Parent's Corner
The History of Tao-Girl
As the author of the book, TAO OF THE DEFIANT WOMAN, I have been
traveling the country encouraging and supporting women who, like
me, are working through the challenges we face as we get older.
Through that book, and at workshops and seminars country, I share
my philosophy of combining acceptance (TAO) with boldness (Defiant).
Tao, an ancient Chinese philosophy, is best translated as “the
path” and, through its principles, helps us to understand
that life flows as it should, and we cannot force it to be other
than it is.
Those principles, which I now share with young girls, include:
- Yin and Yang - the world and its opposites:
without up we wouldn't know down, without sad we wouldn't
know happy.
- Wu Wei - "not forcing" a situation
and, thus, remaining blocked and frustrated.
- Tzu-jan - that part of the Tao which reminds
us that our lives follow a natural course which include many
transitions and challenges.
- Te - which translates to "virtue",
the virtue of being the best YOU you can be without comparing
or contrasting oneself to others.
And then, to the Tao, I add Dynamic - staying away from negative
thoughts and self defeating behaviors so she can remain happy
and confident through her life.
(In the adult book I can use the word “defiant” but
hesitate to do so for obvious reasons when we are talking
to and about young girls. And, so, this is where the
word “dynamic” comes in.)
At many of the workshops the women who participated suggested
I bring my philosophy to girls who are in middle school and high
school.
That was the birth of Tao-Girl and the philosophy of Tao and
dynamic.
Ultimately what I learn from the girls – either through
this website and workshops - will be turned into a book written
expressly for the girls to bring them a philosophy and attitude
that will, I hope, enable them to get through these very difficult
years with self-confidence and joy.
Right now I’m working with Girl Scouts of America and Uniquely
Me (Note* This program is provided by a grant
from the Dove Foundation Self-Esteem Fund) and with many other
national and local organizations. I am also giving
after-school workshops for the girls of Hartford High School
(Hartford, CT) as part of the city's High Hopes Program.
It is important to me that you know just what the girls’ website
contains, the information about Tao and dynamic I share with
them; the questions and quizzes I have formulated, the
information and the description of, and invitation to, my workshops.
Please take the time to look through the website and know that
I welcome any questions or comments you might have.
For information about the girls’ workshops please click here!
I thank you for taking the time to read this and for encouraging
the young girls in your life to become a Tao-Girl.
CJ
 CJ
Golden’s bio
CJ Golden, Author of Tao of the Defiant Woman may be a sweet, 60-something grandma-type; however, she is
anything but typical.
Continually reinventing herself, Golden
has enjoyed successful careers as: a speech and hearing
therapist, group sales manager of an Equity playhouse, she has
acted in professionally on stage, screen, and TV in
New York
and
Los Angeles
, and is a published author of poetry, short stories, essays,
articles and blogs.
In her late 50’s Golden reached a
personal crisis when she became a grandmother– for her a
difficult transition. During this time she revisited the Taoist
principles she had learned years earlier in college, and
discovered their practical application to modern life.
On the good advice of a friend, Golden
conducted extensive research with women around the country;
through seminars and workshops to better understand how they
handle the same transitions and challenges she herself was
facing.
he
Tao of the Defiant Woman, her first book, was born out
of a love of writing, and personal desire to share her findings
and stories from the women she met. The book has also been
published in Spanish (El
Tao De La Mujer Desafiante) and is available here and
throughout
Latin America
.
A freelance columnist, author and
motivational speaker, Golden currently travels the country from
coast-to-coast inspiring her audience to seek and find an easier
path through life using her Tao and Defiant philosophy.
She is a regular contributor to the Sally
Jessy Raphael TalkNet Show and a featured writer of and
voice of womenetcetera.com. In addition, More Magazine has chosen Golden as one of their Gamma
Women. Currently she is at work on a new book for young
girls called Tao
and Dynamic.
Residing in
Connecticut
, Golden lives her philosophy every day
and greets each new challenge and transition with her Tao and
defiant spirit.
CJ in the media
I’ve included a link to some of my work in TV, on radio
and at a seminar. Please go to http://taogirl.com/woman_inthemedia.htm to
preview my appearances.
I have given similar information to the girls, but in a more
condensed manner.
Privacy Statement
I will never include any photos or full names without the permission
of the parents and, to that end, have set up a private web
page with a permission form for you to fill out and fax or
mail back to me. If the occasion shows itself for me to obtain
this permission from you, I shall ask the girls to supply
me with your contact information so I can share this permission
form with you.
I will never share the girls’ contact information with
anyone else – ever. That includes, their email and home
addresses, phone numbers or even their full names. If I refer
to one of the girls, I will use first names only.
This website is set up so that any comments or questions the
girls have must come to me for my approval before they are
published on the site.
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