As I celebrated my birthday over a zoom call with my dearest friends in a Goddess Circle, I discovered that by being my most authentic self, I have inspired so many women who are closest to me, to be their most authentic selves. That was such a huge gift because I always thought I still had yet to fulfill my calling, but I realized that I've been fulfilling my calling this whole time just by being myself. I also talk about parallel universes where we don't need to suffer and where things are easy if you're interested in that sort of thing. 

Rumi's poetry is all about connecting to the Divine Source (God) and in this episode I talk about how his poetry allows us to reflect on our own journey of self-discovery and connection to Source. Spring is upon us and the birds, bees, butterflies are all out in full force. No matter how sad, hard, difficult things appear-- we can step into gratitude for the beauty and wonder of this time of rebirth and appreciate what we have. Start with your lungs. The fact that you can breath. Then your eyes. Your ears. Your hands and feet. Shift your awareness to that of gratitude and it will also help you become born again too. 

Everything used to bother me. A lot of stuff still does. Like when my neighbors are loud during my meditation and I want to tell them to shut the f up. But now I meditate. So I’m working on accepting the noise as part of my meditation practice. In the same light, I’m practicing welcoming fear and pain the same way I would joy and love. It’s all part of the experience of life.

Quarantine has people sitting still for the first time. I've spent the last year (plus on and off for the 15 years prior) getting quiet and going deeper inside so that I could transform deep unhappiness into presence and joy. I share what I learned in the process and how the world standing still is the perfect opportunity to get quiet and go within to tap into your highest self. 

Don’t be pushed around by your inner critic! If the voice in your head is telling you that you need to lose five pounds to be happy or that you can’t make money doing what you love - you can tap into your compassionate mind and turn the caring and compassion you show toward others inwards toward yourself. That's the essential idea of self-compassion and Heather Prete is an expert and master teacher on how exactly we can do this. In this interview, I talk about my own issues to learn about the basics of self-compassion and how to stop the inner critic from preventing us from having joy.  Heather is an LA based Mindfulness Facilitator who works with a diverse range of clientele including those in recovery, people coping with depression and anxiety, cancer survivors, men and women battling chronic health and pain issues and those suffering from PTSD. Her training began with Tibetan Compassion practices in 1998 and trained under masters in India and Europe. In 2011, she became a certified Mindfulness Facilitator at UCLA, where she also taught Mindful Awareness Classes as well as courses online. Currently she’s co-creator and master teacher for The DEN Meditation Teacher Training Program. You can find more about her at www.heatherpretemindfulness.com and book a private healing session or go to one of her classes at The DEN Meditation. 

Dr. Sara Thierman is one of my closest childhood friends. As Chief of Cosmetic Dermatology at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, graduate of Yale and UCSF, she has all the accolades, but what I love and admire about her most is the way she lives her life. She is one of the happiest people I know and she will tell you that it's because she chooses to be. In most meditation and yoga classes, we are told to "set our intention" for the class. Sara has set her intention for her life and lives from that place daily. Instead of seeking money and status, she has curated a life based on her values of quality time with family and friends. She loves her work and takes time to do the things that are important to her and make her feel good. She doesn't sweat the small stuff and she is grateful for what she has. In this episode, we cover living with intentionality, gratitude, a positive perspective and how to streamline and simplify decision-making. Sara has helped me strive for a meaningful life since we were kids, now I'm excited to share her wisdom with you! 

I’ve held off creating my first podcast episode because of imposter syndrome, fear of failure, fear of success, all the things. Here, I crack open with my first episode. Listen to get motivated to do what you love right NOW.