The first time I felt self-conscious about my body was when I started developing acne around 14 years old. This was followed by years of dieting, obsession with the scale and hating my thighs all throughout high school and well into my 20s.

While I’ve certainly come a long way and have learned to fall back in love with my body and discover joy around food, the journey wasn’t always easy. In fact, even I still have my off days from time to time where I don’t feel 100% confident with my body.

Because I’ve been there, I now make it my mission to empower women to break free from dieting and discover joy around food. A lot of this has to do with a woman’s overall confidence — inside and out.

While most of the woman I work with are in their 20s and 30s, it pains me to see that many young girls start feeling insecure about their bodies in some way as early as ten years old — or earlier! At my cousin’s 11th birthday last year, one of the girls was afraid to take off her shorts when she went swimming in the water … Read More!

During the last seasonal self-care challenge I led, one of the challenges was to take a field trip to your local library, and scoop up a book to read throughout the rest of the program.

Remember when the library used to be such a magical place as a kid, filled with endless stories, secrets and enchantment? It’s time to bring that youthful joy back!

Not only are libraries a magical place, but reading is such a great way to relax, take time for yourself, melt away stress, boost your brain juice and oh so much more.

I listed a few book ideas below, but I encourage you to browse the library and pick something that really speaks to you! I starred the books I’ve read / am currently reading for you.

Healthy Chicks Summer Reading List

1. White Hot Truth, Danielle Laporte*
2. Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert*
3. Love Warrior, Glennon Doyle Melton
4. The Universe Has Your Back, Gabrielle Bernstein*
5. Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert*
6. The Help, Kathryn Stockett*
7. The Art of Racing in The Rain, Garth Stein
8. The Red Tent, Anita Diamant*
9. Buddha’s Brain, Rick Hanson
10. Anatomy of the Spirit, Caroline Myss… Read More!

Those who know me know that I’m not crazy about big, glamorous materialistic things. When it comes to gifts, I much prefer a unique, handmade product with a story behind it. Quite honestly, most of the time my favorite part of the gift is a handwritten card. It has meaning behind it.

When I stumbled upon UncommonGoods, I was smitten. It’s an online marketplace for do-good artisans and designers to showcase their products to a community of passionate people (like you and me) who appreciate that special touch.

Based in Brooklyn, NY, their team of rockstars work to ensure the integrity of the company remains in tact as they grow — from sustainability to creative design. In fact, they are committed to selling handmade, recycled organic products and make an effort to steer clear of using leather, fur or anything that will harm people or animals. Most of all, I love their appreciation of craftsmanship, supporting all the creative souls out there who have a story to tell! We need more of that in the world.

The Shopping Experience: Gift Ideas, Galore!

The shopping experience is super seamless, and also a lot of fun! I had a blast searching … Read More!

I’m open for business!

About two years ago, I set the intention to create my own affirmation card deck, but then the fears got in the way (But, what if I fail? But how will I stand out?) and so I put it on the back burner. Last summer, a little voice inside me gave me the courage to finally START, and I spent the end of summer / early fall writing content for 36 affirmation cards. I hired my rockstar creative team Chantelle Davis Gray and Precious Little Illustration to help with design, and got cracking.

By the end of 2016, I launched my Kickstarter campaign to officially kick things off with “Spark Your Bliss: 36 Practical Affirmations to Set Your Soul on Fire.” The rest is history, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the love & support I’ve received from the community thus far. It brings me so much joy to know that my cards are making a difference in so many homes across the country.

This week is a big one for me as I officially launched my Etsy shop so you can now buy these beauties online! (Individual PayPal transactions … Read More!

One of my favorite tanks I have has the words “No Bad Days” printed in big, black bold lettering. While it may sound a little extreme and preachy to tout that, it’s the meaning behind it that I love most. In reality, there’s going to be tough times and crazy sh*t that life throws at you, but it’s the way you handle those hardships that speaks volumes.

Life isn’t always rainbows and butterflies, and I don’t think we should pretend that it is. (BTW, anyone who claims that’s how is it, I think is living in a different Universe.) However, I’m a firm believer that life is what we make of it, and while we can’t control everything that happens to us, we can control our mindset. My “No Bad Days” tee reminds me that even when things aren’t going my way, it doesn’t have to completely ruin my day, week or heck even month. It just means I may need to take a new turn and look at things a little differently.

Learning From The Tough Times

One of the most challenging times for me was about a year ago when I decided to leave my full-time job for … Read More!

Last week when I was chatting with Beth Hopkins of Shamanuti for an article I wrote for Well Insiders, we got to talking about the things that brought us the most joy as a little girl. Beth told the most beautiful story of how at just five years old, her and her cousin would make floral waters to sell to friends of her grandparents and the local community of the Gardener’s Cottage she grew up in. Each year, she’d wait for the violets and lilacs to bloom, since those made the loveliest waters.

Little did she know that years later her passion for hand-crafting floral waters would lead to the start of her business, Shamanuti, which specializes in natural products utilizing plant-based ingredients found in nature.

It’s funny how our passions as a little kid tend to stick with us, and perhaps maybe we should think more often about what made us happy growing up. I too had a similar story as Beth, and was inspired to dig a little deeper last year when gearing up to leave my full-time job.

I vividly remember sitting with my Energy Healer Katie, pouring my heart out to her about feeling … Read More!

Even though it’s been rather cold & dreary in New England lately, I’m feeling all things spring. Every year, around this time I tend to go through a major reflection period. I find myself asking more questions, checking in with how I want to FEEL & spending more time with myself. I take a good, hard look at all aspects of my life — from career to finances to home environment — and dig a little deeper.

I’m blossoming.

I’m changing.

I’m growing.

Are you feeling that energy too?

prAna Love: Sustainable Wear for Free Spirits

With that being said, springtime is also the perfect time to refresh your wardrobe! Seeing as though my dresser consists of 90% “athleisure” wear, I was psyched to check out prAna’s new spring collection.

For those of you who haven’t shopped with prAna before, their clothing is absolutely dreamy and I know you’ll fall in love. Whether your thing is yoga or hiking, they’re all about designing clothing for people who “live life fully, play long, and travel well.” Um, hello that’s me! 

While the free spirit in me totally digs their mission, what I appreciate most is prAna’s dedication to sustainability — and … Read More!

Good afternoon, beauties! I’ve got some super exciting news for you all. Yesterday, my article was published online in SHAPE magazine. Seriously, how freakin’ cool is that? In the post, I dig into why I ditched meal planning in order to discover joy & freedom around food. Head on over to Shape.com to give it a read!

As I mention in the post, instead of Meal Prepping I prefer to listen to my body & go by how it feels in the given moment. After all, it’s quite impossible to know what I’ll be craving ahead of time, let alone a week in advance!

With this mindset, I’ve found such joy around cooking & experimenting in the kitchen! With my recent Hashimoto’s diagnosis & AIP lifestyle, I’ve had to get real creative when it comes to trying new recipes. No nightshades! No grains! No dairy!

However, instead of thinking about what I can’t have, I like to load up on the stuff I can have while prioritizing the things that nourish my body.

That’s how I came up with this fun & flavorful zoodles creation featuring ground turkey burger, garlic, lemon and cilantro. This easy dish totally … Read More!