As I sit with the accomplishment of receiving my Trauma-Informed Practitioner Certification, I notice tears welling behind my eyes and full-body tingles radiating from my core to my limbs. I feel proud. And eager to weave the medicine of somatics and nervous system regulation into my practice. Throughout my three month long training, I realized that a number of the ways I’ve been taught to coach are directly at odds with trauma-informed care. It was tough to reconcile, but on the other side, I’ve unlearned and let go of so much. The old ways are composting into something new—new ways that will seed growth and transformation with exponentially more love...
Building Resilience: What Do Nature and Business Have in Common?
This time last year, life looked very different. I was working with seven clients and had one, about to be two more on my waiting list. I was racing against a deadline to finish editing Gravel Roads. And I was preparing to host my very first Christmas party for nine of our friends in Sayulita. Life felt full. And quite busy. This December, all of those clients have happily graduated, I am working with two beautiful souls who came into my world this fall, the book {a life long dream} is published, and Ryan and I are looking forward to a quiet Christmas with a family we’ve become close with...
The Call Back Home: A Return to What We’ve Lost
Feet sinking into sand. Sticky air. Heat kissing my face and arms. The sound of waves galloping to shore. Foamy fingers; bubbles popping.The call back home. Birds whistling. Palms rustling. Driftwood everywhere. The sharp scent of smoke. Salt and ash on my tongue. And the foul bowels of low tide. I am here, in my body, tasting every sense, one at a time. My phone is untouched in my backpack. There is no podcast playing. There is no book in my hands. It is just me and the ocean, her heartbeat thumping rhythmically with mine. As a collective, we are losing the experience of presence. The devices in our hands...
Magic & Mexican Beach Towns: When Vision Board Life Becomes Real Life
When I first visited Sayulita back in May of 2021, there was a particular doorway I would always pass by on my way into town. Aside from it being bright red, there was nothing uniquely noteworthy about it, yet every time I walked by, I had a feeling that I had seen it before; like I had known it from some other part of the world. For weeks, I walked past this door, unable to shake the mysterious familiarity. Then, during the last week of my visit, it finally clicked. My partner and I were walking back from breakfast when I gasped and came to a dead stop on the...
Whispers on the Wind
As I usher in my 33rd year of life, I am facing a new set of blank pages. Ryan’s manuscript is complete. We sent it off in the middle of the night, with tiredness clinging to our eyelids and exhaustion blurring the pages. We let it go to the darkness; to the ethers of the internet. Its fate now rests with our editor, and the same faith that trusts springtime buds will bloom and snow will blanket the earth in winter. I feel like a weight has been lifted, but I also feel an emptiness. This project has colored my time for the better part of a year. It has...
What a Bad Surfer Taught Me About Hitting Home Runs
I learned something new this week: Ryan is pretty bad at surfing. Most days around 5pm, we close our computers and head down to the beach. While Ryan typically surfs in the gray dawn of morning, on Tuesday, he decided to bring his board. Knowing how fond he is of the sport, I was excited to witness him catch a wave. I mean, he’s surfed in Portugal, Australia, and Peru; he had a business training professional athletes; and he was a YES to Sayulita for surfing! He must be good, right?! After picking out an empty spot on the sand, I unfolded my chair, sat down, and scanned the horizon for...
Living A Nomadic Lifestyle: 6 Challenging Reasons It Might Not Be for You
Living a nomadic lifestyle is not a constant state of wonder all the time. You may see the magical moments on social media, and while the highs and happy feelings are VERY real, there’s also the spaces in between where things aren’t as pretty as the pictures. Last week, I went LIVE on Facebook to share some of the low points Ryan and I have experienced while living a nomadic lifestyle in Mexico. If you’re personally considering a nomadic lifestyle, these are challenges to consider. *Before I share, it’s important for me to acknowledge my privilege. My intention is to share my personal experience, however, in no way can these...
Going On a Trip? Bring Conscious Relating to Travel with These 7 Questions
✈️ Before embarking on each new adventure, my partner and I have a conscious conversation designed to deepen our experience of a trip. Conscious relating is something we’ve been practicing since we met. When we first came together as virtual strangers to live as roommates in Mexico, there were a lot of unknowns. What if our personalities and lifestyles were vastly different? What if our daily routines clashed? What if we got on each other’s nerves and there was conflict? The typical response for me—and, I would assert for many others—is to brush these questions under the rug, let the trip unfold, and then deal [or not deal] with whatever comes up. ...
Being A Stand For Your Declared Future: A Case Study
When Ryan and I came back to New England, he was craving a purpose.After receiving “no” after “no” from corporate wellness positions due to COVID, he felt stuck. To get the ball rolling, he took a different route—he decided to call around the local area and pretty quickly, landed a full-time job that he was overqualified for. Receiving this easy and effortless YES felt like a sign, so he got to work. Three weeks in, however, he knew it wasn’t where he wanted to be. The job was taking time and energy away from a project he really wanted to be working on—writing his book. He wanted to quit, but...
Love in the Time of Corona: A COVID Love Story
What happens when two virtual strangers move down to Mexico together during a worldwide pandemic? This is mine and Ryan’s COVID love story. ♡ “I’m sorry, but I don’t choose you as my person.” Ryan’s face fell from across the table. It was Saturday night—the night before we were separating while his family came to visit. After dating for a few weeks, Ryan was curious to know where my feelings were. From the start, he had been like a laser. He knew what he wanted. He knew I was who he wanted. I’ll never forget when he asked me out on our first date. He said, “you are everything I...