Brain Food

Hi friend. How has 2020 been going for you? It’s been a tough one, and I’ve found myself thinking “ugh, when is this year going to be done?” But then I realized the other day, that it’s about this time of year every year, that many people start to think/talk/post on social media about how “this year […]

Last year was the first time I didn’t feel totally controlled by the holidays—either through the resistance of trying to maintain control…

Do you ever feel poked? I’ve grown, and I do feel I’m a completely different person than I was 3 or 5 years ago.

Hey friend. Are you happy on this beautiful Monday? If you’re not happy, are you suffering? Have you heard the phrase “No Mud, No Lotus”?

Are you okay, right now, in this present moment? Unfortunately, our brains are conditioned to go toward what’s familiar, which is why we…

No doubt, these days are hard. 2020 has challenged everyone in unimaginable ways. How can we be present with so much stress?

Happy Monday, friend! What are your expectations for this week? Might I suggest… NONE!? I’ve been exploring what it’s like to go into experiences without having any expectations, and WOW! It is powerful! Let me try to break it down… To “expect” is to regard something as probable or likely to happen.  So, when we expect something to […]

Hi friend, how’s your line of thinking lately? I know many are struggling, and understandably so, given the state of the world. But our outlook on what’s happening—now and always—affects our experience. I’ve talked before about how drastically our health can be affected by our optimistic or pessimist outlooks.  Since immersing myself in mindfulness in graduate school, […]

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 […]