Happy And Healthy Lifestyle

“Alas for those that never sing, but die with all their music in them!” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes Six years ago, I came across a line from an old poem that punctured my present moment so profoundly it seemed to stop time. On an average Tuesday, there I was, sitting at my desk, ignoring the stack of papers I was responsible for inputting into a spreadsheet and procrastinating as usual on the Internet instead. At this particular time, Pinterest was my drug of choice—anyone else? As I was aimlessly scrolling through wacky theme party ideas and spicy margarita recipes, suddenly, here came this old-school poet Oliver Wendell Holmes with these words that leapt off of my laptop screen and stung me like fourteen different bee stings to the heart: “Alas for those that never sing, but die with all their music in them!” I was floored. It was as if Oliver’s invisible hand had reached into my day and popped the protective bubble of my well-established comfort zone, sending me crashing down to t

“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t.” ~Rikki Rogers A friend recently asked me: Andi, where does your strength come from? It took me a while before I had a good enough answer for her. I sat contemplating the many roads I’ve traveled, through my own transformational journey and the inspirational journeys of all my clients who demonstrate incredible strength for me. I moved to a different country, alone, at eighteen years old and have changed careers, battled a complex pain diagnosis with my child, and lost loved ones. I am now living through a global pandemic, like all of us, and most recently, I am recovering from a traumatic, unexpected surgery from. Life has many surprises for us, indeed. So where does strength really come from? I wish I knew the precise answer to this question so that I could share the secret sauce with you right now, and you could have full access to all the strength you’ll ever need to ach

“What, then, is the right way of living? Life must be lived as play…” ~Plato I am a recovering perfectionist, and learning to play again saved me. Like many children, I remember playing a lot when I was younger and being filled with a sense of openness, curiosity , and joy toward life. I was fortunate to grow up in Oregon with a large extended family with a lot of cousins with whom I got to play regularly. We spent hours, playing hide-and-seek, climbing trees, drawing, and building forts. I also attended a wonderful public school that encouraged play. We had regular recess, and had all sorts of fun equipment like stilts, unicycles, monkey bars, and roller skates to play with. In class, our teachers did a lot of imaginative and artistic activities with us that connected academics with a sense of playfulness. I viewed every day as an exciting opportunity and remember thinking, “You just never know what is going to happen.” My natural state was to be present with myself, enjoying th

“The truth is, you’re never going to be able to please everybody, so stop trying. Remember, the sun is going to continue shining even if some people get annoyed by its light shining in their eyes. You have full permission to shine on.” ~Unknown I used to be a rebel. I was the girl at the party who would waltz into a room and have everyone in awe, their attention and curiosity caught by my presence. I felt it, they felt it, it was magnetic. I loved it—I had become the girl I wanted to be. That was until one night at a party, while I was making a batch of popcorn in the kitchen, someone came up to me and asked, “ Why do you need to prove yourself all the time?” This question caught me so off guard. I was instantly confused. I was staring into space trying to figure out how I was proving myself all the time. So, I asked exactly how I was doing this. It turned out that when someone shared a story about themselves, I would share one of my own, and it came across as bigger and better. T

“Some people are going to reject you simply because you shine too bright for them. That’s okay. Keep shining.” ~Mandy Hale After I finished school, I was excited about moving forward with life. I thought about the career that I hoped to have, where I hoped to live, and the things that I wanted to accomplish. After starting off as a secondary high school English teacher and becoming disappointed with the ongoing changes in the public school system, I went to graduate school for law. I thought it would open up a lot of possibilities, but it did not. I never had any dream of being an attorney in a courtroom. Instead, I always wanted to work in Europe or South America with people from different cultures, nationalities, and backgrounds. I wanted to make a positive difference in a humanitarian way by working with people personally to implement change and improve their lives. Life had something different in store for me, though. I ended up being rejected endlessly, well over a thousand

“I’ve met people who are embattled and dismissive, but when you get to know them, you find that they’re vulnerable—that hauteur or standoffishness is because they’re pedaling furiously underneath.” ~Matthew Macfadyen It was impossible to miss the dismissive hand gesture and distasteful look on her face in response to my comment. “You ooze empathy,” I had said in all sincerity to my therapist. “And what’s it like if I blow off or disregard that compliment?” she countered. Then, as usual, she waited. “Ah, it feels terrible,” I sputtered as the lights of insight began to flicker. I was acutely aware of an unpleasant feeling spreading throughout my chest and stomach. I sensed I had just deeply hurt someone’s feelings. That experience hung in the air for several moments, providing plenty of time to push the boundaries of awareness. Was I really so unaware and quick to disregard compliments? Was that the terrible feeling others experienced when I didn’t acknowledge or subconsciously s

“ Sometimes we self-sabotage just when things seem to be going smoothly. Perhaps this is a way to express our fear about whether it is okay for us to have a better life.” ~Maureen Brady Have you ever decided to try something new—like getting into a new relationship or doing something that would help you experience success in your career/mission or offer you more vibrant health and well-being—and you were able to follow through for a bit, but then you stopped? Was this self-sabotage? Was it procrastination? Did you know that self-sabotage and procrastination can be survival mechanisms , and they’re actually our friends? They’re meeting some type of need, and it happens to all of us to a certain degree. Every behavior we do serves us in one way or another. We self-sabotage and procrastinate for many reasons, and it’s different for everybody; most often it’s coming from a part of us that just wants to feel safe. The key is working with these parts, not against them, and not trying t

Does stress cause sleepless nights, or does a lack of sleep cause stress? Both have been true for me, especially since becoming a parent, and I’m guessing for you too. When life gets challenging, it’s hard to shut your brain off at night. You know it’s important to get a good night’s sleep. You know you feel better in the day when you’re well-rested. But it’s hard to relax, physically and mentally, when you have a lot on your mind. It’s like there’s a tornado inside your head, and all the sheep-counting in the world couldn’t pull you out. And when you haven’t gotten adequate rest, it’s hard to function and deal with, well, anything. You feel on edge, easily irritated, and perhaps both foggy and jittery—like you can’t think clearly, and yet you can’t stop thinking… because you have a lot to do and figure out, and you can’t afford to stop just because you’re tired. If you’ve experienced your share of restless nights and exhausted days, and you’d like to improve your sleep routine,

“Only recently have I realized that being different is not something you want to hide or squelch or suppress.” ~Amy Gerstler I grew up during the traditional times of the sixties and seventies. Dad went out to work and earned the family income, while Mom worked at home raising their children. We were a family of seven. My brother was the first-born and he was followed by four sisters. I was the middle child. I did not quite know where I belonged. I oscillated between my older two and younger two siblings, feeling like the third wheel no matter where I was. I was the one in my family that was “different.” I was uncomfortable in groups, emotionally sensitive, intolerant of loud noises, and did not find most jokes funny. Especially when the jokes were at the expense of someone else. Oftentimes that someone else was me. Yes, I was the proverbial black sheep. I stood on the fringes of my own family, a microcosm of the bigger world. Life felt hard and lonely. I felt isolated and misund

“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.” ~Rumi The quarantine has felt oddly familiar. That’s because I spent thirteen years largely homebound with a mysterious, viral-like illness. It even started with a cold on a flight back from Asia in 2005. My nose was an open faucet, and my head felt like the cumulus clouds outside my window. When I returned to San Diego, I was so weak and exhausted, I could hardly get out of bed. My brain and body were on fire. I couldn’t focus or recall names of coworkers. Although I’d previously been able to fall asleep in action movies and moving vehicles, I suddenly had severe insomnia. I existed in a perpetual state of tired and wired. I tried desperately to return to my profession as a broadcast journalist. But what good is a reporter who can’t show up for the evening news? Eventually, I lost a career and life I loved and retreated into my house. Well before the word quarantine splashed across TV screens, I began to live inside my fou

“You are allowed to take up space. Own who you are and what you want for yourself. Stop downplaying the things you care about, the hopes you have.” ~ Bianca Sparacino I deserve to take up more space. Plain and simple. By taking the space I deserve, I further build the confidence I need to live a rich life that resonates with who I truly am. Over the past several years, I’ve had to navigate a new life after hard breakups , difficult career transitions, and moving back home. I’ve had to face the feeling that I’m not doing enough. That I am not enough. That I don’t deserve to take up space. To be seen, felt, and heard with all of the faults that scatter among all my strengths. I know I owe it to myself to show up. I know I owe it to myself to be present as I am. I know I owe it to myself to finally come out from the back curtains and take center stage where my heart can shine. I deserve to take more space in my presence around others and to be truly seen. I deserve to take more spac