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...
19 days ago • 1 min read
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 Or is it something deeper, more elusive—an outdated version of myself tethered to her limiting beliefs and stale mindsets?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...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
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...
2 months ago • 6 min read
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...
3 months ago • 4 min read
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...
3 months ago • 2 min read
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...
5 months ago • 5 min read
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...
6 months ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader, I recently posted pictures on Facebook of the dogs resting nose to nose; the caption read, “The more time I spend with them, the more dog I become.” As we all know, there are many lessons to be learned from dogs — like, love unconditionally, be loyal, stop to smell the roses (or more likely other foul smelling substances), and just be. It’s this last lesson that relates to the Dutch term niksen that I want to share with you. Embracing Niksen: The Art of Doing Nothing for Greater...
7 months ago • 7 min read
Dear Reader, “The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be.” — Konrad Lorenz, zoologist and founding father of ethology, the study of animal behavior When I started this note days ago, I wanted to discuss presence and how the vitality and richness of life come down to present-moment awareness. Since then, I have been spending every moment with my ailing, almost-16-year-old dog, Carmelita, or Carma as we most often call her. Our time together in the past weeks...
10 months ago • 5 min read