This year, I chose to quit my Corporate job to begin my own business for several reasons. One of the reasons was to spend more time with my husband and kids, as well as to be able to travel to visit family live 815 miles away.  This year, we had planned on spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with family in Buffalo, NY for the first time in over 10 years.  

Fast forward to heading into the 8th month of this pandemic.  By this time, many of us have had to cancel plans  for Spring Breaks, Summer vacations, and family gatherings.  Now we are heading into the winter Holidays and we are having to make the same sacrifices.  We are heading into the New Year with even more uncertainty about how long this pandemic will be impacting our lives.  So with all of this uncertainty, what can we do to make the best out of the hand that has been dealt to us throughout this Holiday Season.  This actually reminds me of part of the Serenity Prayer which states "Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I ...

Let's just bring it to light and call it what it is.  Many of us are struggling with the holiday blues extra hard this year due to not being able to be with your family.  I have seen posts of positivity followed by a stream of comments filled with anger and frustration due to these circumstances.  It hurts my heart to see such sadness and hurt spreading across the country and the world.  So yes.  I am going to focus on how to increase your levels of joy despite  what is happening all around you.  

First, let's take a look at what stops us from experiencing joy.  We can break these down into joy stealers and joy challenges.  In this article, we are going to focus on Joy Stealers and how to overcome them to feel more joy throughout your life.   

Joy stealers are attitudes and thought patterns that prevent us from experiencing joy.  Some common joy stealers include:

• Worry.  We have a tendency to catastrophize most situations. We project negative outcomes on situations.  Have you ever
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Who doesn't like a good ol' celebration?!  What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of celebrating?  We culturally celebrate for many reasons...promotions, births, holidays, birthdays.  Shoot...some have birthday months!  We celebrate because it feels good.  There is actually a physiological reason we are feeling amazing when we get festive.  Our brain releases a beautiful cocktail of chemicals.

Did you know that 49.6% of our waking hours are spent thinking about something other than what we're doing, and this mind-wandering typically makes them unhappy (Harvard Gazette, 2010).  

So where does our mind go?  You can usually tell by what's coming up in your emotions.  

When our mind moves into the future, we can begin to feel anxious.  Over-analyzing, thinking of every possible outcome of every possible move we can make, and don't forget about every single move every other person can make.  Sounds exhausting, right?  You would know because you hang out there just like the rest of the 40 million adults in the world.  

When our mind contemplates events that happened in the past, we begin to feel sadness or depression.  We begin to question our decisions, behaviors, and conversations.      We may dwell on the patterns and relationships that have been less than healthy in our life.  Our thoughts often trick us into believing that our life will 'always be this way'.  And here's th...

Can any one else feel that?  The intensity of emotions from the collective?  Have you noticed any of the following:

• extreme lethargy
• a heaviness you just can't explain
• a feeling of loneliness
• loss of hope for the future
• intense anger
• easily frustrated/short fuse
• holding onto resentments

Of course you can!  We are in the middle of elections during a pandemic!  Who wouldn't be a little bit, or a LOT a bit, on edge?  We are certainly in a season of political warfare and turmoil.  It seems all of the news is geared towards negativity and judgment.  Although it is very important to be up to date and knowledgable about the current state of affairs, it is equally, if not MORE important to create a safe space for ourselves-physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. My energy is very sacred to me, especially since I am highly sensitive-aka an empath.  I feel the energy all around me at all times.  My heart grows heavy when I see acts of hatred and violence.   I cry with joy...

Overwhelmed, exhausted, happy, anxious, hopeful, fearful, connected, optimistic and sad.  That explains my state of mind and emotions over this past week.  

Today, my husband left for a job in another state.  We are not sure how long he will be staying there, but we are hopeful it is for at least a few months.  This was an anticipated and exciting move for our family since he started his own business early last week.  Now, everything is changing.   

Over the past few months, I quit my corporate job and left the professional field of substance abuse treatment that I have known for the past 15 years.  I started my own business and picked up a very part time gig at a local college.  My husband quit his job and started his own business.  I know, right?!  Crazy and exciting.  Add the pandemic into the mix and we are in one crazy season!

As I was walking through the grocery store with all 3 of my kids, 2 of which were running around the cart while playing, I noticed an all too familiar vo...

This week was an emotionally rough one for me.  Hell...this has been quite the year when I think about it.  I am sure I am not the only one with that experience!

In September, I resigned from my job in Corporate America to focus on my business.  I had been transitioning out over the month of September and this past Tuesday was the very last day I physically went into the office in order to welcome the new Executive Director into my position.  I was surprised with a gathering/celebration from my boss and co-workers.  They presented me with a beautiful heart chakra singing bowl and live music from two of my co-workers that literally brought me to tears.  

It was all finally hitting me.  I hadn't grieved over moving on from this job until that day.  I was leaving the best corporation, boss, and co-workers I ever had in my Professional career. I cried throughout the entire gathering.  There were tears of mourning for the connection I had with all of these amazing souls.  It is important ...

“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”~Martin Luther King Jr.

Throughout my life, I was taught to look upon leadership as a status to be obtained. It was a mark in one’s career that let the world know you ‘made it’ and are ‘making a difference’. I look back at that belief as I would a young, sweet, and naive child. There are some amazing leaders that have inspired me along the way. Amazing inspirational leaders that encourage and encompass kindness and compassion to all. Visionary leaders who take action to create the world they know is obtainable-one of connection, compassion, and collaboration. I still look upon some of the great leaders for inspiration. I continue to saturate my brain with their knowledge, and learn from their teachings and beliefs. I have also been blessed enough to have amazing leaders throughout my personal life. Amongst them include family, my husband, children, friends, teachers, bosses, spiritual mentors, coaches, and therapists. ...

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen”~Brene Brown

So many of my years were spent being the person I thought I “should” be. I am the first born, which means I am an over-achiever and strive for perfectionism. Some of my younger memories include being yelled at for my first “B”, going to weight watchers at ten years old, and being made fun of for the clothes I wore and the hairstyle I chose. Before that, I was a fun loving, free spirited, vibrant, live-out-loud kind of girl. Early in my years, just like most of us, I was taught what was acceptable. I was taught how good little Catholic girls were supposed to act. I was taught that achievement was of the upmost importance. I was taught how wives and mothers were supposed to behave. I was taught what was, and was not, acceptable within a marriage and a family.

I am grateful for all of these lessons and experiences, for it has made me the per...

This movement of #bestlife has been around on social media for quite some time.  Despite the positive connotation, this concept has created some controversy.  There are some that believe this concept is only for the "financially privileged" and is "unattainable" for 'normal people'.  Some believe it leads to a state of constant comparison that is unattainable, which may be true based upon what your idea of living your best life entails.  Living your best life is completely subjective.  

I do not consider myself "financially privileged" in any sense.  I know my life is abundant, and I didn't come from a financially endowed family nor have I ever had a trust fund ever in my life.  I do believe in the movement and ability to live #yourbestlife without a hefty bank account.  Living your best life is so much more than lavish trips and spa days.  

So, what does it mean to live #yourbestlife?  

Over the past year, I have been in a state of re-evaluation.  Not because of the comparison to o...