Offering someone compassion doesn't always feel as easy as criticizing them. Because it feels hard it might even feel “better” to criticize before we offer compassion. Sit with that for a second… it feels better to criticize others than it does to offer compassion. Not just others, but yourself too. It feels better to criticize yourself than to offer yourself compassion because that is easier. Like water, we do take the path of least resistance. But like water in a flood zone, that path can certainly be destructive! 

Today, I want you to check your inner dialogue. Whether it’s walking through the store or after a conversation with your co-workers or interacting with a customer. Your knee-jerk response is likely one with a negative approach. “What is she wearing?” “I cannot believe she allows her kids to do that!” “Grow up and manage your money like an adult and you wouldn’t need to put items back.”...

Most of my clients will tell me that they love working with me because I don’t sugarcoat things. I’m going to tell you exactly how it is. My patients and their families will say the same thing. Sometimes, those things are hard to hear. I understand it is hard and that’s why I say it. 

No, I don’t enjoy bursting your bubble, but I do enjoy watching you grow and succeed. You don’t work with me, or even read these blogs because you want to hear that you’re a perfect human being and you could do nothing better, and if something goes wrong it is always someone else’s fault. No… you’re here to grow. You’re here to get tips, tricks, and insights that help guide you to become the purest version of yourself that you can be. You’re here to gain a new perspective and make lasting changes in your life that lead you to peace and happiness and out of burnout and exhaustion.

The journey isn’t always...

My husband and I have this great arrangement in our marriage. If I’m working at the hospital, he cooks supper, if I’m not, I cook. I had mentioned this at work one day and one of the ladies told me how lucky I was that he would do that. For a while, I thought she was right, I am pretty lucky, not every husband would cook for his family while his wife worked 12+ hour days. And then I thought… wait a second. Although I have a great husband who is loving a supportive, I’m not "lucky" that he cooks supper 3 times a week. It’s not about luck as much as it is the things we value. We have an understanding of each other’s time and energy… Don’t go all thinking that my husband is more evolved than any other man because truthfully he is not. He calls all my work woo-woo and has never once read a personal development book in his life. However, from day one in our relationship, I knew that my time, my energy, and my financial contribution...

We are seeing so many shifts in our society right now. Shifts in inclusivity; shifts in how we use technology; shifts in how our kids receive their education; shifts in what social gatherings look like... Many things are shifting. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable to change. It’s uncomfortable to see new, to embrace new, to like new. However, it’s sitting in that discomfort that we grow and evolve. It’s how change becomes everlasting, not just in society but in us as individuals as well. 

Throughout history, women have had to fight for equality and the same freedoms or rights that men have. For instance, the right to vote (Wyoming Territory, 1869. USA, 1920), the right to equal pay in the workplace (1963), right to obtain your own bank account without a man’s name on it (the 1960s, credit cards 1974), right to participate in education and school-sponsored extra circulars: Title IX (1972), right to take birth control as an unmarried woman (1972),...

Social media is as wonderful as it is frustrating. Often, we joke about how grateful we are that Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok weren’t around when we were kids. Oh, the shenanigans we could have gotten into! Not to sound too cliche here, but times are a-changin’! Obviously, technology has a big play in that. We are no longer waiting for snail mail letters and once a month phone calls to our family members. Dialing long distance is hardly a blip on the radar anymore. Getting film developed is a thing of the past. It’s all instant. Instant connection. Instant communication. Instantly shareable. Not just with family and friends, but the whole world, strangers included. Again, as wonderful as it is frustrating. 

Do you know what else is changing? Social norms. Those things that once were not okay are beginning to become okay. Did you know in the 1960’s it was not okay for a belly button to show on TV? It’s true. Mary Ann and...

There is a quote that says something like, “Preach the gospel every day, and when necessary use words.” I love this as it is a great reminder that actions speak louder than words. Not just in a religious tradition, but in how we show up in the world. There is often some dispute between the way people act and the words they preach. So many tasks are easier said than done. Everyone has great intentions and poor execution. We all WANT things to be different, but very few people do the work to create a different life. There’s never any judgment here, but what a great opportunity for some self-reflection. 

My mom always used to tell me, “do as I say, not as I do” anytime she was going against her own teachings. “Don’t cross your legs like that, it’s bad for your circulation and your hips” “Don’t drink pop, it’s a hard addiction to break” “Don’t stay up too late, you need your...

Did you know March is endometriosis awareness month? Sure thing. This begs the question, do you know what endometriosis is?

Endometriosis is a condition where cells similar to the endometrial tissue inside of the uterus, grow on the outside the uterus. Usually, this just affects organs in the pelvic cavity, but in rare cases, it can extend beyond and into other parts of the body. These cells function just like the cells inside of the uterus, thickening, breaking down, and bleeding in sync with your cycle. Since these cells grow in places they don’t belong, there’s no way for the body to release the excess cells. The body treats them as foreign, and scar tissue is created from the body’s response. That scar tissue and adhesions can lead to quite painful experiences and side effects, such as increased cramping, pelvic pain, infertility, pain with sex, constipation, or bladder issues, heavy bleeding, and/or anemia. There is not one defined cause and there is still...

I had an experience the other day that really made me think. It was a prime example of how we as women tear each other down. How instead of encouraging and embracing each other in their power, we work to prevent that in one another. Now, I’d imagine that most of us don’t do it on purpose, but it is something we need to begin to be aware of. I’ll tell you the story...

There I was having a conversation with someone about raising children. The struggles, the successes, the challenges, and all the things that come with guiding a young human in this crazy world. We have had different experiences, as she has her own biological children and no nieces/nephews and I have a bonus daughter, as well as many nieces and nephews. During our conversation, she said something to the effect of, “well you haven’t had children so you don’t really understand.” My knee-jerk reaction is to say, “yeah, you’re right” and give this person my power....

Have you ever felt like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Like you just need a breather, a break, a minute to be? Maybe you're the mom who has cried in the shower or at the kitchen sink, because that weight has to be released somehow. Most women will tell me, "there's not time." There's too much to get done to take a vacation or to even take a "day off." And that may be true. BUT... you don't necessarily need a vacation to release some of these burdens. You don't need a day off (although I don't discourage a good vaca, or stay-cation once in awhile), what you need is to learn how to carry the burdens that are only yours and more importantly, release the ones that are not. 

Two weeks ago we talked about recognizing the burdens that are not yours and leaving them where they are. Today, we're going to dive into how to release the ones you're already carrying. Often times, we think it is our responsibility to carry the weight of the world. Someone we love is hurting, so...