Quirkyalone

Hey Bay Area, come out and play with us on Quirkyalone Day!

Feb 01, 2012 - Written by Sasha Cagen  |  Filed under: Uncategorized

I am excited to announce the details for the NINTH annual International Quirkyalone Day party. This alternative take on February 14 first took root in 2003 with a party in San Francisco (there were also parties in New York, Providence, and Glasgow that year). This year the party moves to Oakland to one of the quirkiest bars in the world, Van Kleef’s.

Come find your quirkyalone (and quirkytogether and quirkyslut) brethren at:
Van Kleef’s
Tuesday, February 14
8 – 11 pm
1621 Telegraph Ave

What to expect? Quirky mixing and mingling, perhaps a surprise reading. The most quirky ambiance in the world. This is not a typical singles’ gathering. Quirkytogether couples are invited and often come. Celebrating all kinds of love is the order of the day on IQD, and that includes love for your friends and love for your lovely self. But you never know. Two quirky souls have been known to meet at IQD gatherings in the past. Van Kleef’s is famous for its Greyhound, a fresh grapefruit juice cocktail. Van Kleef’s is within walking distance to the 19th Street BART, so if you are coming from San Francisco, hop on and demystify Oakland.

Earlier in the evening, between 6 and 7, I will join Rubberband Girl for her FOURTH annual Quirkyalone Day show on KALX. Excited. She invites you thus: “Finding yourself flying solo this Valentine’s Day? Have no fear, my uncoupled friends – come celebrate your independence with Rubberband Girl (and Citizen Zain!) as we host the FOURTH annual Quirkyalone radio special on KALX 90.7 FM!!” KALX streams online, so you can listen anywhere.

Will there be a Quirkyalone Day Party 2012?

Jan 19, 2012 - Written by Sasha Cagen  |  Filed under: Uncategorized

Today I got this email:

Hi there,

I was just wondering if there will be an IQD party in the bay area for the upcoming IQD?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is, I am in the Bay Area this year on February 14 and I would love to do a party this year to bring together quirkyalones and quirkytogethers and yes even those quirkysluts on our special day. This will be the ninth annual Quirkyalone Day! It’s been celebrated in over 40 cities all over the world, and in the Bay Area, we are ground zero as the birthplace of the quirkyalone movement. I am open to suggestions about where, when, and in what way we should celebrate. Remember: The quirkyalone movement is a grassroots movement. Don’t ask when IQD is coming to your town—bring it there yourself.

Share your ideas in the comments. I will be percolating and if anyone wants to co-host, please send me a shout!

Pumpkin, Squash, and How to Use Your Intuition to Find Love (or a Lover)

Dec 14, 2011 - Written by Sasha Cagen  |  Filed under: Dating, coaching

Coaching is about learning to tune into what you want, and clearing out the voices that tell you you can’t have it. This session my client didn’t want to talk about her career. That had been the primary focus working together. This time she wanted to talk about finding a new lover. So we switched gears for a session. Everything is connected. What we discover in her approach to looking for a lover could help us understand how she approaches moving forward in her career.

Continue Reading →

Vulnerability is the key to joy

Dec 10, 2011 - Written by Sasha Cagen  |  Filed under: Personal Growth, Video

Thanks to my friend Agnes for sharing this video with me. As I coach clients, and myself through my own life, I found two things that struck me in this talk.

1) Shame represents our fear of disconnection. We are ashamed by what we fear will separate us from others; we fear some part of us will be judged unworthy, I have always been fueled by shame in my writing–there is so much juice in our shame that helps us to connect with others when we express what we are ashamed about. My Quirkyalone book (and the quirkyalone movement) come to mind (expressing the shame of persistent singledom) and I have always found shame to be great creative fuel for connection with others. Expressing the charge we feel about our shame can be fuel for connecting in our relationships as well.

2) Vulnerability is the key to feeling more connection and joy. Being willing to be vulnerable and to invest in a relationship when you are not sure of the outcome is one of the characteristics of people who feel worthy of being loved–and feel more joy in their lives.

What Me, Marry?

Oct 20, 2011 - Written by Sasha Cagen  |  Filed under: Uncategorized

Stories this searchingly comprehensive don’t come around that often. The only omission is the quirkyalone movement! Alas! Still, this Atlantic Monthly cover story is a fantastic piece that provides the social context for the increasingly quirkyalone world in which we live.

CONTEST ALERT: If Life is a Game, How Do You Want to Play? Win free coaching with Sasha

Oct 10, 2011 - Written by Sasha Cagen  |  Filed under: Personal Growth, coaching

Steve Jobs said it best.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma–which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Do you want support to go after what you want in life? Coaching is a way to help you identify what you want, clear out what’s blocking you, and to go for it. I’m experimenting with a new adventure in coaching. We’re going to create a game based on your own life.

In addition to being a writer and a movement-builder, I’m now a life coach. I call it a turn-on coach. It’s about helping you turn on to your true voice and what makes you feel most alive. As part of this new adventure, I am sponsoring a contest. Three lucky souls who want to grow and support others in their growth will get to play.

CONTEST RULES

What you win: A month of play and coaching. I will choose three people. You will win three individual coaching sessions with me, and we’ll meet as a group in person to co-create a game that helps each person get what he or she wants. This is a commitment of time and energy. You need to be ready to jumpstart your own growth and to supporting others along the way.

Who can enter: Anyone who wants to get unstuck and go for what he or she wants. That could be: a new business, writing, being bold in everyday life, getting over your tired stories, telling people what you want. What you want is as unique as you. If you are fuzzy about what you want, that’s OK. Coaching helps you get clear about what you want.

Who am I?: My name is Sasha Cagen. I’m the founder of the quirkyalone movement and a turn-on coach. It’s all about turning on to what makes you feel most alive, in work, life, and love. I’m highly intuitive and help people tune into what’s authentically true for them. I stand shoulder to shoulder with you as you step over the clutter that’s holding you back. My coach training is led by the talented coach trainers Jeff Jacobson and Mai Vu, who have both served on the faculty of CTI, the largest coach training org in the country.

In addition to being a coach, I’m a writer. I’m the author of Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics (HarperCollins) and To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us (Simon & Schuster). I started the quirkyalone movement for people who prefer to be single rather than settle, published a nationally award-winning magazine To-Do List, co-founded a street fashion social network StyleMob.com and sold it to Glam Media, and traveled South America alone for sixteen months (read more at http:unplannedadventure.wordpress.com). I love travel, tango, and coaching others tune into what makes them feel most alive.

To learn more about me and my coaching, visit sashacagen.com.

How to enter:
1) Tell me what you want in your life and why you I should choose you.
2) Bonus points for being creative. Make a video and send me a link, send me a series of tweets (@sashacagen #iflifeisagame) or . . .
3) Send communication to sashacagen AT gmail.com.

Entries are due by end of day Monday, October 17.

I’ll announce the winners the following week and we’ll start coaching and creating our game thereafter.