So thrilled to be starting this series with you! You're here because you want to be here, and you want to live well. I'm going to do all that I can to help you get there. What's mine is yours.

In 2007 I was 24 and entered in an engagement with a young man. It was going to be amazing. We were going to have the best life together. Fun and laughter and possibility!

But turns out, it didn’t turn out. And when that relationship was set ablaze, so was I. My fickle facade was burned away.

Back then, I did not know how to live IN integrity. My insides did not match my outsides.

Have you ever felt that?

About a year after the relationship ended, and I had had enough time to wallow and blame, I reached the point of DEEP reflection and introspection and I figured out that none of what occurred would have happened if I had had the courage to be honest with myself and everyone else.

Because at the very moment the relationship began, my inner voice said, don’t go down this road. But instead of honoring my inner voice, I stuffed it down, over and over again – until my world exploded.

And when the dust settled, I looked back at ALL THE HURT that occurred and thought, never again. I will never betray my voice again.

And so, I started on a journey of discovering my voice, befriending it, and strengthening it.

Since that beginning point, I have walked with the truth and learned so much about it.

Truth is magical.
Truth is not always ready to be spoken.
Truth is deeply personal.
Truth takes a confusing situation and clears it right up.
Truth helps us breathe deeply and sleep easier.
Truth costs less money.
Truth is simple.
Truth is something you can hang your hat on.
Truth perseveres.
Truth is not always convenient.
Truth does not ensure no one will get their feelings hurt.
Truth is your North Star. It will never lead you astray.
Truth is a fighter and will find a way to show up in your life, best to honor it right away.
Truth is the tortoise, slow and steady, but it wins the race.
Truth is the currency for a fulfilling and joyful life.

This series we are about to embark on started for me in 2009, when I was at rock bottom.

“And I’ll rise up
I’ll rise like the day
I’ll rise up
I’ll rise unafraid
I’ll rise up
And I’ll do it a thousand times again”
-Andrea Day, Rise Up

The information I’m going to share with you throughout this series are things that I have tried, learned and come into – in the last year.

THERE WAS SO MUCH WORK done from 2009-2017. #somuch
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Saving yourself is hard work. It absolutely is.

There is no quick fix. Nothing is overnight.

But, it’s also, only one choice at a time. And when you learn to honor yourself and your journey, choice after choice, your life will change.

Our goal here is to become well, become joyful from the inside out. Because when you work from the inside out, you’re not building your house upon the rock, you are BECOMING THE ROCK.

Some of what I share with you will sound insane. And that’s okay. Just know that I have seen and felt and tasted freedom, confidence, joy, expansion – and it’s because I have been open to the possibilities of different forms of wisdom, different cultures and different forms of healing. I decided a long time ago I didn’t need to know “for sure,” to be able to experience something, or try it out, or even enjoy it. If it feels good to my body, mind and spirit, I roll with it.

I am writing a series, but I think this could be a book. We’ll see!

We’ll explore each of these areas in the blog.

Reading / Podcasts
Therapy
Medication
Exercise
Spirituality
Stillness
Nutrition
Reducing Toxins
Balancing Hormones
Chinese Medicine
Internal Cleansing
Relationships
Being of Service
Brain Science
Social Media
Minimalism
Essentialism

Most of these topics will overlap at one point or another, we’re inextricably connected after all, but I think it’s important to shine a light on each of them.

You may be looking at this list as think, Holy crap! If I change ALL of those things, I won’t have any time for fun!

I hear you. I've felt that way too.

That’s exactly how I felt when I was first introduced to God (as an adult.)

I thought, if I follow all those “rules” (The Ten Commandments for example), I won’t have to time for my real life, my fun life! And sometimes I thought, I don’t want to know the rules. Knowing them will damper my fun!

Then, something interesting happened.

One day I went to church with a friend. And I liked it so much, I went back. And then --I started praying, and then -- I started wanting to be in relationship with God, so certain things fell by the wayside.

And so it continued, day after day, year after year. Until one day I realized, my gosh, my heart has changed. It’s not that I hold myself back from behaving a certain way, it’s that I don’t want to behave that way, because I know I don’t feel good when I do. And, I want to feel good. I like feeling good!

And so it will go with this guide.

We can never punish ourselves into a new way of being, we can only love ourselves into a new way of being.

And as you’re becoming joyful from the inside out, the world will rearrange to meet you at the level you’re at.

Don’t worry if you’re making waves simply by being yourself. The moon does it all the time. – Scott Stabile

I’m excited to be on this journey with you and to share all that I have experienced and learned so that it may serve you. Let’s go, let’s walk together, let’s become joyful, from the inside out.

Be good to you! Take some time to meditate on all of this.I'll see you next week.

As always, reply with any feedback, I love hearing from you!