The CSC List: I can’t believe it’s not butter OR edible oil product!

Nov 23, 2021

When my daughter, Zoe, was 2 or 3, we went on frequent outings to a local bakery that gave out full slices of fresh bread as samples. You also got to put on your own butter, so - Score! Zoe liked to butter her own slice and one time, she spread it on so thick that it looked like cheese. I commented on how much butter she used and with a delighted smile, she said, “You can sure tell I’m half-German!”

(All the Germans I know from my mom’s side really like their butter, so Zoe did indeed come by it honestly.)

I also love the taste and texture of butter. I mean… toast with butter. Don’t you just hear the angels singing?

AND I’m picky when it comes to eating. I like my food to be high quality, delicious, sustainable, as close to the original form as possible and usually plant-based. Not a lot of grocery store butter meets my demands, nor do many of the butter alternatives.

A few months ago, I found an interesting package in the butter section...

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A Manifesting Story with Tips for You

Nov 16, 2021

As I did my Sacred Success Sunday Review the other day, I was reminded about what an amazing week I just had. That’s one of the things I love about intentionally looking back at the previous week; when it gets put all together, I tend to realize how spectacular life is.

One of my highlights last week was that I got to present a virtual workshop to a group that I’ve been a part of for the last 8 years, first as a participant and now as a coach. The way that this workshop came to pass was a manifesting miracle, so I want to share it with you and highlight the key steps so that you can manifest miracles too. 

I get a miracle! You get a miracle! Miracles for everyone! (Yep, I’m pretty much like Oprah.)

The group I coach for is called Your Year of Miracles (YOM) and there’s a part of the program called the Inner Circle. Every year the Inner Circle has a retreat. A few years ago, I offered to give a session at the retreat because one of my favourite things to...

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Are you in tune with the season’s guidance?

Nov 09, 2021

Looking out the window, I see a bright blue sky, and big mature trees that have lost all their leaves. They’re casting shadows on a beautiful brick heritage building and the day feels full of possibility.

In this part of the world, it’s fall and that means that some very interesting things are going on energetically. About a decade ago, I learned to look to Nature for answers. Up until then, I had no idea that I was swimming upstream and making life so much more challenging for myself by directly going against Nature’s guidance for so much of the year.

What I’m going to share with you is not rocket science, and yet, it was not obvious to me until someone pointed it out at a workshop I attended. Hopefully this information will serve as a reminder or a starting point for aligning yourself with the energy that’s already flowing. (No need to act like a salmon. Ain't nobody got time for that. Except the salmon, obviously.)

If you look to Nature in the fall,...

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You Are Stronger Than You Realize Summit + Halloween Photos

Nov 02, 2021

Do you know someone going through a cancer journey? I’ve worked with all sorts of clients who’ve had cancer and I’ve even had close family members go through it and come out on the other side. 

I’ve witnessed that it can be a time where there’s fear, doubt and discouragement. I’ve also seen incredible people embrace the experience as an opportunity to get clarity on what they really want and shift their priorities in order to experience ultimate health.

One of my remarkable clients, Tanya West, is courageously hosting a summit this week (November 2-4) with a variety of exciting speakers (including yours truly) and I wanted to share it with you because it takes the cancer journey and fills it with hope, inspiration and an opportunity to cultivate a deep sense of trust that all is well, even though circumstances may appear otherwise.

Click here to register for the You Are Stronger Than You Realize Summit, or feel free to pass along the link to...

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Self-Care Lessons from Pasta

Oct 26, 2021

The other day, I was making dinner and pasta was on the menu. I reached into our (spectacularly organized and visually appealing) pantry (three cheers for everything I learned about creating beautiful spaces from the Home Edit) and pulled out a package that my husband must have picked up at a local Italian market, because it was the first time I saw that brand of pasta. It was a curious combo of orecchiette (ear shaped pasta which is admittedly, a little weird) and some rolled up tubes.

Because I hadn’t seen this kind of pasta before, I checked out the instructions and was so delighted that I have to share them with you. 

The important things to note:

I felt differently about this pasta than any other time I’ve prepared it, because the instructions mentioned the care that was taken to create the pasta, along with some of the other people involved. Because it was brought to my attention, I treated the pasta with more reverence.

Cooking this pasta was described as an...

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The CSC List: My Favourite Toothpaste

Oct 19, 2021

Every so often, I’m sharing my favourite Self-Care products with you, because I’ve put in a lot of leg work to find the best of the best, and I thought you might like to know about the products that have come out on top. Welcome to this month's instalment of the CSC List. We're talking toothpaste.

When it comes to things I put in and on my body, I’m super picky. I don’t tend to buy products at drug stores or grocery stores (unless they’re health food stores) and I’m wary of big brand names because they tend to use all sorts of chemicals and ingredients that are good for their bottom line, but not good for our bodies or our precious ecosystem.

Today, I want to share my favourite toothpaste with you because what you choose to put in your mouth twice a day is pretty important. 

Before the big reveal, here are a few common ingredients in regular toothpaste that don’t belong in bodies:

>Artificial Sweeteners (knows to cause all sorts of...

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Some Yoga Retreat Highlights & Upcoming Masterclass

Oct 12, 2021

For my Canadian friends, I hope you had a splendid and glorious Thanksgiving. At one point, we had 5 pumpkin pies in our fridge, so I declare our celebrations to be a success. At another point, my family burst into collective song around the dinner table (Let It Go from Frozen because my niece is currently captivated by Elsa) and it was such a sparkly eyed, glowing hearts, radiating smile kind of moment. I hope you also had some heart warming experiences in your weekend.

Onto the yoga highlights:

For 6 days last week, I attended an online yoga retreat with my mentor, Dr Sue Morter, as part of the certification I’m working towards. There were so many powerful, delightful and teachable moments, and I learned so much, so I wanted to pass along a bit of the goodness.

Highlight #1

In our condo, we have floor to ceiling windows that look down over a T intersection, and the street that stretches out in front of us is currently draped in magnificent bowers of bright yellow leaves. My...

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How to fit all your self-care practices into your day

Oct 05, 2021

Have you ever wondered how you’re supposed to get it all in? (work, family, nutrition, exercise, meditation, journaling, pets, community, etc, etc, etc)

Sometimes, it can feel like self-care is just a whole other list of stuff to add to your already-packed day. 

When I first started paying attention to this thing called self-care, it took me around 90 minutes to do my routine in the morning. My kids were little at the time and they woke up early, so I decided to get up even earlier. That meant I had to get up at 5:00am to get it all in. My son, Oakley, had some sort of 6th sense, though, and he would hear me sneaking downstairs. 

That meant that many mornings I would be trying to meditate while Oakley would nestle in my lap and stroke my eyebrows, sucking away on his thumb. (He had this weird but endearing thing for eyebrows and brush cuts.)

Then I would try to do some yoga and he would crawl all over me while I attempted to breathe deeply, be patient and get the...

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My Spartan Warriors and ¾ Year Review Invitation

Sep 28, 2021

2 things to share with you today. 

First, I’m hosting a complimentary community call on Saturday October 2nd enticingly titled (insert fanfare noises) The ¾ Year Review.

If you feel like: 

  • you’re always on the go 
  • that your life is very busy and stressful
  • there don’t seem to be enough hours in the day 
  • you kind of have that ‘wind-blown look’ just from day to day living;

this call will help you get a handle on things.

One of the key teachings in Courageous Self-Care is to create a better relationship with time, and one way to do that is to look to the past with gratitude (rather than regret) and towards the future with anticipation (rather than fear).

During this 90 minute workshop-style call, you’ll get practical experience in honouring what has already happened and then we’ll set some intentions for the final quarter of 2021 so that you finish strong, clear and content.

You can expect to leave the call...

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Worst. Smoothie. Ever. (Recipe Included!)

Sep 21, 2021

If you make your own smoothies, you’ll know that it’s more of an art than a science. I mean, sometimes I use the exact same ingredients on consecutive days, and one day it will be a lovely shade of enticing bright green and the next it’s some weird shade of brown. Kind of like Yoda’s bog. It’s inexplicable.

My husband, Paul, and I alternate who makes breakfast, because we generally like a hot cooked meal like a veggie stir fry, oatmeal or avocado toast. We include smoothies as often as possible. In our house, it’s a well known fact that my smoothies generally taste better than Paul’s. After all, I won the food studies award all three years in high school (which I thought was completely embarrassing at the time but now seems to come in handy).

Paul’s smoothies tend to be more on the experimental side, as in raw broccoli or cauliflower mixed with some fruit and maybe some almond milk. If you’re thinking that sounds gross, then,...

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