On May the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce Denver Tech Center Luncheon features Tama J. Kieves

Tama J. Kieves, is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School who left her practice to write and to become a creativity and life/work coach. Lunch is 11:00 am (networking) until 1:00 pm at Maggiano###s, 7401 S. Clinton. For more info and to register go to www.cwcc.org.

Kieves grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from Brooklyn College, where she was an English major, and went directly to Harvard Law School, continuing to focus on the academic path at which she had always excelled. She set aside her interests in writing, believing she could fit creative work into her spare time once she had built her career.

Upon graduating from Harvard, she worked for a year at a large Denver law firm and, while her career flourished, she quickly discovered that the personal rewards were few. A friend made a suggestion: If you###re this successful doing work you don###t love, what could you do with work you do love? Kieves left her job and embarked upon a journey of self-discovery that she offers as inspiration for others in This Time I Dance! Trusting the Journey of Creating the Work You Love/How One Harvard Lawyer Left It All to Have It All! (Tarcher/Putnam, June 2003). Her book documents her struggles with the writing process and the effort to commit to her passion and creativity. I wanted to write about trusting your inner instinct, the nitty-gritty of changing careers and the emotional ride, she says. It took me a long time to heal and learn to believe in my dreams. She###s now at work on her second book, which aims to help readers stay with their inspiration and bring their work into the world.

Since 1989 Kieves has taught creative and spiritual workshops, done individual coaching and run support groups. In 2000 she launched Awakening Artistry (http://www.awakeningartistry.com/) with her partner, Paul Kuhn, to support others choosing self expression. While many of the people she coaches are artists such as writers or musicians, just as many others are entrepreneurs or professionals attempting to make the switch to work that is more meaningful to them. It all comes down to this. We can deny our hearts or we can deny our limits, Kieves writes in This Time I Dance!