Did you know there are major health benefits to getting outdoors every day? Whether it’s a lush forest, a serene local park, or your garden, nature has a way of calming our minds and restoring our bodies. Some studies show that being in nature can lower your cortisol levels, the stress hormone in the body. If we live with elevated cortisol levels from daily stresses and don’t actively find ways to decrease these levels daily, we are contributing to the inflammatory load in our bodies that can lead to various health issues over time. Being in nature doesn’t always have to be a bright, sunny day. Simply being exposed to daylight first thing in the morning, even on an overcast day, helps regulate our circadian rhythms to optimize better sleep patterns. Beauty can be found in all types of weather once you commit to getting outside every day. Today on the blog & podcast, let’s explore the benefits of nature and how to make it a priority in your everyday life.
Read more8 Ways to Foster Joy & Connection in Life (Regardless of Your Circumstances)
The last 6 months have triggered a lot of change for myself and my family. As I’ve shared these changes with my community, I’ve been asked a series of similar questions, all wondering how I've managed to stay grounded amidst the changes and find joy and connection throughout the journey. Today on the blog & podcast, I’m sharing 8 ways I’ve fostered joy and found a connection in life, regardless of the changing circumstances. Within 5 days I changed my job and bought a new home because I was able to stay aligned with my values and develop the continual awareness to see when things needed to be changed. The 8 ways listed below will create a lifestyle that aligns yourself with your ambitions and equips you to tackle the challenges that life brings in your path.
Read more“Rejection is Protection” (3 Practical Steps)
Have you ever made this observation? One of my favorite coaches, Gabby Bernstein, commented recently that, “Rejection is protection.” This reminded me of the idea that our yes’s and immersed within a sea of no’s. So often when we see a door close, we find on the other side that it was steering us towards something better. Have you ever made this observation? If you are not uncomfortable, you are not growing. The mindset of rejection is protection enables us to see rejection not as a failure or setback but rather as a form of guidance. Rather than seeing life as winning and losing, we can see it as winning and learning, while still making room for the emotional heaviness that can come from various forms of rejection. Today on the blog & podcast, let’s explore this idea of rejection and how to use it as a tool to foster personal growth.
Read more3 New Year’s Resolutions Every Person Needs This Year
What’s your purpose? As we navigate the end of another year, I want to reflect upon the power of identifying the value of your work, especially around the art of gifting to others. In a world where the value of work is often qualified in monetary terms, it’s important to step back and see the value in your broader impact of the creative work you do. It’s been a season of change for me and I’ve been deep diving into where my vision and goals take me while bringing clarity to what motivates me to find and bring joy to those around me.
Today on the blog & podcast, I’m sharing 4 steps to recognize the value of your work beyond the tangible effects to see the greater impact around you. Beyond enhancing personal fulfillment, bringing awareness to the value of your work will impact how you engage with others. It can lead to creating a life that blends your work and personal lives in such a way that maximizes your ability to experience and give joy to those around you.
Read more4 Steps to Recognize the Value of Your Work
What’s your purpose? As we navigate the end of another year, I want to reflect upon the power of identifying the value of your work, especially around the art of gifting to others. In a world where the value of work is often qualified in monetary terms, it’s important to step back and see the value in your broader impact of the creative work you do. It’s been a season of change for me and I’ve been deep diving into where my vision and goals take me while bringing clarity to what motivates me to find and bring joy to those around me.
Today on the blog & podcast, I’m sharing 4 steps to recognize the value of your work beyond the tangible effects to see the greater impact around you. Beyond enhancing personal fulfillment, bringing awareness to the value of your work will impact how you engage with others. It can lead to creating a life that blends your work and personal lives in such a way that maximizes your ability to experience and give joy to those around you.
Read more4 Keys to Embracing Change & The Art of Transitioning (Even When You Didn’t Expect It)
Life has a way of throwing us curve balls when we least expect them. We make plans and set goals and create dreams and sometimes things don’t go as planned. It can be fascinating to realize how quickly things can change, but when doors close the right actions and mindset can open new, beautiful doors.
Today on the blog & podcast, let’s explore the art of transitioning and 4 keys to embracing change even when you didn’t expect it.
Read more4 Practical Steps to Improve Your Mental Health By Supporting Your Gut Microbiome
“We are what we eat” We are what we put in, on, and around our bodies. As we head into the upcoming season full of celebrations full of food and oftentimes sugary sweets, I am reminded of how fall is the perfect time to reassess our health and harness the power of the profound connection between our gut and our mind. The way the food industry has evolved over the last 50 years can make eating a whole foods diet more challenging. Today on the blog & podcast, I’m sharing 4 practical steps to improve your mental health by supporting your gut microbiome this season.
Read moreHow to Rebuild Trust That Has Been Broken (In Any Relationship)
What does trust mean to you? I consistently show up on the blog and podcast to delve into the interconnection between mind, body, & spirit. I share various ways we can tap into our joy and our best selves in order to show up, connect, and live holistically. Across all areas of my life as a mother, wife, and electrical engineer, I have seen the impact and importance of healthy relationships. Relationships bring deeper meaning and fulfillment to our lives. Trust is the invisible thread of relationships that binds us all together, but what do you do when that trust is broken? Sometimes in a society that likes to make things overly complex, we can easily lose the ability to connect with each other in a safe space. Today on the blog & podcast, I’m sharing 5 tips for how to rebuild the trust that has been broken. Whether in a personal, familial, or business relationship, these steps will help to bring clarity in moving forward and rebuilding the relationship one step at a time.
Read more5 Tips to Overcome Boredom & Find Fulfillment in Your Life
How can managing our energy (rather than our time) help us lead happier lives? The idea of harnessing the power of energy management to unlock your full potential has been a focus of mine recently, especially as we transition into the summer months. In the fast-paced world we live in, it’s often been emphasized to shift our focus from time management to energy management as the key to success in recent years. This new perspective in the literature on energy management, rather than old theories of time management, allows us to attain personal growth and productivity as we focus on harnessing and managing our physical, emotional, and spiritual energy. Today on the blog & podcast, I’m sharing 4 action steps for better energy management so that you can find more joy in your life, as well as 3 influential books I’ve enjoyed reading in this area of personal growth.
Read more4 Action Steps for Better Energy Management
How can managing our energy (rather than our time) help us lead happier lives? The idea of harnessing the power of energy management to unlock your full potential has been a focus of mine recently, especially as we transition into the summer months. In the fast-paced world we live in, it’s often been emphasized to shift our focus from time management to energy management as the key to success in recent years. This new perspective in the literature on energy management, rather than old theories of time management, allows us to attain personal growth and productivity as we focus on harnessing and managing our physical, emotional, and spiritual energy. Today on the blog & podcast, I’m sharing 4 action steps for better energy management so that you can find more joy in your life, as well as 3 influential books I’ve enjoyed reading in this area of personal growth.
Read moreHow to Embrace the Discomfort in Your Life
How do we embrace the discomfort in our lives? This blog post & podcast episode is really a part 2 from last month’s post: 6 Steps To Embrace An Anti-Fragile Mindset. I love getting book recommendations myself as there are so many options out there it can be hard to know which ones to choose. In today’s blog and podcast, I’m sharing some of my favorite books I’ve recently read on how to embrace the discomfort in your life. These books have allowed me to feel like I’m not alone in this current season of discomfort & fueled me to look for & embrace the opportunities for growth and change during this challenging season.
Read more6 Steps to Embrace an Anti-Fragile Mindset
“No mud, no lotus.” Thich Nhat Hanh, zen master and peace activist. I was recently inspired by a collaborative group I was meeting with for my day job in the electric industry. As we were discussing overcoming the challenges and seeing the opportunities within our goal to drive new technologies in the electric industry, one colleague shared this quote from Thich Nhat Hanh. It reminded me of the importance of seeing how suffering and difficulties in our life can lead to growth and transformation. The lotus flower grows from the mud at the bottom of a pond and is a great symbol of how challenges can be opportunities for personal growth and self improvement. Today on the blog & podcast, I’m sharing 6 steps to embrace an anti-fragile mindset in order to better appreciate the beauty and potential within ourselves as we navigate challenges and struggles in our everyday lives.
Read more5 Ways I Connect With My Kids As They Grow into Adulthood
I was recently asked by a gracious reader how I connect and be present with my children while balancing my career and passion projects. It all started with setting my intentions and creating the reality that I envision for my life. This idea first came from trying to manage my second-born child’s toddler tantrums while also parenting an 8-year-old. One of the first books I read at this time was Dr. Daniel Siegel’s Whole Brain Child & I credit this book for putting me on a path to the place I am today, where I get to parent my children in a state of joy rather than constant stress. From understanding the neuroscience behind what the brain is doing while developing throughout childhood to adopting a growth mindset and maintaining my sense of humor, I’ve compiled a list of 5 ways I connect with my kids as they grow into adulthood while maintaining my own identity and sense of joy in my career and life as well.
Read more3 Tips for Increasing Your Energy Levels as a Woman
Did you know that a woman’s energy levels can (& should) vary greatly over a 28-day cycle? I’ve been focusing more heavily on the physical aspect of my health since this past summer & been fascinated by how our energy levels as women are affected by these physical changes. One of these physical changes I’ve made is to introduce intermittent fasting & I recently read a book by Dr Mindy Pelz titled Fast Like a Girl. In this book, Dr Pelz teaches about how a woman’s body changes over the 28-day cycle and how to tap into this for better health. Today on the blog & podcast, I’m going to share my top 3 tips for embracing better hormone health & increasing your energy levels as woman.
Read moreHow to Start a Daily Journaling Practice (& What to Write)
Do you really write in your journal everyday? What do you write? I was recently asked these questions & I want to answer them for you. The short answer: yes, I journal everyday. No, I don’t always write the same thing nor do I just write a recap of my daily life. The idea of journaling and implementing it as a daily practice can be very intimidating. I want to break it down for you, because while I started daily journaling back in 2015, it was really only in the past couple of years that journaling became the main way I process the emotions I experience on a daily basis & continue to develop a growth mindset while finding my joy in everyday moments. Today on the blog & podcast episodes, I’m sharing how to start a journaling practice & what to write to optimize your time and energy when beginning this transformative self-care practice.
Read moreHow to Break Bad Habits Without Depriving Yourself
Have you ever heard of “crowding out” bad habits? I had been trying to kick the habit of eating processed sugar for quite a while & I have finally found success in kicking this bad habit over the past 4 months by using this method of “crowding out” the bad habit. Crowding out the bad habit is accomplished by actually focusing less on eliminating the bad habits & instead shifting your focus to filling your time & life with good habits that won’t allow the bad habit to exist anymore. Today on the blog & podcast, I’m sharing more about how to use this “crowding out” method to eliminate bad habits by showing your 4 key areas you can shift to add in those good habits that will crowd out any bad ones.
Read more5 Steps For a Successful Seasonal Check-In
Do you believe that time discipline = time freedom? As I am wrapping up the final season of 2022, I am doing a seasonal check-in as I do every 3 months to better understand where I am at in my current state of life & how I can better utilize my time and energy to create more moments of joy & bring better focus to my daily, intentional efforts. You may find that you’ve gotten off track in one area of your life or another & this 2-3 hour seasonal check-in is a great way to better connect with yourself and provide the clarity you need to move forward with confidence into a new year or a new phase in life. Today on the blog & podcast, I’m sharing 5 steps for a successful seasonal check-in so you can experience more joy in the new year. Set aside a chunk of time on a Sunday afternoon, get cozy, and put on your favorite tunes as you work through these steps below & approach the next 3 months with intention.
Read more5 Truths I’ve Learned About Creating Better Habits
What is self talk & why does it matter? I’ve read (& re-read) a few books recently linking the power of journaling with how we talk to ourselves. I was reading The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer while sitting next to my 9 year old son while he was being quite negative. While reading this book about the consciousness of our thoughts that speak to us all the time - whether it’s telling us we’re hungry or cold or should fret - I used this opportunity to teach my son about how the negative energy he was putting off may be affecting him. As you can imagine he got quite frustrated, but this highlighted a deeper importance in why self talk matters and how it affects the way we show up in the world. In today’s blog & podcast episode, I am going to highlight 3 ways your self talk creates your own reality.
Read moreHow Your Self-Talk Creates Your Own Reality
What is self talk & why does it matter? I’ve read (& re-read) a few books recently linking the power of journaling with how we talk to ourselves. I was reading The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer while sitting next to my 9 year old son while he was being quite negative. While reading this book about the consciousness of our thoughts that speak to us all the time - whether it’s telling us we’re hungry or cold or should fret - I used this opportunity to teach my son about how the negative energy he was putting off may be affecting him. As you can imagine he got quite frustrated, but this highlighted a deeper importance in why self talk matters and how it affects the way we show up in the world. In today’s blog & podcast episode, I am going to highlight 3 ways your self talk creates your own reality.
Read more3 Steps to Connect, Embody, & Act in Alignment with Your Highest Self
Have you begun to notice a theme? The daily habits and themes I share on the Integrated Being blog and podcast can really be summed up as the mind, body, and soul… interconnected. From discussing the importance of what we put on, what we put in, and what we have around our bodies to leveraging the power of the present moment, we continue to grow in the knowledge of how all of this is integrated to create a happy, fulfilling life. In today’s blog & podcast episode, I am going to break this down into 3 simple steps to connect, embody, and act in alignment with your highest self.
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