For the past several years, my tradition at Vegan Summerfest has been to teach a Flash Mob song to everyone who comes to my Nia classes at the conference.

This year, I was lucky enough to get a video of the whole song: Give Love, by one of my favorite artists, Andy Grammer (he's on tour with a new album coming out soon—he and his amazing band are not-to-be-missed, so check 'em out if they come to your town).

Vegan Summerfest is a 5-day conference and on the last night, we have a big...

When was the last time you did something new?

Are "responsible" pursuits higher on your to-do list than having fun?

Do you lean toward perfectionism?

If you said yes to those last two, are you my long-lost sibling? 

Today, I've let go of those requirements and let myself dabble.

Do you ever do that?

Children do it all the time. Like little scientists, they'll try anything!

Using our imagination and creativity may hold some keys to keeping our brains strong and supple.

No wonder...

Since 2016,I’ve become much more political. Why? Because I now understand that political issues affect people personally and vice versa. 

It’s strained some of my relationships and I’ve heard that some leaders have lost “fans” by talking about politics. Even one of my mentors, Brené Brown, has been told to keep her political opinions to herself.

I know I’m taking a risk. Thank goodness I’ve recovered enough from people pleasing to be able...

When our little family traveled early this year to Thailand and Bali for two months, we delighted in majestic temples, gorgeous art, kind-hearted people, and natural beauty. That wasn't all we experienced though. We were heartbroken to see the beaches covered in trash. 

Guess what 90% of it was made of?

Single-use plastic.

Yep, I'm talking plastic straws, plastic water bottles, plastic yogurt cups, plastic bags, plastic this, plastic that, plastic everything.

On one...

I was raised without religion.

Of course, this made me beg my mom to let me go to church with my friends.

She was wise to let me find my own answers.

Very early in my search, I could tell that the God they were talking about in Christian churches wasn't the God I felt a connection to.

I decided religion wasn't for me.

Instead, I started to pull together the threads of spiritual teachings that felt meaningful to me as I wove a fabric of my own.

A big part of that fabric became my vegan...

Every time I start to think about writing about this, my heartbeat races and I get that sick, nervous, weak sensation throughout my body. I’ve begun several times and had to stop. I’m even feeling it again right now.

I’m going to do my best to get some of it out anyway.

Somewhere along the way in my life, I developed claustrophobia. I’m not even sure when it happened. One day, it was just. There. So naturally, there’s no way in the world I’d ever want to go...

A few years ago, Olivia and I created a game of "Spread the Love."

We look for people who may be having a tough day/moment, catch their eye, smile and say, "I love the way your ____ highlights your _____." or something like that. From their response, it seems like it can shift their whole day. 

Here's an example: Recently, I saw an elder woman with the most gorgeous blue eyes that were extra vibrant because of the reflection from the perfectly matched blue jacket she wore. I made...