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Barred Owl Retreat

Do you want transformation in your life? To have the tools and practices for living in alignment with your true self? Do you want more peace, presence, and fulfillment? 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.

Barred Owl Retreat
Featured Post

When You Take the Leap...

Dear Reader, Yesterday, Facebook reminded me that three years ago, I walked away from a job I had held for fifteen years. I didn’t have another position lined up. I didn’t have a plan of any kind. What I had was an insistent whisper from within that grew louder each day: "It’s time to go." If you have taken any leap like this, I raise a glass to you. Much larger transitions exist, I know - like leaving a partnership, a homeland. Yet, at the time, choosing myself proved difficult. ...Align,...

Intuition

Hello Friend, I hope the rays of summer have been good to you, and that like me, you have had some down time as well as time to connect with friends and family. Summer has a way of slowing, yet feeling very full. Admittedly, I’ve been somewhat preoccupied by the noise, deception, and fakery presently afoot in the world - and in the age of AI and endless chatter - have been thinking about how easy it is to lose touch with something profoundly real: one's own intuition. Intuition That...

As the soul heals and remembers its true nature, the rays of inner light grow longer and reach farther. And so it is for all of us. Blossom. Share your wisdom. Nurture your vision.

Dear Reader, Welcome to a new season. I wish you a beautiful, light-filled summer and a renewed sense of connection—to yourself and to the world around you. Friday was my birthday. I'm grateful to have been born on the longest day of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere. The older we grow, perhaps the more we return to who we truly are, who we have always been. I celebrate the ongoing work of healing the soul, of remembering. We all come into this world original and full of light. As a...

Dear Reader, Looking to Live a More Inspired Life? It has been my honor and pleasure to work with some wonderful women over the past two years on living more inspired, aligned, and present lives. I have met some incredible people, and I would like to introduce you to some of them and their resources. It always amazes me when a supportive resource or the missing piece of a puzzle shows up at the perfect time in life. I love it when that happens! Today's note from me is an invitation to kick...

Mindful Release and Rebirth

Dear Reader, Lately, I’ve been feeling a persistent nagging feeling—a sense that something needs to be shed or released. Is it as simple as a spring clean, a decluttering of the space around me? Most certainly, that is necessary. Is it one of the many half-finished projects hanging like a dark cloud overhead? Quite possibly. Or is it something deeper, more elusive—an outdated version of myself tethered to her limiting beliefs and stale mindsets? Or perhaps, it’s something obvious, staring me...

Happy Spring Reader, I have learned that some of the most profound lessons in gratitude come when we pay attention along life’s winding road to the wrong turn, the unexpected kindness of strangers, or the pain we didn’t plan for. Both the happy and unhappy accidents reveal how interconnected we are and what we’re here to learn from one another. The journey—both literal and emotional—is always our teacher if we stay awake to it. It uproots us from comfort and reminds us how much we rely on...

Mindful Anger

Anger is a Momentary Madness Dear Reader, Instantly, you may be shouting, “Yes, I am!” Or you may be recoiling because you don’t like to feel anger. Yet, anger plays a role in each of our lives. Obviously, excessive and unmanaged anger is a problem. However, repressed anger, not as easily seen or acknowledged, is also problematic. Just a disclaimer here: I am not a psychologist (nor do I play one on TV) and am no expert on anger. In fact, quite the opposite. First, I don’t enjoy...

Dear Reader, What I know is that mindfulness practice has completely transformed my life. Last week, the Start Centered Mindful Awakening online Course and Coaching Program began and we revisited the how and why of mindfulness together. It struck me just how far I’ve come in terms of self-acceptance, pain management, and fostering equanimity in my life. I know that with practice, mindfulness will change your life for the better as well. The waters of the world are rough right now. Many of us...

Mindful Love and Energy

Dear Reader, Thank you for being part of my community. Writing to you helps me stay focused on what’s important in life. Sincerely, thank you. Watch, Protect, & Restore: Our Energy is Our Responsibility Lately, many friends and family members have expressed feeling depleted, both personally and due to the state of the world. I feel the same, and realize that it's time to be more intentional with how I spend my time and energy. My friend Becca recently mentioned the Counting Crows’ song A Long...

Jess Bane Robert, Mindfulness Coach

Dear Reader, First, thank you to the folks who showed up last week for the Start Centered online mindfulness circle. I so appreciated the company and really needed it. Why? A growing cloud of loss and change dominated life leading up to the holidays this year. We put to sleep my dear dog and greatest companion of 16 years; my family, immediate and extended, had shifted and morphed leaving a disconnect and a change in traditions; my body suffered new injuries leading to decreased vitality and...