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Barred Owl Retreat

Do you want peace and fulfillment in your life? To have the tools and practices for living in alignment with your truest self? Are you looking to come home to yourself and align with the wonders of the world around you? I've been teaching and coaching others for almost two decades to live more awake and engaged lives through mindfulness practices, expressive arts, and self-discovery exercises. Join me on the journey.

Mindful Play
Featured Post

The Power of Play as a Pathway

Dear Reader, When was the last time you did something simply because it delighted you? No shoulds, no end game. Just for the sheer pleasure and fun of it. Ode to (Summer) Joy I know the world is a serious place and we have miles to go before we sleep, but sometimes a sacred pause to explore the joy of being is necessary and as productive as anything else on our to-do list. As responsible adults, we forget the power and joy of play. We forget how to let go, be goofy, be vulnerable, to just be...

Jessica Bane Robert, Barred Owl Retreat

Dear Reader, There is a higher, wiser essential self that rests deep in our center. On occasion we catch whispers of her. She is like a sanctuary - grounded, present, assured, at home. Meet your truer self this summer Life gets busy and noisy, and sometimes we tend to give our best energy away to others. If you have drifted from peace, presence, and your own wisdom within for whatever reason, let this season be the one to reconnect with yourself on a deeper level. 1st, PAUSE with No-Cost...

Free Personal Discovery Gifts

Dear Reader, Last year at this time I was doing a deep dive into some personal development and discovery and found this Inspired Life Giveaway filled with free resources. Included were mini video courses, meditations, writing prompts, free virtual event tickets, supportive guides and workbook on dozens of topics. This June--now through June 28th-- I would like to introduce you to some friends and share over 50 resources with you. Take a look; I'm sure you will find some gifts that resonate...

Summer Savoring with My Son

Dear Reader, Hello from Sunny Los Angeles where I am visiting my son, Jake! As summer kicks off, I'm asking a simple question: How do I want to live this season? Not just what I want to accomplish, but how I want to feel. Honestly, what I have been feeling is a lot of grief on many levels, which I won't get into here and now. But as a new season begins to bloom, I am ready to reclaim my energy and shift my focus with intention. Though the energies on the planet are not slowing, I can live...

Book launch Embers to Wings

There comes a moment in life when you realize you can’t stay where you are. It’s in these moments that you’re being called to rise. I’m excited to share that today is the release of Embers to Wings: Women’s Soul Stories of Remembering, Reclaiming & Rising, and I'm honored that my story is included. Published by Inspired Living Publishing™, this is their twenty-second transformational book written by women and for women. Have you ever found yourself in a season where everything felt...

Dear Reader, We win when we say yes and step into something new. When was the last time you intentionally stepped outside of your comfort zone and tried something unfamiliar, took a chance, or opened yourself to new relationships and experiences? For me, it was a couple weekends ago at the Inspired Life Event in Quincy, MA. About a year ago, I received a phone call from a stranger, Linda Joy, who has since become an inspiring friend and mentor. She told me about a “women’s weekend of love,...

Shrine at Kripalu - Retreat

A Kripalu Shrine Dear Reader, I recently returned from three days on retreat at Kripalu—practicing what I preach, resting in quiet, listening inward, reconnecting with my deeper essence, and studying with a Huichol Shaman. Of course, leading up to my departure guilt and excuses plagued me, and I tried to talk myself out of what I desperately needed. Now home, I’m reminded once again just how powerful it is to step away from our everyday lives—even briefly. Retreat-Reconnect, Reset, Renew,...

Worm Blood Moon Barred Owl Retreat

Dear Reader, There is so much I’ve been wanting to write and share with you, but none of it has felt fully formed. The chaotic happenings of the world — and the energies both on and off this planet — have been fragmenting my own focus and steadiness. It’s been uncomfortable. I'm sure you've been feeling it too. And yet, it’s not all bad. I sense it has been necessary — clearing space for emerging growth and the next steps of aligned action. Like many people I’ve been speaking with, I’ve...

Hope Springs

Dear Reader, As the January women’s mindfulness retreat at the Barred Owl ended, I asked, “What do you want to talk about as we close?” The youngest of us, mother to a 1.5- and 3.5-year-old suggested: Hope. Often, when I ask my Mindful Choices students at Clark University what important topics we should cover in our seven weeks together, hope rises to the top of the list. It is always foundational, but it feels especially so in recent times. There are many folks, far more eloquent than I, who...

"I Am Becoming" Collage

Dear Reader, We are at a turning point. Imbolc—occurring at the beginning of February—is the ancient Gaelic festival that marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It honors what is becoming and the returning of the light. This year Imbolc, the turning point, is solidly in my consciousness. The nation feels as if it’s at a critical moment. I feel myself at a turning point; and memory reminds me of the many times I stopped, turned back, and did not finish a...