got motivation? you may not need it.
“Ugghhh. I have zero motivation to [fill in the blank: eat healthy, exercise, get more sleep….]” This is the answer most of my clients give to the second question I…
keep your eyes on your own plate
I’ve been thinking a lot about matriarchs and mothers and the things they’ve taught us. As I mention on the first few episodes of my podcast, the first response to…
optical illusions, vastly different perspectives
optical illusion: tiger or monkey? Earlier this week, a health coaching colleague posted a black and white optical illusion image and asked, “What animal do you see first?” I haven’t…
crowding out
“I’m not going to give up my [diet Coke/chips/ice cream/etc.], so don’t even ask me to!” When a client’s goal is weight loss, this sentence comes up more often than…
affordable health coaching for every body
The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg feels like 2020 adding one more insult to a whole lot of injuries. Injuries that have been inflicted on every body but significantly more…
It’s about navigating the gray areas
Issues of race and ethnicity have been swirling around in my head this week because they’ve popped up in a few places over the past week: In my reading, I’m…
tip the scale
“How often should I weigh myself?” is a common question in my line of business. It’s a great question because it opens the door to even more questions. Dang it—you…
Hey, Baby, what’s your sign?
Have you been fortunate to catch a glimpse of the moon these last two nights? She was so full and bright, I didn’t need a flashlight for the early morning…
“Long sleeps the summer in the seed.”
I’ve known since my junior year abroad that I’m a four seasons girl. I spent that year in Taiwan, where there are two seasons: “hot and humid” and “cool and…
To Impossible … and Beyond!
As a health coach, I’m often asked to weigh in (hahaha) on what is the best way to eat: Keto? Paleo? Vegetarian? Vegan? High carb? Low carb? Zero carb? High…
Greatest hits | What’s for dinner, Mom?
As summer winds down, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the recent changes in our family life are playing out in the kitchen. My daughter spent her first summer…
Meet Diane Babalas
Diane Babalas practices something called Biogeometric integration—like acupuncture, another “dark magic” that will make you wonder how it really works … and it does! Check it out, then leave me…
Meet Melea Alexander
I’ve been intrigued by Traditional Chinese Medicine ever since college, when I was a Chinese major (yup, that really was my first field of study!), and I’ve always wanted to…
Meet Heather Glidden of Joy | Freedom in Motion
I visited Heather and Darlene’s studio, Joy | Freedom in Motion, for a presentation on Gyrotonic one evening a few years ago and was inspired. Heather is a wealth of…
Let’s get this party started!
How is it already May 31?!? That means tomorrow is the start of our month-long anniversary celebration of community! (Catch up on the details of that if you missed them…
Meet Tania Elfersy of The Wiser Woman
From the moment I read one of her blog posts, I just knew that Tania had to be the first person to do a Q+A in the (Sorta) Secret Sisterhood…
What’s in a name?
Have you ever changed your name? My friend Audrey, a business coach for women entrepreneurs, has a podcast called Women Are the Journey, on which she talks to women about…
Vitamin P(ee)
One of the principles of Integrative Nutrition® is the idea of bioindividuality: what is healthy for one person may be toxic to another, whether we’re talking about secondary foods (what…
Healthcare policy, healthcare agency
In the months leading up to and following the 2016 election, I stopped reading and listening to the news and I purged my social media channels. That doesn’t mean I…
Health coaching learnings … from Netflix?
Helllp! I seem to have fallen into a Netflix trap, one that features crime dramas from the UK: first there was Shetland, then there was Hinterland, then Broadchurch, and now…
Advance? Retreat?
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ve probably come across my Kale + Kryptonite exercise, which is a tool I use with my clients to help them assess the…
Spring into health
Spring has sprung, the grass is riz…. My father used to recite the poem every year around this time. In Michigan, it’s still blustery, and the the grass is not…
Life without roads
I recently had a conversation with some much younger friends who were talking about what they see as one of the problems their generation faces: too many choices. Yes, this…
What was I thinking?
Every month in the (Sorta) Secret Sisterhood online community, I get to record a Q+A with an expert in her field—most often a health practitioner who works with women in…
Food porn fast
‘Fess up: did you binge watch the first season of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix? Because yeah, I did. And I read the book in 2015. I saw…
Thanks to my hive mind!
Thank you to everyone in my hive mind who chimed in on last week’s post about independence and freedom! Here are just a few of your ideas; some came out…
Word-perfect
A quick shout-out to those who filled out my Tell me about yourself survey—I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to help me out—and a request…
The struggle is real
This month, I’m taking a look in the rearview mirror at 2018 and a peek ahead at the road ahead in 2019. I invite you to hop in and take…
My relationship with what?
This month, I’m taking a look in the rearview mirror at 2018 and a peek ahead at the road ahead in 2019. I invite you to hop in and take…
Yes, I am.
This week, I’d like to revisit last week’s post, Full stop. Why? Because I can and because it sparked a lot of responses, not just a couple in the blog…
Early birds, night owls, and soul care containers
I’ve always looked at my ability to wake up without an alarm as a superpower: whether it’s for my usual wake-up time (ungodly early) or from a power nap or…
Green lights, stop signs, and speed bumps
My son is learning how to drive (yay? yikes? jury’s still out but leaning towards yay), and something that we’ve been commenting on is that he seems to have a…
I can hook you up … with some good bacteria!
“I fed my sourdough this morning.” “What? What sourdough? Who’s got sourdough? I want some!” “Liza got it for me.” “Oh! That reminds me, Liza, can I get some more…
New (School) Year’s Resolutions?
It’s Labor Day weekend, and we’ve made another circle around the sun: as hard as it is to believe, I have two sophomores now: one in high school, one in…
Scotland, self care, soul care … and social justice
I’m “on holiday,” as the people of the UK would say—spending two weeks touring Scotland. Diana Gabaldon’s Jamie Fraser and Dougal MacKenzie might be involved—no sightings yet, but stay tuned….
I’m going on a trip….
After years of staycations, 2018 is becoming the year of traveling for me—and I’ve been thinking about the learning that comes from not just the trips themselves but the packing…
Who are your VEEPs?
Uh oh—am I really going to stray into politics on a health coaching blog? No, not entirely, but with the news focusing so much on the administration’s attempt to rid…
Reclaim your flame
The clubhouse doors are open at the (Sorta) Secret Sisterhood online membership site, and last week, I had the honor and pleasure of interviewing Tania Elfersy of The Wiser Woman…
Who are you comparing yourself to?
I recently walked the Dexter Ann Arbor 5K in 40:49 (beating last year’s 52:12 by a long shot despite the pouring rain)—I had meant to run this year, but some…
Everybody poops…
When I was studying to become a health coach, one of my favorite lectures was titled, “Does Your Poop Float?” I wish I could remember the lecturer’s name, but it…
I’ll have what she’s having…
If you’re about my age and you’ve seen When Harry Met Sally, there’s at least one line that people of our generation all know: I’ll have what she’s having. It…
Are you in the (Sorta) Secret Sisterhood?
Let’s take a look at the business side of health coaching for a minute. As a business owner, I spend a fair amount of time networking, and in networking groups—as…
Al Perkins teaches portion control
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that in addition to being a health coach, I have a side hustle that used to be my full-time job and…
The Elves began it….
I’m a walker—no matter what form of exercise I’ve done in the past—from running to aerobics to HIIT—I always come back to walking. It’s as though there’s a set point…
#healthcoachvacation
When I was growing up, it seemed as though my vacations never lined up with those of my parents, who taught at a small liberal arts college. There may have…
The secret’s out….
Last night at the dinner table, my son asked how long it’s been since the new Administration has been in the White House. More than a year, I said, thinking…
White jeans … and apples and pears
I lurk on a lot of Facebook pages and sites that claim to support us women over 40. I say “lurk” because I stopped posting comments and questions when I…
Breakdown on the 110
If you follow me on social media, you’ll know that I was recently featured in an interview on my friend Audrey Groeschel’s Women are Journey podcast—you can check it out…
Joint pain | On diet, physical therapy, and woo
In response to my question about curve balls two weeks ago, Susan wrote, “I had pinching pain in my left hip which turned out to be early onset arthritis. At…
I can still get 3 hours….
I’m one of those lucky people, blessed with the ability to fall asleep just about anywhere, anytime, even during a bus or train commute (yeah, sleeping on the Red Line…
My own personal summer
Sooo much wisdom (and a fair bit of humor!) in last week’s conversation on the blog in response to my question about what (if any) curve ball/s your body suddenly…
SOUL food | Loving
This is the final post in the SOUL food series—you can find the first one at SOUL food | Seasonal, the second at SOUL food | Organic, and the third…
SOUL food | Unique
This is the third post in the SOUL food series—you can find the first one at SOUL food | Seasonal and the second at SOUL food | Organic. Integrative Nutrition®…
SOUL food | Organic
This is the second post in the SOUL food series—you can find the first one at SOUL food | Seasonal. “Organic” has a lot of meanings—perhaps the most familiar in…
SOUL food | Seasonal
As I mentioned at the end of last year, my focus has been shifting from helping clients with their SOLE foods—the seasonal, organic, local, and ethical foods that I recommend…
Unlimited do-overs
It’s pretty common for New Year’s resolutions to dissolve just weeks into the new year, and as we approach the start of 2018, I have some thoughts on why that’s…
SOLE food | SOUL food
At the end of 2016, I shifted my health coaching practice from focusing almost entirely on secondary foods—what we put in our mouths—to primary foods—everything else in our lives that…
Do you really need another blender?
My biz bestie, Holly Southerland of Waco Home Organizers, recently sent a note of encouragement to her email list about FOMO (fear of missing out) and doing a “digital detox”…
My cat got eaten by a coyote…
As a “wellpreneur” who works with clients online and by phone/Skype as well as in person, I spend a fair amount of time marketing my services online, mostly through my…
Where are you hiding?
Explaining what I do as a health coach can be difficult: while the profession is certainly growing, it’s still an alien concept for many. In my workshops, I often like…
SOLE food | Organic
This month, we’re stepping away a bit from primary foods nutrition and focusing again on secondary foods, the ones we put in our mouths. As you find your way on…
SOLE food | Seasonal
This month, we’re stepping away a bit from primary foods nutrition and focusing again on secondary foods, the ones we put in our mouths. As you find your way on…
I know I should be….
I spend a lot of time talking to people about their health goals and their primary and secondary food choices. And one of their most frequent comments is, “I know…
A still, small voice
We have a freshman in college, and as most freshman parents, we attended a parent orientation when we dropped our daughter off in August. The auditorium was packed with parents,…
A few of my favorite things | Books
Last week’s post on the podcasts I recommend generated quite a few replies, one of the more common being, “But what if I don’t listen to podcasts?” I don’t find…
Guest Post | From Ow to Wow, Overwhelm to Wonder
Look, look—another guest post! This one comes from Linda Joy Stone, OMD, L.Ac., with whom I connected on Daocloud, which I describe as social media for practitioners and answer-seekers in…
A way forward | Getting past nonstarters
I mentioned a few weeks ago that at my house, we’re going through a Hamilton phase, and I can’t help but view the current debates about health care as just one…
Happy Half Birthday, 2017!
It’s 4th of July weekend, which means (yikes!) we’re half way through the year. Whattt? I was thinking that in some ways, this weekend is like what kids call their…
Dear Wonder Woman…
Have you seen Wonder Woman yet? It’s definitely been a hot topic of conversation at my house this summer, and it’s getting rave reviews from a lot of critics. My own…
Are you cancelable? (Part 2)
In a post from February (Are you cancelable?), I wrote about how we often let our self-care appointments slide off our calendar: those things—some big, some small—that we tend to think…
Mixed Metaphors | Stories of the resistance
I learned one of my favorite mixed metaphors from a fellow coach who said, “I view my job as leading a horse to water, then teaching it how to fish.” (My…
Baby Step #12 | Celebrate (yourself)
This is the final installment of a 12-part series titled “Baby Steps.” On the first of each month, I post 1 tiny step toward better health that you can take every…
Fill Your Plate | Feed Your Life
One of the fundamental principles of Integrative Nutrition® health coaching is that we are not only nourished (or toxified) by the food we put in our mouths—our secondary foods; we are…
“Harry was Voldemort, and Voldemort was Harry”
I’ll be honest: my candidate was out of the running after the primaries, which may be one reason that I’ve been feeling a bit detached from the aftermath of the…
Q + A with Su Hansen | Where does your soul want to go?
As a health coach, I love meeting colleagues who not only can serve as a resource for my clients but also challenge and inspire me in my own work. Personal and…
Supper + Support | Spring 2017 series open for registration
do you need a new cooking/eating + life style? Have you decided (or have you been told) that you need to change your cooking + eating style – eat more…
Baby Step #9 | Try on a new eating style!
This is the ninth of a 12-part series titled “Baby Steps.” On the first of each month, I post 1 tiny step toward better health that you can take every day…
Supper + Support | Fall 2016
do you need to develop a new cooking + eating style? Have you decided (or have you been told) that you need to change your cooking + eating style – eat…
Ask us anything | The recording
Yesterday, I had the extreme pleasure of sharing an hour on the phone with Andrea Catherine Bachman of Grounded Here, LLC. We had a great conversation about who we are,…
15 Ways to Make Life Simple Again
“It’s complicated….” Just about everything feels complicated these days, … and there’s a great excuse for not taking action, which causes us even more (di)stress. How to make life simple…
Baby Step #5 | Try sea salt
This is the fifth of a 12-part series titled “Baby Steps.” On the first of each month, I’ll post 1 tiny step toward better health that you can take every day…
How I learned to meditate
About five years ago, I switched from a conventional primary care physician to an integrative medicine physician. My hope was that when I brought up alternative therapies such as massage…
Health coaching…in a client’s words
If you’ve ever been curious about what it’s like to work with a health coach, here’s an awesome peek into a (star) client’s side of the health coaching equation! I wasn’t…
Everyday Power Blog | Five things to (not) do first thing in the morning
How do you feel about mornings? Yes, please – the earlier, the better! Meh – I can survive them when I have to. Please don’t make me morning. If you…
Introducing: Supper + Support
Do you need to develop a new cooking and eating style? • Have you decided (or have you been told) that you need to change your cooking + eating style…
Baby Step #3 | Eat more kale
This is the third of a 12-part series titled “Baby Steps.” On the first of each month, I’ll post 1 tiny step toward better health that you can take every day…
“But I’m not the cook…” | Supper + Support
When I was studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I often envied my single, childless classmates: as we were introduced to a large number of dietary theories – from…
Health is a journey – be sure to carry a map!
Before I work with a client, we have what I call a YOURstory session (like a history, but a little less gendered and a bit more personal!), an opportunity to…
Are you settling?
Are you in tune with your life’s purpose – the big why of your presence on this planet at this particular time and place? Do you know what you are…
Physical Activity: Find Your Why
As an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, I work with my clients to understand that our Primary Foods® (career, relationships, physical activity, spiritual practice, etc.) are just as important to our…
How do you come to the table?
I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea that we show up at the table much the way we show up in the rest of our lives, and it is…
New workshop: Spring into Healthy Eating + Positive Energy
I’m thrilled to be offering a new workshop in collaboration with Hands of Light Energy Healer Lucinda Kurtz from 11am-6pm on Sunday, May 3 – it promises to be a energizing…
My take on going gluten-free
Full disclosure: I am not gluten-free, but I have given it up for extended periods of time – the advice below is not meant to replace proper diagnosis and treatment…
Ready to invest in your health and happiness in 2015?
Ready to invest in your health and happiness in 2015 so you can really thrive – and not just survive – each day? Registration now open for virtual group coaching series, January – April 2015.
Find Your Balance Webinar!
Simply: Health Coaching is going virtual: If you missed the in-person Find Your Balance workshop in September, here’s your chance to experience it for FREE online from the comfort of your…
The wonder of boys, girls, and bio-individuality
One of the principles of integrative nutrition is the theory of bio-individuality: each of us is unique, and therefore our needs for primary foods (career, spirituality, physical activity, relationships) and secondary foods…
