Brain Food

Hi friend, you may know by now that Monday is my favorite day of the week… I love a fresh start! New opportunities are always available to us (not just each week, but each moment!), but if we aren’t approaching these fresh starts with intention, they aren’t bound to do much for us… That’s why each weekend I set […]

Hi friend. How are you doing? Have you asked yourself, lately? Can you name 3 “feeling words” to describe how you feel in this moment? This is an exercise I’ve been doing myself, and with Christian, the last few weeks. Many of you may have heard through one of my social media posts that my dear pup and best friend, […]

Hi, friend. There’s been a lot of talk in recent months about “immune boosting”—and I want to address the question: can we really boost our immune systems?  The immune system defends the body against infection. Broadly, it can be divided into two parts: innate, and adaptive. We are born with innate immunity. When our bodies detect an infection, our innate […]

Hi friend. I know we’ve talked about habit loops before, but I want to really get into them today. We all want to be better. At least, I know YOU want to, or you wouldn’t be reading this. People concerned about their health and well-being are generally also trying to grow into their most authentic selves. […]

Hi friend, today I want to talk a bit about Inner and Outer Wisdom. My relationships with food and health have shifted quite a bit since the beginning of Mind Over Munch. While it’s been a winding road, I’ve gotten progressively healthier over time. I don’t mean physically healthier—although that may be true. What I really […]

Hi friend. My relationship to food has never been a straight line. It’s been more of a zig-zag, or “2-steps-forward-1-step-back” situation. The last few years, I seem to have found steady ground, and I’ve spent the last few months trying to articulate it to myself in words so I can explain it better with my […]

Hi friend. I want to know—do you consider yourself someone who diets? This can mean many things. Of course, the word “diet” actually just means the types of foods you eat, but it’s come to imply a more specific method of food restriction with the intention of losing weight. A lot of people tell me […]

How has quarantine life been? Regardless of our financial and employment situations, it’s been an adjustment for everyone in some way. Some, of course, more so than others—but everyone is dealing with the great unknown: how long will it be this way? From Day 1, experts have been trying to predict the curve, the apex, and when […]

Hi friend. Do you have “enemies?” In my Mindfulness Studies grad program, we spent the last month or so diving deep into a style of mindfulness called “Metta” or “loving-kindness” meditation. It’s a heartfelt form of meditation wishing oneself and others well, thereby developing open-heartedness, compassion, and empathy. The practice goes through a structure of sending […]

Hi friend. If you have a dog, this will resonate with you… If you don’t, it may or may not, but keep reading just in case… I wasn’t always a dog person, after all. Now though—my dog, Kristen, is my life. She has taught me so many life lessons. One lesson I’ve been reflecting on a […]

Hey friend, have you had the thought lately “everything is just working against me today!” Let me tell you a story, an updated parable first told by a Taoist teacher named Chuang Tzu called “The Empty Boat.” You’re relaxing in a canoe on a river, and suddenly there’s a loud “thump” against the side of […]

Hey friend. 2020 has been, in no small measure, a challenge, and it’s only March. Self-compassion is important now more than ever. I’ve worked from home for the last few years. In the last few weeks, nothing has been that different in my day-to-day (other than not being able to voluntarily go anywhere), but somehow everything […]

Hi friend, It’s been a tough few weeks—and it seems it’s been harder mentally and emotionally on some than others. Our “stance” on what’s happening in the world almost becomes a political statement. It’s easy to think that people who feel differently than we do are “doing it wrong.” “People should care more.” “People should […]

Are you freaking out? How are you doing today? Does “Happy Monday” feel appropriate to read? Days have been tough. There’s a lot of anxiety going around, and it’s not unfounded. Many of us feel lost and unsure, and that lack of certainty contributes to fear and worry. Is there a silver lining in all […]

Hi Friend. How do you view choices and opportunities? I used to get caught up in feeling like “I didn’t have a choice.” Even working for myself, I felt “I had to do this or that” because people depended on me—employees, viewers, clients, family… I started to resent the very job I’d set up for myself. […]

Hey friend, Last week I talked about optimism vs pessimism, and the fascinating health outcomes that can be associated with each! I left the email encouraging you to notice your self-talk tone… what did you find when you noticed your thoughts? Do you beat yourself up? Do you put pressure on yourself with “shoulds”? Our thoughts […]

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” Abraham Lincoln Hi, friend, I was recently reading about Dr. Martin Seligman (one of the founders of positive psychology) and his work studying health differences in people who were optimistic and pessimistic. He examined how these people explained “bad” events that happened […]

Hey Friend, I’ve been seeing a new “trend” pop up on social media that’s got me a bit irked. Have you noticed? Being Anti “Diet Culture” seems to be the newest health fad. Some of the people/influencers/nutritionists promoting that we “fight” diet culture define it as a system of beliefs that: Worships thinness (and equates […]

Hi friend, I’m headed off to a 10-day silent meditation retreat this week—sounds crazy, right? 10 days of mindfulness, meditating, and no talking whatsoever!? I’ve wanted to do this for years, and I finally bit the bullet. As I’ve been preparing for the last few weeks (and months), I’ve had mindfulness on the brain, and I wanted […]

Hey friend, do you consider yourself a judgmental person? A couple times a week, I row in the mornings with a wonderful group of women. It’s a super fun, inspiring experience that we all share before the sun has even risen. Earlier this week, we had a great, challenging row, and walking back up on […]

Hi friend! When it comes to health and habit building, many of us know what we “should” or “could” be doing, but a million things seem to get in the way. “If only we had X, it would be easier!” Do you hear me? If only… …I had more time. …X wasn’t so expensive. …I […]