Two weeks from tomorrow I will head to Atlanta for Catalyst East.

Love. It.

Seriously, I can’t wait. I can’t wait to caravan down with friends. I can’t wait to be inspired. I can’t wait to hear some of today’s best speakers talk about issues that are relevant to me, my church, my leadership, and my faith.

I can’t wait to see old friends.

And I am even excited to meet a few new friends.

Here are a few of the Catalyst events I am especially looking forward to…

On Wednesday evening, I am attending Brad Ruggles’ Bloggers Meetup. It was a GREAT TIME last year. This year it will be even better because it is supporting Thrive Africa, an incredible organization led by my friend Alece. So get down to Atlanta early, pay your $5, and come hang out! Details here.

On Thursday, I am attending the Cultivate Her and Leading and Loving It luncheon sponsored by Mercy Ministries. I know that is a mouthful, but essentially all you need to know is this…if you are woman attending Catalyst, you should be there! Space is limited so be sure to RSVP sooner rather than later. Details here.

Are you attending Catalyst? If so, what are you looking forward to? Who are you excited to hear? Who are you hoping to meet?

PS – It’s not too late to register for the conference. Just go here and the Catalyst concierge team will take care of you. And don’t forget the Catalyst Labs ticket. You wouldn’t want to miss Pete Wilson, Michael Hyatt, and Anne Jackson, now would you?

And while I am feeling the pressure to get out a thought-provoking blog post, I feel like all my circuits are…well, a little overloaded.

Here’s are just a few of my miscellaneous thoughts from thirty thousand feet…

The world of publishing is it an interesting crux right now. Before we know words like books, publisher, author, and sales channel are going to be completely redefined. What an exciting time to work for a publisher!

I am so proud to work for Thomas Nelson. EVERY TIME I have the opportunity to sit down with colleagues and hear their story, I am endeared and inspired. Our team truly is world-class. World-class.

Words can not express how excited I am about the next few days…

Friday morning we have our first Cultivate Her event of 2010 and we are talking dreams. It’s going to be a wonderful event. I am so excited to reconnect with these women. (Oh, and it’s not too late to register, click here for details.)

Saturday night is the “Help Haiti Live” Compassion benefit. The show is at my favorite venue, The Ryman Theatre. And Allison Krauss, Mat Kearney, Jars of Clay, Amy Grant, and a handful of other incredible artists are performing. But if I am being honest, I am just as excited about the people who are joining me for the show as for the show itself.

Sorry for the ramblings…it must be the altitude.

Your turn…what is going on with you?

When I was in school, I was kind of a “crammer.” You know…I’d wait until a few days before the test, try to jam everything I might possibly need to know into my brain, ace the test (this might or might not be an exaggeration), and then forget everything?

All this to say..I remember very few facts or formulas that we were taught in school. (Don’t ask me to list the state capitals, Presidents, or chemical elements. All those things went in one ear, hung out for awhile, but then flew out the other.)

But there is one formula I remember. And truth be known it has helped me out of a pinch or two.

I took this peer counseling class and they taught us a quick, but very helpful, formula for assertive communication (aka how to get your point across without offending friend and colleagues).

(click here to read more…)

But, well that is just not the case. I can’t believe how much has already happened in 2010. And get this…it is only January 13.

Here’s a quick peak into my last few weeks:

• We introduced a new social media hub for Thomas Nelson. The goal is that this will be a one stop shop for people to get connected with our people. You can keep up to date on Thomas Nelson bloggers, twitterers, our latest YouTube videos, and much more. Go check it out.

• We put the finishing touches on the “Cultivate Her” blog. With bi-weekly posts from an incredible team of women (like me ), this blog is sure to be a wonderful resource for women in leadership. And aren’t we all really in leadership somehow…at home, at work, or at church?

• We relaunched our “Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers” site under the Seth-Godin-inspired name “BookSneeze.” The program gives bloggers books for FREE in exchange for an honest review. Say what you want about the images it conjures, but I can promise you this, you won’t forget it!

Whew…I am exhausted just thinking about all that.

How is your 2010? Off to a hectic start?

Cultivate Her – “Bullies” from Jenni Catron on Vimeo.

Pretty painful, huh?

Not to excuse my behavior, but the truth was that I was in a pretty bad place. We had moved and I was in unfamiliar territory, University Park Elementary School to be exact. I was insecure and really wanted to fit in, to be cool, to be liked, to be feared. And I was young, and unfortunately didn’t know more positive ways to channel my overwhelming feelings.

So I tore others down to make myself feel better, to make myself look better.

Candidly, even today when I feel insecure and overwhelmed, sometimes I find myself resorting to bullying ways. I just hide it better. A lot better.

Hopefully I am not alone in this. Your bullying story might not be as extreme as mine. But surely you have pushed someone around a time or two?

Please, someone? Say you were a bully too? Don’t make me beat it out of you?

PS – This video was filmed for the inaugural Cultivate Her event. The subject was “Bullying.” Check out Jenni’s blog for more information about upcoming events and how you can get involved.

My friend and Cross Point Executive Director, Jenni Catron, has been talking about wanting to create a venue “to encourage, support and empower other women leaders” for as long as I’ve known her. So finally this week, her dream is going to be a reality.

Here’s some more details about Cultivate Her from Jenni’s blog:

Cultivate Her is a leadership environment where women are inspired, challenged and encouraged in their leadership growth.
No matter what your leadership influence looks like, your gifts will be cultivated to encourage you to embrace our motto “wherever you lead, lead well”!

Cultivate Her will be a monthly gathering in Nashville.  The first event is:

Friday, September 11th

7:00-8:30 AM

The Cafe at Cross Point

If you are interested in joining us, you can RSVP HERE!

I am fortunate enough to have served on the planning committee for this event. We have met once every few weeks to brainstorm ideas and flesh out plans for Cultivate Her and to have fellowship. (I love that word, it makes hanging out sound productive.) And I have already been EXTRAORDINARILY BLESSED by the women – Jenni, Jessica, Eve (or as we affectionately like to call her on Twitter @cneese’s wife), Sarah, Trisha, Kat, and Ashley – Cultivate Her has brought into my life.

I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the future of Cultivate Her.