Welcome

 I’m known as the Writing Sherpa and I take to this role joyfully. I have worked with aspiring writers for the past three decades. Dozens of my writers have gone on to be published in a variety of genres and publications. I offer monthly year-long writing consultation circles. Presently all  consultations, counseling & circles are LIVE & on-line. I can work with you from anywhere in the world. You can also find me through the UW-Madison, Continuing Studies.  All of my services are offered at reasonable rates. (And I don't turn anyone away due to financial restraints). As a Writing Sherpa, I help you reach your personal summits.  

I have joined up with yoga instructor Molly Chanson as the Writer & the Yogi for transformational offerings of writing, inner explorations and yoga retreats. 
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I offer in-person and long-distance counseling sessions, transformational circles and on-line courses. I take a personalized approach to self-discovery, where together we explore  your capacities and possibilities. When you are ready to take the next step in your life​ contact me to  discuss how I may help you. I offer an initial twenty-minute free phone consultation prior to signing up for a personal session, on-line class, or circle. ​

Upcoming Events & News

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ON-LINE COURSE:  BE THE CAUSE OF YOUR LIFE.  Increase your authenticity through strengthening your personal boundaries and developing your courage. There is so much that hinders us in accessing our inner truth, trusting our experience, and living freely.  The course gives you simple means to be yourself, to be the cause of your life.  All my practices and teachings rely on a position of inclusivity and being trauma informed. We start with a free-20 minute phone consultation.  Learn more and sign up.



Hosting the Edge:  Healing Trauma through Yoga, Writing, Recapitulation & Meditation.  OCTOBER RETREAT! with  Molly Chanson, MA, Yoga Teacher and Julie Tallard Johnson, MSW, LCSW, author. We transform our pain stories through breathwork, journal writing, yoga, recapitulation & meditation practices.  Save the dates:  October 16, 17, 18, 2020 This will take place LIVE & on-line. Through the UW, Madison, Continuing Studies. REGISTER: Here.

RISE!: Transformational Writing and Yoga: Restorative•Integrative•Soulful•Empowering.  An upcoming WINTER retreat by Molly Chanson and Julie Tallard Johnson.   Save the dates:  February 19th, 20th & 21st .  REGISTER HERE: RISE! Join Molly and I for a unique experience of writing, contemplation & yoga. 
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Book Release!! the Clue of the Red Thread:  discovering fearlessness and compassion in uncertain times, released this Fall, 2020 by Shanti Arts Press, Nine Rivers. 

Monthly Transformative Circle: the Red Thread: Discovering Fearlessness & Compassion  at Healing Services on the River in Prairie Du Sac.  LIVE and On-line till we can meet face to face.  Attend to yourself and discover means to be heroic during difficult times. Includes regular teachings from Be The Cause of Your Life.  Meets monthly, 6 to 9 pm, 2nd Thursdays, starts MARCH,  2021.  Learn more and sign up. ​ 
Write by the Lake by Julie Tallard Johnson


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The Initiated Writer Online Course: World Into Word
Start anytime; take anywhere. 
This on-line class you develop voice and momentum while empowering your ability to make meaning and create in word with all that shows up in your life. ​ Learn more and sign up.


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"Stop asking for the lamp to be put in your hand.
pick it up, and fill it with your own oil.
it is the stuff of you that’s meant to burn."  –  Rebecca Cecchini, Wisconsin poet
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 Mount Horeb Morning Writing Circle
Meets monthly on the 3rd Tuesday, LIVE and on-line for now.  10am - 1:00pm. FULL  join us in March, 2021.  
Madison Evening Writing Circle (Next one begins OCTOBER, 2020)
Meets monthly on the 1st Tuesday 6-9pm. at Holy Wisdom Monastery.   FULL but join us next year. 
Prairie du Sac Writing Circle (Next one begins October, 2020)
595 Water Street, Prairie du Sac . LIVE and on-line for now. 
Meets monthly on the 2nd Wednesday, 6 till 9pm. join us !!  (Room for 2 more).

Writing

I offer a variety of writing classes, consultation circles and  sherpa-coaching based on my experience as a published author, counselor and educator. 

Sherpa-coaching  and Sherpa-mentoring are one-to-one monthly programs in which we work together via phone, email  or ZOOM. 
Writing Circles are monthly, seasonal and annual meetings in which we work as a small group. Write by the Lake is my periodic workshop offered on the shores of beautiful Lake Mendota through the UW, Madison. The Initiated Writer™ is self-paced, online course  which can be joined at any time.  Learn more about Consultation Circles.

Books

Everyone wants to experience purpose and inspiration in their lives, but the search for meaning often leaves a seeker in the hands of fate. Offering a different approach to self-discovery, one where we create our meaning from within rather than seek it from the outside world, The Zero Point Agreement shows there is a science behind personal spiritual experiences and creativity. It reveals simple evidence-based methods that can be applied to any situation to generate enthusiasm, inspiration, and direct spiritual experience and transform the inner and outer landscapes of your life. Learn more about this and other books. 

Counseling

I offer a personalized approach to self-discovery and healing, where you explore and discover your capacities and possibilities. My transformative healing practice is centered on the Zero Point Agreement — where we live from the inside-out, from our side, meeting life and others half-way. We learn to create and integrate our inner wisdom with the outside world. All practices are trauma-informed. These healing sessions are an hour and fifteen minutes, involve narrative medicine, cognitive-behavioral practices, meditation, explorative conversation, and, optional integrative energy work. Learn more about counseling. 
An endorsement from His Holiness the Dalai Lama (an excerpt):
“Because the very purpose of life is to be happy, it is important to discover what will actually give us the greatest satisfaction. Everything we experience, whether it is enjoyable or not, affects either our minds or our bodies. Generally, it is our minds that have the greatest influence over whether we are happy or not. Our minds register everything that happens to us, no matter how small. As free human beings we can use our unique intelligence to try to understand ourselves and our world. But if we are unable to use our creative potential, we lose one of the basic characteristics of a human being. In order to find mental stability and peace, the mind itself can be trained. We can cultivate positive attitudes like kindness and compassion, tolerance and contentment. Julie describes many ways to create peace and happiness, some on your own and some with your friends." 
~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama, July 1995, for "The Thundering Years"

An endorsement from Parker J Palmer, author of A Hidden Wholeness and Healing the Heart of Democracy : 
“In this beautiful book, Julie Tallard Johnson--a gifted teacher and writer--brings fresh insight to an ancient truth: each of us must live from the inside out. This book--full of resources that range from heart-deep insight to helpful, practical exercises--can help us reclaim the treasure-trove of our own experience and being.” (Parker J. Palmer, author of Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, and The Courage to)

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