back to basics | small, simple, sustainable
Small, simple steps. There’s a reason my health coaching practice prominently features the word “Simply.” Many of us feel that re/claiming our best health is complicated. That it takes LOTS…
back to basics | primary foods
I’ve written a lot about primary foods (just search the blog for that key word!), so this week, I’m going to take the conversation in a slightly different direction. As…
baby steps | crowding out
Here’s a great way to think about making the better choice most of the time: don’t make the choice! The Integrative Nutrition® principle of “crowding out” is sort of like…
find the middle path
Who knew you could connect the Buddhist practice of seeking the middle path to an HR webinar? I recently attended a webinar run by MediKeeper, and one of the resources…
intermittent fasting: yes or no?
Intermittent fasting is a hot topic these days. There was an article in the NYT recently about how scientists have concluded the first long-term study of time-restricted eating, AKA intermittent…
a healthy lifestyle in 2022
[W]e’ve lost ground in other [health] areas, and a lot of them are a function of the fact that we don’t have a very healthy lifestyle in our nation. Particularly…
holidays: “strategery” + tactics
What is up with the holidays? I kid you not: Halloween decorations have started popping up in stores in August. I wondered, in 2020, whether this was because so many…
emotional eating | trust yourself completely
This week we finish off the emotional eating series with a look at another topic that is closely linked to emotional/stress eating: self-trust. How do you feel when you have…
emotional eating | how are you hungry?
In the style of health coaching I practice, Integrative Nutrition®, we talk a lot about primary and secondary foods. The majority of my clients come to me because they believe…
time to detox?
Hello? Is anybody there? Or is everyone still doomscrolling, sucked into the vortex of news and social media after the past two weeks? Perhaps it’s time to detox. For the…
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…
a season of incredible plenty
It’s bound to happen in the fall, the season of plenty: an adult version of elementary school lunch plays out in the land of the CSA pickup. The boxes are…
walk this way | 7 simple suggestions
I’m sure your age probably determined what popped into your head when you saw “walk this way” as this post title; if you’re older, you probably flashed back to Monty…
control issues: what’s 1 thing completely in my power?
Irrespective of our political leanings, many (most? all?) of us seem to be feeling our world has spun out of control. As I’ve written about recently, it is stunning to…
stuff energetics | home energy purification
I’ve blogged about our relationship with food, our relationship with tech, and our relationship with time, and this week, I’ve been thinking a lot about another relationship—with our stuff. Yes,…
“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…
Someday is not a day of the week
I spent part of this holiday weekend watching “old” movies: A Fish Called Wanda with my son, who appreciates 1) anything with the word “fish” in it, 2) Monty Python,…
Greatest hits | Breakdown on the 110
This week finds me at home in the Green Mountains of Vermont—I know that I can’t claim to be a Vermonter because I wasn’t born here, and their rules about…
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…
#eatmorekale
Spring is here—which in Michigan means the temperature still dips below 40ºF and yet the upper limits (in the 60s) are starting to show up more often than the dips….
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…
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…
#healthcoachvacation 2019
Once again, our family’s Spring Breaks didn’t align this year—and we did manage to have some fun anyway! After last year’s epic fishing adventure, my son and I decided to…
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…
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…
Sharpen your saw
I’ve spent a lot of the past 10 years writing grant proposals and reports, and I’ve been musing about the parallels between how a majority of funders invest their money…
Survey says…
My brain and I are on vacation this week, so instead of struggling to come up with a new post, I’ve decided it’s your turn! I’m always interested in providing…
What’s your value?
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…
Rearview mirror | What we learn from reaching (or not) a goal
It’s definitely wintry in Ann Arbor, and our seasonal diet has shifted from the cool leafy salads and quickly grilled foods of summer to heartier root veggies and slowly simmered…
New + improved?
Full disclosure: if you love Black Friday, this post is likely to piss you off—maybe read it anyway? america, the privileged Last weekend when I was grocery shopping, I discovered…
Come up to the lab…
If your mind immediately filled in that blank with “and see what’s on the slab,” you’re proof that campy movies never die. THAT one has been entertaining college students since…
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…
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…
Gordon Lightfoot: coincidence or miracle?
When I was growing up, we didn’t have a television (no, I’m not THAT old—my parents just chose not to have one!) so we listened to the radio a lot….
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…
Is self care really the answer?
“Self care” has become a real buzzword in the past decade—and it can include anything from an hour (or a day) at the spa to meditating to practicing yoga to…
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…
Pet Lessons
Is it really possible that Spring has sprung in Michigan finally? This past winter really felt endless—more so than others for some reason. And yet, thanks to a new furbaby…
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…
April’s FREE health coaching webinar is on Wednesday!
Just a quick heads up: April’s FREE health coaching webinar is going to introduce you to what I call the DR/EAM process—a way to stop playing best supporting actress in…
#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…
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…
Why should I clear my (virtual) plate?
I recently had the honor of interviewing the lovely Dr. Fiona Lovely of the Not Your Mother’s Menopause podcast and Facebook community. We talked a lot about bringing peace to…
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…
If it ain’t broke, reframe it
Occasionally, I need to disappear from my health coaching practice due to the demands that my side hustle as a grants consultant places on my schedule. Late November and early…
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”…
Welcome to the trough
Because 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—I like to talk about my work…
How do you come to the kitchen?
As I mentioned last week, 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. I…
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 | Your nickel’s worth
This is the final post in the SOLE food series, in which we stepped away a bit from primary foods nutrition and focused again on secondary foods, the ones we…
SOLE food | Ethical
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 | 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…
Happy Labor Day, Happy Birth-day
Labor Day weekend has come to represent a lot more than just a moment to honor the labor movement in the United States, so much so that we don’t often…
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…
A few of my favorite things | Podcasts
Vacation ends soon—I’m slipping in another quickie post before I run out to enjoy the end of it! If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m…
Gone fishin’ … and a request for the fall!
You may or may not know that in my “other life,” I contract for an amazing nonprofit called Fair Food Network—our healthy food incentive program, Double Up Food Bucks, is…
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 half-empty nest
I’ve recently been going through an experience that in an odd way reminds me of what my daughter went through most of last year: encountering the inevitable questions. For her,…
Guest Post | Tending the Wild Heart
There’s still time to RSVP for Ruth Wade’s workshop on Gyrotonic and bone health tonight, July 26, and in the meantime I have another cool guest blog post and offer…
A summer of firsts and lasts
This is turning into a summer of “lasts” at our house: one child’s last summer before college and last day of work at a job held for three years already,…
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…
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Yay—another fun guest blogger! Today, I’m happy to share a great reminder with you from my friend Cheryl Meyer, who is going to let you in on a deep, dark…
Multitasking | To hack or not to hack?
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m a big fan of podcasts—I listen to a fair number of self-improvement, health, and entrepreneur/business related ones, and my…
Put your schedule on a diet | Authorization
First of all, Happy Mother’s Day to everyone, because let’s be real—whether you’re female or male, whether you have borne children of your own or raised someone else’s or been part of a…
“Getting” religion, getting spiritual
It’s April 22 (Happy Earth Day!), and if you’ve been following along on the blog, you’ll know that the past month has seen me on the West Coast, in the…
Driving Duke Ellington
Every intersection in the road of life is an opportunity to make a decision. ~ Duke Ellington From driving to Ohio to driving in Southern California to driving to Vermont,…
Life: rewind, fast forward, or play?
Have you ever noticed how when you’re paying attention, you see “coincidences” everywhere? Last week, I had two acquaintances, both of whom have colored their hair for years, start conversations about…
To my sisters: I hear you.
[Edit: Since this post was written, the S.A.N.I.T.Y. program morphed partly into Declutter Your Daytimer and partly into my membership site for women 40+. I’ve left this post up because…
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…
Do less better.
Today marks the beginning of a series of workshops my collaborator, Holly Southerland, and I are calling Month of Margin. The goal of the workshops is to help women create margin in…
Are you cancelable?
When I was being certified as a health coach, I live-streamed the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s live events, which are weekend long extravaganzas of top speakers from the world of health…
Because taxes. (And because chocolate.)
A few weeks ago, after finally registering the copyright for Fl!p Your K!tchen, I asked a question of my Facebook hivemind: what tasks do you put off and put off and…
Got blank space?
I know how one of my teens would respond to that question, and if you do, too, then you’re welcome for the earworm. But the kind of blank space I’m thinking…
Month of Margin
Are you… Overwhelmed by the clutter in your pantry, closet, or home office? Feeling like you don’t have time to take care of your home the way you want to? Busy taking…
Are you reacting or responding?
What do a rotisserie chicken and a kitchen sink have in common? It’s been an interesting week for me—I don’t know whether it’s been a phase of the moon or some…
What’s in your banker’s box?
Last fall, my brother and I spent a weekend in Colorado sifting through the piles of paperwork left by my late uncle—we were on the hunt for 1 specific document, and…
Hold out for the fairy tale
It seems as though 2016 was a particularly rough year in terms of celebrity deaths. (Although I will admit I had to laugh when my daughter found a comment on…
Goodbye, Hello: New Year, New Practice
As I get older, I feel the pull of the seasons more and more strongly, and the words of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 feel more true each year: “To every thing there is…
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…
Self-care + Happy Stockholders!
I wrote this for a wonderful networking group I am privileged to belong to—if you’re an entrepreneur looking for a facilitated referral team, check out Caerusnet (and if there isn’t one…
Baby Step #10 | An attitude of gratitude
This is the tenth 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 | 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…
Registration deadline extended for Fall 2016 Supper + Support
I’ve extended the registration deadline for the Fall 2016 Supper + Support group coaching series to September 7, 2016. You can read about the series here: https://simply-healthcoaching.com/supper-support-fall-2016/ Questions? Please don’t hesitate…
Eat Drink Man Woman | Of kitchens, frog farming, video games, and upset cards
Long before he really made a splash as the director of blockbusters such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee made two of my all-time favorite food movies, Eat Drink Man…
Baby Step #8 | I get to…
This is the eighth 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…
Baby Step #7 | Cure the sugar blues
This is the seventh 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…
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,…
Baby Step #6 | For not to
This is the sixth 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…
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 #4 | Turn it off
This is the fourth 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…
“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…
“How’s your reality testing?”
Read my recent guest post on Everyday Power Blog and do a little reality testing!
Breaking Bad: It’s Really about Self Care
Breaking Bad: A colloquialism popular in the American Southwest referring to when someone has taken a turn off the path of the straight and narrow, when they’ve deviated from what’s…
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…
Take Good Care: Mapping Your Way to Wellness
I hope you’ll join me for a new workshop I’m presenting together with Su Hansen! $100/person, sliding scale available – call to register: 310-892-9485 or register and prepay below. full…
What if you threw a party…and nobody came?
When I was a caterer (in the years BC – before children), my husband would often watch me preparing madly for a party and comment, “What if they throw this…
Nourish Yourself for Fall…and into the Future!
PLEASE NOTE THAT REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED. JOIN US IN APRIL FOR OUR SPRING MINI-RETREAT. Full price – $200 per person 3/4 price – $150 per person…
What media messages do you ingest?
As an integrative nutrition health coach, I spend a lot of time working with clients to identify their ideal nutritional choices – the ones that nourish their bodies in a way…
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…
Your Harvest of Health
What does Autumn mean to you? How do you prepare for the season with its ever-shorter days and the hibernation instinct lurking around the bend? This year, I’m collaborating…
Beat the Sugar Blues Workshop
Do you suffer from the sugar blues? Do you constantly crave sweets? Find out how you can control your sugar cravings without feeling deprived! Join me for a workshop hosted…
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…
FREE workshop: Eating for Energy
Does winter have you d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g? What would life be like with abundant energy and vitality? What foods have the power to increase your energy? What else contributes to boundless vitality?…
How the Scrinch found Christmas
My family and coworkers would agree – I’m something of a cross between Scrooge and the Grinch. (Scrinch?) Every year, I grumble about the impending holidays … and every year, the holiday…
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.
On the edge of getting it right
I have an 11-year-old son and a husband, so (if you’ll forgive a generalization) I watch a fair number of action movies. Okay, full disclosure: I kind of like them,…
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…
Find Your Balance workshop!
FIND YOUR BALANCE, or How round is your circle? Do you have trouble finding time to do everything you want to do in your life or even in your day? Do…
Letters from camp
Our son, who just turned 11, was born two months early – luckily, he avoided many of the “insults of prematurity” (what an odd phrase that is!) and suffered mainly…
Rewrite the script
Have you ever listened to your personal script? The one that dictates how every situation will play out because that’s what always happens? The one that spills out in words and…
Hitting the pause button
Our modern lives are full of demands on our time and energy – they come at us 24/7 in surround sound, whether in the real world or in the virtual…
“The pitcher cried for water to carry…”
The work of the world is common as mud. Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust. But the thing worth doing well done has a shape that satisfies, clean…
