Workshops
To have Hillary give a workshop to your group, please contact Liz Cole at (215) 473-0308 or email her here.
Click here for workshop descriptions
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The Lifelong Activist helps activists, volunteers, and others with a political or social mission be as productive as possible while avoiding burnout and leading a happy, healthy, and balanced life. The book offers easy and effective strategies for managing your mission, time, fears, and relationships.
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About Hillary
Recent posts
"Secrets of the Prolific" Class for Writers begins Tues 2/23 - Arlington, MA
Minneapolis Workshops - June 12
Pittsburgh Workshops - May 27 - 28
Workshop in Takoma Park, MD: Monday May 18, 6:30 p.m.
New! Grub Street Writers Course: How to Write a Lot (begins April 30)
The Marvelous Mentor Mindset and How It Can Help You Succeed
Workshops
Thank you for your interest in my workshops and speeches. College student groups or meeting planners who wish to book a workshop can contact my booking agent, Liz Cole, at liz@eviltwinbooking.org or (215) 473-0308 . Others (e.g., nonprofit, activist, community, arts and microenterprise organizations) can contact me directly at lifelongactivist@yahoo.com
General Info
Workshops can last from 30 minutes to 3 hours, according to your needs, with the most common length requested being 1.5 to 3 hours. Workshops are tailored to the specific audience (artists, activists, students, entrepreneurs, etc.), and provide concrete and specific information that participants can use to immediately improve their lives and more easily reach their goals.
Workshop descriptions below. The Time Management workshop is an ideal supplement to any of the others: consider booking it alongside of one of them.
For my professional biography, click here.
For a list of speeches and interviews I’ve given, plus audio clips, click here.
To book a workshop or speech, or for more information, please email me at lifelongactivist@yahoo.com . Thank you. – Hillary
Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism, Blocks and Fears
We pull the curtain back on procrastination and blocks, revealing their essential nature and why they are such difficult problems to solve. We also characterize the key procrastination habits of perfectionism, negativity, hypersensitivity and panic. We then move on to discuss three solutions for procrastination: a simple behavioral fix; an eight-step process for defeating fear-based procrastination; and the ultimate solution for living an empowered life. At workshop’s end, participants typically report feeling energetic, inspired and empowered; and many later report having made more progress on their work than they have in years.
Time Management
We begin with a discussion of how time should be valued (contrary to the cliché, time is not money; it’s far more valuable than money); why one needs to manage it; and how successful people tend to view and use time. Then we discuss right and wrong ways to use time, and lifestyles that support or inhibit success, before moving on to specifics on how to budget and track time use, set priorities, and “create” time through delegation and other techniques. Finally, we discuss tips for sticking to your schedule, and dealing with those who don’t support your efforts. After the workshop, many participants report being more productive and less stressed.
Living a Joyful and Productive Life (for Artists, Activists, Entrepreneurs and Students)
A combination of the above two topics, plus career-specific information geared towards Activists, Artists, Entrepreneurs or Students.
Marketing: the Art of Creating Customers (a.k.a., Marketing for Artists)
This workshop teaches artists how to market more effectively so that they can make more money from their art. We discuss what marketing is, how and why it works, and traits artists have that aid their ability to market, such as good observational and analytic skills. Also: good vs. bad marketing, how to conduct market research, how to present your art to increase its customer appeal, and how to connect with the customer via public relations, advertising, the Internet, direct mail, etc. Participants leave knowing tactics that they can use immediately to improve their marketing and boost revenues.
Sales for Artists
Sales is a mystery to many artists, and a source of fear for some. Many artists believe salespeople must be “born,” but the truth is that sales can be learned by anyone, and even a little sales knowledge and training can help you dramatically increase your revenues. This workshop provides an overview of the “consultative sales” process, a non-exploitative technique in which you and the customer work together to come up with a win-win transaction. We’ll discuss each step of the process, including prospecting, qualifying, the needs interview, restating the customer’s needs, stating the solution, stating the price, negotiating, and closing the deal. We’ll discuss examples from both the visual and performing arts, and if time allows, do a practice exercise. After taking the workshop, many participants report making more money, more easily!
Testimonials
You left raving fans in Pittsburgh! The feedback from your sessions has been wonderful and I look forward to working with you again next year.—Jennifer Morris, organizer, Pennsylvania Spring Arts Conference
When Hillary Rettig came to our church and led a workshop about leading a joyful and productive life, her message resonated with everyone. Not only did she give helpful practical tools and tips, she helped us get to the underlying issues that stand in the way of being joyful and effective. Afterwards, I was swamped with people asking, “where did you FIND her? We really needed this!” I’d strongly recommend Hillary’s book and her presentation to all Unitarian Universalist and other liberal faith communities.—Marisa Miller Wolfson, Faith in Action committee member, Fourth Universalist Society, New York City
Hillary’s dynamic, heartfelt workshops not only empowered and inspired our staff members, but provided them with insights and tools that they could use to empower and inspire others, including our clients. As such, Hillary’s workshops provide “double value” and I urge all nonprofits in particular to invite her to speak. —George Zeller, Jewish Vocational Service, Boston, MA
Boston Skillshare participants attended Hillary Rettig’s workshops in droves and left with strong tools to manage their lives. Participant feedback described Rettig’s workshops as “inspiring and practical,” “invaluable help to get my life on track,” and a means to “truly examine my time management issues.“—Bart Admonius, organizer
Hillary provided both insight and practical tips that left everyone with a renewed vision of what it means to be a productive activist. She answered every question with true empathy and patience, making the audience feel safe and validated. Her professionalism and organization is impressive, but it’s really her accessibility that’s refreshingly unusual. —Jasmin Singer, Farm Sanctuary, New York, NY
Hillary is a charismatic speaker who has the ability to reach people from various backgrounds and perspectives. Her talks are interactive in a way that benefit all who attend. She gets the balance between giving practical tips and supporting our need to use those tips. Her wisdom should not be overlooked. If you can only make it to one talk this season make it this one. —Aryenish Birdie, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA
The Grub Street community has benefited greatly from Hillary Rettig’s smart, organized, inspiring and valuable seminars. The common refrain in her evaluations is: ‘we want more!’ Hillary is fun to work with, passionate about her mission, and fully engaged with her craft. —Chris Castellani, Grub Street Writers, Boston, MA
So many thanks for such a terrific talk. The group was really energized and inspired. Some talks are merely informative, but yours was many cuts above.—Alix Ginsburg, Ph.D., Temple Emanuel Networking, Newton, MA
On a rainy night in Boston, you lifted our spirits, gave us hope, and inspired us to get out of our own way. Everyone got something out of your presentation, and many of our Chicks told me they went home and put your words to work the very next morning as they sat down to write. Thanks, Hillary! —Tracey Palmer, Chicks Who Write, Norwell, MA
Off-the-charts outstanding. Absolutely astonishing. Honest, respectful, encouraging and sincere. She had us all rapt. —workshop participant
Very well structured – definitely not too “soft.” It is empowering to hear someone derail the myths that procrastination is laziness and that being an artist means being tortured.—workshop participant
It was so helpful for me to hear and absorb that “procrastination is not a moral flaw.” I sat down today and proceeded to empty my email inbox by responding to emails that have been gathering virtual dust there for months if not years. The last one I responded to was from three years ago. Whew! What a relief. —workshop participant