Feeling the Pressure?

To work longer and harder?
To be all things to all people?
To meet all expectations?
To be perfectly flexible? Adaptable? Accommodating?

Stop.

The world is racing at an alarming rate. It is not possible to be all things, to all people, all the time. We place far too much pressure on ourselves, which can leave us feeling more like failures than the loving, compassionate, and supportive people we are.

5 Daily Steps to Keep Your Cool Under Pressure

Slow down.
Hydrate
Breathe deep.
Move your body.
Work smart

• Slow Down. Slowing allows us to focus. In turn, we often speed up by moving much more efficiently through the task at hand.

• Hydrate. Most Americans are dehydrated most of the time. Consuming enough quality water (no plastic containers please) wards off hunger and a host of other issues. 

• Breathe Deep. Breathing deeply into the base of the belly allows for our nervous systems to rest, repair, and reset. Take five minutes today to just breathe.

• Move Your Body. Exercise. Walk to work. Stand up and move away from your desk every 90 minutes and stretch. Dance. The benefits are beyond measure.

• Work Smart. It only takes a few tools and techniques to focus, power down, and complete more work in less time. Ask me.

From this more neutralized state, we create more space for the pleasures of life. And suddenly the pressure is off.

We find fortune and gratitude in the opportunities to:

Create Every Day
Commune with Nature
Gather with Family, Friends and Furry Companions
Celebrate

Set Me Free

More and more people are “waking up”. 

What does this even mean?

People are realizing they don’t exactly feel free in their own lives. While this is our birthright, managing the realities of life in these hectic modern times makes freedom feels more elusive than ever.

What a racket.

We followed the rules.

But damn if we are still not quite where we want to be. Where we were told we would be by gaining a good education, obtaining a secure job, marrying, having children, serving our communities, along with other more traditional ways of being.

Today, we are simply living in a different era. In the 1900’s, we moved from the Industrial Age to the Information Age. Now we are moving into what is more of a multisensory age or holographic era.

There are many terms coming into fruition for this “age” depending on where you choose to search. But as a holistic health practitioner, we see plenty of people moving from holistic, referencing the whole, to experiences that appear to be multi-dimensional. Stemming from the Information Age, moving at the speed of light, we will see what the future holds. For now, with so much coming at us from every direction, there is no way humans are not evolving in order to cope, for better or for worse.

This might sound a little out there. But times are changing at an ever-increasing rate. We are all being encouraged to become a lot more open to possibility, new ways of thinking, and fast-paced change, yes? Larger government and corporate structures are not keeping pace for the people, so we must become fast and light in order to move with the times. Releasing attachments to essentially all forms of security and stability is becoming not only a way to survive, but also an avenue toward living in flow with whatever is happening around us. This is how we set ourselves free.

Simplified, we find freedom in two realms.

Outer:

            • of this world, physical, material

            • homes, cars, financials, environments

            • anything we can touch and feel in everyday life

Inner:

            • the endless chatter in our minds

            • to do lists, keeping up with the Jones’, judgments, projections, blaming, etc. of ourselves and others

            • thoughts that lead to feelings, beliefs and actions that do not serve personal/professional relations

In order to be set free, we must drop current identities in some ways to allow for the next chapter to unfold. Tapping into our truths allows us to begin.

Tapping into our individual truths, we figure out what we love. Maybe we thought we knew, but often we realize something new! We discover what works for us and only us – whether that is how to re-create a career or trust the process that is true and unique to a loved one. We learn what lights us up. We ask ourselves questions. We ask other people questions. With this self-awareness, we soon understand how to stay in our own lanes and trust that everyone around us is doing the best they can. We then learn how to better relate to others. Tool and techniques to drop out of our heads and into our hearts are key. Simplified, but this is the way to set ourselves free. 

Ask me how to start this process. 

This inner freedom translates to outer freedom and vice versa. When our minds are “right”, we better create the outer worlds we desire. This, in turn, lends to supporting our inner worlds and creating more freedom. 

We have all heard the adage, “if there is one thing that is constant it is change”. In this new multi-dimensional era, it is now fast-paced change. The cool thing about this is that when we are committed to making our own shifts, they can happen quickly, too.

Tapping into tools and techniques that we can apply to each day is one way to find and/or hang on to our freedom. Ironically, we must release identities, attachments, and control – a similar hanging on – to be set free. Truly a delicate balance.

There is no one way to do it. There is no right way to do it. There is no race or competition or deadline. Other than that it is becoming very clear that we are running out of time. Let’s set one another free.

In the words of the Ram Dass, “You wake up at the rate you wake up.” 

We start where we are. Let’s start today.

How Well Do You Know Your Water?

How well do you know your water?

As a health coach, the first items we put our eyes on are nutrition and exercise.

Quality and quantity of food and water plus movement. These are the basics.

Three of our biggest health issues in First World countries are:

~ Chronic dehydration

~ Inflammation

~ Acidity in the body (cancer cells grow well in acidic environments)

As a *holistic* health coach, we inspect all realms of life because the psychology behind why it’s challenging for many to make initial changes to nutrition and exercise habits, or a financial situation, is almost always connected to deeper unresolved issues.

For those of you who know me, you know that health and well-being is one of the primary fabrics of my life. As a lifelong athlete, competitive gymnast turned outdoor-adventuring athlete, I'm all about the get-outside-and-go. As a wellness obsessed turned holistic health professional and yoga teacher, I support people personally and professionally toward extraordinary health and well-being.

The quality of water we drink is crucial to our health. 

Yes, for those of us who live in a country with tap water available at the turn of a handle, we are LUCKY. We are fortunate. But why not uplevel ourselves individually so that we are thinking and acting with more clarity to come together to make something such as quality water possible for more people globally? 

When we live in heightened states of well-being, it’s far more possible to create positive change for ourselves rippling out creating positive change for many.

Not all water is equal.

Most of the water we drink today is contaminated by medications, fluoride, chlorine, heavy metals and copious amounts of chemicals. These toxic materials flood our environments from different directions, including from an ever-increasing number of petrochemical plants.

Water filters on the market often strip the water of minerals and mold is common, an awful thought for those with mold and mildew allergies and sensitivities.

Not to mention that our skin is our largest organ. Anything that coats the epidermis is absorbed into the body. 

Bottled water? Bottled anything? Plastic. Plastic. Plastic. Plastic bleeds into the water we drink, not to mention being a complete environmental disaster. Consider your lotions, potions, and water. 

With a couple decades of paying close attention, I believe I am doing right by my current quality of water intake and even the water I am bathing in - the most amazing, healing water available.

This water also allows us to cut down on hair products (always bottled in plastics), cleansers (more chemical and plastic pollution), and my pooch has proven to prefer better water, too.

Animals are far more intuitive than we are. Plus, they are driven by their sense of smell. Most will choose drinking water free of medications, fluoride, chlorine, heavy metals, and chemicals.

I did a few taste tests with our 95-pound Swiss Shephard, even switching bowls, to be sure.

At a young 47 years old in the fall of 2017, I completed full medical workups. My M.D. who is also a Functional Medicine Doctor found not a thing wrong with me since curing myself of most allergy issues, exercise-induced asthma, adrenal fatigue, and skin rashes through lifestyle shifts.

Yet I was still constantly thirsty.

I researched water like crazy while living in Los Angeles given that antidepressants are well-known to be present in the tap water. But nothing I tried made a difference in quenching my thirst.

I drank so much water, accompanied by endless visits to the ladies room, thus assuming I was hydrated. I chalked it all up to being a hyperactive athlete living in dryer climates.

But now, I am no longer thirsty because of the quality of water I’ve been consuming over the last few months. Problem solved.

This water: 

Hydrates the body 6 times faster than tap or bottled water

Neutralizes acidity (pH levels) in the body

Anti-aging given daily intake of its high levels of anti-oxidants

Improves digestion AND sleep

Kills 99% of bacteria and germs, chemical-free

Reduces oxidation (aging), reduces inflammation

Plus - 100’s of extra uses from cleaning vegetables to facial toner to cleaning our homes.

I use a certified medical-grade device used in over 400 Japanese hospitals. Many lodges and restaurants are now also employing this health technology making their food and water taste better while making good health happen. Two birds with one stone - working smart.

In a couple of months, my mystery hydration issue has at long last been resolved.

My skin is showing a little more glow even in the coldest and driest of climates - Wyoming Winters.

I can’t wait to see further results come spring. Hoping to shed a few years by then. (Wink Wink)

Questions? Book a call to learn more.

Water is Life III

As a life long outdoor adventurer, I continually zoom in further on the environment and our intimate connections with the elements - earth, air, fire, water.

But the microscope must also be able to zoom out to see and understand the scope of the big picture. Everything is connected. 

When we begin to pay attention to the details of our lives, breathing deep into the unfamiliar cavities of our physical, mental and emotional realms, we can begin to see that the veil is thin and all realms of our health and well-being are inextricably linked.

This third installment of Water is Life focuses on freedom. 

The people living in Cancer Alley deserve freedom from what they are experiencing. The people living at Standing Rock deserve the same freedom. The people now fighting for their clean waters and clean lands in Canada deserve their freedom, too. 

This is our birthright.

No human should have clean air, clean water, clean soil, or clean food stripped from life. When these basic elements are threatened, we are deprived of our physical, mental and emotional freedom. Without these basics components being clean, it is impossible to have strong capable bodies, clear minds, and thoroughly processed emotions. All of these elements are connected. This is holistic health.

Why Water?

Water is a reoccurring theme. It keeps reappearing, so I keep paying attention. In seeking solutions to solve problems, I had to return to the water to become whole again. With this learning, I returned to myself. Without returning to the self, we are unable to support and serve others.

The great outdoors became my passion once I escaped the hot, humid, inland, muggy, buggy lands of South Louisiana. I loved the ocean when we were lucky enough to make an annual trip to the Gulf or Atlantic coasts of Florida. But where I grew up there was no ocean in sight. We once tried to go directly south to the Louisiana coast. As kids, much to our dismay, there were no squeaky-clean white sandy beaches with beautiful blue-green ocean waters.

Hardly. The nature of the mouth of the Mississippi River, laden with chemical plants, does not offer clean air, water or soil.

Moving to Wyoming opened my eyes to the pristine beauty that exists in lesser known parts of my own country. Living, breathing and experiencing other lands and cultures on an intimate basis has allowed new-to-me elements to become permanently woven into my physical and psychological fabric. A trip is a super introduction. Living in different places long term allows for integration.

Living at the ocean in Southern California, I tapped into a more familiar realm. Reclaiming the feminine left behind in the alpha-driven mountains was something I had no idea I needed. When the masculine was the driver to make things happen, achieve, succeed, and survive for so long, the feminine was all but forgotten. 

This constant lean into the masculine eventually wreaked havoc on my personal health and well being. The ocean, over time, taught me something I had never deeply learned in the first place - to receive. That one is still a challenge as a self-made individual. Sometimes I still have to force myself to receive a compliment or any gift, and say thank you with zero guilt. 

The ocean also retaught me to embrace trusting my intuition as I did at 22. Trust my gut. Trust the “knowing” of my right-brain dominant, creative, intuitive, and expressive self. While smashed in today's left-brain dominant modern society, she occasionally peeked her head above ground moving me to where I needed to be with all the ease and grace she could muster. Our world is thankfully now beginning to see the itsy bitsy tiny beginnings of reclaiming the feminine. I cannot wait to see what happens as 2019 continues to unfold.

Physical Realm

We have nothing without what Mother Earth naturally provides. Organic goodness, rich in the exact medicines we need, both internally and externally.

As we love our birthplaces and remain grateful for all they gave to us, home is now multiple places. With this experience, we gain greater understanding of the contrast, the pluses, the minuses, and begin to further embrace that there is no one "right" way. With this beginner mindset in place, we become more open, we learn, we thrive.

Tapping into different physical realms gave way to tapping into deeper emotional realms.

Emotional Realm

While I love where I was born, I felt suffocated by way too many expectations regarding how to BE. I felt oppressed by societal norms. I was judged and now twice disowned for not following most of the rules and regs. I couldn’t breathe within the suffocating confines of religion. I did not agree with the constant criticism of others. I could not stand the blatant patriarchal ways that continue to dominate within work and life. As a female, I was asked to be quiet, be good, behave, be nice, set good examples, smile, and obey. Oh wait… Don’t disappear, but don’t shine too bright either. Beyond confused by constant contradictions offered as to how to be seen and heard, it's a wonder any of us made our own way in the world. And, respect. How the f*ck to kindly ask for, much less command, some respect? Without being labeled as “crazy” or a “total bitch”. Yep, we’ve all heard it all. 

This truly insane conditioning lives deep in our bones and deep in our cells. It is ancestral. Generations of living in submission, lowering our voices, behaving as expected, following the rules. 

Don't forget to smile. 

Patterns

Patterns create pathways. Within our minds, actual neural pathways. 

These patterns guide our thoughts. 

Thoughts trigger our choices.

…which trigger our behaviors

…which trigger our experiences

…which release emotional responses

Emotional responses that we become addicted to whether positive or negative.

Another way of creating an understanding of this phenomenon is rooted in the psychology of yoga.

Samskaras. Subtle impressions of past actions. 

The intention behind these actions that we perform with full awareness are the ones that make the greatest impressions on our minds. 

It is the intention behind that action that gives power to that action. 

Essentially, samskaras are the impression or impact of the action we take with full awareness of its goals. Each time we repeat the action, it leaves an impression in our minds. With repetition of the action, the impression becomes stronger until the action becomes a habit. Once a habit, it is not something you remain consciously aware of as it is now a pattern, a new neural pathway created within the mind. You no longer have to set an intention or goal around it. It's now a part of your being, part of what you do, part of who you are.

When "habit patterns" become so ingrained that our body chemistry is altered, they are called "addictions" - positive or negative. At this point, we have no recollection of the beginnings of the patterns. Our mental world is fully under the influence of these impressions on our mind, inextricably woven into our personalities and how we perceive the world.

Positive or negative, we humans move towards what is familiar, what is ingrained, those old familiar patterns, what we were raised with rather than something that is new and unknown.

SO...

Mental Realm

If we want to create a future that’s different from what already exists, we have to step into the unknown. We must try something new. We must shift and change our thoughts.

We have 70,000 thoughts every single day and 90% of them are the exact same thoughts we had the day prior.

So how do we change our thoughts?

We find new ways to pay attention to our thoughts.

We slow down.

We pay attention to the breath .

We link breath with movement.

We stop. We sit still.

We unplug.

We pay attention.

We notice.

We notice the thoughts.

We notice whether a thought is positive or negative.

We shift the thought toward positive.

Over and over.

A practice.

A practice that can be practiced any time, anywhere.

Practice and all is coming. - Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

In doing this, we are creating a brand new feedback loop.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It’s quite a process. 

It can take time.

But with commitment and absolute consistency, transformation happens. 

Sometimes with the pleasant surprise of rapid evolution.

Fighting for folks to discover modalities to train their brains and find freedom is woven deep into my holistic health practices. There is no denying that everything is connected. Improving one realm of life more often than not improves most of the others.

No one - no one - is "successful" within all realms. We learn to take charge and take action. We also learn to be receptive and go with the flow. In this day and age, we have a lot to learn from the feminine, from water. Water is life.

Water is Life II

Water means many different things to many different people. Fisherman, travelers and surfers all have one thing in common. Water, holistically, is life. 

Life travels have taken me from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the deep snow of Wyoming mountains. Moving to the West Coast in 2008 to further personal and professional life, I landed in Venice, CA. As mentioned in the first installment of "Water is Life", I loved it. I still love it and return for work and play as much as possible. 

Tap Water

This is a first world country and we are immensely lucky to be provided with clean-er and easily accessible drinking water. Something we totally take for granted.

But have you investigated the tap water in major cities? Tap water was quite the topic in Los Angeles. My friends in my wellness and yoga communities, most being affluent and able, were borderline obsessed. And for good reasons. Anti-Depressants among other lovely ingredients are apparently on tap.

Yeah, yeah - like with anything these days, we can find both sides to any argument with Google.

But who is paying attention to how long term usage of what we perceive to be clean tap water, the tap water of 2018, will affect us? Around the world, coming from now chemical-laden lands, old pipes, and “treatment” to make it “consumable”, how much are we considering the true outcome of today's tap water? 

How many people in this great first world country of the United States are aware of the pH levels in our tap water? The pH levels in our own bodies?  The pH levels in the seemingly healthiest of humans? And the relationship between the two? 

I worked in the upper echelons of food and wine, serving those in the wealthiest and most well-educated counties of the nation. Guests would proudly state, night after night, that they preferred tap water from the local reservoir. To some degree this is great as most bottled water is proven to be no better, especially when bottled in plastic. But given their responses and reasoning, if this wealthy educated population is not informed, then how can the general public be informed? 

Consider that pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drugs are regulated, too. Yet how have they affected the well-being of the United States of America?

I’m no water pro, but as a holistic health coach, the first thing we put an eye on is food and water consumption. The quality of both matter. I’ve spent my fair share of time educating myself and others on these topics toward healthier lifestyles. This work is about shifting our minds and bodies for the better. This progression allows us to provide positive support of family, friends and teams on all levels.

I will never forget the color of my grandmother’s tap water in New Orleans. Yellow. Seriously. When we drew a bath, it was yellow. 

I don't know for sure what the correlation is between the diseases in my immediate family and grandparents and the water. But Cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and A.L.S. seems like too many major diseases for only eight people. A few variables to consider would be the food/water consumed, breast fed vs bottle fed, vaccinations, antibiotics, and swimming in ditches as kids with chemical plants located just around the corner. But I can certainly take a well-educated guess based on what scientists now offer today.

Yellow tap water. How is this any different from a Third World? Because it’s been treated - with what?! Yes, of course there are differences, between New Orleans and Haiti, but with population alone moving at an ever-increasing rate, where are we headed? I find it to be a bit of a concern given decades gone by. Populations exploding, over-consumption of everything, doctors doling out anti-depressants like candy... we are still asking…  where are we heading?

Too Close To Home

In May 2018, I found myself back in Louisiana due to loss of my sibling to A.L.S. In speaking with my childhood babysitters, they anxiously shared information about not only the well-known increase of cancer cases in Cancer Alley, but even another case of A.L.S., also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, within blocks of where we grew up. Hearing this at the services for my sister was too much. It led me into a tailspin again eventually leading to this writing. 

Again, I dove into research, trying to pin down how to create awareness around such outrageous happenings. Overwhelmed, I again set it aside. Yet today, I've reopened this vault and remain open to ideas, opinions, and teamwork as strength in numbers is everything.

This article, Cancer Alley: Big Industry, Big Problems highlights: “Clusters of poverty and sickness shadow America’s Industrial South”.

Shouldn’t we have heard a lot more about this by now?

Admittedly, I haven't lived in Louisiana since 1993. Perhaps it is a hot topic, but from what I can tell, it is swept under the rug much like the patriarchal tendencies. If you know differently, by all means reach out.

Had you heard of the depth of the poverty akin to a Third World country in the greater New Orleans area prior to Hurricane Katrina?

Yeah - maybe that's why we have heard so little...

The bottom image above is a vivid reminder of what I grew up breathing. Striking compared to the top image where I picked up and moved to in 1993, and where I reside part-time today. Clean air so sharp it shocked my lungs when I arrived. On the contrary… Chemicals. In the air. In the ground. In the water. Water that waters everything we ate. Water we swam in during hot humid summers. No escape. 

But hey - best sunsets in the world.

No matter whether your family comes from Uptown New Orleans or out in the 9th Ward, gritty Venice Beach of yesteryear or Beverly Hills, we are all consuming chemicals in immense quantities. The map below represents the realities of chemical plant emissions along the river from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. Whoa.

Given what we are all facing, growing exponentially in the last two years with our oh-so-great, so-called leader of the free world straight up attacking our environment, what can we do?

Small, local steps are awesome. But is it enough? 

Will change happen quick enough? For your kids? For your nieces and nephews? For any of us? 

The time is now. It is up to us. 

Everything is up to us. 

It is actually so far past time that we take matters into our own hands. 

Yes. Creating change is a lot of commitment.

Not only for oneself, but for the impact that ripples out from ONE person deciding to commit to change.

What do you want to CHANGE? 

For yourself? Your family? Your team?

If you don’t change, what will it COST you?

What will it cost them?

NO-BRAINER pro-environment baby steps dating back a few decades…

Bring your own coffee mug to the coffee shop.

Bring your own grocery bags to the grocery.

Say no to plastics of all kinds.

Say no to styrofoam. (The South loves styrofoam - WHY?!)

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. 

Pick up trash you see on the freaking ground!

VOTE. Vote with your purchasing power. Every penny counts.

Water is life.

Soil is life.

Holistic health is our birthright.

I hope to meet more people interested in telling these stories that matter. 

Water is Life I

Water is a reoccurring theme. It keeps reappearing, so I keep paying attention.

Holistic health includes all realms of life. As a holistic health coach and consultant, we cover this long list beginning with consumption: intake of food and water with a keen eye on quality. What it comes down to is that food and water is medicine, lifestyle is medicine, and by re-framing this, much of the physical, mental and emotional rebalance toward optimal, and then extraordinary living takes place.

First, I must address Cancer Alley.

Second, Water is Life II, will address what was shared first-hand from my childhood babysitters and neighbors in May 2018 who are still living in Cancer Alley today. Stories of not only cancer, but mysterious disease and even another case of ALS in addition to my sister’s in our same small neighborhood.

Third, Water is Life III, ties in freedom. We can lead horse to water, but we can’t force him to drink, right? But when there is a will there is a way. We then create opportunity.

CANCER ALLEY

Cancer Alley is a 150-mile stretch along the Mississippi River in South Louisiana from the capital of Baton Rouge down through New Orleans, home to over 100 industrial plants producing one quarter of our nation’s petrochemicals. Cancer Alley is where I grew up.

To quote activists within this realm…

"... taken from the book Petrochemical America by photographer Richard Misrach and landscape architect Kate Orff (2012): For the past 50 or more years, society has been increasingly reliant on the products of the organic chemical industry to supply the clothes we wear, the food we eat, our health, housing, transportation, security, and other commodities. Approximately 92% of organic chemical products are produced from petroleum, that is, fossil, or mineral, oil, and gas. In addition, these same resources are generally used to provide the large quantities of process heat and power needed by the industry. In the modern petrochemical industry, oil and gas inputs for both raw material and process energy compose around 50% of the operating costs. The result is that not only is the chemical industry (including petrochemicals) the industrial sector with the HIGHEST EMISSIONS WORLDWIDE, it is also very vulnerable to variations in fossil fuel prices and carbon prices.”

To state what I hope is rather obvious… if all of these chemicals are in the air we breathe, the earth, the food and water we consume, then what is becoming of human beings? 

Essentially, we are Cancer Alley.

Now the greater theme of this Water is Life series stems from my early days of breaking societal norms, leaving the expectations of others behind, thinking outside of the box, dropping fears and stepping into the great unknown, walking less accepted paths.

The story rolls from Cancer Alley to living in the lands of the free and the brave with room to roam and room to breathe, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I grew up in the Deep South of New Orleanian culture, firmly rooted in its European past alongside its revelry, layered with extremely conservative traditions and overarching patriarchal tendencies. Tendencies being a loose term. A culture of mixed messages laden with massive doses of guilt to keep its people in line. It was suffocating and challenging to navigate beneath the masks of manners and southern hospitality. It never felt free to me in any way. Oppressive would be more appropriate.

Being raised to “figure it out” on my own was another severe contradiction while saluting the culture's strict guidelines at the same time. None of it made sense. By the time I graduated from college I was beyond ready to run for the hills. And that is quite literally how it played out.

Folks from the South often say to me, “You are so lucky.” I never understood that luck had anything to do with it. I apparently channeled free will, climbed into my little beater car, stuffed a couple hundred dollars saved from my full-time “acceptable” minimum-wage job into my pocket, and rolled out.

No bragging or boasting here… I was only 22. I was financially on my own so did not feel indebted to anyone, trusted my gut and did what I suppose I needed to do so that I could breathe. So what does this have to do with water?

Well, my parents regularly reminded us that that my father had moved his family away from Cancer Alley to a healthier place. As a competitive child athlete, I became naturally inclined to focus on health, luckily escaping the eating disorders of other kid gymnasts and dancers. So while I understood what my father had deeply ingrained, I didn’t see much healthy living happening around us within the land of "laissez les bons temps rouler". Outside of the fact that my mother was a nurse who made sure we always had well-balanced meals with a salad on the table every single night, the general population is not health-conscious.

“Laissez les bons temps rouler” means Let the Good Times Roll, with a healthy dose of Catholic church services every Sunday, plus weekly Catechism classes to balance out the partying. Sin today, confess tomorrow. Then we’re allowed through the Pearly Gates at the end of life. No worries about how that much hedonism accompanied by massive guilt might affect the mind, body spirit. Insert eye roll.

College days, the most freeing time of my life, were also far from healthy. Partying at a massive SEC school at all hours most days of the week was the norm. Classes were not challenging and professors didn’t bother with roll call, so skipping class and passing was a breeze. Cheating and gaining copies of tests that never changed year after year was not only fine, but totally encouraged. Those days were a trip. 

Running for the hills, driving first to Colorado then Wyoming, my gut and likely my liver were yelling, “Hello. Can we please detox?!” My body spoke and I listened. While detox didn’t happen all at once, the shift happened. My nutritional consumption and lifestyle transitioned to far opposite of my homelands. Sticking to what was cutting-edge including vegetarianism and veganism throughout the 90’s, I transformed back into the athlete who excelled. As the years went by, additions of daily yoga and other progressive practices combined with continuing education proved effective. I even healed severe environmental allergy issues, sinus infections and exercise-induced asthma. Afflictions that had previously made life miserable. 

When you can't breathe on multiple levels, how can you feel free?

What does this have to do with water?

Our bodies are comprised of up to 70% water. Everything we consume that is best for us needs water to exist.

As a holistic health coach, I became amazed at the number of clients who did not realize basic water consumption was a massive component to cleaning and clearing their biological systems. Hydration was often key, but ignored in reaching their most basic goals such as losing those last 5 pounds. Quality and quantity of water consumption is one essential key to feeling less drained, run-down, hungry, and more clear-headed on a daily basis.

In 2007, I started having dreams about the ocean constantly. I was craving diving into salty ocean waters to the point that I could taste it. I had been land locked for over a decade. Blue waters beckoned. 

I co-founded a fashion line in 2006, so a move to the West Coast made sense not only for business, but in personally trusting my gut in support of my mind, body, and soul. As “woo woo” as that might sound, I packed up and it proved to be the best change I had made in years

While a lot of tumultuous events occurred given the 2008 Recession, to this day, Southern California is by far my favorite climate. The diversity and culture of Venice before it shifted to the more typical L.A. that is is today was almost as amazing as where I grew up. It will always be one of my favorite homes.

But it’s also crowded, polluted Los Angeles. The tap water quality is questionable at best. My friends in the wellness community I rubbed shoulders with in packed yoga classes daily were constantly geeking out on water quality, the pineal gland’s relationship with water quality, and all sorts of newer-to-me info hailing from Louisiana and the Rocky Mountain West. They were always just ahead of the curve and I soaked it up like a sponge. 

While on break from city life, grounding down back in the Wyoming mountains where I had spent my 20’s, life handed me yet another change of course. A freak accident resulting in a severely broken leg turned my break in the mountains into a full halt. I said, "OK, well if this is what’s happening, it is what it is.” I trusted the process. Thankfully, I was able to navigate what ensued including a second surgery a year later.

During this time, “Water is Life” was revived in my being with the Dakota Access Pipeline situation at Standing Rock in 2016. 

That movement moved me to tears daily.

Cancer Alley was refreshed in my being. The land where oil business is king and chemical plants are queens sitting within some of the most poverty-stricken areas of the United States. We don’t need to leave the country to see the Third World, folks. Livelihoods depend on the oil industry and the chemical plants. But many of the people are in denial or uninformed to this day of the cost. That cost being human lives. The health, wellbeing, and literally the lives of local residents are simultaneously being supported and stripped away.

I became obsessed with the unacceptable.

Living in affluent hyper-bubbles in Wyoming, Colorado and California, I felt far away, small, and even in trying to make change happen within my local community, somewhat disempowered. My community was alpha, highly competitive, and seemingly unable to identify from a small town where “co-opetition” wasn’t a concept I could communicate nor effectively embed even within the wellness industry.

But water quality is far from a new fight, right? Remember Erin Brockavich?

As for the manly men currently taking up space in the White House - the last couple years have certainly confirmed that they do not have our backs nor our best interests at heart. Entitlement is all around us.

Making shift happen is up to us. The time is now.

Travelling Well by Surfing Today

Have you considered how to "surf today"? Every day?

While we wish life were filled with perfect easy-to-surf waves, learning to “surf today” is the way.

Surfing each day, down to each moment, as it comes. 

Slowing down. Paying attention. Breathing. Staying present. 

Riding the waves. Riding the emotions. Easy tiny ones. Massive soul-crushing ones. They all show up. Our job is to navigate them with grace and finesse.

This is how we travel well through each and every day. By taking each wave, each emotion, each happening, each day, as it comes. One at a time. Noticing how they arise, the texture, the speed, and the intensity. Staying present, letting it pass, or paddling hard. Breathing, popping up and in, riding it out. 

We nod to the ancient wisdom of nomadic people who knew how to travell well. While leaning progressive, we use this archaic spelling of ‘travell’ to tip our hats with respect to those who came before us. They did not question “WTF?” when up against the challenges of a constantly shifting lifestyle. Adaptability and flexibility were the name of the game.

We have become sedentary in this modern life. We have become entitled. 

We expect everything without lifting a finger.

This is engulfing to the point where more humans than not are living with disease and dis-ease of the mind and body. Challenging ourselves toward upheaval so that we can uplevel might seem straight up silly. However, motivating ourselves in every single realm is the way to find our freedom. Persuading ourselves to go out in the ocean and stick with it. Inspiring ourselves to stay present in a relationship and stick with it.  

No one is going to do it for you.

Much like surfing, the environment of a transient being, nomad, or vanlifer is constantly shifting. As human beings, the environment within the self, our thoughts, emotions and feelings are also ever-changing. The waves are all different. Different in size. Different in force. Some roll slow and some close out hard and fast. The temperature or the wind can shift on a dime. The wind kicks up or the sun suddenly shines and your whole experience changes. The temperature of the water can also vary day to day. So any expectations must be left behind. You never really know what the waves will bring unless you get out there. 

Expect nothing, gain everything.

Translating surfing to life is great encouragement to relax, lower expectations of any kind, simultaneously challenge ourselves and then notice how we react. How do we adapt to self-inflicted change? How do we adapt to change beyond our control? Are we flexible? Are we rigid? Are we open? Do we shut down? Do we roll with it or do we become uptight?

Once we notice, we can begin to look for tools and techniques to manage our reactions and potentially place ourselves in the right place at the right time to efficiently and effectively ride the waves of the ocean and the even more challenging waves of life.

Above all, to travell well, we must stay in today, surfing one day at a time. 

Let’s go surfing.

Go-To Feel-Good Superfoods

Feel good with food?

YES!

Turns out this list of feel-good superfoods from 2015 still rings true today. Once again, we can always count on plants as feel-good superfoods.

Since stress is the ultimate cause of dis-ease attributing to anxiety and depression, plus manifesting as countless physical ailments, here is a super list of superfoods to de-stress.

Plants, plus other gifts of the earth, not only appear in the Top 3, but also show up down the line in the form of teas, mushrooms, and other adaptogenic herbs.

1. Leafy Greens. Plant foods like Swiss chard and spinach are rich in magnesium, the natural “chill pill” which helps regulate the brain-adrenal gland axis.

2. Avocado. Super fruit. Great for brain health and anxiety. Contain potassium which lowers blood pressure. B Vitamins and monounsaturated fats needed for neurotransmitter and brain health.

3. Asparagus. Sulfur-rich. Contains the special B vitamin, folic acid. Low levels of folic acid, linked to neurotransmitter impairment, can lead to anxiety. Plus potassium which lowers blood pressure.

4. Foods with Tryptophan. Turkey and other poultry. Veggie options include pumpkin, potato, walnuts, cauliflower, cucumber, mushrooms, leafy greens and tomatoes. Tryptophan, one of the nine essential amino acids, is what makes us sleepy after Thanksgiving Dinner. Precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin, which helps you to feel calm. Tryptophan in the form of meat shows support of reduced anxiety disorders. Go eco as much as possible: organic; free range, grass and vegetarian fed, no GMOs, only the good stuff for your body and brain and loved ones.

5. Fatty Meat. Inflammation is one consideration when it comes to brain health and anxiety. Omega-3 fats have been shown to decrease anxiety. Omega-rich foods like wild salmon, sardines, grass-fed beef, and venison can help decrease inflammation and help cortisol and adrenaline from spiking. Go eco as much as possible: organic; free range, grass and vegetarian fed, no GMOs, only the good stuff for your body and brain and loved ones.

6. Raw Cacao. The healing benefits of cacao are miraculous. It can improve your memory, reduce heart disease, shed fat, boost immunity and create loads of energy.

Contains four times the antioxidant content of regular processed dark chocolate, 20 times more than blueberries and 119 times more than bananas. This makes it effective in fighting free radicals which cause cancer, helping to boost immunity and preventing disease at large.

Raw cacao also has the mood booster, anandamide or the "bliss molecule," helping create feelings of utopia. Additionally, phenethylamine, which triggers the release of endorphins and other pleasure chemicals making it an aphrodisiac. Its chemicals also help balance mood swings, making it supportive of hormone imbalance from PMS. What’s not to love?

7. Chamomile Tea. Sip on this natural anti-anxiety medicine for its natural calming effect. This soothing, mild tea was shown to significantly decrease anxiety symptoms in just a few weeks! Recommended: organic and sustainable offerings.

8. Rooibos Tea. Rooibos, or African red bush tea, is a delicious way to bring a natural calm to your day. Researchers are looking into its effect on cortisol as it seems to have a balancing effect on this main stress hormone. Recommended: organic and sustainable offerings.

9. Full-Fat Kefir. In functional medicine, the gut is considered the "second brain" because it's home to 95% of your "feel good" hormone, serotonin. With more than 100 million neurons, your gut's health is essential to manage anxiety.

Bacterial imbalances in your gut can alter brain chemistry, and kefir, an ancient fermented dairy drink, might just be the most powerful probiotic ever. It also has fat soluble vitamins A, D and K2, all important for brain health. There are plenty of other options in the way of probiotics. Session It

10. Adaptogenic Herbs. The term adaptogen refers to plant-based compounds that promote ‘balance” within a biochemical pathway. Adrenal adaptogens, as a de-stress example, are commonly used to support both underactive as well as overactive adrenal gland activity. Think of adaptogens as balancing your system in the same way the thermostat balances the temperature in your home. They are both gentle and powerfully effective. Best way to employ them is to consult our functional medicine doctor to be sure you are consuming exactly what your body and brain need. No two human biocomputers are alike and what works for a pro athlete may not work for you. Contact us today.

11. Mushrooms. Healing mushrooms are one of the most natural and accessible types of medicine on the planet. The reason they are so effective when taken for medicinal purposes is because humans share 30-50% of the DNA found in mushrooms. They are an excellent source of Vitamin D which in deficiency is linked to much dis-ease from heart disease to depression. Test drive the following:
     Lion’s Mane – a prized neuro-regenerative supplement. Aids brain fog while boosting cognitive function. Calming.
     Cordyceps – increase stamina, endurance, and act as a gentle stimulant, increasing energy, reducing fatigue.
     Reishi – numerous benefits, but reishi fight mood disorders. Natural anxiety remedy. Help heal adrenal fatigue leading to increased energy. Mood booster.

Eating is a basic pleasure of life. so if we learn to love to eat plus de-stress, sleep well, let go of anxiety and feel good in the process - even better. These superfoods will make you go “Ahhhhhhh”. Questions? Ask away.

Summer Lovin' with Conscious Relationships

What does "conscious relationship" mean?

Relationships are a major component of holistic health because they are one part of all parts of an integrated, whole, healthy life. Friendship. Family. Acquaintances. Intimate. Business. Creating conscious awareness within all of our relationships is key to summer lovin’ and successful lovin’ throughout the year.

What might we be pretending not to know about our relationships? 

This is a considerable conversation. But at the most basic level, what are we ignoring? What are we shying away from? Will it make our relationships better to ignore what comes up? Or will it make our lives so much sweeter by taking the time to gain tools, techniques and tricks of the trade to navigate what arises?

When confrontation occurs, or another person triggers us, it is always an opportunity to step back, take a deep breath, take a good look at ourselves, and pause before responding. Take a few minutes to put ourselves in the other’s shoes considering their position as well as our own. Of course, this is often easier said than done. Especially in that moment when we become fired up before we even realize what is happening. But with a brand new toolset, it’s surprising how quickly we can transform and diffuse many of these moments. We can more easily move from highly reactive to open, spacious and rewarding. Within our most intimate relationships is where we will be most triggered. Contrary to popular belief, this is totally normal and an opportunity to learn.

One of the ways to gain perspective is to question:

Does the other person need to be right? 

Or do they want peace? 

Do I need to be right? 

Or do I prefer peace?

Is this a topic worthy of fuss and fight?

Good chance that will negate 50% of silly stuff that comes up.

On the other hand, there is the 50% that will need time and attention.

If it seems a friend always wants “his way”, how can we take a look at this within ourselves? If a client insists on billing top dollar within her own business, but is unwilling to pay top dollar for another’s work, is it wise to continue this relationship? If one’s expectations of what will be received in a relationship are different from what is given, how can we place ourselves within the other’s perspective and decide from their point of view if what’s occurring is fair, just, or if it even makes sense? Perhaps a few places to begin in becoming more conscious within our relationships.

Relationships are one of the most complex elements of life. 

It is important to be in them. It is equally important to spend time away from them. But within them is where we really get into the nitty gritty of our own shadows and truths. We can run, but without resolve, we will run right back into the same shadow around the next bend. We must cultivate being open and vulnerable within them. It’s imperative to realize when we shy away from them or are unable to make space from them and why. All of this may sound painfully obvious, but it’s funny how when we are “in it” it’s very hard to see our own blind spots. We all have ‘em. Taking even just small pockets of time to sit still for five minutes and take inventory could prevent an awful lot of drama. The amount of time and energy saved? Priceless.

A general rule of thumb is that it is safe to assume that both parties deeply desire a peaceful existence.

We can start by assuming that everyone is doing their best from exactly where they are today. This is only the beginning. Keeping this mindset in place is the gateway to more conscious ways of relating. It doesn’t mean we will get it right every time. It doesn’t mean we have to be nice and uplifting to every single human we encounter as there is no balance nor boundaries in that either. We might only get it right 50% of the time. And it’s all ok.

Blind spots. We all have ‘em. We can all take steps to build tool kits to evolve further into developing more conscious relationships. Talk to me if this speaks to you, too.

Plastics – Stop the Madness – Make Great Choices

Long time “No Plastics” advocates know that change doesn’t come easy. Much like changing habits within holistic health, change for the better of our environment takes paying attention. It involves a shift in mindset. Our environments play a large part in our holistic health. We must put attention on all environmental toxins and waste such as plastics and so much more. It is imperative that we pay attention to every single time we employ them.

In truth, writing on plastics decades after first learning to bring our own mugs to the coffee shop feels futile. But continually raising awareness is simply what we must do.

Spending a lot of time in the oceans and mountains, as the decades go by, we have unfortunately seen an intense rise in the appearance of plastics in our great outdoors. From surfing amongst plastic grocery bags in the waters of Southern California, to hiking trails and happening upon plastic silverware and water bottles left in the backcountry of Wyoming, it has become more and more common. Witnessing a party balloon while backcountry skiing and plastic at the bottom of a pristine lake in British Columbia, it seems plastics, single-use and otherwise, are literally everywhere. Over the past couple decades, the increase has been nothing but painfully obvious.

And this is only what we actually see with our own eyes.

We have all heard about plastic buildups the size of small countries in the vast waters of Mother Earth’s oceans, tormenting and killing wildlife, not to mention polluting our human bodies and brains.

As we travel spreading our passion for holistic health, our desire to better our environments for our families, teams and everyone we come in contact with, is exponential. Third world countries and first world countries alike, due to lack of education, seem to still have no idea what is happening. We witness triple-bagging those six-packs of bottled water in grocery stores from Oregon to the Virgin Islands. Let’s please stop this madness. Still experiencing this mindless offering of plastic bags is downright ignorant. We all know this. We have known we need to shift this thing for decades.

But even when we are mindful, the potential for using more plastics when we travel – especially of the single-use variety – goes sky high. 
Here is a brief list on how to Say No to Plastics & Stop the Madness. 

~ Avoid grocery items in hard plastic containers.

~ Avoid grocery items wrapped in soft plastics of any kind.

~ Bring your own grocery bag to the market.

~ Forgot your own grocery bag? Oops guess you should purchase another one.

~ Ask your local grocery to discontinue use of plastic bags. (This may take years as experienced in Jackson Hole, WY.)

~ Boycott grocery stores that ignore this request.

~ Call and write your government officials regarding plastic grocery bags. Start local. For example, the city of Los Angeles banned the plastic bag several years ago. If a major U.S. city can make it happen, your city or town can, too.

~ Look for food items in glass instead of plastic – often they are available. But it’s not the brand you love? Write the brand you love and ask them to end use of plastics.

~ Reuse those same glass jars and containers.

~ If you must buy hummus or yogurt in plastic, reuse plastic until it falls apart. (Yeah it probably won’t for a long long time.)

~ Support your local farmer’s market. Plastic-sightings? Pretty much never.

~ Travel with your own coffee mug that can double as a water bottle.

~ Travel with your own silverware so that you never have to use plastic to-go ware.

~ Own a coffee shop? Offer a monetary return for customers to bring back mugs versus offering to-go cups of any kind.

~ Avoid plastic straws all of the time.

~ Ask restaurants that automatically serve plastic straws to please ask customers first if they want straws. Even better, ask them to please stop offering plastic of any kind.

~ Avoid purchasing water in plastic bottles – your personal health and the environment’s depends on it.

~ Next time you lose your plastic water bottle, replace it with a bottle made with a more sustainable material. Drinking out of plastic is not good for us anyway.

Even for experienced environmental activists, it’s easy to get lazy. We all occasionally forget our grocery bags at home. No one is perfect. But paying attention and making an effort toward becoming more mindful is the only way.

We would not be here without this beautiful environment we have been gifted.

Let’s make great choices and stop the plastic madness.

Adrenal Fatigue. Who Knew?

Stressed about work, family, relationships, forest fires or whatever will come next?

Living in a constant state of stress is detrimental to our holistic, whole, health. We can eat all the kale in the world, but it will not save us from stress and its best friend, fatigue. Stress is said to be America’s #1 health problem. Tough to detect, adrenal fatigue may be one of many results of chronic stress.

Types of Stress:

1. Physical Stress – accidents, injuries, falls, traumas, poor posture
2. Chemical Stress – poor nutrition, smoking, drinking alcohol, toxic chemicals and hormones in food/water/personal products, cleaning products, bacterial, viruses, heavy metals; all affect blood sugar levels, hormone levels and much more
3. Emotional Stress – family tragedy, major illness of a loved one, loss of a loved one, job loss, finances, divorce, strained relations, small and large trauma, negativity loops

When I couldn’t figure out what was going on in my body despite being a life-long athlete with exceptional nutritional intake and a daily yoga/meditation practice, I had a big huge puzzle to solve. Eventually, after years of seeing medical and related professionals, I came to my own conclusion that I was living with adrenal fatigue. 

I had been doing all the “right” things for so long, but the severe stress from multiple events spanning over several years got the best of me. My adrenal glands were compromised and no longer doing their job. Given the way adrenals work, they were actually working overtime, akin to pressing the gas pedal and the brake at the same time.

“Over 80% of us will experience adrenal fatigue multiple times over in our lives.”

 It’s an epidemic that many people have no idea exists. It most often stems from chronic stress which can affect every physiological system in our bodies including the thyroid and adrenal glands.

The symptoms of adrenal fatigue include, but are not limited to:

weakness
lack of energy
trouble concentrating
depression
anxiety
insomnia
waking up feeling unrested
crashing mid-morning or mid-afternoon
becoming “wired” in the evening
decreased ability to handle stress
easily confused
forgetful
trouble completing tasks once found easy
hoarse voice
poor digestion
constipation
body aches
lack of interest in sex
increased struggle with PMS and menstrual cycle
weight gain around mid-section
food and environmental allergies
postpartum is often the result of adrenal fatigue as well

Because so many of these symptoms overlap with other issues, adrenal fatigue can be super tough to identify.

The adrenal glands are located directly above each kidney. Their duty is to promote hormones essential to your health including adrenaline and cortisol. It is believed that adrenals stop producing these hormones when they are fatigued. However, this varies greatly based on any existing health issues such as hormonal imbalances, emotional stress, nutritional deficiencies, and environmental factors. They actually swing back and forth between producing too much or too little hormones. This fluctuation is what creates fatigue. It is as though the gas pedal and the brake pedal are being pressed at the same time.

The adrenal glands are amazing. They give us the ability to get through challenges such as short-lived stress and highly charged emotional experiences. However, if the stress is chronic, lasting for a long time or constantly recurring, the adrenals will behave erratically and become fatigued. 

Unfortunately, this type of stress is all too common in modern life. Under these conditions, not only do the adrenals become fatigued, but the adrenaline emitted specifically becomes acidic and corrosive. Our bodies can handle brief emissions to protect ourselves, but when this quality of adrenaline is constantly flooding our system it can also become damaging to the brain, liver, pancreas, and more.

Questions to ask yourself beyond simply creating awareness of the symptoms listed above:

•  Are you addicted to the adrenaline rush of action sports?
•  Do you get a rush from meeting every single demand of the day as a working single mother or entrepreneur?
•  Are you overcommitted in meeting the expectations of your work, family or fans that you skip lunch relying on the high of the “wins” to get you through the day?
•  Is what is being asked of you by your boss, your relationship, or even your lifestyle straight up ridiculous?

RECOVERY

The recovery period was long. And I’ve had to go back a few times to recover again more fully. While everyone is unique, I made many shifts over a long period of time although outwardly I appeared to be performing optimally. But in my personal life, I moved inward, taking everything in, one day at a time. 

I became a self-care junkie.  

Several years later, I’m now functioning at the exceptional level within body, mind and the big doozie, emotions/spirit/whateveryouchoosetocallit. 

Last year, I also opted into neurofeedback which showed that I still retained high levels of activity in the area of the brain that houses emotional trauma. That information alerted me to go even easier on myself. I began working with my emotions and taking notice when anything at all triggered me. 

It takes time to hone the skills necessary to integrate emotions and allow feelings to pass like waves. Even with years of yoga and meditation, this intel offered me the opportunity to pay even closer attention. When we become more aware, we learn that there is always something lurking around the next corner that is gonna try to take our flame away. This is why we must move beyond optimization and tweak and turn the levers at every level so that when we get caught off guard - because we will - we are better prepared to stay present with what is happening rather than run.

Due to a prior health scare, I had already put extra attention on my nutrition, yet tweaked it further to focus on fatigue. I left my career. I took a good chunk of time off even though it may have been a financial risk. I trusted my instinct that if I did not attend to this now, my future may be less bright. Everything in my gut told me this semi-break was absolutely necessary. 

I kept one small client in place, dropped into more education, and went surfing – a lot.  

I shifted some of my yoga practices to more receptive and restorative, I skipped running and walked a lot more. I took my social life down to almost nothing. I stayed in and rested. Socializing mostly included seeing friends at daily yoga and maybe grabbing lunch or tea afterward. I rarely went out at night. I drank almost zero alcohol. I ate as well as I could, but without being neurotic about it. I ate when I was hungry which resulted in lots of grazing. I listened to my body and tried to give it what it needed. I went to bed early, rested a lot, and spent a lot of time outside. I made art. I studied. I read. I let go of friendships that lacked depth. I let go of all relationships that were out of balance. I lived at the ocean and took full advantage of its healing waters as much as possible. Cold plunging almost daily no matter what time of year. I put my bare feet on the ground every single day. I finally fully taught myself to surf – something I had wanted to do for years, but with work, never had the time nor energy to battle the waves, the traffic, nor the people in the waters of Los Angeles.

I felt guilty about all of this which was not to my benefit. But I did it anyway and slowly but surely trusted the process. After all, it had become almost impossible to get out of bed for months. Trusting my intuition was key.

After about 3 years, I began to gain some pep in my step. I was finally on the uptick. 

My advice – LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.

It takes copious amounts of self-care to reset one’s system. Yet it is 100% necessary.

Stress is no joke. Adrenal fatigue is no joke. They can take you out.

Never feel guilty about taking care of yourself. Always trust your gut. 

Good luck and please let me know if you have questions.