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!

Happy Spring, friends! ‘Tis the season for renewal, detoxification and new beginnings. Springtime symbolizes fresh starts, cleansing, and blossoming opportunities & relationships. I absolutely love the longer days, perusing flower shops and bringing back my obsession with iced coffee 😉

Bright, refreshing produce starts to come into season like snap peas, asparagus, artichokes, sprouts and strawberries…and everything simply feels more alive.

And it’s the perfect time to start fresh by taking care of your mind, body & soul!

Join myself & fellow Cerified Health Coach /Yoga Guru Kelley Abatzis for a 14-day Spring Self Care Challenge & finally start putting YOU first. Our signature self-care challenge is back by popular demand, with themes of renewal, detoxification and cleaning out your space.

The program begins Monday, April 17th + includes:

1. Daily morning dose of positivity + clear action steps sent straight to your email (even better than your morning iced mocha!) with feel-good action-steps to implement right away throughout the two weeks.

2. Access to our private ‘Soul Sisters’ Facebook group to hold one another accountable – We’re a firm believer that the main reason we don’t follow through is because we have no one to keep us accountable. P.S. … Read More!

I am not a big spender. I’ve always been attracted to a very simple life, and tend not to spend lots of money on material things. However, when it comes to good food, I will splurge. I’m obsessed with fresh, local organic veggies and for some reason, it seems I can never spend less than $50 at Whole Foods even if I go in there for like 2 things. Hey, they don’t call it “Whole Paycheck” for nothing. 😉

And ever since I took out gluten 100% & started a Paleo-like way of eating due to my autoimmune thyroid disease, my food bills have gone way up. After all, I’m not going to eat all of that “gluten free” junk food or products packed with sketchy ingredients.

So when I learned about Thrive Market — an online marketplace offering wholesale prices on quality, natural, healthy goodies — I was intrigued. After putting it off for a couple months, I finally asked myself “Wait, why haven’t I joined already?” and so last weekend I finally hopped on the bandwagon.

I absolutely love what the company stands for, and the brands that they represent (from food & beauty care to … Read More!

Before & After photos. We all know ’em. They look a little something like: photo of slightly heavier or less “toned” you on the left with current you grinning ear to ear on the right.

Usually said photos involve a woman wearing bra & undies, bikini or workout wear, with a comment below about how far they’ve come since the “old version of themselves.” Some folks post the same picture over & over again throughout the year, while others take part in weekly #TransformationTuesday posts.

And lately, I’ve become so over it.

Don’t get me wrong: I totally value a woman’s progress on their journey to finding their happy weight or falling in love with themselves. What I don’t love is that typically these posts make it all about the body…when in reality it’s so much more than that.

It just doesn’t resonate with me anymore

When I first started my journey to losing weight & falling back in love with myself, I too would create these before & after type photos showcasing my progress and how much happier I am today.

But lately there’s become such an obsession with these images, and I’ve seen firsthand the negative impact they … 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!

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! Whether you’re celebrating with your sweetie or gal pals, I firmly believe that nothing trumps the power of self-love.

I wanted to share a quick & easy recipe with you for my Raw Coconut Cacao Truffles! These little bites of joy are gluten-free, dairy-free, and made with only seven ingredients. Oh, and they’re chock-full of love. Lots and lots of love.

Raw Coconut Cacao Truffles 

Ingredients:

• 1 c. raw cashews
• 8 pitted dates, soaked
• 2 TB raw cacao powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. shredded coconut
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1 TB chia seeds

1. Add everything other than the coconut to a food processor. I love using my Nutri Ninja Duo. Pulse until all the ingredients are well combined. (Note: if you’re using the Ninja, just simply choose option “Fusion mix.”) You may want to add about a tablespoon of water if the mixture is too dry!

2. Form “dough” into small balls & roll in shredded coconut until coated. Refrigerate & enjoy!… Read More!

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while or you follow me on social media, you’ve probably heard me mention my “Spark Your Bliss” deck, a 36-card deck with practical affirmations to set your soul on fire.

I’m happy to announce that right before Christmas, my Kickstarter campaign was successfully funded & I raised $3,600 toward the launch of Spark Your Bliss. Thank you to all who supported me through this long & exciting process!

The Backstory 

About one year ago I said out loud that I wanted to create my own positive affirmation deck.

But then the fears creeped in…the ol’ “but it’s going to be so hard,” “but what if I can’t” “but it’s already been done before,” “but how can I stand out?”

Then this past summer a little voice inside me said, “sweetie, but what if you CAN?”

And so I did, and Spark Your Bliss Deck was born. I wanted to create something new and different — something that would resonate with the “everyday chick” not just strictly for yogis or meditation gurus.

I worked hard and thoughtfully to create a deck that speaks my truth: 36 beautiful, positive mantras complete with … Read More!

For those of you who have been following along on my journey through my blog or instagram, you’re probably aware of my recent diagnosis of Hashimoto’s Disease & hypothyroidism.

Today on the blog, I wanted to get super personal & share with you the story of my diagnosis, lifestyle/diet changes, and how I was able to get to the root cause of the problem so I can begin my healing journey. It’s my hope that perhaps my story can inspire someone else who may be struggling to take back their health. Kick back, relax & enjoy!

[P.S. You can read Part 2 of my journey here.] 

THE SYMPTOMS – SOMETHING FELT “OFF” 

I first began to notice something wasn’t quite right during the early fall of 2016. My energy levels completely plummeted, to the point where I would sleep 10 hours and still be tired upon waking & throughout the day. I was also super bloated, my face was puffy, and my clothes started to fit differently.

When I hopped on the scale for the first time in months, I was surprised to see I had gained about 8 pounds (and then another 4 shortly thereafter) with no changes … Read More!