Support

“The only way to cross from one form of our life to the next is by taking steps: We can’t just talk the talk, we have to walk our walk.” -Hale Sofia Schatz

What does walking your walk look like?

This is where we often get stuck. It’s easy to talk about the next steps we want to take but taking them often gets pushed to the side with the fullness of our lives.

What can you do to take action?

Get support. Whether it’s a group, a friend, your partner, parent, teacher, mentor, coach…simply stating what you want to change to someone else can have a profound effect. We are trained to believe we can do it alone and yes we often can and it’s much more fun to share our growth with others. It can meet needs for mutuality, contribution, friendship, intimacy and you may feel more excited, encouraged and confident in making the changes you desire.

Take action now call in support!

Coaching for balance, connection and health

Appreciations

What are you appreciating right now…if you’re not appreciating anything take a moment of your time to take a couple of deep breaths and experience appreciation. Whether it is as simple as the cup of coffee or tea you had this morning, the gentle hug from your partner or child, caressing your pet, the sun shining, your car started…speak it all to yourself and then simple notice if your outlook on life has shifted a bit.

It’s easy to lose our sense of gratitude for the simple pleasures of our daily lives as we hurry to keep up with the world around us.

One of my sisters is in Africa working at a small hospital and as she emails back to our world I recognize how out of touch I can be with recognizing the gifts of comfort I have. I want to arouse a much greater sense of appreciation for the ease and peace I have in my life.

Coaching for balance, connection and health.

Thai Sauce

This is Mark's recipe and I use it for tempeh and tofu, he uses it for chicken as well. It's an easy, delicious marinade. Serve the protein over a bed of rice, steamed greens or noodles with a side of steamed veges.

1 bottle hoisen sauce
low sodium tamari or soy sauce
braggs liquid amino acids
1/2 bunch cilantro finely chopped,
juice of 1 lime
tsp-table sambal olek or chile paste (to taste)
2 tbles minced fresh ginger
4 cloves minced garlic

Pour hoisen sauce into a bowl. Use hoisen bottle to measure an equal amount of tamari/braggs mixture and pour that into bowl. Add all other ingredients and pour into a container with a lid, shake well. This keeps in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. You can marinate for a 1/2-1 hour or overnight. I steam the tempeh before marinating as it holds the sauce better.

Compassionate Communication

We did a compassionate communication workshop this weekend in the community I live in. I am continually amazed at what happens to us when we gather to do work that connects us more fully to our hearts. By the end of the workshop the whole energy of the place had shifted. The amount of gratitude and love that was in the room was palpable.

Compassionate communication is about staying in relationship. As a result of that their is a mutual giving from the heart that then supports each of us to get our needs met more often.

Its a shift in thinking, communicating and acting that is based in your heart.
Interested in learning more go to the NVC website.

"In hell, people have chopsticks a yard long so they cannot reach their monuths. In heaven, the chopsticks are the same length-but people feed one another."
-Vietnamese folk wisdom

Pressure cookers

I know I am a little behind on my recipes so for those waiting I will have one out next week.

In the meantime I wanted to share a new kitchen item that I can't imagine living without now that I have one. We bought a pressure cooker about three months ago. We cook beans, rice, vegetables, and soups in it. It has saved time, energy, nutrients and more. If I soak beans overnight it takes between 12-15 minutes to cook instead of an hour or two. Vegetables cook in just a couple of minutes and because of the tight seal and small amount of water used you don't lose the nutrients in the foods.


The biggest gift to me is the time savings. If you are looking for ways to decrease cooking time and increase healthy meals this is a great option. They are a bit spendy and are meant to last a lifetime, its a long term investment for health. We bought a Kuhn-Rikon and have been really happy with it.

"No man can be happy without a friend, nor be sure of his friend till he is unhappy"
-Thomas Fuller MD
That's it. May you all have a healthy, happy, inspired weekend!

Coaching for connection, balance, and health.

Authentic Happiness

I'm reading a new book "Authentic Happiness" by Martin Seligman. It's full of data about what factors into being happy. One of the big factors is having an active social life. I find that fascinating as I was just appreciating a friend for her commitment to staying connected to so many of her friends. She's one of the happiest people I know and this book just shared one of the reasons why.

If you're ready to explore your options for greater happiness, step up your social life a notch and see what happens. I don't mean you need to overwhelm yourself and add more stress to a busy life. Simply notice where the opportunities are to share a walk, a cup of tea, potluck meal, movie, lunch, a chat...

Let happiness unfold by sharing time with people you love.

Coaching for connection, balance and health.

Routine

I've had numerous "aha" moments over the last week. What I am noticing is when I stick with my routine often I don't get enough stimulation to inspire my day.

For example: I have been drinking the same cup of tea every morning for a couple of years. While it meets a need for comfort and ritual if I never try a new kind I won't know if something else might be even better. I have varied my tea drinking in the last week and have found some delicious new flavors.

Be it driving down a different street to the grocery store, trying a new coffee shop, exploring a new exercise class, listening to new music...I'm now committed to checking out more of life and being conscious of how often I do something out of habit versus joy. Varying my routine wakes me up and brings more inspiration to my days.

If you are interested in exploring this start with one simple thing a day and do it a bit differently. Step out of your routine and see what happen!

Remember the old saying "Variety is the spice of life"
Give it a whirl.

Coaching for connection, balance, and health.

Our Conscience

"The changes in our lives must come from the
impossibility to live otherwise than according
to the demands of our conscience."
-Leo Tolstoy

How loud does your conscience have to get before you change?

Thinking about my own experiences and coaching others I have found it varies. It's about how closely you are listening, honing your intuition, trusting something greater than yourself, being brave, letting go of old beliefs, wanting passion and joy more than pleasing others, leading instead of following...

It takes lots and each of us has the power to step into the change that brings us to our purpose.

Coaching for connection, balance and health.

Aha moments

I'm having frequent aha moments on the topic of connection this week. I have had numerous conversations with friends about what we choose to do when we aren't feeling so great. For many of us we turn inward, to journals, meditating, just being with it...which is important on some level.

The magic I've experienced this week is by simply connecting with others, be it calling, walking, going to a coffee shop...I shift. Often its because I'm being acknowledged, or affirmed, or I'm receiving empathy. We are tribal, we need each other. It's okay to reach out. When you do it you offer the first step to empower others to get and give support. Getting support gives a gift too! The other person feels good that they can be there for you.
So if this resonates step out from looking inward and reach out.
I believe you won't regret it.
Connection...it's contagious!

Coaching you to balance, connection and health!

“You’re not going to find the meaning of life hidden under a rock written by someone else. You’ll only find it by giving meaning to life from inside yourself.”
-Dr. Robert Firestone

Life from inside yourself…hummm how do we get there? Once again is it by choosing to take time to breathe, reflect, dream, contemplate and perhaps share with someone you love.

A New Mind

I recently read the book "A Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink, it was very interesting and inspiring to read. The premise is that we, as a culture, are moving from the information age to the conceptual age. To move into this new age with great skill we need to appreciate and become familiar with the gifts the right side of our brain offers. For those of you who are more right brained this might feel like a relief and at the same time pretty exciting. Your gifts are going to support you in this transitional time.

I encourage you to read this book and familiarize yourself with his ideas.
What I really liked about it was that it was positive and offered you choices to learn new ways.

If you read it, I'd love to hear what you think!

To move forward takes action, and the belief that you can.

Coaching for connection, balance and health.

Mediterranean Stew

Stews are great winter comfort foods and they freeze well. This is one of our favorites.
Serves 4-6
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 and 1/2 cups chopped onions
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tsp of salt
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes or 1 24 ounce can of diced
4 cups peeled, cubed new potatoes
1 bunch kale or swiss chard stems removed and chopped
1/2 pound green beans, stems removed
1/4 cup chopped parsley, and or basil
1 cup feta cheese
Juice of 2-3 lemons or more to taste
ground black pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
2-3 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans or bean of choice
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Heat oil in a soup pot. Stir in garlic and onions, cover and saute on low heat for 5-10 minutes until onions are translucent. Add oregano, salt, tomatoes, potatoes, and green beans. Cover and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender, add kale or swiss chard and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Add the cooked cannellini beans.
Just before serving, stir in parsley, basil, lemon juice, and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Sprinkle feta cheese and pepper flakes on individual servings and enjoy!

Happy New You

Ahhh we have a New Year, a prime opportunity to reflect and ponder what you want for yourself?

Who do you want to be this year?

It's inviting to recognize that the ritual of the New Year gives us this time and we can spend it focusing on what we want and need.

Do we want this year to be the year where we face our greatest fears, love ourselves beyond measure, find balance, develop gratitude and forgiveness, learn to tie our shoes (just checking to see if you are actually paying attention)...
New Year, New Awareness, New Moments, New Life!

Take this opportunity to make a plan to discover more of yourself.
Create SMART goals- Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timed and go for it.

Every time I work in rehab and am caring for people whose lives have taken a very difficult turn I am reminded "this is it, don't waste another moment not being whoever it is you are meant to be".

Be it, do it for yourself and for everybody else. We are each here for a purpose, if you haven't already found yours, now is the time.

Coaching for connection, balance and health.