Blasts of Light

It seems perfect and hilarious to me that I never ended up completing this post until the Libra New Moon but (now) the timing couldn’t be better for it and a lot of the themes I wanted to discuss with you guys anyway are super prevalent with the current astrological aspects so thank you Universe for the procrastination this week! ha

But now back to the matter at hand, so really, what are you so scared is going to happen if you allow yourself to truly dream BIG, to honor that niggling feeling in the depth of your being and (gasp) speak aloud what you would truly love to do in this one precious life we are living?

If you still are feeling the nerves about the potential to fail then I highly recommend checking out this interview I did for Megan Bruneau’s Failure Factor Podcast where we dive into the ups and downs of failure and why it’s actually super important to ultimate success.

For me, I’ve always been a BIG dreamer, not sure how that happened — you can blame it on the pisces in me, blame it on the crazy in me, blame it on how illogical I am — yet it’s always been an important part of my life. I spent so many years growing up LIVING in my dreams to escape my reality. My big, bold, bright as the sun dreams were my medicine, my saving grace, and in some ways my coping mechanism for whatever life was handing me at the time. So a funny thing happened once my life started feeling more and more like a dream in my mid-twenties, my relationship with my dream changed. I dreamed about living across the country in Santa Monica and so I did it. I dreamed about having a book published and so I did that. And then one fateful day came along and I was in the middle of a group text conversation with a few of my soul sisters and a single, harmless question stopped me in my tracks.

“What would you do if you weren’t so concerned with savings the world?”

Whaaaaaaat?! Wait. Isn’t my only purpose to save the world?! OR at least completely exhaust myself trying?!

No, said the deep voice coming from the peaceful part of my soul — your job is to find what lights you up and do THAT. The whole saving the world, helping people, making an impact, that happens WHEN you are lit up, when you get live your DREAM because that’s how show you people what’s possible for them. “The world needs more people who have come alive.” – famous John Lennon words.

“I would be a cooking show host and write books for the rest of my life.”

There it was. So easy. Like it had been hiding out there all along under blankets of guilt and shame. It had. I was ashamed. I did feel guilty about it. I thought, “I’m a coach, I’m a speaker, I’m a meditation teacher — wanting to host a cooking show is so vain, it’s not as spiritually ‘worthy’.” I was scared to dream. I was scared to even think of my dream to myself no less share it publicly with the world. “What would they think?” “Would people not want to work with me as a coach if they new that as much as I do love that — there was an even bigger dream on the horizon?” “Would I get laughed at or shunned?” Yano, the typical insanity that swirls around our brain right before we are about to own a truth of ours in any really big way.

Yet once it came out of my mouth (or out of my fingers to the text thread), I felt an insane amount of freedom. It was like the clouds parted and the angels started singing because I finally had ALLOWED myself to own my big dream again.

I felt more aligned than ever and I also realized that WHATEVER I did I would be using as a catalyst to spread light so it doesn’t matter if I’m a barista at starbucks, NYT best selling author or a cooking show host. It’s me, I’m light, I’m clear on my message and my mission so I can turn anything into a catalyst for raising consciousness and helping people live their best lives — and guest what? SO CAN YOU.

Which brings me to the first video for you in the “Dreaming to Doing It” series!

I recorded three videos after coming home from the set of Hallmark’s Home and Family TV and having a super fun day at work doing what I love. I just felt super compelled to start talking with you guys about following your dreams AND about how important it is to let those big, juicy dreams of yours see the light of day. This is just the first to get you going, if you want to be the loop for the next two later this week, make sure you are subscribed to my email blast — I’ll be dropping them there!

 

Cass-Beach-Sept-59

For me, I am learning that inspiration is an inside job right now.

It feels almost naughty to say that. To admit that I am finding a lot of things “out there” less than inspiring. But in fact, it’s my truth at the moment. I have found over the past couple years that I no longer look to other people for inspiration, instead, it’s in the quiet spaces of my own soul where my ideas blossom, where new projects take root and where I truly get lit up and energized to take action.

I find myself weighed down by so much of the content swimming around on social media and the web these days. It feels overwhelming at best and inauthentic at it’s worst. I am in no way saying that there aren’t still lots of amazing people doing incredible, inspirational work in the world — I KNOW THERE ARE. However, right now, for me, I have found in this season of my life that I am not called to watch others to fan my flames.

I love the book, “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield, I recommended it to all my LightMaker Book Club ladies because I think it’s a great companion for the creative process. Steven talks a lot about “showing up” and allowing the muse to find you ready and working. At first, as a crazy romantic creative type, I found this absolutely annoying. I don’t “force” anything, I wait for inspiration. Ah, what a beginner’s notion! If there is anything that having successfully ran a coaching business for five years, written an internationally published book and doing countless videos, events and blogs have taught me is that if you don’t make the time for the muse, she will actually never appear. Inspiration needs space, it needs you sitting at your desk or on the beach with a notebook ready, it needs you to show up and say “please use me as a vessel”.

 

I believe that it’s our job to create the conditions for inspiration. We can constantly be listening to what our soul’s voice is rumbling about and we need to give ourselves permission to follow it.

 

So if spending time reading certain blogs you love, flipping through magazines or stalking your favorite inspirational yogis on instagram gets your juices flowing and gets you excited to dive into whatever endeavour you have in front of you, then please by all means schedule that on your calendar. And if what inspires you is nature, hiking, the beach, post-meditation journaling sessions and juicy gaps between social media consumption (like where I’m at right now) that’s okay too.

Either way, inspiration is an inside job.

It’s inside because only YOU can know what’s truly working for you. Only you can honor the season you are in right now. I have found a lot of time that inspiration comes from me flexing my creative muscles in a totally different area: if I’m struggling to create new recipes than maybe I give myself a day away and go to a pottery painting workshop or walk through the farmers market and allow myself to only buy weird, beautiful looking vegetables that I haven’t tried before. If I’m deciding on creating a new offering, I sit with it, I beach walk with it, I throw myself into something else like laundry or cleaning and allow it to creep back in if it’s truly ripe for the making.

Creating the environment for inspiration is not about forcing, it’s actually about creating the space for allowing. And yes, sometimes that looks like staring at your computer screen and writing jibber jabber for a few mornings before your book starts coming out and other times it’s allowing yourself to admit that something is NOT inspiring you.

.
I have found this the hardest. The letting go of what’s no longer inspiring me. I have now realized that when it’s aligned, it does feel inspiring, sometimes it can require a lot of work, getting outside my comfort zone or an extra notch of discipline but if it’s truly aligned, it also feels inspired.  And that means when it doesn’t, I can release it.

 

Where are you with your creative process? What do you find helps you get those sparks flying and your energy a-buzz?

I would love to hear from you below in the comments!

xo,

C

 

** Even though it’s too late to join the LightMaker Book Club, if you’d like help creating the space and birthing your creative project or book into the world, feel free to reach out for a one on one breakthrough session. I’d love to midwife your dream.**

Recently, as I was walking down the beach and playing in the ocean, I couldn’t stop hearing the message that it was time to really buckle down to write my second book. “Eat with Intention” launched last November and it’s birthing process was long, arduous and at times isolating, I had needed a few months of rejuvenation before I dove straight in to the next one but walking in the ocean that night, I got a rather unexpected idea or assignment you might say. It became so clear that because of my journey these past two years I could tremendously help first time authors write their first book baby with more grace, ease, community and support than I had and really hold the space for their book babies while writing my second. So I ran home and journaled about all of the things that would have made writing my first book SO MUCH EASIER, things that would have made me feel more confident, supported and joyful every step of the way. This is how my LightMaker Book Birthing Club was born.

 

Are you feeling called to write a book? Do you really want to crystallize your message and your teachings in a really tangible way that people all over the world can get their hands on for a super affordable and accessible price?! Is just reading this activating a tingling in your heart?

 

I can SO relate. I bet you also have a lot of fears coming up too! Like how about, “but I don’t have a million followers – what’s the point?” or “I have so many ideas, I wouldn’t even know where to start when writing a book?” or maybe even the infamous, “who am I to write a book?”

 

Well to that last one, who are you NOT to!? You have been given this beautiful life and unique journey to learn your lessons and master your field in such a unique way so that you can help others who relate to your specific flavor of healing. You have a book that’s ready to be born!

 

For the first two questions, I recorded to YouTube videos to give you my straight shooting answer about my honest opinion before you move any further, if your already thinking “I’m SO ready to do this!!”, scroll down past the videos to find ALL the juicy details about how you can write your book with me in the next 6 months!

SO you’re thinking, “what if this isn’t the right time for me to write my book?” watch below.

“How do I know what book idea to go with first? OR get clarity around what my book should be on?”


 

The LightMaker Book Birthing Club

It’s perfect for you, if:
you are ready to finally write that book baby you’ve been dreaming of in the next six months
you are serious about buckling down, getting it done and getting the support, accountability and encouragement you need to finish it
you want feel the guidance and support of someone’s who has been there, written the proposal, gotten a publishing deal and launched a book to help you make it happen
there’s a calling in your heart to get this message of yours out of your body and into the world and you would love assistance on all the technical “earth based” steps to make it happen
you resonate with my ‘practical magic’ approach to business and love the idea of both creating an amazing marketing plan, incredible proposal and stellar book as well as the importance of creating sacred space and times to write in as well as connecting to your higher self (the universe/your guides) for support every step of the way to help you knock it out of the park

If you are saying YES YES YES right now then here’s what you can expect from myself & the LightMaker Book Birthing Club:

a mentor and guide that will be your champion every step of the way (me!)
a group of specially curated running buddies to have alongside of you during this six month journey
actionable tips, tools and practices to help you write your book AND get it out in the world
accountability every week, every step, helping you stick to your goals and stay on track
having the book process broken down in to digestible steps so you can stop stalling and start writing
a place for questions and sharing as you move through your book journey
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, A HAPPY, HEALTHIER, MORE SUCCESFUL BOOK FINISHING EXPERIENCE OVERALL

 

Here’s what that will look like:
A private LightMaker Book Birthing Club only facebook group where you can share your ideas, struggles and journey as well as connect with other incredible budding authors while you write, making friends and getting feedback as you go!
BI-WEEKLY Facebook LIVE ‘clarity sessions’ with moi (will be saved in our group to watch at leisure if you miss) where we hit on topics like:
– What makes a good book proposal?
– Breaking down the different elements of a proposal and giving you guys a sample structure
– What makes a book proposal attractive to an agent or publisher?
–  How to AMP up your marketing plan and build your platform while writing / Tips for creative ways of making it super juicy even if you don’t have a massive following or email list
– How to create a sacred space + schedule for your book writing
– How to handle creative blocks and invite your higher self/God/the universe etc in as a co creator to your book
– Should you self-publish or go with a publisher? Real talk pros/cons of both
– Next steps — finding a publisher or self-publisher depending on what you’ve decided
– How to lovingly ask people for quotes, a foreword, or support on your book so they WANT to say yes to you
– Post its, index cards, you name it — how to get going on the FULL book once the proposal is done and you are off running
– What makes a great title and subtitle? Brainstorm options with the group
– Action steps for book promotion once your first draft is submitted
– And much more based on the feedback I get from the group once we get going and everyone privately tells me a little more about themselves, their book and their goals/roadblocks
WEEKLY accountability check in conference calls where we all check in and share 1) what we committed to accomplishing that week, 2) what we actually did and 3) our next goal for the upcoming week to keep each other honest and moving along!
REAL SUPPORT / the relationships you make in this group will have you with a whole army of supporters who will love sharing about your book when it comes out, i’m sure a lot of you will make great friends and of course, you will have my support when it comes time to share the good word about your book coming out as well as an opportunity should you want me to write something as a supportive quote (which you will find out why getting a bunch of support quotes from people who are respected in your industry or as writers is SO important as we go through! 😉 )
MY EYES + EDITS! As a special bonus, I will be offering 2 edits to everyone who joins, you can use them any step of the way, once you finish your proposal, on your marketing plan or on one of the chapters of your book at any time during the six months and I will read it over and send you a thorough list of notes and edits back!

Your energetic commitment: $197/ month (or pay in full for all six months at once $1,000)

If you’d like to also go even deeper, you can add an hour-long intensive one on one session with me every month to discuss your book as well as anything else that comes up for you in your business/life.

LightMaker Book Birthing Club + Monthly Hour Session with Me: $297/month (this is a crazy deal if you’ve ever worked with me one on one) 

*no refunds once we begin because spots are limited.*

We start right after labor day weekend, week of 9/5 (our first group LIVE facebook with be on Sunday 9/10) and in the meantime we will get everyone enrolled and introducing themselves to the group!

I can only accept 15-20 people at MAX to keep it intimate and effective and allow me to make sure everyone receives the support they need. So if you are a “HEAVENS YES” answer these four simple questions below to tell me a little bit about your book and why you’re ready to be in the group and if accepted I will email you back within 24 hours with payment details to secure your spot!

EMAIL CBODZAK@gmail.com + ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS TO APPLY:

1) Tell me about your book in a few sentences! Most importantly, what’s the topic and where are you at in the process right now?
2) Are you REALLY READY to commit and get this book proposal created/finish this book in the next 6 months?
3) What are you looking forward to the most about the LBBC and guidance from me?
4) What are the best days + times for you for our LIVE accountability calls each week and bi-weekly facebook lives?
5) If accepted, would you want just the group support or an additional one on one with me each month as well?

It’s important to me that 1) I’m aligned and excited about your book so I can be the cheerleader/supporter that I intend to be for every single one of you in the group and 2) that your committed to doing the work and getting this book baby done so at the end of 6 months we’ve all made really tangible progress and ideally fully completed our books together!

In the first episode back after our hiatus, our host, Cassandra Bodzak, interviews Phoebe Lapine, a food and health writer, gluten-free chef, wellness personality, culinary instructor, and speaker, born and raised in New York City, where she continues to live and eat. On her award-winning blog, Feed Me Phoebe, she shares recipes for healthy comfort food and insights about balanced lifestyle choices beyond what’s on your plate. Her debut memoir, The Wellness Project, chronicles her journey with Hashimotos Thyroiditis and how she finally found the middle ground between health and hedonism by making one lifestyle change, one month at a time.

Grab Phoebe’s book The Wellness Project at http://amzn.to/2wepyi9 or Cassandra’s book “Eat with Intention” at http://amzn.to/2v6gVpJ

You can find Phoebe on her website: http://www.feedmephoebe.com
or follow her on social media at the links below
http://www.facebook.com/feedmephoebe
http://www.instagram.com/phoebelapine
http://www.twitter.com/phoebelapine

Get the book we talk about on the show about the Fertility Awareness Method here: http://amzn.to/2ub3RSU

**Please leave your thoughts, love and suggestions in the comments on iTunes – we LOVE hearing from you and appreciate all of your beautiful words and ideas!**

Thanks for listening to the LIGHTMAKER podcast, a carefully curated collection of interviews with spiritual entrepreneurs and heart centered change makers designed to ignite your inner light and guide you in creating your most expansive life with your host, Cassandra Bodzak, holistic lifestyle expert, author, speaker, mentor and host of Eat with Intention TV.

 

In this video I dive into one of the questions I get asked all the time around my book, “Eat with Intention” — How to start
listening to your body and begin communicating with it. Here, I break it down into basics, explain how to reconnect with your body and then get into a daily practice of asking it questions. I am so excited for you guys to take on these tools and challenge yourself to tune into your body and it’s intuition on a regular basis. Let me know below if you have any questions, are going to step up and take my two week challenge as well as any other helpful tips you’d love to share about talking to your body!

If you enjoyed this video, please share it with a friend that you could benefit from it, SHARE it on your social media and SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss a video from me!

The NYC Body Wisdom Event I talk about, you can RSVP here: http://bodywisdomnyc.splashthat.com

You can also order a signed copy at the link above or a regular copy on amazon here: http://amzn.to/2cXdfQl

Want to dive DEEP and make peace with your plate and your body once and for all — book a one on one session and I’ll walk you step by step through reconnecting with your body’s wisdom. Details here: https://cassandrabodzak.com/mentoring

In this episode of “Eat with Intention TV”, I share my easy, healthy flight snacks for staying sane and satiated while traveling! These grab and go snacks are perfect for tossing into your carry on and will be miracle workers when mid-flight cravings kick up and you have a nourishing alternative at arm’s length. Let me know what YOUR favorite flight go to’s are and maybe you will see them in an upcoming travel healthy video!

You can shop the products I talk about in this video below:

TEAS:
Tulsi Sweet Rose Tea / http://amzn.to/2f6KjIB
Yogi Kava Tea for Stress Relief / http://amzn.to/2uWSxad
Pukka Relax Tea / http://amzn.to/2uTMiFG

SNACKS:
KIND all fruit bars / http://amzn.to/2uWYwf6
Philosophie Coconut Butter / https://www.thephilosophie.com/products/green-dream-coconut-butter
Qia GF Oatmeal / http://amzn.to/2vgFUJq
Super Elixir / https://www.welleco.com/collections/alkalizing-formula
Figgy Pops Snack / http://amzn.to/2vqWdUy
Healthy Warrior Chia Seed Bar / http://amzn.to/2uhW40C

Please SUBSCRIBE to my channel, like and share if you enjoy this video!

Grab the book “Eat with Intention: Recipes and Meditations for a Life that Lights You Up” on amazon here: http://amzn.to/2cXdfQl

Get my Free 7-Day Mind Body Soul Reboot
http://bit.ly/2mqSU8t

Work with me one on one to finally get FREE from food + body drama and tap into your body’s deep intuitive wisdom: https://cassandrabodzak.com/mentoring

Say hi to me on social media:
http://www.facebook.com/CassandraBodzak
http://www.instagram.com/cassandrabodzak
http://www.instagram.com/eatwithintentionTV

Hello my loves,

This is one of those posts, I almost hate that I have to write but I could not resist. As many of you know, I got my start coaching pretty organically after running a successful blog, putting my life on the interwebs and having people genuinely wanting to work with me to help them. It was never some sort of business scheme to make a lot of money, it was quite honestly, a total surprise to me that I so effortlessly stepped into the role and truly loved what I was able to contribute to these ladies’ growth. In the past year or so, I stepped away from working one on one with people in as great of a capacity because of some strong negative feelings surrounding the coaching industry.

I would get sick to my stomach watching these coaches promise things they couldn’t even deliver for themselves and charging out-of-this-world prices for it. EVEN WORSE, bullying you if you didn’t find it reasonable to dive in for 10k or 20k a month!

I became so disgusted by some of my so-called colleagues that I had to go do some deep re-evaluation of if I even wanted to have any part in the industry. 

Once I put the question on the table and opened myself up to seeing it in more depth, it was heart wrenching the stories that serendipitously ended up in front of my face. Stories of coaches who used intro calls to find someone’s tender spots and then pressed on them when it came time for payment, leaving these ladies feeling like if they didn’t cough up thousands of dollars they were “succumbing to the fears that were holding them back”. Gross. Gross. Gross.

I met a woman who “found” her coach because she kept on reaching out to her on facebook insisting on a free call and then once she took her up on it made her feel like she had to give her credit card before they got off the phone or she would lose the “special rate”. She told me that she told her coach in the first couple sessions that she would never want to get clients the way her coach got her because ‘it didn’t feel good”.

I had to break the bad news to her, if her coach knew ANY other way to naturally attract clients she wouldn’t have used those methods. She can’t teach what she doesn’t know.

Even writing about those few examples has my heart pumping and my eyes tearing. I want to take so many of these women in my arms and say, “It’s okay — you were hoodwinked. You were vulnerable and someone took advantage of you. It is NOT your fault that you fell for their low vibrational ways. Hold yourself through it and stand on the knowledge you NOW have about what you want and what you don’t.”

Here’s a vlog I made on the subject about how you can tell if a coach is right for you and some red alerts to look out for when it comes to those to avoid:

So now you know how to have your full wits about you while deciding who you want to work with as a coach. But is hiring a coach even the right move for you? Here’s another vlog I made on this topic, if you are not 100% sure you are ready to be working with someone or if you are having second thoughts.

So how did it end for me? What conclusion did I come to after almost a year of reflection and inner work around this topic as well as some VERY HEALING purging exercises of the anger I have towards some of the people who I see out there doing this?

I realized that I needed to be the presence of the alternative. The answer to the presence of the negative is not to hide, run away or disassociate, although I have compassion for myself for needing to go through that journey to be able to come back in full integrity and feel aligned again, THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS TO BE THE PRESENCE OF THE POSITIVE. TO BRING THE LIGHT TO THE DARKNESS INSTEAD OF RUNNING AWAY FROM WHAT’S TURNED DARK.

So for the first time, in quite a bit for me I am full force back and opening my doors to new coaching clients for both one on one sessions and my six-month Practical Magic Mentorship. AND I’m going to keep doing it my way, by putting out good content, by sharing my life and who I am authentically and allowing the people I can truly serve to come to me. I am going to be teach my soul-centered business clients and practical magic mentees the same thing, that they can have a THRIVING, ABUNDANT business without doing something that feels gross, without compromising their integrity. I’m going to shine even brighter because we have a lot of darkness to dissipate in this industry and I won’t let it push me out. I’m excited to build a little “army” of soul-centered lady bosses who are showing the presence of the positive, leading from the feminine, from their heart and creating flourishing business regardless of what industry they are in but especially if they are coaches, teachers, leaders, and aren’t we all always all of that at the end of the day?

Thank you for letting me share this with you. It was heavy on my heart and it means the world to me that I have a safe place with you beautiful beings to share my truth. Please comment below or in the youtube videos and let me know your thoughts and feelings on all of this and of course, if you’d like to join my tribe in being the presence of the alternative, you can check out my mentorship options here, I can’t wait to work with some of you on a much deeper level.

All of my love,

C

Thanks for joining me this AM on KTLA, I hope you enjoyed hearing about these fresh, healthy takes on classic BBQ dishes and are inspired to get into the kitchen. Enjoy the recipes below and don’t forget to check out my book “Eat with Intention” for all these recipes and more, including tips on loving and communicating with your body and more delicious recipes paired with mindful tips and meditations.

 

Watermelon Gazpacho

Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 cups chopped watermelon
2 red bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
1 green apple, peeled and roughly chopped, divided
1 cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped, divided
½ white onion, diced
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, divided
1.In a blender or food processor, combine the watermelon, bell peppers, half the apple, half the cucumber, and onion. Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and 1 tablespoon chopped mint and purée until thick and smooth.
2. Pour the gazpacho into serving bowls and stir in the remaining apple and cucumber. Sprinkle over the remaining 1 tablespoon mint. Chill before serving!
 .
.
.
Dairy-free Caesar Salad
Yield: 2 servings
INGREDIENTS
½ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup sliced or whole almonds
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 head romaine lettuce, leaves separated and coarsely chopped
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced
DRESSING
1 tablespoon garlic hummus
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C, or gas mark 7). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the chickpeas, olive oil, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and toss until the chickpeas are thoroughly coated. Transfer the mixture to one of the prepared baking sheets and roast for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown.
3. Meanwhile, combine the almonds and nutritional yeast in a small bowl and toss until the almonds are thoroughly coated. (Add a teensy bit of olive oil to help it stick, if necessary.) Spread on the second prepared baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 7 to 9 minutes, or until lightly browned.
4. To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Put the chopped lettuce in a salad bowl, add the dressing, and toss lightly. Top with the roasted almonds and chickpeas and sliced avocado. Serve.
 .
.

BBQ Tempeh Tacos

Yield: 4 tacos

INGREDIENTS
½ cup chopped Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or horseradish
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Coconut oil cooking spray, for greasing
4 to 6 slices (¼ inch, or 6 mm, thick) tempeh or extra-firm tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces (you can substitute with black beans)
3 tablespoons organic barbecue sauce or garlic teriyaki sauce
4 flour tortillas (or corn for gluten-free)
2 romaine lettuce leaves, shredded
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1. In a medium bowl, combine the Brussels sprouts, Dijon or horseradish, garlic powder, onion powder, and a little salt and pepper and mix well until the Brussels sprouts are thoroughly coated.
2. Spray a little cooking spray on a medium frying pan and gently sauté the Brussels sprouts for 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside.
3. Heat the tempeh or tofu in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat and add the barbecue or garlic teriyaki sauce. Stir for 5 minutes, or until heated through and slightly crisp.
4. Place a tortilla in a dry frying pan over medium heat and cook for about 45 seconds on each side, until warm and lightly brown. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
5. Place the lettuce in the center of a tortilla, and then add the carrots, Brussels sprouts, and tempeh or tofu. Top with slices of avocado and shallots, and then wrap closed.
.
.
.
The Ultimate Veggie Burger + Avocado Fries
Yield: 12 burgers
INGREDIENTS
FLAX “EGG”
1 tablespoon (9 g) flaxseed meal
3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
BURGERS
Olive oil cooking spray, for greasing
1 bulb garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 cup (164 g) cooked chickpeas
½ cup (35 g) cremini mushrooms
1⁄3 cup (80 g) Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup (200 g) cooked green lentils
1 cup (186 g) cooked quinoa (or “super grain”
blend of quinoa, millet, and buckwheat)
½ cup (56 g) quinoa flour
12 gluten-free rolls, to serve
Baby kale, to serve
Sliced red onions, to serve
SAUCE
3 tablespoons (45 g) eggless mayonnaise
1 tablespoon (16 g) tomato paste
1 teaspoon grated fresh horseradish
AVOCADO FRIES
Coconut oil, for greasing
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (18 g) flaxseed meal
6 tablespoons (90 ml) water
1 cup (60 g) panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt, plus extra to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 near-ripe avocados, halved and pitted
1.To make the flax “egg,” mix together the flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes, until thickened. Set aside.
2. To make the burgers, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5). Lightly greasea baking sheet with the cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Wrap the peeled garlic cloves in a small piece of foil, and place them in the oven for 20 minutes to roast.
4. In a food processor, combine the flax “egg,” chickpeas, mushrooms, mustard, olive oil, spices, and roasted garlic, and pulse together until thoroughly combined. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl and add the lentils and quinoa. Using a spoon or your hands, thoroughly combine the mixture and gradually add the quinoa flour, a little at a time, until the mixture is thickened, but still moist.
5. Shape a heaping spoonful of the mixture into a ball, just slightly bigger than a golf ball. Place it onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten it out into a patty. Repeat with the remaining mixture (you should have about a dozen burgers—I always freeze at least half and keep some in the fridge for later in the week). Bake for 20 minutes, or until the outer edges lose their moisture and appear on the drier side.
6. To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients together and mix well.
7. Separate a gluten-free bun and place on a plate. Put a patty on one side, top with a generous slathering of sauce, baby kale, and red onion slices.
8. To make the fries, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C, or gas mark 7). Lightly grease a baking sheet with coconut oil. In one bowl, whisk together the flaxseed meal and water. In another bowl mix your panko and seasonings. Slice the avocados lengthwise, dip in the flaxseed mixture, and then into the panko mixture.
9. Place on the prepared baking sheet and adjust the seasoning to taste. I like to add a couple more shakes of garlic and onion powder and a little more salt before they go in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the panko starts to brown. Any extra sauce can be used for dipping!
.
.
.
Double Chocolate Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
CUPCAKES
2 cups (480 ml) unsweetened chocolate
almond milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups (224 g) quinoa flour
¾ cup (65 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup (77 g) date sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (100 g) melted raw extra-virgin coconut oil
½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup
½ cup (122 g) unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
ICING
½ cup (128 g) sweet potato purée
¼ cup (64 g) cashew butter
¼ cup (30 g) carob powder
3 tablespoons (29 g) date sugar
4 ounces (113 g) vegan sugar-free chocolate chips
2 tablespoons (28 g) raw extra-virgin coconut oil
10 to 15 drops vanilla stevia
Pinch of salt
1.Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups.
2. To make the cupcakes, combine the chocolate almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a large measuring cup, stir, and set aside to curdle.
3. Meanwhile, combine all the dry ingredients together in a stand mixer or medium mixing bowl and mix well until the mixture is clump-free.
4. Pour in the coconut oil, maple syrup, applesauce, and extracts. Add the curdled chocolate almond milk and mix at medium- low speed (or with your hand) until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Using an ice-cream scooper or tablespoon, fill each cup three-quarters of the way with batter. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
5. To make the icing, combine the sweet potato purée, cashew butter, carob powder, and date sugar in a stand mixer, blender, or food processor and mix. Set aside.
6. Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil. Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a separate smaller saucepan, place pan in the hot water, and heat, stirring continuously for 3 to 5 minutes, or until most of the chocolate has melted. Pour the chocolate into a mixing bowl with the mixture from step 5, add the vanilla stevia and salt, and mix thoroughly. Put the bowl in the refrigerator and chill for 30 to 60 minutes.
7. Mix the icing on high speed for a few minutes until thick and creamy. Ice the cupcakes immediately and serve!

In this episode of “Eat with Intention TV”, I’m sharing a vegan, gluten free recipe for berry scones from my book, “Eat with Intention” that I have remixed using Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Flour and using some beautiful summer berries. We also chat about the power of embracing your quirks, the mantra that goes hand in hand with my favorite scone recipe in the book and how this has had a profound impact in my life. When you embrace your quirks, own all of the out-there beliefs you may have or weird things you love doing, you give yourself permission to LIGHT up and invite others to get on with their freaky selves too! We are all so beautifully unique and bizarre and too often dim our shine to fit in or feel loved. I think you are going to love both this delicious vegan, gluten free, paleo (all the things!) scone recipe and really resonate with this loving reminder to fly your freak flag and have fun with this one precious life we have!

————————————————————————————————
PALEO VEGAN BERRY SCONES

Ingredient list + click to shop links for your convenience:

1/3 cup melted raw extra-virgin coconut oil
2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Flour
3 tablespoons date sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup culinary lite coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract 
1 cup organic blueberries (fresh at farmer’s market or grocery store)
1/2 cup organic strawberries

1. Preheat your oven 375 degrees and grease a small baking sheet (or scone pan) with 1 teaspoon coconut oil. Set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix throughly, breaking up any clumps. Add the melted coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla extract, almond extract and mix thoroughly, and then fold in your fresh berries. (The batter should be thick like cookie dough)

3. Roll the batter into the ball, place it on the greased baking sheet, and then press down to make a 2-inch thick disk (or use a cupcake pan like I do in the video). Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the edges crisp and fork comes out clean when inserted. Set aside and cool for fifteen minutes.

Don’t have time to get to the spa or take a mini vacation away? Here are some easy, affordable at home things you can do to make your home a zen den. Watch me walk you through my favorite tips on the video above and get an easy, spark-notes breakdown below for anything you missed or if you are curious what particular ones I own/use for anything.

MY 5 EASY TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR HOME A ZEN-DEN:

1) Fill your home with fresh flowers! I love to have fresh flowers around that i’ve bunched together from the farmers market.

2) SPA day at home. I use spa water that has fresh fruit and herbs infused in a mason jars of cold water. The fresh water is ready to go whenever you have guests over, want to reach for something refreshing and delicious. I also love to use epson bath salts- especially lavender! Make a yummy salt soak in small mason jars or scrub an at home with salt, herbs, rose pedals and a hint of coconut oil. Every time you step into the bath or shower you have a nice little treat to exfoliated and treat yourself with.

3) Make your home smell delicious!!! Essential Oils  are have so many uses. I like to have my Nebulising Essential Oil Diffuser  around me around me with jasmine or peppermint in it. Using a beautiful aroma creates a zen den right in your own home. Here’s how it works. Try to avoid using think oils like sandlewood, vetiver, and patchouli.

4) Keep your eye open for small little objects that make you feel joy. I have a dream catcher from Ojai on my wall that spoke to me after seeing an intuitive up north. Little trinkets such as this create small but meaningful moments around your house.

5) My biggest zen den tip is to create scared spaces around your house. For my meditation nook, I have comfy little cushions and pillows with candles, crystals and some dried lavender to bring a zen relaxing energy into the space and make it an exciting place for me to spend my most nourishing time. I even have a small space on my desk where I honor my goldfish that passed away because his memory always makes me feel love and supported while working. Make these spaces your own and feel free to get creative — it’s about making this YOUR zen den and it’ll be a little different for everyone.

Got a zen-den tip of your own you’d love to share? Please do so in the comments below! I’d love to hear.

Hey guys!

Thought I would try something new and actually write a little Moon blog for everyone — if you like this and want more, please comment below and let me know so I can decide whether or not to keep doing it!

FULL MOON IN SCORPIO

Scorpio goes deep, it’s our subconscious, those deep, deep desires, the things that stir in the depths of our soul. The themes that are coming up for me (intuitively) around this full moon are personal power and staying present on our journey. This week has some pretty powerful astrological events going on and while I am NOT an astrologer, I love being a translator, think of me as your friend who dorks out on astrology for you and runs it through her own filter before giving you the low-down. One of the things that peaked my interest this week while listening to David Palmer’s forecast was that this is a week of breakthrough and conception. We have the opportunity this week to see an old version of our world crumble down around us, which can be painful but is always for the best and makes way for this new path of what we deeply align with to rise up.

So what’s that thing that you truly want from the bottom of your heart? 

Oftentimes, it’s not what other people want for you, in fact, it could be something that other people will actually NOT want for you. You will almost certainly meet resistance. You may lose some people in your life who don’t want to support this new endeavor or path but that’s just part of life and growing.

Your task is to check in with YOURSELF, run it through your own intuitive wisdom and make sure this is something you want to sign up with for the long-haul and not a quick fix or ‘fling’. 

One of my favorite ways to do this is to talk to your body. Your body is deeply connected to your soul and can be a divine translator for you to hear your inner guidance and your soul’s voice. Use it. The meditation below will get you into a juicy, loving place of gratitude with your body and then I invite you to ask the deep questions. Put one hand on your heart and one hand on your navel and just talk to your body — like you are talking to a confidante, or a mentor, or me! Pause. Listen for what comes up, journal for what comes up. If you need help going deeper or more guidance on being able to do this, watch the Aprecity.com Full Moon in Scorpio workshop or you can book a one on one with me and I will walk you through the entire process.

 

STAYING PRESENT TO CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN

The other theme I feel like is going to come up as we embark on our latest adventure is staying present and taking it day by day. Fear is inevitable, resistance is inevitable, our own self-sabotaging patterns love it when we get excited about something so our challenge is to stay with the “what is”, and climb the mountain one rock at a time.

This past weekend in Arizona, I climbed a mountain with some of my girlfriends one morning and I was so unprepared for it. I love hiking in L.A. so I thought it would be the same thing but this baby was no joke. Every time I looked up at how far I still had to go to make it to the top I would be hit with a wave of, “how the eff am I going to do this?”, I would notice how exhausted I was, how much my thighs hurt, you get the picture. However, I quickly learned to stop focusing on the top, to just focus on the few rocks in front of me I had to scale, just make it up this next path to a safe spot and then the next patch and before you know it I was up there at the top. 

Life is a lot like that mountain. It’s great to set our sights on where we are going, to know our goal but then it’s each day to day accomplishment that gets us there. Similarly, in 12 step programs they tell you to focus on just not drinking today, not over eating today, just make it today — don’t worry about forever because forever is comprised of a ton of todays. Forever or that big dream can feel heavy, can induce fear, but if you break it down to the day by day and stay present to just whats right ahead of you — you will scale that mountain.

Of course more riffing on this, guided meditations and tools in my Moon Workshops and personal sessions. Watch online by joining Aprecity.com and get access to full moon + new moon workshops every month, join me in person at Unplug Meditation in L.A. or schedule a one on one with me to dive even deeper.

xo,

C

 

P.S. Don’t forget to comment below if you’d like to see more of these moon posts! 🙂

What a gift it was to be in the room this past Thursday with Oprah’s carefully curated tribe of thought leaders ready to drop their most potent wisdom nuggets on us all in the span of day. As someone who teaches weekly, gives bi-monthly workshops through Aprecity and coaches people every week, it is oh-so-sweet to sit back and receive. I love basking in the inspirational rays of great minds and seeing what gets sparked or triggered from my own. The following nuggets are what stood out to me, the thoughts that buzzed around my brain or that made me go “ahh– this is good– I need to report back to the tribe!”, however they are in no way a complete spark notes of the event and after looking back at my notes, there are some people who totally escaped my notebook. This is not because they didn’t say brilliant or thought provoking things, it was just that I was so enthralled in their presentation that I did not take notes or nothing individually popped out as a “quoteable”.

GARY ZUKAV (author of Seat of the Soul — can’t recommend the book enough if you haven’t read it)`

– Gary describes are Soul as the Mothership in a fleet a boats and our Personality as a little boat trailing behind. He so clearly uses this analogy to demonstrate the free will of our little boat (our Personality) to sail whichever way it pleases. However, if we listen to the direction of our Soul and follow the Mothership across the ocean then we are more apt to have a voyage where the tides and winds support us, we may have storms but we will have an underlying strength to navigate through them. If we decide to ignore the Mothership and go our own way, it’s very likely we will be sailing against the winds, the current, and life will get difficult fast. We will experience life’s resistance just as the little boat in a big ocean going against the guidance of it’s Mothership. Loved this analogy! I had never heard it described quite like this before but I have a feeling that I will be quoting Gary a lot now in years to come because it really states it in such a tangible, accessible way to digest. I would add that when we meditate, take proper me-time and self-care, and fuel our bodies with clean, nourishing food, we allow ourselves to HEAR our Mothership (or Soul’s) navigation instructions. The Mothership is always there, just as we can always tap into what are Soul is saying but it does take the conscious turning down of the noise around us (or maybe a little less drinking and partying on our little boat?haha) to pay attention to where we are being guided.

– Gary refers to this life as “Earth School” (which I’m all about!) and says that we get presented assignments or things that may trigger/challenge us and we get to decide which part of our Personality we respond from. This is where it get’s a little advanced — let’s say it’s something as simple as an email that feels a bit short and rubs you the wrong way. What Gary is saying is that you can choose to respond from the unhealed part of your Personality that probably wants to hit delete or say something equally snarky back OR you can tap on a more evolved part of your personality that sees the situation from a higher perspective and considers that maybe this person was having a bad day, is overwhelmed or just writes cold emails and respond to it with warmth and class. I use that example (which could easily apply to texts or any interaction whatsoever) because emails probably trigger me 10x a day and I will be thinking of Gary now in my inbox and choosing to not sit in the part of my Personality that can feel harassed by people emailing me multiple times and maybe choose the part of my Personality that’s grateful for so many people wanting to contact me or collaborate with me OR even the understanding part of my personality that realizes that everyone has their own agenda and is totally oblivious to what’s going on in my inbox at any given time and that’s human and totally normal. I will let you guys know how this is going via instagram stories, haha.

– On INTENTION: every action holds an intention which is connected to both the cause and the effect. All intentions ultimately boil down to fear or love. Oprah talked about how when she was doing her show, she would make the producers come to her with their intention for the show when they presented the topic and if it wasn’t aligned with an intention she could get behind they would have to see if they could meet there or scratch the idea. It’s so important when putting out any sort of content whether it’s a TV show, a blog post or just an email or text you send. If you think about it in a business stand point, you can send that pitch email from a place of scarcity or an intention of “I need something” or “I need to make money so I can pay rent/surpass my income goal/etc” — it infects not only the email but also the effect the email has on it’s receiver. I get these kinds of emails all the time and they feel gross. Now, same subject of the email but with the intention “I’m so excited about X,Y,Z and I think it would be great for you to be involved” or “I want to help as many people as possible” etc and the email is totally different both in content and reception. This is an area where it’s not good enough to fake it till you make it, take the time and get yourself in the right heart space, be in a place of wanting to GIVE not take, and in LOVE (aka abundance) instead of FEAR (desperate and needy). This will change your whole gosh-darn life if you consciously reassess this in every area. In fact, I’m considering doing a whole workshop on it because I think it would just flip the switch on so many peoples lives — so let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in!

 

Favorite Gary Zukav quoteables:

“When Personality comes to fully serve the intention of the Soul that is authentic power.”

“Powerlessness is operating from the frightened part of your Personality.”

 

GLENNON DOYLE MELTON (author of “Love Warrior”, “Carry On, Warrior” and my personal girl crush)

Glennon takes the stage and poses us the question, “How would your life change if you decided to stop being afraid of pain and instead embrace it?”

Well what came up for me immediately was that I would probably put myself out there more. I wouldn’t be so shy to tell people about how I felt about them and I would also spend less time trying to meditate, yoga or breathwork my way into another realm — if I’m going to be totally honest with you! I believe that all of those tools are transformative when done in the right intention, sometimes my meditation, yoga and breathwork help me to feel into my pain even deeper and allow it to move through me but in the spirit of full disclosure, sometimes I use them to check out of this human thing for a hot minute and go play in space. 

Glennon talks about pain as the “hot, lonely space” and explains how that when we stop being able to sit in the discomfort, when we try to skip the whole pain part, that we also skip the transformation. The good stuff happens on the way through our pain. As we approach Easter Sunday, she appropriately compares it to the crucifixion and the resurrection. We all go through our mini (or sometimes massive) crucifixions but that’s what happens right before the resurrection — where we get to RISE. Just earlier today after my meditation class, someone had asked me how I got started with meditation and all this. I went straight to my very own dark night of the soul/crucifixion/hot lonely moment and it was through really being with my pain and letting myself feel all the feels that I emerged at the other end of the it.

From my own personal experience, I can with out a doubt tell you that feeling that pain transformed my life. I so fully surrendered to the sadness around my brother (for those of you who read the book, you know the whole story) my whole world shifted. I truly believe it shifted because I didn’t run from it. I listened to the guidance I received, I sat on my meditation cushion and cried my eyes out when I needed to.

Favorite Glennon Doyle Melton quoteables:

“We were made for pain.”

“The journey of the love warrior is to rush towards pain because our pain is our power.”

“There is no glory without going through the story.”

 

WES MOORE ( Author of “The Work: Searching for a Life that Matters”)

“I am never in a room I don’t belong in.”

I had not heard of Wes prior to Oprah’s event but he is quite the gentleman and a scholar. I honestly did not take many notes during his presentation because I was hanging on his beautiful words and enjoying his story. It was this quote that truly stood out to me. “I am never in a room I don’t belong in.” Wes grew up in a bad neighborhood, went on to be an investment banker on Wall Street, a Rhodes Scholar, and a New York Times Best Selling Author — to name just a few of the many “rooms” he’s been in. It would be so easy at any point along his journey to feel like he didn’t belong in the room (Truth be told, I have had tons of moments where I look around and I think “how did I end up in this room?!”) but his mother instilled in him from an early age that he had every right to be whatever room he showed up in.

I love this simple “mantra” of worthiness and also of divine timing because whether or not the room is with executives from a major network, Oprah or someone you love letting you know that they have been unfaithful, knowing that if you are there you belong there is a beautiful way of not only stepping into the amazing rooms you may end up in with confidence, it’s also about being present in the not so amazing rooms with trust and faith that they too have their place.

 

GABBY BERNSTEIN (My spirit junkie homegirl from the East Village, also NYT Best Selling Author of “The Universe has your Back” and one of my favorite spiritual starter books, “Spirit Junkie”.)

 

Gabby started out by letting us into her struggle with getting pregnant and how she realized that she was trying to “mastermind” the whole ordeal until she realized that it wasn’t on HER timeline and she needed to surrender. As she went into her story, it became so clear to myself as well as some of my friends in the audience that we all have an area of our lives where we are trying to “play God” or control everything. I’m sure your personal version of this is already popping up as you read this and if it’s not, you can just ask yourself if there’s an area of your life that just doesn’t feel like it’s flowing or that causes you the most anxiety and it should point you to the culprit.

Gabby shared her 5 steps to spiritual surrender:

(as well as how she channeled them because SHE deeply needed them as well)

1. Take your hands off the wheel through prayer. Forget what you THINK you need.

Trust me, I get that this is WAY harder than it seems, especially around the one thing but this is a MUST. I actually do this funny little hand gesture when I’m surrendering that almost looks like tossing a basketball up to God. I will show you on my instagram story tomorrow but imagine prayer hands, eyes closed and shooting away the situation in a “hoop” in the sky, haha. That’s just me — you do whatever works for you but I find having some sort of gesture for surrendering has been really helpful! Then after you’ve “tossed” it back to God or the Universe, you can reflect on the truth that YOU don’t know what’s best for YOU. Yes, I know you THINK you do but the truth is, if it’s not happening, there’s a reason for it and it will happen when it’s ready.

2. Focus on what’s working in your life.

You know when you want that ONE email about a contract for a job or that perfect apartment or even that cute guy to ask you out and you forget how freaking fabulous the rest of your life is because that ONE thing is not happening!? Well STOP IT. haha I kidddd, but not really. I do this too, and it’s SO important that after your surrender move you shift your focus to what’s working in your life. Girl, you have SO much going for you and if you tap back into the flow of all the goodness around you, it’s even more likely that you’ll attract the right work, apartment, man or whatever you’re calling in.

3. Obstacles are detours in the right direction. New bottoms bring you new levels of growth.

See, my Glennon pain story before. Part of that story (in addition to my brother’s illness) was the break up of a long term relationship that I had really thought was ‘it’. Talk about a detour AND a new bottom that spun my world around in a way that never would have happened with out those “detours in the right direction”. Life’s curveballs are loving redirections and the more you see them that way the better you can show up for them.

4. Ask for a sign.

I probably abuse this one, but if you don’t, then definitely try it out. The Universe loves to give you signs if you ask for them. So if you want to know if you are on the right track, ask for a sign. It could be something as abstract as seeing three birds on your window in the morning and just feeling their presence as a sign that you are supported in your new endeavor or you can ask for a more concrete sign. I love asking for super obvious signs that can’t be mistaken. Once I was asking about a work project I wasn’t sure if I should continue and the next day I got five different emails from people telling me it had changed their life (after months of nothing) and another time I was wondering if I was wasting my time with this guy I liked but didn’t seem to be moving things along and I literally saw his name in the cement a block away from my house twenty minutes later when I went to grab coffee. Universe knows I like it super obvious and in my face, haha. Play with this! It’s fun!

5. When you think you’ve surrendered, surrender some more.

Oh yeah. So this is not a magic bullet. You’ve got to keep doing the reps. Keep surrendering, redirecting your focus to what’s amazing in your life, trusting that everything is working out for the best and asking for signs when you need to. Rinse and repeat. Eventually it will get easier but somethings that we hold so closely and want so badly are the hardest to surrender so it’s going to take some effort! Trust me, always worth it, 100% of the time. 

TONY ROBBINS (mystical energy wizard and self improvement king, author of “Unshakeable”)

“If you want to change your life, you need to change your energy.”

Our decisions shape our lives, even down to what we decide to focus on each day. Are you focusing on what you have or on what your missing? Because that decision alone will change how you experience your life.

“The biggest addiction most of us have is to our problems.”

2 MASTER SKILLS

1 – The Science of Achievement

a. Tremendous focus on what you want to create, where focus goes, energy flows.

b. Massive Action: take aligned actions towards what you want in your life.

c. Grace. You could also call this surrender but here’s where you let a force greater than you come in and work some magic once you’ve done your aligned earthly due diligence.

2 – The Art of Fulfillment

a. Find out what your favorite flavor of suffering is: stress, anxiety, overwhelm, sadness, anger, or maybe a combo.

b. Trade your expectations in the area you are suffering in for appreciation. You instantly end suffering once you get into a state of gratitude, love or appreciation.

“If other people have to behave a certain way for you to be happy, you will never be happy.”

 

———————————–

 

So there you have it! A little all access pass to my notes along with some insights. I will say that I loved Tony Robbins rounding out the day because he has a powerful way of grounding spiritual principles. It’s not just about enjoying or relating to these abstract ideas, it’s about bringing them down in a way that you can utilize in your life. Yes, it’s important to surrender but it’s also important to take heart and soul centered actions towards what you want and then you step back and allow grace (the universe or God) to go to work.

The thing that stood out the most to me from the whole day, and the little soul download I received from the entire experience was that magic that happens when someone is so uniquely themselves and shares their message in a way that is true to them. All of the speakers from the day were amazing and I didn’t even get to give you notes on each one but what was left lingering in my heart was how unique each one was. All of them had similar messages of love, inspiration and living your best human life but they all chose to present their tools in a way that really sung to them. I loved it. I think it’s a reminder to myself as well as any of you reading this that we truly rise when we honor ourselves, when we sit confidently in who we are and don’t try to be a copy of anyone else. Embrace your whole glorious messy adventure and then find the gold to share.

Hope this was helpful for you! While not a typical kind of blog post for me, I did not want to hold these nuggets back from you. Let me know which ones really hit home and feel free to join me this Tuesday on Aprecity.com for the Full Moon in Libra workshop.

xo,

Cass