Have you ever had a young child run across a room to hug you? Or maybe gifted a dandelion bouquet? Possibly you’ve received an extra wet kiss from a baby, or a half-eaten cookie as a gesture of sharing. And you have likely experienced a moment when a child just wanted your undivided attention. Sometimes these experiences are endearing. Sometimes they make you giggle internally and sometimes your very exhausted self is a little worn out by the behavior. But each of those behaviors is that child's way of loving you. Remember that each child is just a small adult. They create their communication styles early. The child who offers you a dandelion bouquet communicates their love through the language of gifts. The child who offers you wet kisses is communicating through physical touch and the one asking for your undivided attention is asking for quality time. 

This concept is likely over the head of these children, but you will grasp it easily. To recap the five love...

So often my clients have opinions about how another mom is being a better mom than they are. She's doing this or that. She's better at this. She never does that—Etc etc etc. 

I get it. 

But I hate it. 

For 3 reasons.  

1. The shame game does not support anyone's growth or wellness.  
2. We never know what happens in the other 23 hours and 50 minutes of the day that you don't interact with this mother.  
3. You are not the mother of her kids and she is not the mother of yours.  

Let's Talk about this for a minute. 

What does it take to be a good mom? Is a working mom a good mom? Is a stay-at-home mom a good mom? Is the one who slaves in the kitchen making fully organic meals, who doesn't have time for board games as good as the mom who makes a frozen pizza and wins tonight's round of Uno? Is it the mom who has a girls' night once a week to refill her cup or the mom who...

Trying something new is hard. It can be exciting, exhilarating even, but taking that first step is downright difficult. We tend to be creatures of habit and don’t often veer from our routines and normalcy. When we do finally take that leap, there is a whole world of possibilities out there. 

I always find it is easier to do something different when I know as much as possible about what is coming next. Like having a roadmap to my new destination. I know where I am now and where I want to be later, and I use the map to get me there. So here’s your map to Purely You! 

You have a few different options for finding your purest self. Which one you choose is up to you. Since you’re here reading this, then you’ve already taken the first step! You’re consuming content that helps you to grow, change your mindset and explore strategies to become the best version of yourself that you can be. Another easy way to do this is with Wednesday...

I am a nurse and a Women’s Wellness Coach. 

When I tell people that I usually get one of three replies. 

1. What’s a coach? 
2. Why do I need one? 
3. And my favorite… “Do you have your own life together?” 

It seems that the term coach is being used for anything and everything these days. For many years we have recognized coaches for sports of all kinds, and even voice and speech coaches. It is in more recent years that coaches for every other aspect of life have started to emerge in droves. Nutrition, finances, mindset, meditation, lifting, running, you name it, they’re hireable. Other terms used for these people have been guide, mentor, and advisor. A rose by any other name… right? In this instance, coach, guide, mentor, advisor, etc, are basically the same. To coach, by definition is to train or instruct. As a Women’s Wellness Coach, I help coach you to find wellness, in your mind, body, and soul....

I just love the holiday season. I love being surrounded by family, the energy of giving, the increased compassion and joy. There are two things about the season that I really don’t love though. 1. The stress people put on themselves to be perfect. And 2. How it all stops the day after Christmas. 

In my church service on Christmas morning, we heard the priest discuss how the Christmas holiday is celebrated for eight days. He encouraged us to say Merry Christmas through the New Year because Christmas isn’t over yet… the general public doesn’t totally agree though. If you walk into the store the day after Christmas (usually even before), you’ll find Valentine’s candy in place of that Christmas Spirit among the patrons. It seems as if Christmas leaves us faster than it sneaks up on us from year to year.  

Those that are stressed by the need for Christmas perfection are grateful when it's over and life can "get back to...

There I was, working with a client in a routine wellness session and I was hit with one of those phrases that make me stop in my tracks and write it down. Why? Because it is so simple, yet at that moment feels so profound. I mean I teach these concepts to my clients every day. We are always working on some variety of self-care, self-discovery, setting boundaries, and healing from our past. I have been doing this for over 8 years, and every now and then, a phrase will hit me like a ton of bricks. This session was one of those times.

See, when we allow our boundaries to be ignored, when we put ourselves last, when we take care of everyone and everything else without also taking care of ourselves, we end up unwell. For some, that looks like burnout. For some, that manifests physically. Sometimes, it's chronic fatigue, a short temper, or turning to food, alcohol, or other substances to get through the day. That will due in the short term, but eventually, it causes distress that must be...

I see you out there, thinking you are superwoman. Telling yourself you can do it all. You WILL do it all. "No" is not a word in your vocabulary. Of course, neither is sleep, but hey you'll have those 4 dozen cookies for the school bake sale tomorrow. I can pick you out of the crowd because that used to be me.

We have created a society that prides itself on busyness. We have trapped ourselves in the belief that to be busy is to be successful, and that to be busy is where we find our happiness. That by saying no and honoring our time, we are somehow failing. I used to take it ALL on. Do it all. I was tough enough to handle it. I was able to survive. I was strong... and I was miserable. I had given every ounce of myself to please those around me and told myself it was all from a place of service and love. Now, that's not entirely wrong, but what my young self failed to realize is that by never saying no, I was exhausting all my resources. I wasn't getting enough sleep, eating right, or...

In the hustle of it all, sometimes we forget the things that really matter. 

In a world full of negativity, sometimes we tell ourselves stories that are not true. 

In a society that sets unreal expectations, sometimes we feel inadequate. 

Today, I remind you...

You are worthy. 

You are a blessing. 

You are strong.  

You are capable.  

You are independent.  

You are valuable.  

You are patient.

You are creative.

You are compassionate.  

You are smart.  

You are empowered.  

You are beautiful. 

You are radiant. 

You are purposeful. 

You are fun. 

You are a badass. 

You are clever. 

You are adaptable. 

You are intellectual. 

You are inspiring. 

You are amazing. 

You are gorgeous. 

You are unstoppable. 

You are fierce. 

You are sensational. 

You are loved.

You deserve to achieve every dream you have. 

...

Something that is often taught in leadership development is the art of delegation.  Learning what tasks to hand to others on your team and empowering them to accomplish those tasks can really change the way your team interacts, and of course,  lightens your load too! 

This concept can be the same in your household too. You know better than anyone that you're the captain of that ship. It's up to you to make sure there are clean clothes to wear, grandma gets a birthday card,  and the goldfish has been fed.  Sometimes the weight of it all feels unbearable. Overwhelming. Even frustrating. 

What would happen if you began to delegate some of those tasks or responsibilities? Of course,  you're not going to have your toddler paying bills,  but they could probably feed the fish.  Are your children old enough to wash their own clothes? What about being responsible for a meal or a side dish? 

Now you're probably thinking...

One of the biggest complaints I hear from moms is that they just don’t have time. There is no time for the laundry, the dishes, the floors, the kids, the pets, or the husband, much less time for themselves! Throw in your work responsibilities and now not only is there no time, but there’s also hardly any energy! Constantly feeling like there is not enough time causes a lot of guilt, and maybe even a bit of shame too. The peace that you should feel when you finally get to crawl into bed for the night is overshadowed by the list of things you didn’t get done today. I know how you feel, I’ve been there too. Sometimes I am still there. It would be so easy for me to tell you, “you’re just putting too much on yourself and you need to lighten up”... But I think you’d reach right through this screen and slap me if I did that! Yes, we can hear those words, or similar ones, and agree that that would help, but deep down we know that hearing it...