Every relationship you have — at home, at work, or in your community — reflects one core relationship: the one you have with yourself. How you talk to yourself becomes how you communicate with others. How you listen to your own needs influences how you listen to others. And how you handle your emotions shapes how you navigate connection, conflict, and collaboration.
When you strengthen your inner relationship — your self-awareness, emotional regulation, and communication with your own thoughts — you automatically upgrade how you relate to everyone around you.
Many of you have probably heard the phrase “Death Doula” in articles and on social media and said to yourself, “What does that even mean? Sounds a bit ominous.” I am here to explain.
Imagine self-care taking less effort and giving more back to you. Showing up to your practice with energy to spare becomes your new normal.
If you want better self-care — or simply more of it — set that intention before reading further. As practitioners, coaches, and healers, we pour ourselves into supporting others. Yet sustaining ourselves rarely adds up. We patch together routines, search for ways to recover, and still end up burned out, isolated, or running on empty.
Most people think burnout is about being tired. It shows up in long hours at the office, in the loss of drive on personal projects, and in waking up exhausted no matter how much rest has been taken. In businesses, burnout takes the shape of stalled creativity and tense teams. At home it might look like irritability, emotional distance, and health that slowly slips away.
The World Health Organization gives burnout a narrow definition; workplace exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy. The reality most people live with reaches further. People suffer from fatigue that sleep does not fix, dissociation and depression that creep into daily life, brain fog that erodes concentration, and loss of drive in both professional and personal spaces.
Have you ever lost your car keys? Or arrived at the grocery store and realized you’ve left your wallet at home? I have and I’ll bet many of you have, too. You know how much stress and anxiety these situations create, and all because we were not present when we put our keys down (somewhere!) or were preparing to go to the store.
Cultivating a practice of deliberate presence can help us be more relaxed, productive and confident in our daily activities. This practice is not about erasing our thoughts. It’s about becoming aware of the process of thinking so that we are not in a trance, lost inside our thoughts (which is when we lose our keys!). That’s the big difference.
In today’s ever-evolving health landscape, one powerful concept is gaining ground: the freedom to choose. Whether you're exploring preventive care, navigating chronic health concerns, or simply seeking a more balanced life, having the ability to decide how you care for your body, mind, and spirit is essential. For many, this means turning toward holistic wellness—an approach that honors the whole person and offers natural, integrative pathways to healing and vitality.
In an age where many are seeking more natural and preventative approaches to health and wellness, essential oils offer a simple yet powerful addition to your self-care routine. Used for centuries in herbal traditions, these plant-based remedies can gently support the body in navigating common, everyday discomforts—from digestive upset to sleep challenges. Best of all, they offer ease of use and can be integrated into your wellness lifestyle with just a few basic tools.
Here’s a beginner-friendly guide to using essential oils for everyday ailments, with a focus on safe, effective, and holistic care.
Are you having trouble staying in a positive state of mind when challenging circumstances present themselves? The Universal Laws state: so without, so within. Everything is a mirror. We cannot change the reflection, but we can change the origin (ourselves), and then automatically, the reflection changes.
Here are five steps that can help you cultivate not only a positive mindset, but also the feeling state necessary for the positive Law of Attraction. The more you focus on bringing awareness to accepting and loving yourself, the more your inner beauty and harmony is reflected in your outer circumstances.
These days, simply existing can feel like running a marathon while juggling flaming swords. Between endless phone notifications, unpredictable world events, and, well, life in general, our nervous systems are pushed to the max. We spend more time in a stressed response, versus being relaxed and at rest.
The good news? You don’t need to escape to a silent retreat or go on an eat, pray, love journey to get a sense of calm and clarity. The body is wise. And it comes equipped with built-in tools to help you reset your nervous system—tools that are free, gentle, and surprisingly effective when practiced consistently.
Here are five of my favorite ways to soothe your nervous system, returning it to a parasympathetic state—no yoga mat, voyage to the Himalayas, or fancy device required. Just simple, practical actions.
The special knack of meditation is to develop the one who pays attention, the watcher. When we do a simple sitting meditation, we sit comfortably with our eyes closed and just begin to watch the energies that move within us all the time: thoughts, sensations, emotions. We develop the knack of simply watching these distractions go by with a feeling of friendly acceptance.
How do we acquire this knack? We begin by being a witness to the mind, by becoming separate from the mind.
Many of us dread conflict. We wish we could all just get along.
Life, however, has other ideas for us. Everyone is here to be their true selves, have their own opinions, likes, dislikes etc. How boring things would be if we all agreed on everything all the time. Where would our creativity be needed?
Healthcare costs continue to rise annually, making it challenging for small businesses to offer adequate benefits to their employees. Innovative healthcare models like Direct Primary Care and membership programs are emerging as potential alternatives to traditional insurance.
Here are some of the best supplements to boost your immune system and keep you feeling your best during winter:
Energy is a hot topic these days. Not like it was in the 70’s when we had to line up for gasoline, but much closer to home, so to speak.
Today, we are more focused on our own internal energy, the subtle energies around us, and also how much physical energy we have to get us through our day! Unfortunately, western medicine is ill-equipped to help us with any of these. And yet, our energy matters. It is of vital importance in our lives.
So what steps can we take to properly assess and then enhance our energy?
The skin itself is a multi-functioning, living, breathing organ. It has its own immune system, its own hormones, its own microbiome. It's intelligent and it's vast. The skin is the largest organ on the outside of the body, literally protecting all of our internal organs, systems and bones. It is truly our first line of defense, and works so hard for us, every single day. There are many factors that can drastically affect how the skin is functioning. As a holistic esthetician and someone who has overcome chronic psoriasis naturally, understanding my own daily habits was a major factor in my own healing journey.
To grasp the depth of the statement "Love is life and life is love," we must first explore our individual truth about love. Love is a concept that has been defined in various ways — ranging from biblical interpretations to modern-day perspectives. For instance, Wikipedia describes love as "a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure." The dictionary also defines love as both a noun — an intense feeling of deep affection or a great interest or pleasure, and a verb— to feel deep affection for someone or to greatly enjoy something.
For me, love is more than just an emotion or feeling; it is the energy, force, or frequency that created all that is. I call it Intelligent Love, a concept I learned from Dr. Joe Dispenza, a researcher, lecturer, and New York Times best-selling author known for his work on the mind-body connection and the impact of meditation on health and well-being. In my eyes, love is the Creator or what many call God.
We are living in a fast-paced environment. Our lives are going fast, our internet is high-speed and even our cars are faster. We are programmed to want fast results or instant gratification and so many individuals find themselves juggling multiple responsibilities, often at the cost of their mental wellness. They put everyone and everything before themselves.
Empowerment coaching can be a transformative resource to help people build confidence, resilience, and a sense of control. With a customized approach, empowerment coaching provides a supportive framework for creating healthy habits, healthy behaviors and developing skills that enhance your overall emotional well-being.
The holiday season is often depicted as a time of togetherness, joy, and family closeness. For many, however, this narrative intensifies feelings of loss and grief, especially for those who are estranged from family members.
Estrangement from family can be complex, painful, and multifaceted, especially when the disconnect is permanent or indefinitely unresolved. When a person feels disconnected from their family, they might wrestle with deep feelings of sadness, anger, or betrayal — emotions that often surge during the holiday season.
Examining this topic from a therapeutic lens can provide insight into understanding, validating, and ultimately supporting individuals as they navigate these challenges.
If you’re thinking of taking up a personal yoga practice, it can seem intimidating at first. Any research into yoga studios in your area probably brought up classes for Vinyasa, Hatha, Ashtanga, Bikram, Iyengar, Gentle, Restorative, Yin, Kundalini, Power, etc.
You then ask yourself, which one should I choose? Will any even work for me? What if I’m a beginner? What if I’m not thin or “flexible”? What if I had rotator cuff surgery?
In this article, I’ll give you three key factors to think about so that you can make an educated decision as to where to start and not put yourself in a position that could lead to injury.
Energy healing is a holistic health therapy that works with your body’s energy system to remove blocks causing disruptions. Your energy system is a hidden force within you that influences your health; your doctor regularly orders tests that check this system. This increasingly popular way to improve your health helps address the root cause of symptoms in a noninvasive and gentle way. 
The holiday season can be any way you want it: full of stress, or full of joy. It can
Gratitude is the foundation of abundance. It is the cornerstone of living a purposeful, rewarding, joy-filled life. Gratitude activates the positive Law of Attraction vibrations.
If there are people in your life that you don’t like, the negative energy vibrations you transmit towards them drag down your positive vibes and you end up lower down on the “vibes scale” than you want to be.
If you have high cholesterol levels, you may be looking for non-prescription ways to lower them. Linked to heart disease and stroke, high cholesterol has no visible symptoms and is determined by blood testing. One in six Americans have high cholesterol levels.
High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) affects almost half of the U.S. adult population. Given enough time, this can damage the heart, blood vessels, and other parts of the body. With healthy lifestyle changes, this condition can be managed effectively for a better quality of life.
Who do we turn to when we feel unheard or overlooked? Are there other options available to us? When should we consider seeking a second opinion, and how do we go about it? These are just a few questions that patients grapple with as they seek medical care. It can be daunting to entrust our well-being to healthcare professionals, especially when their recommendations may not align with our health philosophies or instincts.
One unique and increasingly popular approach to mental health is taking time on the path of a labyrinth.
Labyrinths have been around for more than 4,000 years and are a wonderful way to reduce stress through a mind-body exercise. By combining walking and contemplation, your mind and body sync differently and you release some stress.
Have you considered all the ways that the world has changed since March of 2020 and some of the good that has resulted from those early, crazy days?
Now, on the other side, it is easier to see the benefits of change. More is available from the comfort of home -- No parking hassles! No traffic! The ability to meet with people from all over the world!
Even better, one of the changes to come out of these past few years is that MORE people are looking for holistic approaches to health and wellness, MORE people are open and looking for members like you, who offer products and services for overall wellness and with no negative side effects.
What does the IRS say?
Section 213 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) medical expenses to be paid or reimbursed under a Health Savings Account (HSA), Health Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Archer Medical Savings Account (Archer MSA), or Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HAS). The Code generally allows a deduction for expenses paid during the taxable year for medical care if certain requirements are met. Expenses for medical care under section 213 of the Code also are eligible to be paid or reimbursed under an HSA, FSA, Archer MSA, or HRA. However, if any amount is paid or reimbursed under an HSA, FSA, Archer MSA, or HRA, a taxpayer cannot also deduct the amount as a medical expense on the taxpayer's federal income tax return.
*The original version of this recipe is from my oh-so-charming ex. Some of his notes are included for your entertainment (and mine).
Answers to questions you might have about Acupuncture, from cost to training to efficacy.
There is an overwhelming amount of research showing that stress is a major factor contributing to chronic disease these days.
Traditional Chinese medicine has evolved over thousands of years. Professional practitioners use herbal products and a variety of psychological and physical approaches, which may include acupuncture, tai chi, cupping, gua sha, and other techniques.
The placebo effect is a positive health outcome resulting from a person’s anticipation that a particular technique or therapy will help.
This year, cancer hit too close to home... again.
A consumer called in the other day... As a Chamber of Commerce, this happens when people are looking for a particular type of wellness provider or someone who offers a specific product or service. With our "holistic" designation, we attract consumers looking for acupuncturists, chiropractors, hypnotherapists, nutrition and lifestyle coaches, craniosacral therapists, yoga instructors, reiki masters, meditation and mindfulness teachers, and a multitude of other specialties that are recognized as integrative, functional, complementary or alternative medicine.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised about this diagnosis. It's one my mother received about 20 years ago when she was my age now. At the beginning of 2022, a lump was found and tested. Since then, I've had one surgery and am looking at one more.
