Courage to be seen

Courage to be seen

There is power in listening and seeing another human being. And, there is freedom in allowing others to see us.

I just attended one of the best conferences I’ve ever been to.  As someone who has put on many conferences in my career, I say this knowing that these things don’t happen spontaneously.  They happen as a result of thoughtful planning, impeccable execution, great content, and dynamic speakers.  Yet, even these elements don’t always guarantee the results we sometimes hope for.  The Courage to Succeed conference put on by The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and Ratliffe & Taylor had something else - authentic connections, real dialogue, a masterful facilitator who wove the content together, creativity, and a little bit of magic from the 200+ participants in the room. 

The tone was set very early in the morning by the conference organizers when they asked that we “purposefully listen, deliberately engage, share our stories, and celebrate others’ stories of courage.”  We listened intently as Loretta Mester, the President and CEO of the Federal Reserve of Cleveland, humbly shared her own story and challenged us to be the best versions of ourselves, to make others who don’t fit in feel comfortable to contribute, and to surround ourselves with people who are smarter than we are so we can continuously learn and grow.  

We then broke for a table exercise where we were asked to answer “who are you?” Not, where do you work, what is your title, or how many degrees do you hold? So, we didn’t recite the words on our business cards, our resumes, or our LinkedIn profiles. Instead, we shared aspects of our real selves, and we were vulnerable and compassionate, and that built trust.  Our responses required us to drop our masks, take off our armor, and be authentic.  It’s amazing how quickly we can connect to another human being when we strip off all of the protective layers we wear. 

We listened intently to amazing women share from the stage their own stories of courage to be vulnerable, courage to be the only one, courage to declare their desire, courage to stay, and courage to be authentic. Throughout our time together we leveraged our newfound camaraderie and creativity to contribute to poems and pieces of art that will be displayed at the Federal Reserve building as a reminder of the time we spent together.

What I didn’t experience or see at this conference were forced conversations, painful networking, or people on their phones hiding in corners conducting “business”. I saw and experienced genuine connections, and that was so refreshing and energizing.

There is power in listening and seeing another human being.  And, there is freedom in allowing others to see us.  Imagine the impact we could each have in our personal relationships, our work environments, and our communities if we intentionally choose to live our lives this way. 

Your Body Is Innately Intelligent

Your Body Is Innately Intelligent

Many of us feel disconnected from that intelligent source, and are overwhelmed and confused by all of the health and nutritional informational available.

I believe that our bodies are innately intelligent, and guide us to making healthy food choices.  Unfortunately, many of us feel disconnected from that intelligent source, and are overwhelmed, and confused by all of the health and nutritional informational available.   

One of my goals this year was to enroll in the Integrative Institute of Nutrition’s Integrative Health Coaching certification program.  I am excited to say that I graduated from the program this month, and am now officially an Integrated Health Coach!  My goal in completing the program was to improve my own life by increasing my knowledge of nutrition, and then to be able to share what I’ve learned with my clients.

My backstory is that I come from a long-line of Eastern European farmers who grew their own food, raised their own livestock, and prepared their meals from scratch.  Even after moving to the United States, my parents and their friends would purchase their poultry from local farmers who raised their animals ethically, and sustainably.   I was raised to understand that we become what we put into our bodies.  

Yet, as I grew, I became a typical kid who wanted to eat school lunches like my friends instead of the ethnic food prepared from home.  I tried Salisbury steak, boxed mashed potatoes, hoagies, ice cream sandwiches, and other lunchtime favorites of the 80s.  Although I was petite for most of my life, I started noticing my body changing in high school, and not in a good way.  

The summer after I graduated from high school, I decided to become a vegetarian, and to begin eating healthy.  The trend at the time was to eat “fat-free”.  My college diet consisted of bagels, cereal, pizza, tomato soup, pasta, french fries, and some fruits and vegetables.  Poor food choices, along with liquid calories, increased my weight to the highest it had ever been. I was also tired all the time, took daily naps, and I didn’t feel great. I was probably nutritionally deficient for all 4 years of college.

After college, I went backpacking across Europe for one month.  The first week into my trip, I ate chicken for the first time in 4 years.  It was hard to be a vegetarian in 1994 in many European cities on a limited budget. So, I ate locally grown food that was available and inexpensive.  My clothes started to fit better, my mood stabilized, and my energy increased.  When I arrived back home I decided to make better choices that would nourish my body.  The year following my graduation my weight naturally adjusted itself to a healthy weight, just by making better food choices.  

Over the years, my weight, and overall well-being would fluctuate based on what was happening in my life.  I was my healthiest when I listened to my body, and nourished it with foods that were medicinal for me.  I felt my worst when I disconnected from my body, and made choices I knew would make me feel sick. I compensated for eating what I wanted by working out harder.  I ran long distance, lifted, did HIIT workouts, and I did power yoga.  I tracked my food in different apps, joined Weight Watchers, went back to the Zone Diet, dusted off the South Beach Diet book, tried Paleo, then Keto, etc. I didn’t get healthier, I just had more injuries, became frustrated, exhausted my adrenals, and raised my cortisol levels.

This year, I decided to take better care of myself by practicing some self-love and acceptance: 

• Stopped tracking my food. I decided to eat when I was hungry, and eat foods that made me feel good. 

• Started to “crowd-out” bad choices by incorporating more leafy greens into my diet.

• Ate less animal products, eliminated sugar, reduced my dairy intake, and experimented with more plant-based recipes. 

• Prepared soups with fresh vegetables and beans, and ate more healthy fats. 

• Stopped intense workouts that were hurting me. 

• Added in a daily, outdoor morning walk where I could think, and enjoy nature.

• Continued with my healing yoga classes. 

• Became very protective of my daily meditation, affirmation, and gratitude practice.

The result is that I am the healthiest and happiest that I have ever been.  

If you’d like to make positive changes in your health,  and stop the vicious cycle of dieting, I’d love to work with you.  Together, we will identify your health and wellness goals, examine your barriers to success, and teach you how to establish life-long health habits. 

Contact me for a free consultation.

Design a Life Worth Living

Design a Life Worth Living

“Every life is a story. Whether it is a story worth telling and talking about, though, is up to you.” - Donald Miller, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years

Every morning, I start my day with a consistent routine of enjoying my bulletproof coffee in my office, and selecting books to read from that inspire, challenge, and motivate me to be a better human being.  Re-reading words again, and inviting them to speak directly to me is one of the greatest gifts I give myself.  The book I randomly selected this morning was Donald Miller’s A Million Miles In A Thousand Years. Often, I journal about the messages that inspire me. This morning, I feel compelled to share the messages that resonated with me so strongly. 

Donald Miller wrote his successful memoir Blue Like Jazz in 2003. He was approached by two movie producers who wanted to make a movie of his memoir.  During the course of their discussions, he realized that the life he was living, wasn’t actually a good story for the big screen.  Many of his days were a forgettable series of routines that wouldn’t make a very compelling movie.  He questioned “whether a person could purposefully plan their life, and then live it with intentionality.”  After attending a writing workshop to learn more about what makes a good story, he was given this definition: “A story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.”  

Many of us want better experiences in our lives, but we struggle with the discomfort that it will take - the conflict - to get to the other side.  It’s much easier to maintain our routines, to live in the mundane, to binge watch Netflix, than it is to reset and choose change.  Yet, what if the whole point of our lives is to constantly evolve, and be able to look back at our intentional choices that built a purpose-driven life?  

Here are 5 things you can do today to live a life with more intentionality.

1. Write down the ideals or guidelines for your life. What do you believe in? What are the most important things to you? These guidelines help shape our choices, where we spend our time, and who we choose to allow into our lives.

2. Examine where you spend your time and if it aligns with your guidelines. Everyone of us has 24 hours in each day. Our choice of where we spend our time is within our control. Does where you spend your time align with your life guidelines? If it doesn’t, what does it say about where you’re placing the most importance in your life?

3. Create a vision board or keep a dream list of experiences or goals. Is there a dream that you’ve never made time for? Are there experiences or places you’ve wanted to visit but never have? Fear is usually the culprit that stops many of us from pursuing things that have been on our hearts. Miller says “Fear isn’t only a guide to keep us safe; it’s also a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life.” Creating a visual representation of images and words that depict the life experiences that you want is a great way to manifest them. Frame your completed board, place it prominently where you can see it daily. Being able to reflect on the things that you say are important is the quickest path to realizing them.

4. Set boundaries. Where have you made compromises with your time, energy, and money because you felt like you “should” do something? Not setting clear boundaries with ourselves and others leads to resentment. What should you start saying “no” to in order to start saying “yes” to a bigger life? If you haven’t listened to Brene Brown talk about boundaries, I strongly encourage you to do so: Here is a direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U3VcgUzqiI

5. Start today. Our cells in our body regenerate all the time. Some cells regenerate daily, and other like our bones take 10 years. But, we are made new all the time. I find that so exciting! We can choose to do the same with our thoughts and our choices everyday.

 I’ll leave you with a quote from another amazing book, Chase The Lion by Mark Batterson.  “You are one idea, one risk, one decision away from a totally different life.  Of course, it’ll probably be the toughest decision you ever make, the scariest risk you ever take. But if your dream doesn’t scare you, it’s too small.”