That Damn Splenda vs Sweetener Issue...

After reading the numerous and... let's just say "low vibrational" responses to recent Facebook posts about the dangers of Splenda (and other artificial sweeteners can be included in here too)  I'm going to chime in with my few cents, and hopefully simplify this argument :

1. Did it come from a plant-based source? - If ANY food I eat, was manufactured, discovered, or mass-produced in a lab, then God help me. Are bodies are living, breathing organisms... So how (come on folks, let's use plain un-common sense here) could artificial foodstuff EVER truly sustain the body? And I mean, ever?!!! Living organisms have to support living organism. That's a basic grade twelve biology lesson there. 

2. Just be cause they can sell it, doesn't make it safe - Labs can buy formaldehyde, TNT, and just about every other toxic chemical (btw, most of those things can be found in common, everyday household items too, so don't get it twisted). Did you know that the average Canadian has consumed more than 100 toxic chemicals before they've had their first morning coffee? Remember, the job of the company selling these products isn't to keep you safe, its to keep you wanting and buying more of their products... And they most certainly are addictive.

3. Go back to basics - Really and truly, when in doubt, go back to nature's finest. Honey, brown sugar, molasses are great options for sweetener. And in most cases, you'll find that sugar cravings actually means your body wants something else! You can use this link as a resource to see what your body may really be craving. 

I've heard people saying everything will kill you, why not just eat whatever you want... Those responses more than likely are coming from people who have no idea what it means to live pain-free, with ease, and loving their life and everything in it (that's just my guess). I've also seen people writing that these original articles were written by people who wanted to sell their "natural junk" that didn't work. 

No way, Jose. There are people who have devoted their lives to making sure that all people make educated and healthy decisions period. So we provide people with options, and our version of truth, so ALL PEOPLE can choose what makes common sense. We don't want to preach; just using our science, knowledge and wisdom so that truth doesn't get twisted :). 

Please post your comments/questions/responses. Would love to hear from you! 

Mental Illness Isn't Rare... So Why Don't We Talk About It?

I'm writing this post because I know that Bell did a campaign last year talking about mental illness and depression... Then it seemed that as soon as the month was over, 

WHOOSH! MENTAL ILLNESS DISAPPEARED! 

Well, at least that's what it felt like to read most online sites. No one seems to want to talk about it anymore... Because it isn't "sexy". 

I'm hoping to shed light on what mental illness, or rather what I'd like to call mental wellness looks like in the everyday life.

Its when you know you have that "crazy" aunt or uncle that everyone says is "touched"... But you know that person as the fun aunt or uncle who speaks his/her mind and always brings joy to the house.

Its when all of a sudden, your sister or cousin goes through that bout of depression, and couldn't get up out of bed for three months on end, and had to take sick leave. And this was all "blamed" on a break-up or some other major traumatic event in one's life.

Or, in my example, it was me, not realizing that I was going through a "spell" (aka a crazy depressed period), until I looked back on my life at that time. I realized that none of the pictures I took showed me smiling, I'd aged by at least 20 years in only 1 year, and gained enough weight to make me resemble what I can only imagine would be myself in an alternate universe! 

Because I grew up in a family where mental illness was quite common, I knew that I had to really make sure my lifestyle allowed for me to always have my wits about me, and have a heightened level of awareness. 

Might you be lacking mental wellness? Keep in mind that it can be something as simple as depression or seasonal affective disorder. If you have read this and want to get well, here are a few simple things you can do : 

• DO NOT SUFFER IN SILENCE - Please reach out to someone you love and trust, who you can be real, open and honest with, and ask them to help you through what you're going through. I know if I had done so, it wouldn't have taken me so long to come back to life.

• Eat Healthy - Sometimes that sluggish feeling, or not feeling so well about ourselves is actually caused by chemical and neurological imbalances! All those toxins floating around in our body keeps our mental faculties from working properly. Eating balanced, healthy meals (you can always sign up to my free program to find great resources!) helps keep you positive, mentally well and stable, and doing whats best for you and those around you

• Find an expert and ask questions - Whether its someone trusted in your network that has helped other recover, or whether you get a referral from someone like me, never be afraid to ask questions. Fear of asking questions keeps people sick and suffering, and in pain. Folks like us who are all about helping people heal will always do our very best to make sure you get the help you need. 

I'm hoping that the more of my own personal stories about these "tough" subjects, the more others come out and speak about it. I have no more shame about this in my life. There also is no more lingering pain. I've forgiven myself for "falling into despair". Now this is my chance to help others, so that they know they are definitely not alone. 

What else can I give so I can help you heal from your pain? I'm all ears :).

To Vegan or Not to Vegan? - Let's Dispell Some Veg Myths

After being vegetarian for over 7 years, vegan for a year, then raw vegan for a year, before getting extremely sick and nearly destroying my own immune system, I get such a huge amount of questions about that lifestyle, that I thought I'd post a short few set of myths that I end up repeating on a weekly basis :

1. VEGAN DIETS MAKE YOU LOSE WEIGHT - Its usually not the fact that a diet is meat-free that makes you lose weight; its the fact that usually when you go vegan, you focus on eating more natural foods that come from the ground, instead of a box filled with chemicals and crap.

The honest truth is that in my lifetime, I've met more than a fair share of overweight and extremely unhealthy vegans and vegetarians, because they still continued to eat foods that were from a box, highly processed, that just didn't have meat. Not a great way to support body health.

2. EVERYONE CAN GO VEGAN HEALTHILY - Trust me folks, as much as I'd love to believe this one were true (as a big advocate for cruelty-free products), this one totally depends on each individual's body type, blood type and what works for them.

My nine year almost meat-free diet actually tore my immune system down so much, that I contracted viral meningitis. Unless I re-incorporated meat into my diet, I may not have recovered my health to such a strong level where I haven't even gotten so much as a full-blown cold since (over 2 years later).

Also, my body was trying to tell me over those nine years that I needed meat because I was consistently jittery, was battling multiple candida issues the whole time, and really had some severe hormonal imbalances. Folks, I learned the hard way what my body needs; please do not do the same.

3. NON VEGANS DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE PLANET - One of my biggest pet peeves honestly about becoming an omnivore again after being vegan for so long, is having some vegan eaters tell me I'm a part of destroying the planet. OH REALLY?

Considering
a) I might most seriously still be debilitated if I didn't start eating meat again, and may not healthily be here to tell my tale,

b) I buy mostly organic where I can, use the 3 R's (reduce, reuse, recycle, with emphasis on the first two) every day,

c) Use awareness in nearly all of my buying choices, where I choose local, lightly used, and upcycled wherever I can, and last but not least

d) Have finally started to make a true impact in my love for all things green by relating it to people with their health,

my comment back is, I'd rather eat my meat (thank you very much), continue to have my positive impact on this planet as a whole, and teach thousands of others (which I do every day) how their small choices cumulatively as individuals have a bigger impact than one person going hog-wild.

I thought it would be useful to not only vent, but also help countless others in this vegan/omnivore debate... Now that I've been on both sides of this fence, I really get how futile the argument sometimes is. It's more important that people know what real food looks like period, as right now most people believe that fast food is really food. We've got a much bigger issue to tackle than we initially may have thought.

For more food and health-related insights, you can subscribe to my newsletter HERE. 

Be Your Own Boss with Gloria Roheim

Tash Jefferies from Wedge15 on Vimeo.

Gloria Roheim and I of Wedge15 talking about the ups and downs and real-deal of being an entrepreneur in this day and age.

Numbers Are Lives...

I had a conversation with my tribe of thought leaders and mastermind powerhouses (simply put - my soul fams) and we had a conversation about where business currently is, and where it has the potential to move towards.

This topic got started because we found out that a pretty big corporation (names of I'm sure about 1,000 could fit in here) just layed off thousands of employees, while the head honcho of the organization realized a massive financial gain.

I realized that in the world we live in, executive teams everywhere are having this discussion around "if we just trim this budget, and this team..." not realizing that those budgets and teams they are cutting translate into real people with real lives.

What will it take for us all to say NO to this kind of corporate activity?! And when will we all gain the courage to stand up for ourselves? Something has become broken in this world we live in, and we need folks to come along and heal it - whatever that "it" is.

I'm hoping that whether you are someone who has just suffered from a layoff, or one who has survived with your job spared, that you will read this and know that there are a group of us up-and-coming leaders who are here to help...

My heart goes out to those of you for who this a reality for. Please feel free to contact me if you need a listening ear and a warm heart :).

Humpty Dumpty doesn't need to be put back together again - we need a whole new good egg! :) That egg comes in form of something... ANYTHING that allows people to not just enjoy the fruits of their labour, but also the experience of the labour itself! Who said we need to only enjoy our life on the evenings and weekends? What if we could enjoy the experience of working, every day, for all of our working hours?

If you're reading this, I'm throwing out the idea of creating a working group... Where we do more than discuss solutions - we create them! Please also reach out if this interests you, and you would like to be in on these discussions and solutions.

What To Do When You Have A Crap Day

For some reason, when I have a s&!tty day, I presume that a superhero will come out from my closet and sweep me off my feet...

AS IF!

lol. For real, this week was filled with stuckness for me. And it was because I allowed myself to fall prey to something that we all experience in rare moments:

BEING HUMAN!

Yes, that is what we are folks. We will never be perfect, nor should we strive to be. And after weeks of trying to perfect my programs, doing tons and tons of videos that just don't seem to be good enough, today I had my wake up call, that all that matters is to get out there and do it! We can always go back and improve.

So here are the things that I used to get myself un-stuck, and allowed me to write this post, send my first newsletter in about a month, and get off my butt!

• Get over yourself - Yes, this is a hard one to do, because it's so easy to beat yourself up and tell you how wrong you are to not have completed everything on your to-do list. FORGIVE yourself, then move on to the big goals that you have in mind, that help others! Make your life all about helping others and that will kick-start you to get moving.


• Think about your wins - We all too quickly achieve goals, then don't take time to acknowledge our own accomplishments! I sat back and realized that maybe the reason why I feel overwhelmed is because I got that TV show I have been asking for, am getting the five-figure gigs I've been working so hard for, and have been landing sponsorship deals that I previously was only dreaming of. No wonder I've got to get a move-on my info-products! Reflecting gave me a new look at what I'm working on, and help me put pep back in my step :).


• Let go - Whatever happened last week, two days ago, or even yesterday is the past already! I do this really awesome exercise - when I'm in the shower, I visualize letting all my failures, challenges and issues of the previous day go down the drain along with the water. Try it and see if it works for you too!


• Gratitude - Each day, I awake to letters from clients, friends and loved ones letting me know that the work that I do is not in vain. This gives me more motivation to get out there and to not let challenges get me stuck!

The bigger your goals get, the more you want to achieve, the more obligations and work will fall on your plate. Please remember that you are human, not super-human, and its ok to feel overwhelmed every once in a while.

Then go out there and help the planet! We need you :).

Sending you Love and Light. xoxoxo!

Have you ever felt different?

I woke up yesterday, feeling like something shifted in my life. Although I looked the same, talked the same, I was certain that I was not the same.

Why?

Although I've always known who Napoleon Hill was, and have been told to read Think and Grow Rich, I discovered through my friends Bas and Beau his most powerful work "Outwitting The Devil" and "Law of Success".

I realized that my life is FOR something. Something so large, and powerful, and filled with light, that my commitment to it has shifted into that large thing.

I also realized that every single person on this planet has the potential to be a light unto the world... Most people have no idea they wield the power to bring about a world where we see happiness and healing instead of darkness and hurting.

Bear with me, I know this piece seems different than my others, but it is really not. I am a leader of people. I have a strong voice. I am a healer of those who are hurting. I now know it as sure as I'm breathing. I need you all to know this, and those of you who are willing to be courageous along with me, I'd like you to ask questions of me that will help you unlock your own personal light as well.

My life is to be of service to all of humanity. What is your life for?

Who's Sleeping with Who?

Sometimes I feel like I live in a bubble... Because in my house, in my circles, we not only believe in equality, justice, giving those weaker than us a voice, but also we fight for what we believe in!

That being said, I jumped in on a post of a friend of mine Mr. Turner, where it's big news of the day about Jason Collins being the first professional ball player to come out as gay.

What is all the fuss? I get that this has never been done before, however, does that affect how good he is as a ball player? Does this make him less of a man? Resoundingly NO!

My hope is to help shift the world to a place where these things no longer matter. My hope is to see humanity evolve to a place where it doesn't matter what people do in their own bedrooms. My hope is also where people are so devoted to making the world a better place that they judge people by the content of their character before any other "label" that they may inherit or wear.

Please folks - we are all equal whether "some people" want to believe it or not. Fight for those who need a voice. Fight for your rights.... Not a vicious fight, but one where you let no one keep you separated from true, simple, priceless (and FREE) happiness.

One Love to all who read this :)

What Do You Do When The World Knocks You Down?

Yesterday was one of those days that started out where I felt I could take on the world!!!... And then I got tons of rejection and had major fails (especially with technology!).

No big deal. Meditate, shake it off, and start with a clean slate again the next day...

Yeah right... 

I woke up this morning fresh, wide eyed and bushy tailed, only to have another day filled with MORE rejection and failures, so I had a moment when I started to question why I was doing all this healthy living stuff for, and why I was putting myself out there as hard as I could!  I did the only thing I could think of doing...

Call In My SHEroes :) :) :) 

Yep! Asked my wonderful inspirational voices of wisdom, Chivon John, Karlyn Percil, and Bee Quammie! If you don't know who these ladies are, you gotta check them out. Collectively, we are all committed to helping people be their best selves while keeping things real!

These ladies are my reminder that we can only succeed when we work together, when we learn to be strong, and also when we make sure we get back up when we get knocked down! I'm so blessed that when I have these moments, my SHEroes give me love so I really can get back up renewed, strengthened and ready to take on the world all over again!

Do you have SHEroes and HEroes to reach out to? If not, what is the one step you can take today to find those who can be your support, and who you can support in return?

Stereotypes Alive and Kicking?

As I spoke with The Passion Professor and Ms Word in preparation for our show this Thursday, I started to think of all the still too-normal stereotypes that we have in our world:

• Your doctor(s) should always be White. 


• Need your nails done? Better be Asians.


• Want to know what's the most in-style music? Well, it'll be sure to be sung by a Black rap artist.

You think I'm playing? Watch any blockbuster big budget movie and you'll still see these roles well played... Heck, it still exists in commercials and anywhere in big media.

Part of the reason why its important that we call this out is so that we can realize that in this day and age we can do so much better than this!!! 

How?

Do not let race, culture, income, neighborhood or any other marker define who YOU are. Don't become anyone's clown or pawn. YOU choose what you want to be. YOU choose what your likes are. YOU choose what you identify with. YOU choose what makes you YOU.

YOU choose.

When Does a Touch mean Everything?

There are studies that show babies develop stronger immune systems when they are held and cradled immediately following birth.

So why do we think that changes as we grow older?

It really does hurt my heart to know that our society has perverted the idea of touch so much, that we don't know what good, pure, loving touch is anymore. I'm going to highlight some types of touch that are loving, show kindness, and help people heal:

• A heart-felt hug - I'm not talking about the kind where you're afraid to touch people in the process, or you're truly afraid to let people feel your skin. I'm talking about the ones where your spirit wraps the receiver of that hug. When you give a hug out of pure love, the person may not be able to articulate the feeling, but the really do feel it. And, it heals the soul in the process.


• Hold a face in admiration - look at the one you dearly love, and be in awe of their beauty and presence. Exchange no words, and just honour their presence. 


• Reach out and touch somebody's hand - I couldn't help myself but think of this hymn I grew up singing. In the case where you're unsure of how a hug or face-hold would be received, simply holding someone's hand and exchanging energy, may be all a person needs to know they are listened to and appreciated.  

There are so many other ways in which we can show somebody we care, show them that they matter to us, and plain out give a damn about others... In a world where it seems like those small gestures have been forgotten, I'd like to see them brought back.

To touch is human. To touch with love, care, and acknowledgment of people is divine.

Who Died and Made You King?

Have you ever had people tell you what's best for you? Or tell you all the things that you should be doing?

Have you ever asked them who gives them the right to run YOUR life?!!!

Well, next time, you won't have to, as long as you remember these simple principles:

• YOU run this thing! - you and only you are responsible for what happens in your life. Truth is that life will throw you whatever it wants to throw at you, but you always have the ultimate choice of how you view your life. Who is anyone else to tell you whether what you're doing is right or wrong, as long as you choose for yourself what your life is?!


• Take "suggestions" with love - I've had to learn this one late in life. You know when people tell you "Why don't you do _________?". I now know how to have the courage to say "I know your comment comes from a place of love, but it's not for me. Thank you." It allows you to stand firm in your choice, and leaves no one diminished in the process.


• Accept people for where they are, right now, in their own journey - not everyone wants to be uber-successful, be true to themselves, or wants to live a life filled with love, empathy, freedom and success... And That's OK! Just as we ask people to accept us for who we are, we also need to accept that if people choose not to grow, learn, expand their lives that's ok too. 

It always astonishes me how so many "interest groups" tell people who are entrepreneurs or corporate workers, are LGBT or straight, are vegan or omnivores, are religious or atheist, that they think that they are right and "the other" is wrong. At the end of the day, we'd all be better off doing what makes US happy, and letting others do what makes them happy too.

What "Why don't you do _______?" can you going to let go of today? Please share, because this is something that all of us can get better at doing. :)

Rejection as a Blessing?

I had a dear friend teach me an invaluable lesson today.

Being that I'm a lifestyle cheerleader (aka wellness coach), I'm always on the lookout to help people. So today, when my friend came to me with an issue (they always feel as heaviness and sluggishness to my system), after a few minutes of me "coaching" he stopped me.

He told me that he stopped listening. AKA, I was being rejected. 

At first, I thought what most of us think in those moments. 

MAJOR FAIL.

Then God and The Universe had me come to my senses and learn the following lessons:

• Acknowledge the courage - first off, it's not easy to reject someone... EVER. It's also not easy to accept negative feedback with grace. For me to take it, and not go right into attack mode (which I have learned not to do), also takes courage to stop and listen. 


• Move on, in a LOVING way - as soon as I knew he wasn't listening, I realized two things - he was open to moving on, but I also wasn't the one to help! When I usually do my work, I do minimal talking, so for the simple fact that I was doing all the talking, he saw that my work wasn't working! That fact makes neither of us wrong. What I knew is that I wasn't the one to help him, and that there are probably some of my other coach friends who could reach him. 


• Pushing helps NO ONE - I have a purpose, and is to help those who need it, and who can get my work so that they heal. It helps reserve my energy to work with those who fit with me, and the same for him. No one is meant to properly serve everyone. So letting go of those who don't fit allows us to do our work with those who can be helped, and allows us to maximize our successes.


• End all things in gratitude - before the end of our conversation, there was a moment of silence. After which I gave my friend a sincere and heartfelt thank you. Were it not for this interaction, I would not have the lesson that will benefit and improve my work with others. I honour him for being the space through which I received this lesson.

These same steps can be use for any form of rejection we experience in the future (and I say we, as I hope you will try this method out). Whether it's a promotion, date, raise, contest, client, gig, partner, remembering these things from either side of the rejection - the giver or the receiver - can allow you to honour your integrity and leave a relationship in a better state than where it started.

If you try this out, please leave your comments for what the situation was, and the outcomes, so we all can increase our learning! :)

I'm Upsetting Who?

I've had so many conversations recently with people who are worried or spending time thinking about others they have upset or made uncomfortable.

Here's some truth for you:

If people DO NOT have the courage to approach you about what you've done, FORGET ABOUT IT!!!

If YOU live your life by making it clear that people can be honest with you - you create the space where they can bring you anything! Therefore, if someone can't deal with healthy conflict - delete delete delete!

Keep in mind that I don't mean delete them from your life. What I mean is minimize  the time you spend with them, because they aren't bringing you value, nor can you bring value to them. 

Here are some quick tips that help you deal with passive-aggressive behavior: 

• The for damn sure ain't thinkin' about you - if someone has gotten huffy and decides to get upset at you without bringing it to you, they're not being authentic to themselves or to you... So why are YOU wasting your precious time and energy worrying about why you've upset them?


• Be about bigger things - when you live your life according to a higher purpose, petty arguments and fights become irrelevant... So you eliminate them from your life, and get on to figuring out how you can be of service to the planet instead (and folks, we need way more people out on this big mission!)


• YOU run this ship! - that's right! When you remember that no one can DO anything TO YOU that YOU don't allow, YOU choose how you handle each and every situation. YOU choose to value yourself so that you have a voice and call out someone who's not treating you as you wish to be treated.  When YOU  know that you're worth the best there is to have in life, YOU NEVER let yourself be a victim in any situation.

Dealing with conflict surely isn't fun... and trust me, with all the work I do, I'm telling you, sometimes it gets real hard. Your palms will get clammy, you'll get pit stains from profuse sweating... However, you'll also get real, authentic results. The vibrancy of life is from getting amazing results.

Hope you remember this the next time someone tries to make you feel guilty. Foggetaboutit! :)

Journal What?

A friend made me realize yesterday that loads of experts sing the praises of journaling, but no one ever explains WHY

I'm going to explain why journaling is so essential to living a vibrant life: 

• It allows you to let go - we walk around with so much crap literally weighing on our physical shoulders that the only way to let it go is to grant it space on paper, so that it can be released from your soul, mind, psyche. Whether you keep it, burn it, it doesn't matter - when you acknowledge it, you can feel the emotions related to the crappy stuff, so you can let it go. 

• You can chart your successes and failures - let's face it, our memory can fail us at times. However, if you write down the successes, on those days when you need them, you can read about it and relive it again when the world tries to tell you that you suck! On the opposite side, when you fail or mess up, write down the lesson you learned, so that when you're faced with a similar situation, you can be reminded about what not to do
  . 
• It's better than escapism! Think about it, YOU now have a document that can track your own personal growth. Imagine it like you being Tolkien and writing your own Lord Of the Rings novel, except you are the Hero/SHEro of your own story. YOU have climbed those mountains. YOU have achieved those accomplishments.... Trust me when I tell you it's better than any soap opera when the story is about YOU.

Try it out for a few weeks, and write down those major wins and fails that you have. For the wins, celebrate! For the fails share your lessons.

How about we share both?

You Got 99 Problems?

You know that stuff they call drama? Does it work for ya? I mean, does it really get you off your butt and taking care of your own life?

Wanna learn how to stop problems from running your life and turning it into one big mess?

• Acknowledge it!!! - to turn your back on a problem and pretend it doesn't exist is like... sweeping up the dust around your house, for weeks and weeks and weeks, shoving it under the mat until it turns into a big ball of mess, having people trip over it, and YOU saying "Lump? What lump?" Admit to yourself, then OTHERS  (whoever you made a mess with) that you messed up. If you don't, you can never rectify the problem.


• CLEAN IT UP!!! - that's right. Don't focus on the problem. Once you've named the problem, come up with tons of solutions! For instance, if you get a flat tire, you don't whine, and sit and moan about how bad the flat tire was. You call your insurance company, a friend to come get you, whatever you need to do to get you out of the mess! The whole point of this action is to get you to a space of ease and resolution so that you can move on with the rest of life.


• Hold yourself and others accountable - when you do find that solution, especially when you're in a situation that involves other people, don't be afraid to ask people to make you stick to your word! Let's say you've promised someone that you'd stop being late for them. If you've held them accountable to keeping you honest, they can be empowered to call you out when you're not holding to your promises! Let them chew you out if you are late, and come up with a new solution that DOES work for the two of you!

It amazes me how so many people watch their friends and family members mess up, and hold their tongue to the messes they are creating. I don't do that. I speak my mind and call out foolishness where others are willing to be silent. I guess that's why I do my work so well eh?

What mess are you willing to clean up today? And be honest. I promise you I won't judge :) ... Oh, and I won't let you sweep that ball of dirt under the rug either!!! lol. 

Too Busy to Eat Healthy?

Whether you're a busy young professional, new Mom, or an always-working entrepreneur, there are some simple things you can do to make sure you're still eating well, with a limited amount of time.

One disclaimer first:

Don't try to do everything at once!!!

Going from Junk Food Jane/Joe to Health Food Harriet/Henry overnight never happens, and is a sure-way to get de-motivated and stop trying at all. Use the following tips instead:

• Subscribe to a home delivery service - do an internet search for an organic/local food delivery service, and you'll find that if you're in North America they're nearly everywhere. And if not, create a shopping list, and give it to your local grocery store - they want you're business, so they'll find a way to deliver to you! You can use the list from one of the food delivery services as a template, if you don't know where to start. Experiment with simple recipes and try to use all the veggies in the box!


• Try a smoothie meal! - get some healthy ingredients, throw some greens in (especially kale!), and you've got a breakfast or lunch meal on the go! Delicious and healthy. Yes, the green pieces may take getting used to, but do you want to be healthy and youthful, or feel like a piece of crap?! :).


• Eat lots and lots of salad - buy a big box of pre-washed greens, chop up some tomato, cucumber (and I love using celery for a bit more saltiness), squeeze on lemon juice and some olive oil, and you got a salad made in literally minutes! Try nutrient-dense greens like spinach, swiss chard instead of iceberg lettuce (which is mostly water and has minimal nutrients).

Don't try all three things at once. Pick one thing to do it consistently for 21 days (which is the time it takes to form a new habit), and chart your success and changes. Whether its an increase in energy, loss of weight, journal it, so that you can see what's happening as you change something for the better.

Feel free to share your success stories here as you go along, for even more cheerleading support! :)

Landing a Man?

I still hear so many ladies out there talking about "I can't land a man". There are MILLIONS of great single men still out there in this world.

I'm going to get real and tell you why you're not meeting men of substance:

• Your checklist - must have this, can't have that... PEOPLE AREN'T PRODUCTS! Finding an awesome man isn't like going shopping for a car! People change, grow, morph. AND people aren't perfect! We all have idiosyncrasies and faults. Let go of the checklist, and find yourself first, because when you know and trust yourself, you can allow great people into your life, as they are. 


• Great men are found, not made! - Great men are already great! If you're finding yourself constantly having to "fix" a man into being a good one, then ask yourself "Does my $h!t stink?". If the answer is YES (and it always will be), then who are you to decide what GOOD is?! Maybe he's just not a good fit for you, but he is absolutely perfect for someone else. Go find someone else! 

and on that note, since we're talking about finding:

• OPEN YOUR EYES!!!! Great men are EVERYWHERE! Maybe he's not tall, dark and handsome, or making 5 million a year... But I bet you that short, stalky and kind-hearted man would love you 'til the cows come home! Stop rejecting a man just because he's not someone else's standard of beauty! If you find him handsome, and love his company, then what does it matter what anyone else thinks of him?!!! Sorry ladies, even the judgement of your best girlfriends doesn't matter here... :)

If you missed my post about the bad boyfriend poker thing, you can see that I feel media helps to perpetuate BOTH the low self-esteem of women, AND the emotionally constipated behaviors of men. It won't change until WE stop buying in to this nonsense.

Who's with me? Would love your comments and feedback on this one. :)

Who Say's Social Media isn't Social?

I sometimes hear people complaining that social media sucks. My response is always :

Social Media is a tool like any other - if you don't know how to use it, it's gonna suck! :)

So even if you're a social media novice, I'm going to give you some simple tools that will allow you to maximize the platform and stop it from sucking:

• The New Chatrooms Are FUN! - My two favorites are on Twitter, using the hashtags #PoCchat and #PFWchat - follow the awesomeness that happens on those two feeds alone, and you'll be inspired for hours! 
• Take it To The House - well, not literally to the house, but take the online friends out to coffee, do Google Hangouts with them, and really get to know them! At the end of the day, nothing beats person-to-person interactions
• MASTER THE ART OF CONVERSATION - whether you're online or in-person, if you don't know how to how to start up conversations, or how to engage in another person's life, and how to be your unique self with people, you're not going to enjoy your life! Whether we want to admit it or not, life is people and experiences. Therefore knowing how to interact with folks makes life so much easier.

One day soon, I'll do a post about How to Start Conversations as a part two to this piece, as it's a question I get asked daily. 

Remember - a tool is only as powerful as how YOU choose to use it! Have fun today!!! :)

Be Like Water?

My homegirl and amazing personal trainer friend Trina and I always have a point of connection around the phrase

Be Like Water

 Here's my interpretation of what that means:

• Be open to change - water in rivers just flows... it doesn't ask where to go, it just goes... It doesn't ask "why is there a dam here?", it reorganizes itself accordingly.


• Be cleansing - water purifies the mind, body and spirit. When you interact with people, are you leaving them in a better state than how they were before they were with you? 


• Be strong or weak, whatever is needed - water can change its properties very easily. It can be fluid, when it needs to work its way around things. It can be cold as ice and hard as a rock, when it needs to change the environment around it. Or, it can be hot and steamy, and warm up an entire room.

When you let go of needing to be in control of everything that's happening in life; instead control how you think of, manage and deal with life, the entire world around you changes! And what happens when things change? New things happen. That's what life was meant for.

If you were to be like water, what would that look like for you?