A vision board is a way to create a powerful visualization practice.

My first ever vision board I did a few years back, was when I decided to start living much more intentionally. Instead of feeling held back, I chose to break free from the old ways of thinking that were keeping me stuck. And boy, what a journey that has been.

I decided that instead of waiting for life to happen to me, I wanted to happen to life. What a shift that mindset was, let me tell you. While I can’t say I embodied that mindset overnight, what I can say is that it has led me to a greater experience of self-actualization.

My vision board from 2016 helped me take my breakdown and turn it into a breakthrough. You can read my first vision board post here and follow along with my progression.

Last year (2018), I decided to do a quarterly vision board. I love doing it this way now, instead of once a year, because it gives me a chance to shift with the seasons. Every season I feel is a new opportunity for...

Here we are in 2019, and I for one could not be more excited and grateful. Grateful for all that 2018 taught me. Excited because I get to take the lessons forward into this new year and leave behind what no longer serves me.

One of my favorite tools to help me on my personal growth and health journey is my journal.

Journaling has taught me so much more than I could possibly express in one short blog, but allow me to share some of the best benefits.

What happens when you journal daily for a year

You increase your self-confidence, spark creativity, remember what you have been grateful for and how your gratitude grows, you learn to manage your emotions, you write down your goals and realign them as they and you shift, you heal more deeply from trauma, you let your dreams speak powerfully into your life, you learn a state of mindfulness you never knew before, you strengthen your ability to communicate your ideas... In essence, more than you could have ever imagined!

The top 3 benefits I...

Let's get vulnerable together, shall we? Totally naked, real, raw and unashamed.

Let's have a conversation about letting go of all the shame and judgement we put upon ourselves about our bodies.

I've gotta be honest and say, I'm pretty sick of the diet industry, the beauty industry, fashion industry mindset. Basically, any industry trying to make us believe we are not already WORTHY enough as we already are.

American culture has perpetuated a lot of body shaming. And you and I are at the effect of that unfortunately. But we don't have to let it impact us anymore. You and I, we can get honest about how we observe our own bodies and do something about it.

In this video, (you can watch it by clicking the play button in the image above), I shared my thoughts about this very conundrum we face.

My mission? To help you learn to love yourself just as you are.

How do you observe your own body, are you super critical of it? The only way you can embody more self-love is to shine the light on...

"It takes wisdom and strength to surrender to our own helplessness and to accept that we, just like every other human being, have limitations. The gifts of surrender are numerous. We discover humility, gratitude, and a deepening understanding of the human experience that enables us to be that much more compassionate and surrendered in the world." ~ Madisyn Taylor

Are you reflecting on your year? 2018 is winding down, I hope you are taking time to pause and cherish the beauty of the life lessons this spin around the sun has provided.

This photo depicts the essence of me this past year.

I chose to lovingly take back my power and remove all interference.

A lot of inner work, inner healing and integration of myself occurred.
This is me no longer carrying the armor of strength.

This is me, content, nourished, not forcing myself to be anything other than what I am. Aligned.

I processed a lot of grief this year, grief was not something I really knew how to deal with so I always just buried...

I heard about the term ‘adrenal fatigue’ in 2009 after reading one of the most popular books (at the time), on the subject. I realized that all the symptoms of adrenal fatigue described my current health and life to a TEE.

I did not get any functional testing done for years to come. I began to learn the ‘hard way' it was my reality.

When I finally did get my first Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) test back, I was both sobered and grateful. After having felt so out of control, emotionally volatile, constantly in a crash and burn mode, I was deeply upset to learn I was truly in burnout or 'adrenal exhaustion'. Even though, intuitively, I already knew.

Seeing my HTMA lab results made me face my health and life,  in a whole new way. Adrenal fatigue is a lifestyle condition, not just a health and nutrition condition. You can’t pull out of deep exhaustion (not to mention a level of trauma and PTSD) just by getting more sleep and eating clean.

Sorry, I wish...

I am not sure it's possible to express the immense feelings of love, joy, pride and gratitude I feel when I look at these two photos of my boys and I.

There is just something so powerful about being a mother. Something so incredibly rewarding when you look at the children you birthed and raised and see who they are becoming. It warms your heart to the point it feels like exploding.

And that feeling, is never just a one time feeling. It's a lifelong vibe you get to enjoy, if you choose to. The immense gratitude for everything you can possibly think of and imagine about what it means to be a mother, as well as the joy you take in creating life and watching it grow, is indescribable.

The same is true when it comes to actively appreciating anything and everything in your life. Expressing your gratitude for everything you can possibly think of fills you up to the point of bursting.

Over the years, I've practiced gratitude to the point it has become a way of life. It wasn't always that...

Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. Hippocrates

First, let me just remind you, Hippocrates was alive in a very different world than we are today. He’s an ancient Greek physician who lived during Greece's Classical period and is traditionally regarded as the father of medicine (in case you weren’t aware).

He wrote that infamous quote in a time when the world was very different. At a time when most people attributed sickness to superstition and the wrath of the gods, Hippocrates taught that all forms of illness had a natural cause. His writings of the time were used to form what is known as the Hippocratic oath. Today, many medical school graduates still recite modern variations of the oath. Essentially, first do no harm and a focus on prevention.

Today reading that quote may mean something entirely different because of how the world currently is. So let’s unpack it a bit, shall we?

Food is powerful medicine. It is energy as well as information. Every...

In light of how much my physical body had gone through over the years, all the intense stress, I had to learn to rest a lot. So my body could heal and re-energize.

My body was basically telling me, by my constant crashes, to find time for rest and relaxation in order to improve my overall health. I was in it for the long game, no more quick fixes. Sustainable, lifestyle change became my new mission.

It really became necessary for me to take a reprieve from action and make space for contemplation. So, while I did just that I also began to do a lot of planning so I could clear all of my clutter; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Since I had plenty of down time to rest and recoup, planning became my new hobby.  I no longer wanted to live a life of reactivity. Or act as if life was just happening to me. Instead, I realized I have more control over how my life went than I previously thought.

Instead of rushing into action (aka: living in 'fight or flight mode'), it became...

I felt so much relief after my first session with my nutritionist and herbalist. I began to really feel like I could more carefully plan and take action to manifest my goals of keeping my health stable and grounded.

I was ready to shift to build a much stronger foundation for my health and take the necessary steps to prevent more crashes. I began to get excited about adding herbs and supplements to my regime and go beyond just food, exercise and sleep.

Within just a couple weeks I was feeling so much better. I still wrestled a bit with my mindset and the fact that I was so deep in burnout. I wanted my healing to be faster. Many times I'd catch myself slipping back into sabotage by taking on too much, even when I knew better.

It was hard for me to always stay grounded, to simply relax and let things grow at their own pace. I struggled to be patient and let the results take shape as I laid the foundations for my health.

And I know full well, I'm not the only one tempted to sabotage my...

It has taken me YEARS to recover my health after my split from my ex, and the baby years. Starting my new life as a single mom, no income, completely burned out, my health kept taking a hit. I was working my way out of the stress from the past, while dealing with a whole new stressful way of life.

I can still remember going through cycles of ups and downs in my health. Feeling better but then pushing too hard only to crash again. During one of my health crashes in 2013, I finally went to see a local herbalist in my town. I had been to all my doctors already and received zero real answers or support to help me.

I remember laying on the herbalists massage table before she did nutritional response testing on me. As soon as she began the muscle testing on me, she asked me if I was getting any sleep at all. The crazy thing was, at the time my sleep was pretty good, but I was still exhausted (even with 9+ hours of sleep a night). She was observing the years and years of me not being able...