Amy Wood Psy.D. – Karen Creamer Author, Coach, Speaker

Amy Wood spoke at Kennebooks on Saturday, February 19. Her talk was part discussion and part reading (from her new book Life Your Way), followed by a question and answer period and then book signing.

Despite it being the beginning of a school vacation week, the little upstairs room filled with people eager to hear Amy tell us how to live “life your way”.

She tells us right off the bat that “I do everything according to my intuition, ” which generated many questions from the audience about the definition of “intuition” and how it shows up in one’s every day life. Amy considered each question thoughtfully and answered thoroughly.

Amy generously mentions books by other authors related to intuition and recommends them for further reading on the topic. Here are a few:

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
Compass of the Soul (and others) by Lynn Robinson
How Not to Marry the Wrong Guy by Anne Milford (coauthored with Jennifer Gauvain)

As Amy began reading aloud the chapter on “Optimism” from her book, my tween daughter grabbed my copy, found the right chapter, and began reading along, suggesting that this book can appeal to any age group. She focused on optimism because it can become a tool in your life, an “enviable skill” that can make your life easier, just as listening to your intuition, which (unlike Mapquest directions or ads from the high fructose corn syrup mongers) will never steer you wrong.

There is so much more information to sift through at any given time now that it can be helpful to just know when to stop. Joan Rivers? She is an excellent example of a person who does not know when (or how?) to stop. Seinfeld? He did.

The book is formatted so that it’s easy to read, a boon for busy, overscheduled people. Each chapter includes an “Apply the Wisdom” section at the end with a few bulleted strategies for using the points made in your everyday life right now (very user-friendly). You can start at the beginning, or let your intuition guide you to the best chapter(s) for you. 🙂 Read more about Amy’s book on my raisingmaine.com bookblog here.

Kennebooks offered the audience the option of purchasing a bag lunch from Cheri’s in Kennebunk. For $10 you got a sandwich (choose one of three), chips, a cookie, and a bottled water. My daughter and I took advantage of this offer and split the meal. It was plenty for the two of us (we had some left over!) and it was excellent. We (my daughter and I) highly recommend that you take advantage of this offer if you ever get the chance.

Amy gives talks at different sites in Kennebunk and Portland. She will be at the Kennebunk Free Library for her workshop (which she gives quarterly) next on Tuesday, April 12 from 12:00P-1:00Pm. The presentation is enticingly titled: “Your Way and How to Find it”. No commitment of time or money is involved. Just show up!

She will also be at the Portland Public Library on Wednesday, February 23 from 12:00PM to 1:00PM. Consider going to this (also free) event. You’ll be so glad that you did!

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The first Thursday of the month, Amy Wood Psy.D. presents a workshop series entitled “Lifewise at Lunch”. It’s held at the Kennebunk Free Library downstairs in Hank’s Room.

It kicked off last week on June 3rd. The talks run from noon until 1:00pm She began and ended this first one on time, so if you work in the area and want to pop in on your lunch break, it might be doable. There were around 20 people attending, ranging in age from a toddler (with his mother) to a man who was 89 (I know this because he announced it to the presenter). She handed out an outline upon which she elaborated a bit but, for the most part, stuck to closely.

Some of these people had clearly attended her talks in the past, and therefore knew each other, but there were some first timers like myself. Amy was gracious and welcoming to us all.

The subject of this first talk in the series was “Getting Unstuck”. Amy welcomed questions from the audience throughout, and treated them all (including, “How do you not get to be 89 years old?) with dignity and respect…and some humor.

Other talks coming up in the series include: Improving Your Intuition, Thriving in the Face of Change, Overcoming Overwhelm, Emotional Intelligence, Boosting Your Creativity, What’s the Use of Worrying, Living From a Strengths-Based Perspective, and Letting Go of Self-Limiting Beliefs.

For you indecisive people and you last-minute people out there, you don’t have to register in advance; just show up.
Have any of you attended any of these “Lifewise at Lunch” talks before? What did you think?