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The Autumnal Equinox is one of my favourite times of the year to reflect on the topic of gratitude. I return to books of poetry by Rumi and Mary Oliver to provide a sense of warmth and connection. I also return to this quote from Mary Davis which grounds me in the ritual of practicing gratitude: The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see. This Fall, I am focussing on tiny beautiful things as a way to cultivate daily gratitude.

I don’t know if it’s a mid-life awakening or simply a survival technique to help get me through the teenage years with my kids, but I have been setting some big boundaries this year. Partly, it’s to conserve energy because I’m 50! But also, it’s to preserve my peace. So, where there are trust issues in relationships, I am drawing a line. Now, within these new boundaries, I'm wondering where I belong?

In our culture, we refer to a vibe as a feeling that a person brings to a space. For example, you may hear someone say, “he brings a fun, party vibe” or “she has a boring, downer vibe”. We tend to use words to describe a person’s energy. But it goes much deeper than the words. Vibrations are sensory signals of energy in motion (e-motion) and they can say a lot about our emotional state of being.

Last week, my friend, Angela, sent me a text that read: “Stay the course.” Her message came through during a meditation and it was like a divine call from the Universe. I received it loud and clear. It was a swift reminder for me to get back on the path. For the last couple of weeks, I found myself being pulled in several different directions and I lost traction.

As a parent, friend, and co-worker, I encounter new experiences almost daily that require deeper understanding and adaptation. So, diving into the topic of humility this month was on point; a true adventure of unlearning and expansion. My first step was to deconstruct an old belief.

In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer writes: “Knowing that you love the Earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the Earth loves you in return, that relationship transforms from a one-way street to a sacred bond.” These words land on my heart like a prayer each morning; a daily devotion to reciprocity and what is sacred in life.

This week, like many of you, I am recovering from a busy holiday season and processing grief (missing people I love and putting to rest what is no longer a part of my life). Coming home to this newsletter community and exploring the theme of grace has been just what my heart needs. I hope you receive the gift of grace today too. Here’s what I've learned about grace so far.

We often think of passion as it relates to an intimate experience with a partner. However, when we consider sharing our passion with the greater community, what does that look and feel like for you? For me, it looks and feels like vulnerability. 

When we inspire each other to keep learning and growing as individuals and as a community, we find ways to transform pain into creativity and darkness into light. Together, we create joy and connection. Let's share our joy and celebrate each other.

Replenishment is defined in the dictionary as "the act of making something full again by replacing what has been used". In the context of being a whole human being, I define replenishment as a practice of re-filling your heart with the energy of love. Think of it like staying hydrated during a big trek. As you trek through the seasons of life, hydrate with love.

When you’re in rhythm with the universe, you feel good. You’re in a groove. You’re in alignment with your values and with others - feeling good about yourself, producing meaningful work, making good friends. However, life is messy and, in the messiness, your rhythm can be interrupted very quickly.

When it comes to finding stillness, I am a work in progress! Is anyone else feeling like the month of October is flying by? Sometimes I wonder if it’s my age or simply the pace of life that causes me to lose track of time. Whatever it is, I am trying to slow down so that I can stay present and enjoy the moments.   

You've likely heard writers or artists say, when describing a piece of work or their process, that it came through them in a "stream of consciousness". For me, consciousness is a flow of energy that comes in the moment from a deep awareness of self. It's like a flow of energy from the deepest part of my soul. The key to accessing this awareness? An open heart.

I’ve always loved wearing my heart on my sleeve, literally. Often, you’ll see me wearing t-shirts and sweatshirts with bold messages like “Choose Kind” and “More Love”. My favourite tee has a big heart on it with the words “Get in here”. I express myself in this way to provide an opening for conversation and to help others “see” me for who I am and what I stand for.

As kids, we were taught to be ambitious and to avoid being content. I remember contentment being viewed as lacking drive, lacking lustre, just plain lacking. To be seen as thriving, we were encouraged to go after more and to strive for more. More knowledge, more things, more success. Essentially, we were raised in a culture of wanting and needing more. According to Lao Tzu, whose words date back to the late 1800’s, we have been conditioned to “resist the simple path that might make us more content.”

As a society, we have become reliant on what other people say and do. We seek direction from external influences for our pleasure and purpose. I wonder if it’s because our human desire is to be seen and accepted, so we follow who and what is getting attention. The downside of turning to the outside world for fulfillment is that we literally turn our attention outward - to what others are doing and saying - and we ignore our own inner voice.

In nature, we are guided to listen, play and trust. We learn to be a good friend and partner. This summer, I took a pause from writing to spend time exploring the great outdoors with my kids. In many ways, it was a sacred pause - a gift of time - to be together and explore the concept of connection.

Happy Summer! With the kids home from school and the days being longer, I am anticipating a busy time ahead. To stay healthy and aware of our physical and emotional needs, I am sharing some of my favourite self-care techniques with you in this Summer Guide To Living On The Path!

Self-awareness is the ultimate guide to well-being. It is knowing your emotional landscape and experiencing life in the present. On the path, we are exploring presence through vulnerability, creativity, joy, courage, and many other ways that help us get to know ourselves on a deeper level and respond to situations with a deeper sense of awareness.

In my younger years, I put up walls around my heart to protect my true essence from people who could take it or harm it. Sometimes, I wore a mask to shield others from seeing my pain. But, getting hurt is inevitable and pain is a part of life, so why do so many of us attempt to hide from it? And, if we are continually protecting ourselves from feeling pain, how are we living? I think it's fair to say, not well. 

I recently gifted my friend, Deb, a tarot reading for her 50th birthday. I asked Deb to pull a theme card for her year (followed by 12 cards for each month). The theme card she pulled was transformation. At first glance, we were thrilled by the idea of transforming at 50! Then, we noticed that the archetype for the transformation card is death.

Rumi said, "It's your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you." Rumi's words remind me that my soul's journey is my sole responsibility to honour and experience. It is up to me to walk in the direction of my purpose by being empowered by others who are following their truth.

I’ve been thinking a lot about generosity and giving. Are they the same thing? If not, how are they different? For anyone who is caring for children and/or aging parents, you are likely giving every ounce of your energy and every spare minute of your time to loved ones. You are not alone! Although the act of giving is an act of love, it can be exhausting.

During the pandemic, I couldn’t find inner peace by listening to the news or tuning into social media. In fact, the more I tuned into media, the more disconnected I felt from myself and my inner knowing. So, I turned to nature to guide me, and I used my heart compass for direction.

At the start of 2022, I chose the word “flow” as my word of intention for the year. I chose this word with the intention of welcoming, and not resisting, changes that may occur on the path. I quickly realized that in order for me to 'keep my word', my choices need to be aligned with my purpose for authenticity. So, I added “discernment” to my words of the year.

By doing the work of truth and authenticity, we are walking ourselves toward peace. Let's keep going and gathering more friends in light and connection. The world needs our love and forgiveness more than ever before.   

I am one of those people who struggle with a deep need to be accepted by others. The worst part of it is that I want to be accepted by people who generally don't appreciate me. Most often, this leaves me in a cycle of feeling insecure (do they like me?), followed by trying hard (they’ll like me if I do well), and finally being rejected (Ugh! they don't care about me).

Growing up, I remember my mom telling me to “act with integrity”. I didn't know what that meant so when I asked her for clarification she said "act in a way that is good”. I understood this definition of integrity as following the ways and expectations of other people. Do right by others. This is how my disease to please started.

Love is the energy that flows from your heart through expressions of kindness. It guides the way you interact with others, the way you show up in the world and the way you foster and maintain good health. It is the energy you bring to your life each day. Without love, your mental and physical health is not sustainable.

A new year feels like an opening to new opportunities or, for those of us on the path, like an invitation to explore new points of view. As always, thank you for showing up and opening your heart to my thoughts and ideas about living with authenticity. This week, we are exploring the topic of trust.

What a year! What a journey! After reflecting back on the last 10 months since I began writing this newsletter, I realized that being on the path to authenticity is about being in the present experience of your life and being accountable to your truth. So, why is it so hard to stay on course sometimes?

'Tis the season of joy and pain, reflection and contemplation, fire and darkness. This week, to honour the holiday season and all the feelings that come with it, we are exploring the idea of rituals as an opportunity to celebrate and care for our whole self. 

Friends, we reached a milestone! We have been on this path together for nine months and we are still going strong. It is an honour and a privilege to share this adventure with you. We have explored many areas of our humanity that help us feel more connected to our feelings (self) and each other (community).

Do you ever wonder what life would be like if we felt safe and secure to be real in our relationships? This question is on my mind a lot lately as we find our way in a post-pandemic world where family units and friendships have been fractured due to a global "shutdown" and lack of connection.

Since my last newsletter, I have been actively making time for joy as a way of shifting my energy from heavy (trauma healing) to light (feeling free). It has been uplifting and soul-affirming! Joy is being in the energy of your truth. It is a source of light that connects us to other beings. We need to tune in and turn up the joy when life gets dark.

Letting go of a familiar story is hard. But, if the story is holding you back from being your best self, then letting it go is the only way you can move forward. Old stories and emotional habits are often considered familiar and "safe". But, what exactly are they protecting you from?

I have a tendency to over-react with anger when my kids don't listen. I don't want to do that anymore. I spent the last two weeks exploring the reasons for my anger. This week felt like a walk in the valley of darkness.

The pandemic brought up a lot of difficult emotions for me and ultimately raised the question about whether my emotional habits are serving my purpose to live authentically. After some consideration, I realized that a few of my emotional habits are harmful and, in fact, they are getting in the way of my growth.

I often think of courage as stepping outside the comforts of the mainstream circle and bravely walking the path alone. This is incredibly hard when we live in a world where likes and followers are valued over truth and happiness. So how do we do it? How do we find the courage to be our true selves if it means being alone? I don't have the answers but I can offer you some thoughts.

The art of surrender is letting go of whatever is holding you back from offering love. In the art of surrendering, you let go of control in pursuit of freedom. You release the pressure of ideals, set by yourself and others, and relax into what is real and true. You offer love and, regardless of how your love may be received by others, you trust in the process.

Life is a process of hurting and healing. Resilience is the inner strength that we need to help move from recovery to discovery. Today feels like a good day to explore the topic of resilience and what it means to be resilient. With everything that is happening around the world and in our personal lives, we are being called upon to stay centered in our hearts and find strength to keep going despite the spread of fear, viruses and wild fires. In many ways, it seems as if we are being tested to act with loving kindness toward ourselves, our global community and our planet.

As we move forward on the path to authenticity, solitude becomes an important part of renewing our energy for the journey ahead. It is our "water break", a place to catch our breath, where we rest and access a deep well of divine energy. For me, solitude is a silent journey inward that allows for my soul to become synchronized with a greater source of love.

Curiosity is the playground within your heart where your creative spirit is free to explore joy and wonder. After years of playing it safe in my life, it felt really good to embody my curiosity and play with the idea of writing and creating a book. The process was scary at first, but mostly because I was afraid of judgment and rejection. Then, I remembered that joy was my purpose, and fear was not welcome in my playground.

I became interested in meditation a few years ago when I was feeling exhausted by the pace of life. I was running from one commitment to another and chasing one opportunity after another. I wanted a way to access peace in the midst of the chaos. I learned breathing techniques, practiced chanting and discovered the benefit of rest by being in a quiet, mindful space. However, I didn't find inner peace until I began activating my sense of imagination.

When I think about authenticity, words like true and pure come to mind. I am reminded of things being in a natural state and coming from soil, not influenced or changed by external factors. So, in terms of a human being living authentically, I think about a person living from a state of honesty and purity, in accordance with their true desires and values no matter what anyone else thinks or says about them.

Over the last two weeks, I have been thinking a lot about the events in my life that have caused tremendous pain and the times when I have been called to forgive. The memories and conversations brought up a range of emotions along with the realization that I still have a lot of work to do when it comes to forgiveness and healing from painful events in my past. 

Intention is often associated with doing or making more of something, like doing more fitness classes or making more money. However, I like to think of intention as a state of energy and a way of being. It's the energy that leads us in our actions. In your life, are you leading with loving energy or fearful energy? This question is a great way to check in with your intention.

I recently attended an online retreat with Mark Nepo. We shared stories about the light of our soul that is always present in the love of our hearts. I visualized my inner light in a lantern that is my heart and I captured it in this poem.

In life, we often stumble, fall, and mess up. This is what it means to be human. Unfortunately, however, for many of us, we learn that falling is weakness and making a mistake is shameful. These social labels or "standards" make it very difficult for people to embrace their humanness.

Being vulnerable and sharing your emotions with others is like opening a door to your heart and letting people see you - the real you - in all your messy feelings. It's hard but it is the only way for people to really get to know you. In my experience, the gifts of love and connection are only achieved through our ability to be vulnerable. Here are some ways that I work on embracing vulnerability.

The topic of emotional agility is personal for me because it is the foundation of my daily practice and the theme of my new children’s book. This week, I experienced a devastating loss with the death of my friend’s 13 year-old daughter. It was a harsh reminder that life is unpredictable, incredibly hard and constantly changing. Somehow, we need to be emotionally "prepared" for the unexpected. By prepared I mean, we need to be able to flow with the flow of life while maintaining a strong sense of self.

I have discovered that creativity is not what you think, it's how you express your feelings. As a child, I told myself that "I am not creative". My parents discouraged me from taking art and music classes because, in their opinion, "art didn't amount to anything" like a real job or a proper income. Their opinion sadly became my frame of reference and I grew up believing that creativity didn't have any value. 

True connection happens when we stop comparing our lives and start sharing our stories. It is in sharing our stories and experiences, within a safe and supportive environment, that we learn to value and care for one another.

The theme of openness is one that I live by and it seems to be coming up a lot more these days in conversations that I am having with others. Last week, during The Class with Natalie Kuhn, she encouraged our group to stay open as we moved through challenging emotional and physical positions.

The pandemic raised a lot of fear in me. As an acknowledgement of my fears and a way to express each one, I listed them in my journal. Here is an excerpt from my journal dated March 25, 2020: I fear not seeing or hugging my mom ever again. I fear the loss of normal routines

Facing the truth isn’t always easy. Especially when you’re afraid that the truth might hurt someone. This happened to me when my kids entered grade school. I realized that I was holding on to painful truths from my childhood and there was a very good chance that my pain would hurt my children unless I found the courage to face it.

In my boardroom, I am free to do what I love and, as a result, I produce my best work. This place of joy is my definition of success. It's not a big corner office with fancy furniture but, to me, it's much more distinguished and powerful than that. It's a place where big ideas flow, creativity thrives and personal growth happens.

Creativity does not form part of an agenda or a well-constructed plan. Creativity is an unexpected outpouring of ideas from the heart. It is a brush stroke, a dot, a word, a tempo that reveals a feeling of love. We are all creators when we are creating for love’s sake. It took me 40 years to appreciate the truth about creativity and how creativity flows from my heart to the outside world.

Pain is a process. Loss. Rejection. Betrayal. Loneliness. Whatever the cause, pain places us in an uncomfortable position and managing our emotions around it can be challenging. At times, we are so gripped by pain that we become stuck, immobile, and unable to help ourselves in the moment.

People who don’t know me well or haven’t known me very long often ask the question: Is your happiness real? They want to know if I am actually as happy as I appear to be every day. One day it hit me. I realized that perhaps some people think that my positivity is false. Maybe they think that I wear a mask of positivity to cover up for something negative. Because really, is anyone truly happy all of the time?

As a person who values connection as the highest measure of fulfillment, I made connection my life's work and my daily practice. Two years ago, I began exploring how we use joy, kindness, confidence and serenity to connect with our inner selves, our communities and our environment. In my experience, I found that by dedicating small amounts of time each day or week to these four virtues, we actively engage in a life of love and connection.

I learned to appreciate the value of moments when I lost valuable time with my parents. When I was nine years old, my dad left our family to start a new life. He never returned or stayed in touch. I had nine special years with my dad. When I was 13, my mom was hospitalized for a brain injury. She had attempted suicide and suffered brain damage from the incident.