Essence Blog

As promised, this is part 2 of my Parisian adventure, and I thought I’d share tips on planning and packing from my recent trip to Paris.

Planning

Flights

We booked our flights through Capital One Travel. We paid a little extra to get their flight guarantee. If a flight is significantly delayed or canceled, they will book you on another airline or give you a refund for your base price.  

Layovers

Since there are no direct flights to Paris, we opted for our connecting destination to be in t...

Bonjour  

Last Thursday, I asked you what you most wanted to hear about regarding my trip to Paris. 

There are many stories and lessons from our trip, but I’ll distill them down to 10 short takeaways. 

• A croissant tastes so much better in Paris. I’m still dreaming about the eclairs. 
• Getting too comfortable made my world small. Getting uncomfortable is how we find adventure and new things to fall in love with. 
• You can express your unpleasant emotions and opinions without carrying that ...

For many of us, growing up involved asking permission from our parents, caregivers, teachers, and authority figures to do almost everything- including using the restroom! When we wanted to go on a trip, our parents had to sign a permission slip; if we wanted to miss a day of school, our parents had to write a permission slip. Imagine how this good girl/ nice guy programming affected us subconsciously.  

When we spend the formative years of our lives seeking permission from others, we often don’...

Over a decade ago, when facilitating my groups with women, we talked a lot about the "Yeah, But" part of ourselves, which added a discrediting disclaimer to any personal acknowledgments or shout-outs. 

For example: 
You: I walked 3 miles yesterday
Yeah, But:  I sat on the couch today. 

You: I held a boundary when talking with my sister.
Yeah, But:  Then, I snapped at my partner this week.  

You: I got new signups for my class!
Yeah, But: it’s only 3.  

For every attempt to acknowledge yourself, ...

I am one week away from leading Mike Dooley's Infinite Possibilities Certification Conference and completing the fourth round of the In the World Mastermind. This means time feels compressed, my to-do list feels impossible, I am sitting in front of my computer way too much, and I am holding stress in my body. 

Have you had weeks that felt like that, too?  

So, right now, I have to be very intentional about moving, sleeping, breathing, and eating nourishing, healthy food. Yet ironically, those ...

Last week, I didn’t send out my weekly email. Technically, I broke my 25-week/6-month consistency streak. It was a rollercoaster week, and I had to focus on priorities.  

Guess what? It's ok. I can restart.  

Because consistency doesn’t mean perfection.  

Missing a day or two of not posting to social media, exercising, meditation, or anything else you are trying to do consistently doesn’t mean you aren’t or can’t be consistent. It means you have another opportunity to evaluate and decide if t...

Last Thursday was one of my favorite days of the year, and it made me think💭 deeply about why and how I can cultivate more days like that. 

I took a day out of work for a Friendship Ritual. 

A friendship ritual is a regular occurring friendship date or tradition to deepen your relationship and increase your life satisfaction and joy. 

Here are the details… My dear friend Lisa and I had our 13th, 12th, or maybe 11th annual friendship ritual.  There is debate over when our friendship r...

Since I was a little girl, I’ve been afraid  of looking stupid.  

It started in 3rd grade with the popular math game “Around the World.” Processing math quickly when put on the spot sent me into a panic. I made a huge math error, and the entire class laughed and called me stupid.  It was a day no one would remember in that class except me and my nervous system.  

And while it’s the first time I can remember feeling that way, it certainly wasn’t the last. Especially when you consider I was an a...

Tomorrow is a new moon in Aquarius, and Saturday is the Lunar New Year! 

What are you releasing, and what new things are you beginning?  

Last week was mybirthday. I chose to spend the day in quiet reflection, releasing 2023 and fully stepping into my new year.  I gifted myself the pleasurable experience of getting a massage and facial, and I cooked one of my favorite childhood comfort food dinners. My hubby also brought me some delicious treats. Mostly, though, I continued to tap into the fee...

It’s 1.11 today. It’s also the first New Moon portal of the year, where we will be receiving messages, ideas, and intuitive nudges of what to follow and what to release. There is a clearing and purging energy this month, but today is a great day to set intentions, make some commitments, and even take a baby step toward what you want for this year. And if you aren’t sure, now’s a good time to listen and reflect deeply. 

Before I launch into my personal story, I want to give you one last reminde...