How Kathleen "Found" the Program


Six years ago, Potatoes not Prozac was being published and I was committed to setting up a web site which would provide a way for sugar sensitive people to come together and share their paths to healing. I spent a long time finding a marketing group to help me set up the site. They asked me my goals. How much money did I want to make? What sort of income stream was I looking for? They were confused by the plan. You want to build *community?* they asked. I explained that I wanted to create a healing web. I wanted to provide a way for people to learn new things and to share their journeys. I wanted people to connect and know the power in working together. Sugar sensitivity and addiction flourish in isolation. Healing comes with connection.

So we started. A web site with 20 pages. Mostly informational. A few months later, we put up the community forum and people started talking. You asked for ways to share on specialized topics. We set up an elist for depression. You asked for more and the resources grew. I answered every email and listened to your concerns and struggles and dreams.

As the mail poured in and the lists grew, I wanted to make sure the tone was clean and we stayed on focus. I formed a leadership team and invited a few folks who were further along in the process to help. The volunteer service base of the community was born. We named this team the Radiant Council, Rad for short. Each person had responsibility for an elist and was willing to meet with me online once a week to talk about how things were going. We learned to do team. We learned to trust one another and to work through style differences. We started the first Ranch and I invited the Rad to come and meet one another in person. I think we got hooked on the joy of working together.

The lists increased and 15 people could no longer do it all. We expanded the leadership team to include more volunteers. A liaison for each list. And then we doubled up. We met once a week, diligently showing up for work and play. We shared our programs, we critiqued ourselves and matured along with the community. People coming in were given a warm welcome. Connections were made. Boundaries were defined about the style of communication. No flaming was allowed and we created a safe place. This was hard work. Sugar sensitive people are notoriously sensitive and reactive when they are starting out.

I started Your Last Diet Online because the marketing guys thought it would be a good experiment. We started chatting and the original idea of *weight loss* expanded to include discovery and exploration about what weight loss might really mean. This was and still is so exciting that I look forward to Wednesday night with a smile. Talk about connection!!

Now we have more than 8,000 people talking every day. Close to a half a million letters have been posted to the web site. That be a lot of talking and a lot of healing. I have learned that the web is the perfect way to connect people. Doesn't matter who you are or where you live. If you can get online, you can be part of the miracle of community. We laugh about issues in Perth or Oslo or Atlanta or San Diego. We are so much alike, sometimes it is scary. Our differences make us grow.

I LOVE this community. I feel blessed by your energy, wisdom and care. Thank you!!!

(c) Kathleen DesMaisons 2006 All Rights Reserved