How to empower yourSelf through (DIY grooming) your Doodle

The name of my podcast series “DoodleComfortable Living” is derived from my DoodleComfort business that I founded in 2011 as the first ever business to teach Labradoodle owners how to DIY groom their dog. Not only because I, as a trained groomer, specialized in high maintenance (read: tangle prone) coats experienced that every Doodle that was brought to me, to be groomed was either tangled or matted, because the owners had no clue on how to keep them tangle free by themselves and there wasn’t any information to be found on the internet at that time yet on Labradoodle grooming (can you imagine???). But ALSO because my training as a life coach gave me some insights that most groomers don’t share…

1. People can’t help their Doodles if they lack the right knowledge and tools to do so, so in stead of complaining tot hem, why not GIVE them those things in stead? This way we could work together in giving their Doodles the care they need.
2. Doodle owners seemed to be significantly different from owners of other dog breeds, in that they were much more invested in their Doodle, regarded them as their child and family member and wanted to connect with them as much as possible. I didn’t understand back then that these personality traits pointed to them being highly sensitive people yet, because I hadn’t discovered those gifts in mySelf yet, but I could see and sense that there was something special about these people. And they seemed to be open to learning how to groom and trim their Doodles by themselves, because they started asking me if I could teach them to DIY trim their Doodles in the same natural looking, fluffy way as I trimmed them (when all the other groomers at that time didn’t know how to treat the coats and just shaved them).

   Not just a groomer

This was the opportunity I had been looking for at that time to start a business of my own, working with people AND their dogs.

Because contrary to what you may think when you meet me (either through my online writing and teachings or in person): I am not just a groomer.

I was raised by one, lived in my mom’s grooming salon practically my whole childhood and grew up between lots of dogs, making communicating and being with dog my second nature. But because of growing up in that world, I never aspired to be a groomer myself. Think about it: my mom was always working, busting herself for low pay, doing what I feel is one of the most physically straining jobs known to men. Never able to say NO to her customers and set boundaries, spending all of her free time doing dog shows or other dog activities and when we went to the forest to walk the dogs, 9 of 10 times she encountered one of her customers and kept talking about dogs for what seemed like hours on end.

As a child growing up without a father with a mom that worked so hard to give us everything we needed (and who never had the time to connect with her children because of that) it felt like dogs were taking over my life. As if my mom loved dogs more then us (which probably was true because my mom’s own childhood and life experiences had caused her to shut off her emotions and therefore she could communicate and be around dogs far more easy thans he could around people, including her own children.

There is much more to tell, because everything that happened to me from the time I was put on this earth, has been a journey for me to go from head to heart as well.

That’s why I look at life in a whole different way than most people do. And even though I was eventually trained to be a professional groomer, working with dogs was never my choice. It was the universe’s way of saving me from myself (because at that time all my life experiences had taken me away from my true Self to such a degree that I felt I was going to lose myself if I was to continue on the same path, working in corporate life).

I am writing a book on how to go from Self-sabotage to Soul magic as we speak, to help people (women especially) heal themselves from their Self-sabotage, but for now let me just say that working with the dogs AFTER I trained to be a life coach (which opened up a whole new world to me) was the best way for me to find my way back home again.

You see, I never knew this (which is what happens when you shut off your feelings and emotions as a baby) but I have always been a highly sensitive, highly conscious and even a paranormally gifted person. But my surroundings as a baby were so overwhelming and threatening I guess, that I closed myself off from my gifts to protect mySelf. It took a lifetime of searching without knowing what I was searching for, through decades of putting myself in the wrong environments, with the wrong people, doing the wrong things (and I am not even talking about drugs and really bad stuff, just that I made decisions based on who I thought I was and not really being present, leading to having so many different experiences and jobs, without ever feeling truly happy and satisfied)…until the universe gave me a wake-up call in the shape of Doodles. Because even though I was trained as a life coach and had grown a lot from that, I still was a long way away from connecting with my feelings again. And working with Doodles has helped me achieve that.

Why am I telling you all this?

Because I am 100% positive that what I went through, LOTS OF highly sensitive people go through as well. And while I was sabotaging myself, because I was doing something that didn’t feel truly right to me (even though being a groomer came so naturally to me, I always felt that there was something more I needed to do. I wanted tob e a life coach, but I also felt that I wasn;t ready tob e one yet, because I had some life lessons to learn first) and I coulnd’t wrap my head around what I truly WAS supposed to do, I walked to path of personal and spiritual development, getting educated on all things coaching and spiritual world. But also on succesfull entrepreneurship, not realizing that learning about how tob e succesfull was only fueling my ambitions and big dreams…keeping my stuck in my head again. For years to come.

Apparently I had to do a LOT of falling down and getting up again to finally get to the point where I needed to be: remembering who I truly am, which is not only an HSP, but also a highly conscious, gifted, creative woman with a broad inner knowing with the ability to channel universal truths, seeing the bigger picture of life and connecting things that to other people don’t seem to have any connection at all. All with the (soul)purpose of helping other HSP women remember who THEY truly are and what they truly are capable, so they can start healing themSelves and activate their soul magic.

I know this all may sound a bit outrageous to you (and believe me, that’s why I had a hard time convincing myself to put this truth out there, because why would people that want to learn to DIY groom their Doodle be even interested in this twisted kind of coaching? But I don’t believe in  coincidences, I DO believe that not only everything happens for a reason but that everything is connected as well and so I can only conclude that my life hasn’t run the way it has with all that I have learned, for me to now start questioning the bigger meaning of it all and keep myself small again by NOT sharing all I have learned in hopes of helping, the people that DO resonate with my message, heal themselves. I have to believe that it’s not been in vain and that the right people will get what they need out of the things I share.

That being said: What DO Doodles have to do with empowering you and transforming your life?

Even though it took me years to find this out for myself, it now sounds a easy as pie (as I believe all universal and divine truth is often so simple that we, with our big brains, can’t wrap our heads around it) And that’s exactly the point: we as a human species have removed ourselves from nature and our own nature so extremely, that we have lost our connection to our true Selves.

I only need to point to everything that’s going on in the world right now, to show you what I mean and what the consequences have been: total destruction of everything that is supposed to give us life! Because we have lost touch with our own nature, we don’t even feel the impact of destroying nature itself. And that’s on a global scale or the macrokosmos, what’s going on inside ourselves (the microkosmos) because as within so without and as without, so within (one of the most well known and powerful universal laws): we have lost connection with our hearts, emotions, feeling, together with all our natural senses. And it’s not only making us destroy the world we need to live on and depend on for verything we need tob e able to do so. It has ALSO made us superficial, living an artificial life in an artificial reality, bending to artificial laws by artificial institutes, walking in artificial rows, following the masses, obeying rules and playing an artificial game…day in day out, from childhood ‘till the day we die. Most of us not even questioning whether we are happy living this way or not? Because what’s the alternative? That’s a question most of you are too scared to answer.

I think that all of the things I have experienced throughout life leading up to now, have prepared the way for me to see the world as it is, while sensing that another way is possible. I think I have always sensed this (as I have always sensed that magic was real too and that I could do magic just as well as the girls in The Craft could), but that I needed to wake up in that knowing again. Just like I needed to wake up to being  a lightworker again and to my gifts. A lot of lightworkers and highly intuitive people (especially women) have chosen t oremember their gifts in this lifetime again, after having shut them off for ages, because life for us and every human being that thought differently was dangerous. After having been prosecuted, hanged, burned at the stake and betrayed by people we trusted and all the atrocities we might have witnessed, it’s no wonder that we chose to NOT show who we truly were for a long time. And that eventually we forgot all about our true nature ourselves. And we don’t just carry those memories in our body’s of things that have happened to us once upon a time. We ALSO carry the memories that our ancestors handed over to us…so we are infected in numerous ways…so much, it’s impossible to escape and ignore now. More over, we chose to live in this lifetime, because this is a time of change, in which all the old structures are falling down and we are building new ones, based on love, light and equality.

No coincidence

And so I believe with every bone in my body, that it’s no coincidence that Doodles became popular around the time I learned to be as good of a groomer as my mother is. Only to put my own spin on it and turn the whole grooming business upside down by starting to bring the trade to the masses. A lot of groomers did NOT appreciate me, to say the least. But I didn’t care, because I was on a mission. A higher mission. Because I sensed that there was something about Doodles that nobody else saw.

And it took me years to discover how far that went. Not to mention an extra training as a dog naturopath.

Is your Doodle your soulmate?

When you first saw your Doodle, was it love at first sight? Was he looking for you? Or did you “coincidentally” get the dog you felt the most click with?

Even if the breeder is the one who decides which puppy you get, I hear an astonishing number of stories about how “coincidentally” the right Doodle ended up in the right family. Magical, right?

I always say: “You don’t always get the dog you want, but you do get the one that suits you best.” And by that I mean that your Doodle came into your life for a reason. As a highly sensitive, highly conscious person, I believe very strongly in so-called “soul contracts”: that you as a soul have already made agreements with other souls (specific persons, but also animals) BEFORE this life to find and help each other in THIS life. . one way or the other. And while I have always believed that dogs are here on Earth to assist people (not the other way around, unfortunately), I have been completely convinced of this since the arrival and massive popularity of Doodles. Because although we humans are here to experience certain life lessons, the experience of which we then take back with us, so that we as souls can grow in consciousness… I believe that we do NOT have to do this alone. That we ARE not alone, but that we have a kind of soul family that helps us, part of which is in tangible form and part in intangible form. How lucky are we?

So our life here on Earth is about us. And I just want to emphasize that, because it is very important and we sometimes want to forget: it IS about us. And that we empower ourselves in whatever way is asked of us (to learn the lessons that we have determined we want to learn for (and by) our Self, or rather to have the life experiences that we have for ourselves as an intention). Some spiritual people say that the Earth is not a school, but in the context of gaining life experiences in order to grow in consciousness, the school concept seems very appropriate to me. The further you are in your spiritual growth, the more it comes down to your self-leadership. So again: yes, you will be helped with fulfilling your task or soul purpose, but… because of the free will that we have been given (and which can also steer our lives in a completely wrong direction) we have to do it ourselves. Take the steering wheel and decide for ourselves where we want to go in life.

This last part is very important to me, because I have had a life full of self-sabotage and am only now beginning to discover that everything that happened is my own fault. This is immediately a lesson in the Law of Attraction: you manifest what you broadcast. And usually that is more negative than positive, because we simply radiate more negative energies than positive ones. More energies that hinder us than help us get what we want. And now I wanted to write “why do you think the world is so unequally divided in terms of wealth and poverty?”, but I know that would make some people frown. Because there are a lot of people who are not ready to accept this concept yet. The idea that you have EVERYTHING under your control is too confrontational for many people. For example, my parents would immediately say that they really didn’t have a choice about certain things and that some things just have to be done. And this reflects many limiting beliefs that probably do not come from themselves, but from their parents or the generations before them.

Old-fashioned beliefs that seem to influenced by the church or maybe the war. But many people think this way, because many people would rather act as victims than fight and stand up for what they DO want. Because that is the difficult part, but it’s also the most powerful part, the magical part, the most attractive, rewarding and challenging part. The part that I have felt all my life is possible in my life and that many changemakers feel is so… and therefore they work towards it WITH ALL THE RISKS that entails. Because there are no guarantees: you have to create everything yourself. And there it comes again, that word SELF. For me with a capital S, because I believe that we are guided by our soul in everything we do. At least if we do it right.

Because before we get there, we do most things from our heads and those limiting beliefs that are just over shouting each other. And as long as we do that, we are in the cycle of SELF-sabotage. We sabotage our SELF and therefore our lives. What it could be: the splendor and, above all, the happiness that we all long for, but which seems so far away for most of us, because we think that we can manifest our dream life from our heads… but it doesn’t work like that. Not by a long shot! Even if you have learned otherwise from an early age, because the entire society is head-oriented: you will NEVER be able to manifest true happiness from your head space. Simply because your head is not able to feel. And in order to realize something that makes you happy, you FIRST have to be able to feel and internalize or embody that joy. This is the only way to create heaven on Earth.

And that requires a lot of SELF leadership. Not in the form that we have all learned (achievement, success, power/dominance, status, wealth, surviving, competition, fighting, studying, getting diplomas, working your way up in the pecking order), but from your true strength. The power that comes from WITHIN (and not from without, as many people try to appease themselves with materialism, addictions, work-a-holism, etc.). I believe that is the journey we all have to take.

The journey in which we return home to ourSelves. It starts with us. We are the sun around which the Earth revolves. And at this time it is especially important that the women among us take on their SELF leadership again. Because we have allowed ourselves to be kept small for far too long, causing the masculine energy to break loose and create the world as it is. We are called upon to understand what it means to be a woman again. And how we can bring balance to this downturn. I’ll write more about this later, but I believe THAT is why the Doodles came into our lives.

• First, to help you remember that you are just as sensitive as they are
• Secondly: to make you aware of all your inner beliefs that are still keeping you smaller than you are
• Thirdly: to inspire you to feel what it means to fully embrace your womanhood again
• Fourth: as a small piece of micro nature, to let you experience what it is like to start caring of nature again and connect with Mother Earth (something that we women have done naturally for centuries and that we have now moved so far away from). )
• Fifth: to reflect to you how DIFFERENT the world and your life could be

The key element in this whole story is (tadadaaa): SELF-love. The beginning and end of all evil.

Because just consider how your lack of self-love compares to everything I’ve written so far. I believe that SELF-love is the key to all happiness. Of positive manifestation, of living your dream life. And I ALSO believe that almost no one here on Earth really loves themselves. As is intended, because then we would probably not incarnate anymore. Everyone on Earth (with some exceptions who have probably already learned this lesson) has an inferiority complex. We MUST, because from infancy on we are taught that we are not enough, that we are not valuable, that our worth depends on external conditions that others determine.

Everything we have been given in this society is based on protecting yourself against insecurity, which is a lack of love. If we all felt loved, we would feel confident and safe in all cases. Then the world would be light and never dark again. Think about it! Having an abundance of SELF-love is inherent in having/demonstrating SELF-leadership. And if those in power would rule from SELF-love (neglecting for a moment that if that were true they would probably not aspire to that power at all), but the world would look TOTALLY different. All current displays of power (wars, oppression, governments, the big companies that are in charge, you name it) are firstly an excess of testosterone and secondly a shortage of SELF-love (and perhaps the two are related , because wouldn’t a good dose of oxytocine also have a dampening effect on an excess of testosterone?).

The love energy is equal to feminine energy, but because we have allowed ourselves to be oppressed and made to feel inferior, guilty and ashamed (for being a woman and especially our feminine sexual energy) by the church and the patriarchy. And because that still has consequences for how we think about ourselves, our bodies and sexuality, but also spirituality), we have NOT been able to claim our rightful place and therefore NOT keep the male energy in check. Most women still feel smaller than they are and although that is changing, there is still a lot to be gained. A lot!

Enter the Doodles, because as living teddybears, the sixth way in which they help us is perhaps the most powerful way:

A. they emotionally remind us of what it was like to be a child, when all we needed was a hug to feel loved (which many of us missed or didn’t get enough of)

B. they give us the UNCONDITIONAL love to reflect that we are worth it and especially that we can and must give love to OURSELVES too (because as within, so without and vice versa: the outside world is a mirror for what we desire inside and for how unbalanced we are within). In other words Receiving love from someone else is nice, but it is mainly intended to teach us what still stands in the way of receiving and especially giving OURSELVES that love…

Because everything starts with us. With you and with me.

I hope you found this blog inspiring. This is my way of integrating both my DoodleComfort and InnerPower healing companies into my inner truth, because the key words for woman empowerment are SELF-love and SELF-leadership. Two things the world seriously needs right now. So whether you have a Doodle to use as a mirror for your own limiting patterns or not, the message remains the same. I just believe that IF you have a Doodle, that message is extra urgent, because it probably means that you are JUST AS highly sensitive as he is. Which in turn means that EVERYTHING that affects your Doodle in this head-oriented society ALSO affects you. And because there is a good chance that you have become so far removed from your feelings and intuition (which is what being a woman IS) during your life, your Doodle has come to you to help you re-member and inspire you to increase your SELF- leadership. Because we need change and that change starts with you. So time to transform!

But….as within, as without: You canNOT bring about transformation if you are not yet balanced within. And that is also where your Doodle comes into play: it is not without reason that your Doodle has such a tangle-sensitive coat that even many professionals do not know how to deal with (let alone know how to deal with their sensitive body and mind): all aspects that require your SELF leadership). If you want to save your Doodle the necessary stress, pain and discomfort, you can learn to trim it YOURSELF. And not just with clippers, so that you can be ready as quickly as possible, but in a way that asks you to be the best version of yourself to transform your Doodle into the best version of itself.

That you connect with your Doodle, like you have never connected with your Doodle or any dog, for that matter. By taking the time to groom him step by step in the natural, fluffy way you love, so that your heart opens when you look at him and touch his cuddly coat. By teaching how to sense his needs, in a way you have never done with your Doodle before, and thus awaken your intuition again.

Your Doodle shows his true colors on the grooming table, so if you manage to get him to calm down on there and surrender to you out of trust, then your true SELF leadership will come out of its shell. This strengthens the bond with your Doodle on all fronts. But your Doodle is ALSO a mirror for your energy (of which you are often NOT aware). So everything that is not in balance within you: all your limiting beliefs that put a stop to your good intentions, come to the surface during grooming (also in the further interaction with your Doodle, but even more so on the table). That’s why your Doodle is the perfect life coach and that’s also why it’s such a missed opportunity if you let someone else groom him (often with undesirable results to boot). You raise each other! And especially if your Doodle has adopted your patterns (which happens from puppyhood on), this is a great opportunity for SELF-healing. Because when you are balanced, your Doodle is too. If you are healthy, your Doodle will probably be healthy TOO (more on this in another blog).

Universal truth is that simple. THAT is the true meaning of DoodleComfort and DoodleComfortable Living. I bet you’ve never heard anyone talk about Doodles this way 😊But it’s the reason I started DoodleComfort 12 years ago (although it took me years of personal and spiritual development to really pinpoint this this and be able to see the connection with my intentions as a healer and consciousness coach)…but that connection is definitely there. Only it requires a different way of looking at reality (but that is one part of my soul purpose: to let you experience the sunny side of life)

Have you become enthusiastic about all the possibilities and can’t you wait to get started with grooming your Doodle yourself? Then I have created the perfect training courses for you: aimed at promoting your SELF-reliance and therefore SELF-leadership. Just take a look at my DoodleComfort.com website and enjoy everything you will learn, in all the possible ways😊

Lots of DIY grooming fun. See you in the next Doodle Transformation blog!

XXX