I never set out to give a sermon. And yet, there I was, standing in front of a congregation behind the pulpit. Here's the very short version of how I got there...

About six months ago, my family and I started attending our local Unitarian Universalist church.

Even as a child, I was a spiritual seeker even though I've had a complicated relationship with the idea of "church."

With that history, I wasn't sure what to expect at the Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains. This experience...

Up 60 rungs. First my right foot, next my left, then my right hand, and finally the left. Heart pounding, palms sweating, breath stuttering. I climbed. 80 feet in the air.

When did heights and I stop getting along?

Somewhere between childhood and motherhood. Not that I would tell my daughter until she was long settled in her own relationship with heights.

Olivia was 4 when I first took her to a rock climbing gym. Just something to do on an afternoon while we were traveling...

Did you know that every action you take, you are making a statement about what you believe in?

My question is, "Are you living in alignment with your values?"

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at Oakland VegFest and this is what I spoke about.

With thousands of attendees and dozens of booths, I was so impressed by this incredible event!

Several of you asked if my talk was going to be available on video. I'm thrilled to tell you, YES! And here it is.

I hope you enjoy!

With...

Does it feel like the external world never wants you to stop? Working, shopping, cleaning, cooking, eating, care-taking, making, doing, doing, doing...

Living in the doing can stop the flow of Being. I know that happens for me. 

Thinking of all the things we need to DO sometimes makes us so overwhelmed that there's no room or energy for imagination.

When we feel stuck, sometimes the answer is to invite a hearty helping of creativity.

Instead of constant doing, we have...

Do you ever feel like everything is just too much?

You’re not alone. In so many ways, You Are Not Alone.

Last week, I had the honor of offering a resilience training for activists, hosted by Lisa Levinson from In Defense of Animals for their Sustainable Activism campaign. (Shared below).

While this training was specifically for animal activists, the message applies to everyone.

Each one of us is an activist in some way.

Whether it’s for animals, other social justice...

When I was 2, I started begging for a sibling. Instead of that, I got someone even better—Tippy. She was my birthday present when I turned 3. Tippy was every bit my sister. I took her everywhere and we did everything together. When she had puppies, I was her 6-year-old midwife. Luckily there were several willing homes for most of the puppies and thankfully, my mom got Tippy spayed after that. But the very best part was that we got to keep one of her puppies. I was thrilled!

Tippy...

Bleary-eyed, numb-handed, and red-nosed, my feet slid out from under me. Feeling awkward in my body and off-balance was a foreign experience for me.

Yesterday, I discovered my personal version of misery.

Last week was Olivia’s Spring Break. We each made a list of how we wanted to spend the week. She wanted lots of playdates and I wanted to do some organizing and deep cleaning. Yep, that’s one kind of fun for me—don’t judge.

We both got what we wanted,...

Exercise. It's one of the last things some of us make time for even though we know it's important.

What if you could integrate movement into your daily life or find something you enjoy doing so much that it makes "exercising" a breeze?

In this short video, I talk about how to transform what you think of as exercise.

Take a listen and let me know what you think in the comments below. How are YOU going to move your gorgeous body today?

With love,

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.
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