“Presence is far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity. Ours is a culture that measures our worth as human beings by our efficiency, our earnings, our ability to perform this or that. The cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that makes life worth living.” ~Maria Popova I was high on productivity. I had one full-time job, two part-time jobs, and a side hustle. I was getting everything done. Sounds...
Read More“The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers.” ~Deepak Chopra I used to handle hurtful situations in relationships the same way. I’d get angry, shut down, get irritated, or just give my partner the silent treatment. This just led to more of what I didn’t want—separation, loneliness, and frustration. So one day I made up my mind. I was going to change my approach and try something different. Cause we’ve all heard that famous saying from Albert Einstein: “The...
Read More“Just a reminder in case your mind is playing tricks on you today: You matter. You’re important. You’re loved. Your presence on this earth makes a difference where you see it or not.” ~Unknown Today I woke up feeling like nothing I do matters. I didn’t want to wake up feeling like this, but I did. I got myself out of bed, brushed my teeth, and went through the motions until things inside my mind started to feel unbearable. The first thing I did was try to reason with myself, tell myself...
Read More“You become what you believe, not what you think or what you want.” ~Oprah Winfrey What do you believe? During the forced stillness of the pandemic environment we’re all living in, this is a question I’ve been faced with more intensely than ever. In particular, I’ve come to question what I believe about myself, and how that impacts every element of my life. Coming out of years of self-help for social and general anxiety, a long-standing eating disorder, and several dissatisfying personal...
Read More“Alas for those that never sing, but die with all their music in them!” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes Six years ago, I came across a line from an old poem that punctured my present moment so profoundly it seemed to stop time. On an average Tuesday, there I was, sitting at my desk, ignoring the stack of papers I was responsible for inputting into a spreadsheet and procrastinating as usual on the Internet instead. At this particular time, Pinterest was my drug of choice—anyone else? As I was aimlessly...
Read More“Being attracted to someone’s way of thinking is a whole different level of attraction.” ~Unknown I have been divorced for ten years now and thought it would be fairly easy to find “the one” once I was set free from the ties of the wrong one. To my surprise, it has been harder than I thought it would be. I have found many but not “the one.” I have been on Match, Bumble, Plenty of Fish, and blind dates, and even dated a longtime friend to only find myself single going into my fiftieth...
Read More“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t.” ~Rikki Rogers A friend recently asked me: Andi, where does your strength come from? It took me a while before I had a good enough answer for her. I sat contemplating the many roads I’ve traveled, through my own transformational journey and the inspirational journeys of all my clients who demonstrate incredible strength for me. I moved to a different country, alone, at eighteen...
Read More“What, then, is the right way of living? Life must be lived as play…” ~Plato I am a recovering perfectionist, and learning to play again saved me. Like many children, I remember playing a lot when I was younger and being filled with a sense of openness, curiosity, and joy toward life. I was fortunate to grow up in Oregon with a large extended family with a lot of cousins with whom I got to play regularly. We spent hours, playing hide-and-seek, climbing trees, drawing, and building forts. I...
Read More“You will survive, and you will find purpose in the chaos. Moving on doesn’t mean letting go.” ~Mary VanHaute I was ten years old when I discovered the truth. He didn’t fall. He wasn’t pushed. It wasn’t an accident. He jumped. Suicide isn’t a concept easily explained to a six-year-old, much less her younger siblings, so I grew up believing that my father’s drowning was an unfortunate freak accident. It was “just one of those things,” the cruel way of the world, and there was nothing...
Read More“The only thing wrong with trying to please everyone is that there’s always at least one person who will remain unhappy. You.” ~Elizabeth Parker I used to be a rebel. I was the girl at the party who would waltz into a room and have everyone in awe, their attention and curiosity caught by my presence. I felt it, they felt it, it was magnetic. I loved it—I had become the girl I wanted to be. That was until one night at a party, while I was making a batch of popcorn in the kitchen, someone...
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