Happy And Healthy Lifestyle

“All appears to change when we change.” ~Henri-Frédéric Amiel The biggest life-changing moment in my life would have looked unremarkable to an outsider looking in. I was at a point in my life (my late twenties) where everything seemed to look good on paper. I had a great job, I was living in downtown Seattle, and I enjoyed the live music scene. Aside from not being in a relationship, I thought I had “arrived.” The only problem was, I was miserable, and I barely acknowledged it. A part of me knew that I wasn’t happy , but I tried to run away from that feeling by playing guitar, writing, or watching live music as much as I could. My other avoidance tactics were working long hours at my day job or socially drinking at “hip” bars in the city. But every time I came home, there I was. Still grappling with my feelings and trying to understand why happiness was so fleeting. I had also recently broken up with someone that I cared about but knew was not healthy for me. She was a heavy dr...

Hi friends! Since we’re quickly approaching the spring—a time of new beginnings and rebirth—I decided to offer two life-changing products at 20% off, for a limited time only . I’m also offering all of my inspirational shirts at the same discount, because the uplifting messages can help you and the people around you feel and be your best as you work toward positive change. What’s on Offer? The sale includes: Tiny Buddha’s Mindfulness Kit My bestselling Recreate Your Life Story eCourse Four shirts, in various colors and styles To be more specific… About Tiny Buddha’s Mindfulness Kit I created this kit because I’ve struggled with anxiety for most of my life, and very little has helped ease my racing thoughts like practicing mindfulness. Still, I don’t always have time for a yoga class or lengthy meditation practice, so I’ve learned to incorporate mindful moments throughout my day, with the help of a few tools and techniques that make it fun, easy, and enjoyable. The kit featu...

“Sometimes the thing you’re most afraid of doing, is the very thing that will set you free.” ~Robert Tew I recovered from binge eating and bulimia by giving myself permission to binge. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? My decades-long weight and food war started in my teens, immediately after reading my first diet book, about Atkins, to be exact. I spent the following two decades trying to lose weight (only to keep gaining) and struggling with food. By my early thirties, I’d finally managed to lose weight, but it hadn’t end the war, it had just started a new one. The war to try to keep the weight off and transform my body even further. Thus began the decade of my “fitness journey.” I became an award-winning personal trainer and nutrition wellness coach and even a nationally qualified, champion figure athlete. The weight and food war continued through it all. I was introduced to clean eating by a trainer I hired before I became one myself. Four days into my first attempt at clean eating...

“You are never stronger…than when you land on the other side of despair.” ~Zadie Smith In the last years of my twenties, my life completely fell apart. I’d moved to Hollywood to become an actor, but after a few years in Tinsel Town things weren’t panning out the way I hoped. My crippling anxiety kept me from going on auditions, extreme insecurity led to binge eating nearly every night, and an inability to truly be myself translated to a flock of fair-weather friends. As the decade wound to a close, I stumbled upon the final deadly ingredient in my toxic lifestyle: opiates. A few small pills prescribed for pain unlocked a part of my brain I didn’t know existed: a calm, confident, and numb version of myself that seemed way more manageable than the over-thinking mind-chatter I was used to. At first the pills were like a casual indulgence—I’d pop a few before a nerve-wracking audition or first date, the same way other people might have a few drinks before going out on the town. But m...

“ I don’t always make the best choices, but today I choose compassion over intolerance, sympathy over hatred, and love over fear.” ~LJ Vanier It’s crazy to me now, to look back and realize how freaking hard I was on myself for decades. Had I ever talked to anyone else the way I talked to myself, it would surely have left me friendless and jobless, and I definitely would have been kicked out of school. Basically, I was a bully. Just to myself. If I said something awkward, I called myself an idiot. When I couldn’t find the motivation to clean my house, I called myself a lazy slob. If I wasn’t invited to a party, I told myself it’s because no one liked me. When work projects were hard, and I had to make it up as I went, I told myself that I was going to get fired as soon as my boss figured out that I had no idea what I was doing. My parents set high expectations of me. A’s were rewarded and B’s were questioned: “Why didn’t you get an A?” They are successful, intelligent people...

“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” ~J.K. Rowling I’m no stranger to feeling hopeless and defeated. After many failed relationships, physical, sexual and emotional abuse my entire life, two bankruptcies, and the recent loss of my online business (October 2020), you could say I’ve been through enough to last two lifetimes. I’ll admit, there were many times I wanted it all to end. There were many days I just didn’t know how much more I could handle. My recent loss has devastated me beyond words. Everything I’ve worked so hard for in the last three years has completely been obliterated. I’m numb and feel defeated almost every day. At fifty-eight years old, starting over doesn’t interest me, but I have no choice. I know what to expect. I’ve been here before. It’s ugly, messy, frustrating, stressful, and exhausting. Every day I wake up I don’t really feel like getting to the computer to work. I don’t really feel like doing anything, to be honest, but ...

“A meaningful life is not being rich, being popular, or being perfect. It’s about being real, being humble, being able to share ourselves and touch the lives of others.” ~Unknown Hello, I’m Kortney, and I’m a recovering perfectionist. Like so many of us, I spent the greater part of my life believing that unless something was perfect, it wasn’t good at all. There was really no in-between. If it wasn’t perfect, it was a failure. One of the problems with perfectionism is that it’s common to believe it’s a positive thing. In our society, people tend to value it. If you’re someone that aims for perfection, you must be accomplished. Driven. Smart. Have you ever had a sense of pride over being called a perfectionist? I have. Have you ever thought about why? Speaking for my own experience, when someone called me a perfectionist, I felt like even though I didn’t believe I was perfect, it meant that they were perceiving me as being perfect. They saw me as being one of the best, or as so...