like flipping a switch

And like flipping a switch, it’s autumn. “I can see my breath today. Delightful.” That’s what I texted my daughter this morning. I love fall—especially in Vermont. And as I get…

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…

“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…

WHO said it

going grammanda I’m an admitted grammarphile. I still correct my children (and others): come—not go; bring—not take; lie—not lay; if I were —not if I was; I wish I had—not…

Greatest hits | Happy Labor Day, Happy Birth-day

How is it possible that it’s the last weekend of summer?!? This week’s greatest hit, Happy Labor Day, Happy Birth-day, comes from two years ago, when my daughter first went…

Back to the kitchen

When my husband took his job at University of Michigan, we had just bought a house in Southern California—and I mean that literally: the morning of the day he found…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Sweeten it, naturally

I recently conducted a survey of my virtual community to learn more about you, and one of the requests that came up most frequently in response to my question about…

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…

When the POTUS is late for dinner

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…

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…

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…

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…

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….

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…

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…

Happy Mother’s Day (just say no)

Ahhh, Spring. We wait for it with longing, especially here in Michigan, where it comes quite late and often teases us for a while before committing. And then, just as…

Whine + cheese | What’s the payoff?

Very often, when I encounter a deeply-entrenched, clearly unhealthy habit in a client, I get curious about the payoff: every habit, according to research in this area, brings with it…

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…

“Can we tawk?”

I once introduced myself in a networking group by saying that I support women who believe the only way out of their overwhelm involves a plane ticket, a wad of…

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…