a living and yes, even people. It meant facing all of my biggest fears – and believe me, I had a TON of them! But you know where it all started?

It feels so damn awesome to be inspired every single day. How did I achieve this inspired life?

The one tiny little seed that sprouted the garden of magic and wildness that is now my life? It was this…

I know some people think it’s just luck. That good things just started happening to me. That my life just magically became freaking awesome overnight. HA!

INSPIRATION.

I’ll say it again.

All this happiness and health and abundance started the moment I felt inspired once more.

HA!

What inspired me?

Nope.

Many things.

It took a lot of hard work. It meant spending a lot of time taking a good hard look at myself and my life, figuring out what I wanted my life to be like, and then doing whatever I could to achieve it.

I subscribed to inspiring blogs. I read inspiring books. I watched inspiring movies. I wrote inspiring quotes on post-it notes and stuck them all over my walls and doors and mirrors.

I became an Inspiration Junkie. I collected so much inspiration that everywhere I looked, whether it be around my room, in my bookcase or in my inbox, I saw something that inspired me. I surrounded myself only with things that made me feel good, that gave me hope, that inspired me. I have no doubt that inspiration changed my life. And I still am an Inspiration Junkie to this very day. A little inspiration makes all the difference in the world. In fact, it’s what MAKES the world. Because… Inspiration --> Passion --> Action --> Life. Changed. This is how masterpieces are painted. It’s how skyscrapers are built. It’s how songs are written.

It’s how revolutions begin.

And I have no doubt this is how we change the world. Inspiration really can transform your life. Because I made feeling inspired my Number One priority just a few years ago, I am now living a life that is beyond my wildest dreams.

If art inspires you, go to an art exhibit. Subscribe to an artist’s blog. Paint. Seek inspiration everywhere. {clicktotweetthis} Inspiration is an investment into a happier, passionate, more fulfilled and abundant future.

I love who I am. I adore my life. I have so much fun running Wild Sister. I am so inspired to create an even more wonderful future for myself and my love.

Do whatever you need to do to be inspired every single day of your beautiful life.

Now, I can’t wait to get out of bed every morning!

As the Editor of Wild Sister, Jen Saunders is passionate about inspiring women to love themselves, follow their bliss + change the world.

Make being inspired your Number One priority and watch your life transform. If books inspire you, whether they are auto-biographies or murder mysteries, read them. If music inspires you, whether it be pop or country or classical, turn it up. Close your eyes. Dance.

If community inspires you, find your tribe. Be a part of something amazing.

Are you inspired yet?



Jen's a vegan hippie + rainbow loving spirit junkie who's mission is to spread a ripple effect of love throughout the world. She dreams of living in a cabin by the ocean, surrounded by love, laughter, paint, veggie gardens, animals + rainbow children.

Wild Sister Facebook Twitter: @wildsistermag + @jen__saunders







the WILD idea

T he

idea to start an online women's

magazine popped into my head while I was living in China. I was jumping from tile to tile along the sidewalk on my way to the local bakery.

It was the beginning of summer in Daqing and the entire city was like one giant construction zone with workers catching up on all the building they couldn't do during the below zero winter we just had.

So, there I was, jumping from tile to tile to avoid the mud and slush that filled the spaces where other tiles had been lifted. I had spent the morning reading Danielle LaPorte’s The Spark Kit – now known as The Fire Starter Sessions – and I was thinking about my blog, My Smiling Heart, and all of my favourite bloggers.

I was dreaming about how amazing it would be if we could somehow combine all these wonderful blogs and bring all these beautiful women together into one big love-filled creation of magic and inspiration.

Me on the Great Wall of China, right around the time Wild Sister began, in 2011.

Mid-tile-jump, the idea of a magazine came to me. It was as if I could feel the lightbulb appear above my head. With hands waving around enthusiastically, heart pounding, and a huge smile on my face, I immediately started a long-winded rant to my fiancé (now husband), Mike, about this new idea. He thought it was as awesome as I did, and as soon as we walked through the front door of our apartment, I opened my laptop and excitedly shot out emails to all the blogesses that had inspired me for so long.

Within 24 hours, almost everyone I asked to contribute to the first issue of Wild Sister Magazine had said yes, and 27 days later, on 27th June 2011, our first issue was released.

Now, we've grown from an e-magazine into a worldwide tribe of women who are changing the world. We've worked together to inspire, to empower, to listen and be heard, to support the causes we believe in, and to spread love wherever we go.

And this is still only the beginning...

Now you know the how, here's the why:

In July 2010, my soulmate and I moved to China for a year, and the first few months of our time there were extremely tough. I battled culture shock, anxiety, sudden unemployment, severe illness, loneliness and sadness.

One night, I made the decision to do whatever I could to be happy and healthy again. I started a blog, My Smiling Heart, and found healing in writing.

I started to connect with other bloggers, and within months I had found a community of kindred spirits; women who inspired and empowered me every single day.

These women, bloggers, artists, goddesses, mamas, truth-tellers, and fire-starters brought me back to life.

All women deserve to love themselves, to feel proud of who they are, and to live the lives they desire.

No exceptions.

It’s our time to shine.

Now, I spend every day working on my dream; reading submissions from wonderful women, connecting with women from all over the world in the Wild Sisterhood, creating the next issue, knowing that I am using my life to spread a ripple effect of positivity and empowerment.

And none of this would be possible without you; the readers. The women who are moving closer to who they really are, the women who feel in their soul that this is our time, the women who just know that they can make a difference.

Almost a year later, I brought those women together to create the very first issue of Wild Sister Magazine.

You are amazing.

I created Wild Sister because I had seen too many amazing women frown at themselves in the mirror, starve themselves to fit a dress or society’s expectations, dim their light, and put themselves and each other down. Forget that.

I'll say it again...



You are helping us make this world a better place for our daughters.

It's our time to shine.

Wondering who writes Wild Sister Magazine? Here are just some of our past and present contributors. Bloggers, authors, yogis, artists, coaches, mamas, poets, non-profit founders, and spiritual teachers, our Wild Sisters come together from many different paths and many different parts of the world.

These wild women come together with one purpose in mind; to inspire and empower YOU. Every issue also features contributions from readers, so if you've ever wanted to have your story told, we invite you to apply.

Want to contribute + add your name to this list? Click here to find out how to be in the mag!

The Wild Sisterhood is designed to gently, but radically, guide you to change your life from the inside out. What is the Wild Sisterhood?

life. These 25+ editions aren't available anywhere else! {Worth $135}

The Wild Sisterhood brings inspiration, a global community of soul sisters and monthly editions bursting with positivity and goodness right into the comfort of your own home.

• Start changing your life straight away with the 21 Days of Abundance eCourse. This course is exclusive to Wild Sisterhood members. {Worth $49.95}

• A 12 month subscription to Wild Sister Magazine, delivered straight to your inbox each month. All you have to do is click a button and the new edition will be downloaded to your computer and ready to read instantly. Easy as pie, and just as sweet. {Worth $60}

• Dive into the Wild Sister Guide to Changing the World, where you'll meet some of our contributors and discover small acts you can do today that will create a better world tomorrow. {Worth $9.95}

• VIP Access to the entire library of past Wild Sister editions and hundreds of articles filled with expert advice, inspiring stories and practical steps to add more joy, love and wildness to your daily

• Meet your soul sisters and connect with like-minded women in the discussion forum, groups and live chat room. {Worth $400} + much more!

What you get with your yearly membership to the Wild Sisterhood:

Click here to see more!

YAY! How inspired do you feel right now? Now that you've made it to the end of this awesome Wild Sister Sampler, take all your newly ignited inspiration and create something with it. Something gorgeous. Something WILD. Something magical. Something just for you. Then, drop by any one of my online homes and share your wonderful creation with me, I'd love to hear about it!

Connect with me: WildSister.com blog

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What’s the best investment you could make? 


• Using your money to align with media that inspires you with stories of sisterhood, self-love, strength and empowerment.

• Using your money to drown yourself in media that bombards you with photoshopped ideas of perfection, superficial celebrity gossip and expensive beauty products.

• Media that leaves you feeling inferior, anxious, self-conscious, ashamed and less-than.

• Media that teaches your daughter how to shake her ass, compete with other women, and make her believe she is not enough.

true story... With every $1 you put towards media that promotes + supports women empowerment + equality, you create a better future.

OR

• Media that soothes your soul with wise woman wisdom, ignites your creativity and gives you everything you need to live a truly enriched life.

• Media that teaches your daughter that her voice is not only important, but vital, and that she has the power to do and be anything she wants, with an entire sisterhood of strong women behind her.

What will you invest in?

What future will you create?

It's up to you.

YOUR move.