Are you one of those people that replays a conversation over in your mind for days thinking, “oh I should have said THAT instead!” or “what was I thinking when I uttered those words?” To some degree, we all do this. Self-reflection is a part of how we learn to be the best version of ourselves we can be. Maybe it is in that moment of awareness that you realize you could have turned a situation into a teaching moment instead of yelling at your child. Maybe in that reflection, you realize you weren’t very kind and need to apologize. Maybe, you realize that you didn’t hold your boundaries and there’s still work to do in that part of your life. All of these things are okay, as long as you allow yourself to grow through them. 

This type of inner dialogue becomes a hindrance when you dwell on the what-ifs and could have beens, instead of ways to improve the next similar encounter. Dwelling on the negative aspect often leads to feelings...

You’ve likely heard the term, “the weight of the world is on your shoulders” or some variation of that anyway. After a session, my clients will often tell me, “I feel so much lighter” because we always work to relieve some of that weight. That heaviness we carry around thinking everything and everyone is our responsibility does not serve us, mentally, spiritually, or even physically. Now, you may start thinking this sounds a little woo-woo but hear me out. 

Think about someone who gets a tension headache. They experience sustained, intense stress (emotion), and that leads to a headache or even migraine (physical symptom). Or the person who vomits (physical symptom) when they get nervous (emotion). See every emotion we experience carries its own energy and is held in a specific part of our body. When we hold onto that emotion for too long it can cause build-up or stagnation and that leads to physical ailments. 

Energy should...

“I’m so weird.”

I hear that from clients from time to time and it always makes me smile. Webster's definition of weird is, “of strange or extraordinary character.” 

Isn’t that interesting… strange OR extraordinary? We don’t usually use those words interchangeably, yet they are both listed in this definition. Generally, strange has more of a negative connotation in our society, and extraordinary is a positive one. And this is why I smile when people self-proclaim being weird. Because aren’t we all? 

Aren’t we all a little of both? A little mix of good and bad, strange and extraordinary, light and dark? 

Often when this comes up in conversation, it is used as a precursor to a statement that a person may feel judged for. For example, “I’m weird, I like carrots dipped in peanut butter.” Or, “Maybe, I’m weird but I’d rather shower at night instead of...

 As we watch the world wake up in the spring, it brings to mind new beginnings, new life, and a fresh start. January 1 is usually credited for all the “new” ideas, plans, and goals in our life, but who says you can create new goals any time of year? Or that your priorities can’t change mid-year? Shoot, sometimes your priorities change mid-week, or even before noon some days. While that is just the nature of life sometimes, it can also show a lack of commitment or an unfounded goal. 

Looking back at the last time you made a goal or a resolution, have you been able to honor it? Are you making choices every day that get you closer to reaching it? If not, why is that? 

Maybe the last time you set a goal, your priorities were very focused on physical wellness, but an injury has forced you to change what that looks like for you. Maybe your goal was all about getting your home organized, and then you found out that you were unexpectedly going...

Have you ever heard the quote about how a flower doesn’t care what the flower next to it looks like, it just blooms anyway? We can all learn something from that, but this isn’t a conversation about knowing your worth and shining brightly in the garden of life. 

No, this is about not asking those around you to bloom before they are ready. 

One of the hardest parts of your self-development journey is accepting that the people around you might not be on a journey of their own, or at least not in the same place that you are. Once we start down this growth journey, we are ready for everyone to join us right away. You know the difference it makes in your life, and you begin to recognize all the ways those closest to you could live fuller lives, and you want so desperately for everyone to be there with you. 

One could liken this moment to when you first fall in love. Everything is good, you walk on clouds, and you want to shout from the...

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. As a Women’s Wellness Coach and an Infertility Warrior myself, this week holds a special place in my heart. As women, there is so much about our bodies that are not really taught to us. Whether that is policy inside of the school system, parents who are uncomfortable with that conversation, or who were also not given that education so they cannot pass it on. Whatever the reason is, so many women don’t begin to fully understand their bodies until they are trying to get pregnant, or they are in the delivery room. If you want to help change that in our society, check out my online course for parents/daughters: Let’s Talk: Anatomy, Puberty, and Periods. 

While I was a victim of a school system that didn’t educate the topic well and a family that didn’t openly talk about these things, I craved this knowledge about my body from early on in my life. When my husband and I began to discuss growing our...

You know that feeling when you’ve eaten more than you should? The one where you have to unbutton your pants, and couldn’t possibly have one more bite, even though the food was delicious? One could say, you were at capacity at that moment. We’ve all been there and in reality, we are all ready for another meal within the next 12 hours. Just as long as it’s not right that second. Because that feeling of fullness is such a physical symptom, it is easy to recognize it and honor it. You know darn good and well if you ate another piece of pie you’d likely be miserable, so you take a break from food and don’t think twice about it.

Why don’t we honor our need for a break in life’s obligations as well? When your plate is already full, how often do you take on one more thing? One more activity, responsibility, or obligation? Even though your schedule is stuffed and you’ll be uncomfortable taking on one more thing? 

We are...

Most women are wired to be helpful. To be caregivers. To lend a hand to someone in need. Often we don’t think twice about it. Most of the time that “I will do it” behavior comes from the caregiver side of us. But sometimes, there’s a different motive. 

Sometimes, we are control freaks. We need everything done exactly this way or that, at exactly this time.

If you’ve ever had these thoughts you know exactly what I’m talking about:

“I’ll just do it myself because you’ll mess it up.”

“You are just so slow, it’ll be faster if I do it”

“I’m going to have to fix it if I let you do it, so I’ll just do it right the first time.”

“You will make such a mess, I better do it”

“The tracks on the lawn have to be perfectly straight, so I can’t let you mow.” 

This type of behavior gets us into trouble for a few different reasons. One, we often put so...

Did you ever get lost as a kid? Maybe got distracted in the grocery store when mom made it to the next aisle without you? Do you remember that immediate feeling of unease and maybe even panic? It was so hard to think clearly because you were LOST! It was a gut-wrenching feeling, wasn't it? 

Now, let me ask you this… have you ever thought to yourself, “I just don’t even know who I am anymore.”? While you may know and trust that you will survive this season of life, that feeling of “lost” still brings up some unease in your psyche. Consider the idea that a part of you feeling off is that you have lost yourself. Lost in the hustle, lost in your kids, your job, and your household obligations. 

A little real talk… when was the last time you did something that was just to fill your own cup? Not something to “deal with the day” or to “get away from it all” but something that genuinely made you...

I was listening to a book the other day that explained the difference between "best practice" and "evidence-based practice" in healthcare. When I was in nursing school one thing they drilled into our heads over and over was to always perform evidence-based care instead of doing things because "that's the way they've always been done."  It got me thinking about how often in life we accept what is happening as "normal" because that is just the way it's always been. "Normal" is different in different parts of the world, different workplaces, and even inside different households. One could even go as far as to say normal is different for each body. But that is when this idea of "normal" gets a little dicey. See, so much of what we have accepted as normal in our body, might not be. Because it is common, does not mean it is normal.  When it comes to your health and your wellness it is important to distinguish between the two. 

For example, it is common for smokers to...