I have to admit, I’m obsessed with fear.

I’ve been this way ever since I discovered fear is the main reason people don’t realize their dreams or full potential as human beings.

I am constantly trying different things to master fear and not let it rule my life. Heck, being a superhero is virtually impossible if fear determines our choices.

Fear is a big and ugly and complicated thing to tackle, so today I thought we’d keep it simple but active.

I believe the first step to mastering fear is acknowledging you are afraid. This gives us an opportunity to face it, release it and set ourselves up to receive support from the Universe.

Today I’m thrilled to launch the CHICK “Erase Your Fears” page.

{Photo via}

The page was inspired by this installation that was part of the 2006 Burning Man.

We invite you to visit the page as often as you want or need.

Hand us your fears so you can get on with performing world changing bad-assery. We guarantee to dispose of them within twenty-four hours.

Did you know 80 percent of an average person’s thoughts are negative?  Shoot, at certain points in my life my thoughts were 99.9 percent negative.

Superheroes don’t roll like that because we know negative thoughts get in the way of performing world changing bad-assery.

A positive mindset is key to tapping into our superpowers.  So to thwart those times when the evils of the world start to take their toll we offer you this quick 2 minute video of affirmations made especially for superheroes.

Watch it anytime you need a boost.  Expand your mind, develop your human potential.

Do you use affirmations in your life?  Share your favorites with us in the comments below.

TOOLS TO HELP YOU SOAR

Are you on the computer for a good chunk of the day like me?    You should try subliminal software.

These programs flash messages of your choosing on your computer screen to reprogram your mind at a subconscious level while your conscious mind works on other tasks…like reading this blog post.

SUBLIMINAL BLASTER (for pc’s)
SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE PRO FOR MAC

PLEASE TAKE ONE

Download our free “please take one” affirmation flyer.  Put it up by your front door and rip one off to focus on as you head out for the day.

Or perform a superhero good deed and post one up in your neighborhood so people in need of a positive thought can grab one as they pass by.

MUSIC: Kevin MacLeod

Message from Kai:

As we make moves to take whoisCHICK to the next level, I’m thrilled to introduce everyone to Tony Albanese. He recently came on board as our Producer of Marketing & Distribution which means he’s here to help spread the word about all things CHICK.

Along with writing on the “Just Add Cape” blog from time to time, you’ll also find him hanging out on our social networks. Be sure to say hi when you cross his path either here or on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+.

Welcome to the CHICK family Tony!

★✩★✩★

As a self declared nerd, digital media enthusiast, and an aspiring superhero I found myself lured by the CHICK revolution.

Women have been role models for me throughout my childhood and have taught me to kick some ass both literally and figuratively. Growing up in an Italian family the women in my life have been strong and don’t take bullshit from anyone.

It was easy to appreciate and become inspired by those traits in fictional women within comic book folklore.  These SuperCHICKs allow us to dream outside of reality, but they share our natural flaws.

As we head into a second season of CHICK I thought we’d pay homage to other Kick-Ass CHICKs in Fiction.  They not only glue together the fabric of alternate realities; they inspire us to become superheroes in real life and face adversity head on.

May Parker is one of the Original SuperCHICKs.

click the image to enlarge

Do you have a May Parker in your life? Tell us about them in the comments below!

Tony is the Producer of Marketing and Distribution at CHICK.  You can follow him on Twitter @AlbaneseTR or visit his blog The 20 Something Struggle.

P.S. Congratulations to the winners of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes give away from last week!

We’re showing some DUDE love this week as I chat with Gotham Chopra about redefining what it means to be a superhero.

Gotham wrote The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes with his dad Deepak Chopra and as you’ll see in the video, I love this book!  It should be in every superheroes library which is why we’re giving away three signed copies!

A little about Gotham…

Gotham is a multi-media voice in the worlds of entertainment, news, spirituality and pop-culture.

• He is an award-winning journalist and documentary film-maker
• Was involved in the formation of Al Gore’s CurrentTV
• Co-founded Liquid Comics a premiere entertainment company
• Is the author of five books, including the graphic novels Bulletproof Monk
• Co-founded intent.com, a community where members share their dreams and aspirations, and receive support from others.

Currently Gotham is in post-production on his first feature documentary he directed that explores who his father is to the world verses who he is to the people that know him personally.  Can’t wait to see that!

I had so much fun talking with Gotham. He is an amazing spirit and reflects a lot of the qualities I experience all the time with the men who support whoisCHICK. ❤

Onto the video…

This video is a little longer than most videos we do on whoisCHICK but it’s CHOCK full of good stuff every superhero should know, including:

• Learning from batman how to transform your painful experiences into a source of strength
• How Iron Man uses the law of creativity in challenging situations
• Why love is the most powerful law you can master.
• How to meditate without having to sit in the lotus position with your eyes closed.

Woo hoo! Let’s get this party started…

WIN A SIGNED COPY OF “THE SEVEN SPIRITUAL LAWS OF SUPERHEROES”!

Enter to win a copy of this great book by doing one of three things:

1. Leave a comment below
2. Share the blog post on Facebook
3. Tweet a thank you to Gotham (@gothamchopra) and Meltdown Comics (@meltdowncomics) using the hashtag #supergotham

Need a twitter suggestion?
Thanks @gothamchopra @meltdowncomics for a gr8 interview w/ @whoischick http://bit.ly/gchopra #supergotham

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF OUR BOOK GIVE AWAY!!

CREDITS:

A big thank you to the following peeps for helping to make this video rock!

Director/Co-Producer — Sandra J. Payne
DP/Editor — Perry Payne
Connect with this awesome husband and wife team here and here.

Shot at — Meltdown Comics

Music — Kevin MacLeod

This is a Level One fAUX pAS.

I love the idea behind resolutions. They represent our desire to expand as human beings. The problem is they don’t work that well and usually result in the opposite. We end up closing down and feeling like a loser when we give up on them.

Can’t see the video?  Click here.
Music by: Kevin Macleod

I stopped making resolutions a few years ago. But, if you’re like me and like to use the span of one year as a convenient measurement of time to assess the progress of your dreams and goals, here are a couple of things to play with.

Conduct An Annual Review

I learned this from Chris Guillebeau. He’s done this for a few years now and has been generous enough to share his process with his readers.

In short, he looks back at the previous year and asks himself a series of questions. The final step in the review involves looking at the year ahead, carefully thinking about the projects he wants to pursue and what steps need to be taken in order to make them happen.

Pick A Theme for the Year

A theme could be things like new beginnings, service, passion, peace, love, friendship, adventure, doing cool things, self-expression. It should be something that gets you excited and inspires you.

I love doing this every year. I like to think of it as my superhero theme for the year. It allows me to expand in all areas of my life while giving me room to adjust for the unpredictable. I use my theme to influence the decisions I make throughout the year.

In past years I’ve explored:

FEAR

I had to walk towards the fear. Being afraid wasn’t a justified reason for not doing something. Unless it was life-threatening I had to try. I highly recommend everyone trying this.

SELF-LOVE

I thought this year would be easy and nurturing. Turns out it was way harder for me than fear. I learned self-love is very much connected to trust for me. I should probably revisit this at some point.

FUN

This was my theme last year. I pictured it being a year full of fun and laughter. But because I had to deal with the death of three loved-ones it didn’t turn out that way. Instead fun became about removing anything from my life that brought me down.

FLOW

This is my theme for next year. I want to make choices that give me more support and helps me create a life that flows more easily.

So what about you? What theme is speaking to you for the year ahead?

I didn’t want to write this post but sometimes you have to lean into the discomfort…

It is important to me that everyone who visits whoisCHICK know I encourage constructive criticism, healthy debate and  expressing differences of opinion.  I do not condone comments based purely from hatred and/or anger.

Below is the blog comment I reference in the video.

Notes:
The comment was submitted by The Upstairs Neighbor.  However, the neighbor who lived above me during this period in my life does not have some of the knowledge written in this comment.

The comment references my mention of the upstairs neighbor on my about page.

The ex-boyfriend’s name has been blocked out because this isn’t about him.

******

Why in the world would XXXX XXXX be afraid of me?

Did you say something to XXXX to make him think that *you* were afraid of me?

I only spoke to XXXX briefly and courteously twice.

We gave you all the space and privacy you could have possibly wanted, ignoring the yelling and screaming and crashing of furniture.

All we wanted in return was our own privacy, and to come and go freely without being ambushed by the latest Neighbor from Hell.

I’ve read your recent blogs and I can see that you’re clinging to the notion that you’re some kind of “superhero” in order to massage your ego.

You’re no teacher Kai, you’re just an angry middle-aged woman who’s morphing into a bitter old woman.

You’ve ignored your natural place in this world, which was to become a dutiful wife and a nurturing mother and raise your children to be good people.

Instead, you’ve chased the chimera of success in the entertainment industry.

And now you’re recycling some of the outer teachings of Buddhism and Hindhuism as you attempt to massage your overweening Ego.

Nobody becomes One with That until he or she loses the small self.

The perfected self who has attained nirvana, however briefly, does not practice the outer rituals of Hinduism or Buddhism.

He or she doesn’t have an altar, doesn’t make sacrifices, doesn’t chant mantras.

You need to start the process of self purification by losing XXXX XXXX.

Write down everything you can remember, and burn it.

You should abandon this Blog, too, since you’re no Boddhisattva.

Boddhisattvas are not angry, and you’re not ready to take the vow.

When I met my crazy ex-boyfriend I had never smoked pot. He smoked all the time. As one of the many stupid moves I made during that relationship, I jumped on the band wagon and learned the fine art of smoking a dooby. For six months I was a mild pot head until the brain fuzz it caused became too much for me and I quit for good.

Photo via: hkvam

I mention this because lately I’ve been getting that brain fuzzy feeling again even though I haven’t smoked a joint in years. The cause of my brain fuzz? Lack of sleep. And it ain’t cute.

Turns out I’m not alone. 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep.

People often brag about how little sleep they get but did you know one night without sleep leaves you performing like you are legally drunk with a blood alcohol content of 0.08. That really ain’t cute.

If you think being a superhero means you can get away with minimal sleep, I’m here to set the record straight.

SUPERHEROES! YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR ASS TO BED!

Here’s why…

Lack of Sleep =

grumpy, hungry, headaches, memory loss, trouble concentrating, slowed healing, sore muscles and joints, bags under the eyes, weakened immune system, sluggishness, depression, blurry vision, dizziness, trouble speaking, fatigue, tremors…

…in other words sleep is not negotiable.

The Guinness World Records won’t even track the longest period someone goes without sleep because it’s considered too dangerous.

Tips For Great Shut Eye

Getting enough sleep is different for every superhero. In general, we need somewhere between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. If you need a little help getting the right amount of shut eye here’s a few things to try:

• Make bed time and wake time the same every day. The best time to sleep, based on our biological rhythm is 10pm – 6am.
• Get regular exercise, it helps relax your body. The earlier you exercise the better. Exercising later in the day can actually make it harder to fall asleep.
• Get some sunlight. This tells the body it’s day and preps the body to wind down when it gets dark.
• Naps are really good for you and help you function better. Just don’t take naps after 3pm, it will throw off your sleep pattern at night.
• Create a bed time ritual. Read an uplifting book, listen to soothing music, light some candles, take a warm bath, drink a warm cup of milk. The body recognizes these as sleep cues.
• Begin winding down a few hours before bed. Turn the tv off, don’t drink tea or coffee after 4pm and no alcohol before bed.
• Make your bedroom an oasis for sleep. No television. No computer. I don’t even have a phone in my bedroom. Keep the room as dark and quiet as possible and on the cool side temperature wise.
• Try P.I. to help you fall asleep. Paradoxical Intention is the practice of turning a problem on its head in order to conquer it. Here’s how it works with sleep: Lay in bed with your eyes closed and try as hard as you can to stay awake.
• If you work on your computer a lot try using the f.lux app. Computer screens are designed to look like the sun. The problem with this is when the day winds down, your computer continues to stimulate you when your body should be transitioning into rest mode. The f.lux app adjusts the color of your computer’s display adapting to the time of day it is, warm at night and like sunlight during the day.

For all the Super CHICKs out there, research has shown that women need more sleep. So take a cue from Arianna Huffington and sleep your way to the top.

I know telling you to get enough sleep isn’t ground breaking news but sometimes we need a reminder. Sleep is not a waste of time.

Get more sleep and you’ll be nicer, smarter, happier, sexier and just plain more awesome.

How are your sleep patterns? What do you do to help you get a good nights sleep.

If you like the “Heard This Jam…” image you can download the jpeg or a pdf version.  Enjoy damn it!

Cartwheel Photo via: Awen Photography
Music: Lovers’ Carvings by Bibio

It was a little after midnight. I was headed to bed when I heard loud screaming and crying coming from outside the front of my apartment.

I peaked out my window to see a man and woman having a heated argument across the street. She was very upset.  He was grabbing her, taunting her and being very aggressive.

My first thought was to dial 911. I hesitated after recalling a recent experience I’d had with the police.

I had called 911 after witnessing a strange man kicking in our back gate, wandering around the back yard in a very agitated manner and entering our garages that we used for storage. Five hours after my call, the police called back asking if the intruder was still there and if they still needed to come.

Great, I thought as I watched the couple argue, I’m going to have to go over there and kick this guy’s ass.

No, wait, that wouldn’t work because I was scared to death.

Damn it. I knew I had to do something. But what?

Then I remembered a television show I had watched where they staged different scenarios with actors and set up hidden cameras to see how people would behave.

One of the scenarios was a couple in a park having a heated argument. 92 men were captured by their cameras. Just five of them did anything to help. Out of 100 women, 14 intervened, stopped or dialed 911.

I got emotional as I watched a group of four women deal with the situation. They didn’t approach the couple, but instead kept their distance, stood their ground and acknowledged what was happening by telling the man to leave the woman alone. They threatened to call the police if he didn’t stop.

It was an epiphany to realize there are many ways to respond to a funky situation. It’s rarely black and white. The presence of those four women and their acknowledgment of the situation was powerful.

I once read a story about a woman who was raped in front of a high rise apartment building. Something like 30 or more people witnessed the rape and murder of this woman from various apartments and did nothing. Their common response was I thought someone else would do something.

Reading the grand jury report connected to the recent Penn State sex scandal, one thing was consistent and disappointing. Not one person who saw or suspected something stepped up and called the police.

I get it. Speaking up is hard to do. But…

Fuck that.

We have to start speaking up about the things we find unjust in the world even if it means risk of being wrong or looking like a fool. I’m not saying you should put yourself in physical danger.

What I am saying is to pause when you see something unjust happening. Think outside the box, entertain unorthodox or uncommon options, consider a small action if a big one is too overwhelming.

Ask yourself…

What would a superhero do?

…then SPEAK UP, DO SOMETHING!!!

As for me and the events of the night. I went out on my front porch and stood there looking directly at them to let them know I was a witness to what was going on.

I felt like an idiot, but I stood my ground.

I wasn’t sure what I would do if it got more physical. I thought of yelling, making a ruckus to let them and anyone else who heard me know, this wasn’t cool.

Within a couple of minutes, the woman’s parents appeared from a nearby apartment building. After a few words and resistance from their daughter, they took her inside leaving the guy to go on about his business.

Maybe me standing there had no impact. But because I stepped outside my comfort zone, I hope the next time I’m in a situation where I need to step up, it will be a tiny bit easier to do it.

What about you? Have you ever been in a situation where you had to step up?

Note from Kai:  When I was a kid, my mom kept an empty spool with a string attached to it in the kitchen. She’d use the spool as a pendulum to dowse foods and test for any sensitivities she might have. She was exploring alternative medicine and health practices way before it was hip and trendy to do so.

When I was talking to my mom the other day, I suddenly thought it would be cool to occasionally feature an OSC (Original SuperCHICK) on the Just Add Cape blog. These feisty golden agers, who have paved the way for us, have tons of wisdom to share. So in a rare act of nepotism, our first Original SuperCHICK blog post comes from my favorite OSC, my mom.

Photo via: Sacha Goldberger

******

Hello! My name is Jane and I grew up in a small city in the south west part of England called Exeter. From a very young age I knew I wanted to be a nurse.

I was working as a mid-wife in Exeter when a friend called me and asked if I wanted to emigrate to Canada with her. Canada was looking for nurses at the time and she didn’t want to go alone. I thought it sounded interesting and I decided go. I never looked back and worked as a nurse until I had my children.

In my forties, I started suffering from chronic pain. I went to endless doctors but conventional medicine didn’t have any answers for my problem. I then explored food allergy sensitivities and homeopathic doctors, found relief, and thus began my journey into alternative medicine.

While talking to my daughter on the phone recently I was sharing my winter ritual for keeping colds and flu away during the winter months. She thought it would be helpful to share this with you since superheroes don’t have time to be coming down with colds.

Oil of Oregano – A Secret Weapon for Fighting Bacteria and Preventing Colds

Oil of Oregano is an age-old remedy that can help boost your immune system and protect you against the many germs flying around during cold and flu season. It is one of the strongest, natural antibiotics known to man.

Here’s how I use it:

Step 1: Buy Mediterranean Wild Oregano with P73 on the label. A P73 formula is at least three times more concentrated than ordinary oil of oregano. Make sure it is emulsified in extra virgin olive oil to make it edible.
It’s important to note that Oil of Oregano is different from the herb used in cooking, in case you were thinking of making your own.

Step 2: Take 2-3 drops twice a day under the tongue with a gulp of water. It’s just like taking a vitamin. Placing it under the tongue helps it to immediately absorb into your system. Because the oil is so potent, it’s important to take it with a small amount of water to prevent burning your throat.

Step 3: Take a break. Oil of Oregano works best as a preventative measure. It shouldn’t be taken indefinitely because you can build up an immunity to it. It’s a great remedy to keep the bugs away during the winter months but then you should take a break from it.

Oil of Oregano has many other health benefits. If you’d like to learn more about this amazing oil I recommend checking out a book called “The Cure Is in the Cupboard”. This book was written by Dr. Cass Ingram, a medical doctor, who experimented with the oil on himself when he fell ill.

That’s it! Have an infectious free winter! Or as my daughter likes to say Colds! Don’t even f*@king think about it!

Know an original SuperCHICK you think us next gen SuperCHICKs could learn from? Shoot us a message.