Arete (/ˈærətiː/; Greek: ἀρετή), in its basic sense, means "excellence of any kind". The term may also mean "moral virtue."

In its earliest appearance in Greek, this notion of excellence was ultimately bound up with the notion of the

fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to one's full potential.

 

The Arete Institute is in the process of creating a

unique tribe of women dedicated to the

pursuit of personal excellence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YES!

 

Beginning in the fall of 2014, the Arete Institute is suspending all other initiatives to focus on THE ARETE INIATIVE for Women: an unprecedented, six month program (including an initial, four week intensive) for a small and select group of women  interested in making a quantum leap forward in their personal and professional lives. 

 

Radically transform your life on every level: physically, environmentally, vocationally, mentally/emotionally, and spiritually (whatever that means to you). The program will be intense and challenging, but the results will be nothing short of life changing.

 

 

Think about photos you've seen of women who went from overweight and out of shape to physically powerful, and you get a taste of at least one aspect of the 6 month Arete Initiative for Women. (Photos from the Body for Life website.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be clear, we do NOT impose any set standard on the women who participate in the AI initiative, physically or otherwise, and it's possible that you may sign up for the 6 month program having convinced us that your idea of Arete, or personal excellence, doesn't include a radical, physical transformation. That said, you would have to work hard to convince us of that, honestly, as acheiving peak physical condition, whatever your age, is so empowering (perhaps especially for women) that we consider it fundamental to the program. (To be clear, we are NOT interested in your being thin; we want you to feel strong and powerful in your body, and wonderfully energized.)

 

And that's just the beginning. At The Arete Institute, we are committed to doing everything in our power to help you acheive your version of Arete, which is simply an anceint term for what Maslov called "self-actualization." 

 

At the very peak of Maslow’s hierarchy are the self-actualization needs. "What a man can be, he must be," Maslow explained, referring to the need people have to achieve their full potential as human beings.

 

According to Maslow, self-actualization may be loosely described as "the full use and exploitation of talents, capabilities, potentialities, etc. Such people seem to be fulfilling themselves and to be doing the best that they are capable of doing... They are people who have developed or are developing to the full stature of which they capable."

 

We're committed to helping you reach the full stature of which you are capable not so that you can look great in a swim suit or wow your community with your relentless talent. We're committed to pouring everything we have into those of you who want to reach your highest potential so that you will be happy, healthy, fierce, compassionate, fully-realized women, capable of CHANGING THE WORLD. We invite you to step fully into your power.

 

The women of the world are moving. In unprecedented numbers the world over,

women are engaged in the hard work of reclaiming their power: in relationships,

in the work place, in communities, and on the world stage. Women everywhere

are responding to this call to action: heal yourself, heal the world."  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

,  a

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Sara's B. REAL interview (spring, 2013 issue):



"More and more, all aspects of my life bear the same witness, as the Quakers say. The world needs healthy, energetic, fully realized citizens to tackle the many challenges we now face as a country and world. My book, along with the work I do as a Holistic Life Coach, address the healthy, energetic, fully realized part of the equation; all of the work I do as an artist and activist seeks to address those challenges in specific ways...



Coaching is extraordinarily satisfying work. Most of the people I work with are intensely creative, and all of them are relentlessly capable; they come to me because they need some help in jump starting the process of forward momentum. I take the work very seriously. We can move mountains together when we move forward, steadily and with purpose. For folks who have stalled out, even a little and for whatever reason – low energy, self-doubt, lack of clarity – it can be life changing to work with a coach. And on my end, it’s like watching flowers bloom. 

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To read the interview in its entirety, click HERE.