As a wellness coach, people come to me seeking solutions to problems. They want to lose forty pounds or manage a medical diagnosis. When declining health takes the wheel, rest assured that reduced quality of life is riding shotgun. This duo seriously undermines feelings of contentment and happiness and most people find themselves wanting to somehow get their health back. In our pursuit of as much happiness as possible, dealing with declining health leads to a deep longing to be well again. The challenge isn’t wanting things we don’t have as much as it is in valuing the things we already possess. Think about your good health and ask yourself, what would it mean to you to want what you already have?

I believe that underneath the burning flames of change is an emerging clearing filled with the potential for new growth. We may not want it, but it will come just the same. In coaching, we are trained to harvest these opportunities when they come. We seek the positive, focus on strengths, and dig for potential. We identify for our clients a time to pivot, embrace something new, and emerge better than they were before. Amidst turmoil, we seek possibility.

Self-compassion is our bravest resource when things get in the way of our goals. Rather than capsizing to the fear of failure, or being overtaken by shame, we can continue courageously forward with hope, positivity, and peace inside the gentle banks of self-compassion.

Knowing what I know now, I wish I could have changed things for my dad. But I am ferociously committed to changing things now, for myself, and for generation #6—my kids. They will know. They will understand what causes Type 2 diabetes and how they can add YEARS to their precious lives. I am committed to changing this for them. I am committed to changing this for you.

And the minute he does something unhealthy, like have a slice of cake...well, it's game over!! Because everyone knew, most especially him, that he was never actually that healthy guy he was trying to be. So there you have it--his cover is blown. He's found out. No more pretending to be the "healthy" guy!  

This last week I was reminded by a lovely client that #weighthappens. Much like the popular hashtag #SH!$happens, part of being female and human means that sometimes weight just happens.

While you might have to eliminate certain foods that you  do enjoy, detoxing isn’t all about eating kale with a drizzle of olive oil.

We were the best version of ourselves during the soak. We solved family problems, health problems, and every imaginable running problem--all from the tub.

This is the kind of perfection seeking that is exhausting and it drains our minds and our bodies.

Take all of those tiny wishes inside you and set them free on the wind. Feel your beauty spread across the earth in the summer sun. Watch it grow and multiply and cover the world with the warmth of your radiant face.