Take a listen to my personal trauma story and healing journey. In this video, I describe the trauma, as well as share how I look back on the trauma 10 years after it happened. I feel surprised and washed over with gratitude that I am healed. Thank you, Lord.Thank you to Joe,to my mom, dad,…
I CAN. I am capable
It was the Little Blue Engine’s attitude that got her up over the mountain to deliver all the dolls and toys to the good boys and girls on the other side of the mountain ( haha, can you tell we read Watty Piper’s The Little Engine that Could with our daughter a lot?!) In psychological…
How to calm yourself through breathing (guided exercise)
Did you know that literally paying attention to your breath… is calming to your central nervous system? Well, it is! Another fun fact— making your exhale longer than your inhale is even more calming. Perhaps you’re already in the practice of noticing your breath. Perhaps you never have. Or, perhaps you’re somewhere in between. Whatever…
How to Improve Brain Health
Neuroplasticity basically means that your brain is able to change (it is NOT static): it can grow and strengthen, build new connections, etc. The fact that I am writing this right now is an example of the amazing miracle of neuroplasticity: even when the traditional routes are damaged or innately weak (ie. such as from…
Beginner’s Guide to Mindfulness
Late last February (two weeks before the national shutdown), I went to a cluster of lectures facilitated by the famous Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis. I remember feeling exhilarated as I walked to this workshop, gleefully rejoicing that my 2-month-old was sleeping (on me), that I figured out how to use the baby carrier and felt good…
I am… not alone
Who else has felt– or is feeling– isolated? Or trapped? In this pandemic? In a job/ home/season of life? You are not alone. After the first 4 weeks of parenthood, I shared with others how isolated I had been feeling. Then, come to find out, it seems like many moms resonate with this feeling. If…
The Power of Buying a Farm! Or at least Getting Out and Imagining:)
An eerie layer of smoke has been hugging LA for awhile now. The other weekend was particularly tricky, difficult, and sad, for me at least. On a whim, my husband, baby, and I decided to jump in the car and drive to Ventura County…. to look at farms to buy! For fun. We had watched…
Set Limits
In a society that proclaims that people are (and should be) limitless, it can be really hard to believe the truth sometimes. It’s OKaY (and normal and expected!) …. when you feel or know that you are limited. when you feel or know that you can’t do everything. when you feel or know that you…
Integrate Racial Justice as part of Life Rhythm
My dear friend, Teesha, co-wrote a book with her friend, John, called Black & White: Disrupting Racism One Friendship at a Time. Teesha is a black woman and John is a white man. They are friends, both pastors– and met at the church they were working at in Atlanta, GA. The book that they wrote…
Practice being healthfully proud of yourself
I have the tendency to sometimes brush off the hard things I’ve done– and rather instead, to focus on what I haven’t been able to do or what I feel like I’m not able to do. Anyone with me? In her podcast Checking In, Susan David (PhD) posits that sometimes to make a situation more…