Vickie Bockenkamp, Power Tools for Learning

Power Tools for Learning, Inc™. established in 1997, helps people of all ages with learning      difficulties. Founder Vickie Bockenkamp started Power Tools as a
result of her own experiences with learning disabilities. Bockenkamp struggled with learning disabilities as a child, and tried to cope with them as an adult. Later, watching her own child suffer with similar learning problems, she became determined to find a way to help herself, her daughter, and others with such
learning problems.

Bockenkamp trained and worked with the Davis Dyslexia Training Program in Burlingame, CA, and also became an Advanced Structure of Intellect Trainer. With Dr. Frank Belgau, of Balametrics, Inc., Vickie studied The Learning Breakthrough Program, still in use at Power Tools for Learning. She did additional research and found another existing program, SAMONAS Sound Therapy, to assist in correcting her own Central Auditory Processing Disorder.

Using Nutritional Therapy and the modalities
listed above Vickie corrected “dyslexic symptoms” and a 95% hearing loss with which she had been earlier diagnosed.

Bockenkamp was part of the National Association for Child Development’s Psycho-Acoustic Research Team and has been trained in the application of The Listening Program by Advanced Brain Technologies. In 2001, she developed a protocol for correcting sensory integration issues linked to an individual’s ability to process information. The protocol addresses and corrects dyslexic symptoms, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Central Auditory Processing Disorders, and Physical and Mental Midline processing disorders. The protocol also addresses behavioral visual processing issues, which create stress while reading.

Bockenkamp has documented over 500 clients
with an 80%-90% success rate utilizing her own formulated protocol.

She continues her own program’s research and development as she serves her many clients, children and adults, who come from all over the United States.

Bockenkamp has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is affiliated with Advanced Brain Technologies, Inc., Balametrics, Inc., and SOI Systems, Inc.

For more information on the Power Tools for Learning Program please contact Vickie Bockenkamp at 510-337-9838 or vickie@toolsforlearning.com.

Vickie Bockenkamp
Power Tools for Learning
1230 Ballena Blvd.
Alameda, CA 94501
Ph: 510-337-9838

Asilomar 2010

Every year we WBE women enjoy our annual retreat at Asilomar in Pacific Grove, California. We create special moments to rejuvenate, play, inspire, make art, let go, and laugh.

We laugh a lot.

Boardwalk to the beach

Post fingerpainting discussion

Welcoming the waves!

WBE community

Asilomar sunset

Inspiration

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs, is people who have come alive.”
— Howard Thurman

Linda Tripp’s Tips for SAVING TIME

Linda Tripp:

Five Star Health,

www.5pillars.com/tripp

The one thing that I do is top prioritize my top three agenda items in a given day – but only 3, no more. I do them FIRST. Top of the list is defined by importance, not by desire.

There are two tasks: “demand and batch”. The tele or email is not a demand, but gets in line after your top three agenda items are completed. Something to shoot for.

Look at your inbox. Anything that’s been in the basket longer than 30 days, just throw out. Chances are, if you haven’t needed it or had an inquiry about it, who cares? Of course that is assuming you have done the first thing Ali said: don’t move a piece of paper twice.

Renee Bornstein’s Tips on SAVING TIME

Renee Bornstein,

Oneness Astrology with Ki,

http://www.onenessastrologywithki.com/

Focus your attention on one thing, completely, and then move onto the next thing, completely. I learned this from studying Ki Aikido. We have an exercise called 8 Directions. We turn, focus all of our energy and attention in one direction, then turn and do it again. This trained us to deal with multiple, simultaneous attacks (called rondori). Since the whole purpose of training martial arts was to help with my daily life, I use “8 Directions” in dealing with my very busy “million things at once” lifestyle. Computers, by the way, do the same thing, only they split the tasks into microseconds of attention. We have to spend just a bit more time than that on each thing to make progress, but it’s the same principle.

And here’s another, related one:
Even if you don’t have time to finish a project, you can still make progress on it. I used to pass up working on anything that I couldn’t finish right then and there. I’d leave it until I had the requisite time. I thought that was being efficient, but actually, it wasn’t. There’s a psychological component to watching tasks pile up, especially if there’s physical evidence of them not getting done (think of the dishes piling up in your sink). Things begin to get overwhelming, and the time necessary to tackle that put-off problem is now much greater. It doesn’t take long to get into avoidance habits, and to feel stressed and unsuccessful. It actually saves time, and a certain amount of self-esteem, to do even part of a task. Do it with full attention, for as much time as you have. Then move on to the next thing. Those dishes? Do 3 or 4 of them, even if you have to leave the rest in order to go to the office, pick up the kids, etc. When you get home, there’ll only be a few dishes in the sink, and you’ll have the time to do just those few. You’ll also get a feeling of progress, which helps you tackle the rest of the jobs in your day.

Put things away as they need to be, rather than piling them up. Why walk past the coat closet to throw your coat on the dining room chair? Why move that stack of books back and forth from the kitchen table to your desk in order to have enough room to eat or work? Just put them in the bookcase. It’s hard to be disciplined enough to do this, but it does save time. And piles.

Diana Simon’s Tips on SAVING TIME

Diana Simon,

Simon Says,

Simonsaysd1@yahoo.com

I can be a procrastinator, so I have created a method for myself to get things accomplished in spite of myself.

For whatever tasks or chores I have, I also have a number of things I’d rather do instead.

I make a list of the tasks in order of importance. I don’t need a list of the “rather-do’s” since I know what they are. Then I make a deal with myself: I have to get one of the tasks completed, then I get a time – out to do a “rather-do” (As long as it doesn’t take too long–going on a vacation doesn’t count.)

Then I have to do another task, then another “rather-do”, etc.
It really is a trick, too, because I often find myself in task mode and completing the tasks all at once. I think the real trick is getting started!

Louise Goeckel’s Tips on SAVING TIME

Louise Goeckel,

Let’s Go Forward:

www.LetsGoForward.biz

1. I like opening my mail standing over the shredder and recycling bins...so I can throw away or shred the 80% of the mail that deserves such. The other 20% gets immediately separated into folders for bills to be paid, reading material for the bathroom, other pending, etc…..

2. Making the following regular monthly appointments at the time of the service, like the next haircut appointment as I leave the current one.

3. I also like answering all business phone call voice messages before the day is over, no matter what.

4. Always having two extras on hand of office supply essentials, like printer ink cartridges, reams of paper, shipments of blank checks, etc.

5. Before leaving the office, making a list of what needs to be done the next day.

6. Having ONE calendar.

SUMMER GARDENING AT MIDWAY SHELTER ::: 2008

On a recent summer day, surely the hottest yet, fearless gardeners Diane Sickmen, Deirdre McCartney, Kerry Hargraves and Emily Weil planted, primped and potted these posies in the Midway Shelter garden. What a fun day of getting our hands dirty as we dug and weeded and potted and planted these beautiful flowers that Diane Sickmen generously donated to the shelter. We even had the help of one of the little tykes who quickly became a watering expert!

WOMEN’S BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2008 RETREAT :::

February 29 through March 2, 2008

How amazing and wonder-full it all was! Asilomar is the perfect venue. Even wandering lost and confused searching for our rooms is a pleasurable adventure. After dark it is even more challenging. Fortunately, there always seems to be someone nearby who is checking in and carrying a map that can be borrowed so the lost can determine if they are anywhere near their destination.

This year the agenda included Living the Law of Attraction, presented by Ann Cooke; Hiring the Heavens, by Diane Sickmen; Personal aromatherapy provided by Sarah Sutton; and Janet Savage gathered fingerprints from all participants in order to determine the collective WBE life purpose and challenge.

Living the Law of Attraction was Ann Cooke’s first public presentation on the subject, but certainly not her last. Her passion and love for the concepts shine through and as she refines her presentations it can only get better and better. It was an honor and a treat to be among her first audience. We had the privilege of witnessing the first step in the evolution of what must surely become a high class and very valuable set of seminars.

Personal aromatherapy — Sarah provided a beautiful array of essential oils and carriers for all of us to experience. The concept was for everyone to create their own combination of scents to allow is each to ground ourselves and return to the state of mind we enjoyed during this creative and fun activity. Thank you, Sarah, for allowing us to play among your treasures and helping us with our individual creations. Thank you also for using the retreat to announce your new business direction, healing gardens. One more thank you for the butterfly tattoos, the perfect emblem of emergence.

Hiring the Heavens — Diane gave the participants the gift of an angel support staff. Under her guidance everyone selected and defined a project, hired their teams and put them to work. My team is busy in the background. As I walked past my bookshelf this morning I noticed that they were highlighting all the source material I have on hand already. As much as I had hoped never to hold another staff meeting I know these will be better and much more productive.

Another delight Diane brought to the weekend (no, this isn’t about the margaritas, and those were a delight as well) — bubbles. While shopping for margarita makings she succumbed to an impulse; buy bottles of bubbles for everyone. During one break in the presentations, we all went out on to our private deck and spent some quality time getting reacquainted with the finer points of creating great clouds of gossamer soap bubbles. Linda, who is apparently in close communication with her inner child, showed us the way. We were a soapy, happy group.

The beach exercise must be a permanent item on the annual agenda — so cleansing. We all gathered on Sunday morning after breakfast to begin a silent walk to the beach. Once at the water’s edge the concept is to turn your back on the water and write in the sand what you would like to release from your life. Watch the waves take it away. The second stage of the exercise is to face the water and write in the sand what you want to attract into your life and then release it to the sea. Wading in the surf and getting sand between your toes, almost guaranteed to revive childhood memories. A bonus, watching small groups of middle aged women rediscover the pleasures of playing with soap bubbles. That was how we solved the conundrum of what to do with 18 partially used bottles of soap bubbles – gifting them to unsuspecting beach walkers.

Janet — WOW! She could not have come up with a better group life purpose for WBE if she had decided to make it up strictly from her imagination. That the result is truly a product of her reading and interpretation skills arising from our collective fingerprints makes it all the more amazing and even a bit “spooky” (was that one of the S words?) It was the perfect final act. We are truly “Successful Innovators In Business”.

Emily — you once again demonstrated that you throw a great party. As far as I’m concerned you can be named as permanent WWBE Retreat Happy Hour Hostess.

And to the remaining 10 participants (you all know who you are) — thank you for your sharing, your giving, your loving spirit, your playfulness, and almost any other heartfelt and bonding attribute that can be named. Are we a great group or what? Well fed too. I estimate that on Saturday alone, I was eating or had something to eat immediately available for 15 straight hours. If it wasn’t for the need to sleep I’m sure food would have been at hand somewhere from 3pm on Friday right up until the last vehicle pulled out on Sunday. (A big thank you to the creator of spandex and also to the clever person who decided it was a critical component of jeans.)

I can hardly wait to experience the new magic that will evolve at next year’s retreat. Start clearing your calendar now. You don’t want to miss it. —Kerry Hargraves

Spring Garden Basket for the Midway Shelter Auction

To benefit the Midway Shelter Auction on March 24th, 2007…..
The Spring Garden Basket was created March 17th 2007 at Art Yowza!

Let’s attract some high end bidders for the shelter
and maybe some new members!

The Women’s Business Exchange offers:

A SPRING GARDEN BASKET

Attract butterflies (and quite possibly ladybugs and hummingbirds)
to your garden this year.

Like butterflies, ladybugs and hummingbirds in the garden, the members of the Women’s Business Exchange support each other to create thriving businesses and the community to inspire cross pollination and new growth.

Attract and THRIVE!
(Thanks to Claudia for taking my words and making a beautiful table tent.)
The basket’ s value was $655.00, yes $655.00!!!! (Deirdre put her considerable creative talents to work and created this beautiful display)

Contents: Garden tools, gift cert for Claudia Massage, gift cert for Thomson Nursery, garden gloves, gardening hat, gardening apron, flamingo Surprise lawn planting gift, Art Yowza special class gift, garden mural consult from Deirdre, 3 butterfly friendly plants, garden pad and more!!!

The seven additional gift certs from WBE members total $755!!! (Kerry prepared WBE stickers for each flower pot holding one of our certificates)

Thanks to all of you who contributed certificates, and items for the basket. Kerry, Allison, Marquerite, Deirdre, Rebecca and I assembled it this morning.

This was fun!
Janet Savage