See also: 100 Colorado Creatives: Sahar Pazirandeh
When this dynamic duo first met seven years ago on a dance floor, they realized they had more than some nice dance moves in common. Shigley had started her workshop "Do What You Love, Love What You Do" back in 2002; since then, she has been helping people become doers rather than dreamers. And that worked perfectly for Pazirandeh, who had recently gotten out of a psychiatric facility after attempting suicide several times. "Sahar grew up in revolutionary Iran and as a young child she had to cover herself," Shigley says. "And after moving to the U.S., that translated into really not knowing how to communicate, how to be herself or how to be a woman, because she didn't know how to find her voice. So I gave her a scholarship to my Do What You Love workshop."
After seizing that opportunity, Pazirandeh took it to the next level, starting a successful non-profit organization to raise money for kids who wanted to get into fashion and arts programs. And along the way she found her voice, Shigley says, as she learned how to be herself, without having to hold back again.
Pazirandeh's growth helped inspire the start of the WordLove Tour began. After working on their own projects, the two women decided to try merging their transformational programs. "The Word is the find-your-voice part and the Love is the do-what-you-love workshop," Shigley explains. "We are both dreamers and doers, and we are gonna really take what we are doing and make it blend together in a very harmonic way."
Not surprisingly, this is not your typical motivational seminar. After starting with an upbeat performance of their original "WORDLOVE" song, Pazirandeh will share her story about finding her voice and offer attendees tips on how to speak their own truths. After an intermission with yoga, dance and stretching, Shigley will give out more tips and techniques for how people can do what they love and love what they do.
After a successful Indiegogo campaign to raise money for the tour, the two women are ready to take their passion to the next step. The WordLove Tour will start on May 6 in Denver and run through May 18 in Los Angeles. They'll be speaking to audiences at the I Have a Dream Foundation, Emily Griffith Technical College and the Art Institute of Colorado -- among others -- and will end the tour with "Women's Day at the Park" in Los Angeles. "It's going to be a very encompassing tour that will allow us to share multiple things with a multiple demographic of people," Shigley says.
When Shigley is not working on tour plans or doing consulting and development for small businesses, she can be found learning how to play the guitar, singing, dancing or just being silly, as she likes to describe it.
The WordLove Denver workshop will run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8 at 1070 Bannock Street; the two will offer the same program May 13 in Los Angeles. Tickets are $85, but Westword readers pay just $65. For online registration and more information, visit the wordlove site.
