As soon as I heard the question, my heart rate quickened and my mind raced around like a pinball as I searched for an acceptable answer.

After too long of a beat, “Ummm... I don’t know,” was all I could muster before I darted out of the room to avoid the question.

Kind of a silly response and especially unexpected if you knew me (I’m usually pretty straightforward and non-avoidant), but “What are you going to do for your birthday?!” can feel like a lot...

Is there something you've always wanted to do, but are a little afraid of? Yeah, me too.

Sometimes, taking care of ourselves includes stretching beyond what we think is possible and getting a little uncomfortable.

We recently celebrated my husband's birthday on Kauai and I completely stretched myself to do something I'd been wanting to for years—I got my first surfing lesson!

What an experience! Here are my reflections:

1. Surfing takes WAY more effort than I ever thought.
...

One of the best ways to reduce stress is to create little spots in your day to nurture yourself.

I'm a fan of simple and woven throughout the day, so today’s tip is easy to integrate into your life by using an everyday prompt like driving or waiting in line.

Instead of letting agitation escalate, test this out and notice how it helps dissolve tension in only a few seconds:

1. Pause.
2. Take a complete inhale through your nose.
3. Allow a complete exhale through...

Growing up as the only child of a single workaholic mom, I spent a lot of time alone.

It often seemed like everyone else knew something I didn’t. I couldn’t escape the feeling that I was on the outside looking through a window watching everyone else enjoying the party of life.

When people asked if I was an only child, I thought they were asking if I was a lonely child.

To both, my answer was yes.

Much of my early life was a quest to find a feeling of Belonging.

Later, I found it,...

When I was growing up, my mom was a nurse. She told me that some of the best doctors believe that “If you listen long enough to a parent, they will tell you exactly how to help their child.”

As we become adults, we can learn to integrate and cultivate that knowing and loving parent who lives inside ourselves.

We need “only” uncover that inner wisdom.

That isn’t always an easy thing to do when we’ve grown up in a culture that has told us that we should look...

Lists. Lists. Oh, how I love my lists!

Admittedly, I sometimes cross over into obsession (confession: sometimes when I do something that isn’t on the list, I'll add it just so I can cross it out).

As compulsions go, I’m okay with this is one.

I used to write my grocery lists on paper, sometimes forget the sheet at home, and then try to remember what we needed as I stood in the produce department. Not efficient.

Always one for an update, I came up with...

January has been a wonderfully full month of connecting with so many people working on valuable initiatives.

This past week, I was honored to be a guest on Jennifer Blough's Compassion Fatigue Podcast and interviewed on Facebook Live with Steve Prussack - The Juice Guru (this will be archived on his podcast on I Heart Radio). I hope you'll check out both!

Saturday, the 27th, you can catch me at the SacTown VegFest in Sacramento, California. I'll be talking at 1:15p about...

How often have you done personality gymnastics to be accepted by others, only to find that you feel empty and lost in the quiet moments of solitude? This is what it feels like to abandon the self. 

One of my clients was wrestling with the “Monster Mind” thought so many of us have that to be a “good person,” she must do whatever it takes to be liked. If you’ve had that thought too, you’re not alone. But you didn’t...

Do you fear that the world just might fall apart if you don't jump in and save everyone?

Self-care and intentionally Doing Less have been my practices since the summer of 2013. Having lived most of my life as a “do-er,” this new way of being has been revelatory and brought me so many gifts that I’ve made it my mission to help my clients integrate these practices into their lives too.

At first, they think I’m a little crazy when I say that learning to say...

Has 2017 been a bit of a doozy for you too? 

For so many of us, including some of my clients, this year has been a bumpy ride.

I'm still grieving the loss of our two fur babies within a few months of each other.

As a nation, the U.S. feels more turbulent now than in the past few decades.

Though necessary, transformation and revolution are rarely comfortable and joyful.

Even in the darkness, we can still seek hope. Here's some inspiration:

• More of us are paying attention.
• ...