It was like stepping back in time. 

My old college campus and the streets of lower Manhattan looked exactly the way they did when I last walked them 17-years ago, except a little different.

Still, it felt like I could have opened a door and walked into a building as my college-aged self. 

Some things were different. But, so much was the same. 

My college-aged self knew that anything was possible and believed that she could be or do anything. 

And, at Sarah Lawrence, this thinking was normal and encouraged. 

I saw that easy sense of empowerment still represented in the brand new Barbara Walter’s building. Her awards and photos were like a symbol that spoke, “You can do anything.” 

I knew that back then, and thankfully I still believe it today. 

But, here’s what’s different. 

Back then I didn’t always know HOW. 

HOW could I be or do anything? 

HOW?

In college I figured the answer was to work my ass...

Do you remember this scene from My Cousin Vinny?

Doesn’t LIFE feel like this sometimes?

It’s work, extra meetings, travel, a kid not sleeping, an appliance breaking, and more emails than you can read in a day. Plus, trying to get a workout in or going to bed at a reasonable hour.

Do you relate?

Oh my gosh… I do!

So, what do we do when life feels like shit keeps piling on top of shit?

Most of us make the mistake of acting from a place of fear, stress and overwhelm. We trade in ease for hustle.

It’s so easy to do because this is the cultural norm. It’s what many of us have been taught to do, and how we often measure success!

But, I know that “behind the scenes” it can be a big time struggle. It can feel like you’re one phone call or email away from sounding like Joe Pesci and losing your mind.

THERE IS A BETTER WAY.

It may surprise you, but when life gets crazy it becomes THE TIME to double-down on EASE.

PRIORITIZING things like...

Okay, confession time. 

A few days ago I sent out an email about my “someday, maybe” I’ll go back to New York and how it became my “someday soon, absolutely!” If you missed it, check it out right here. 

My “it’s gonna happen!” feeling is AH-MAZING. Don’t get me wrong. 

But, let’s be real. 

I’ve had mom-guilt about the trip. 

I’m leaving my babies and flying 3,000 miles away. 

My youngest cried the last time I left her at my parent’s house to go out to dinner! And then when I got home she told me how much she missed me. 

And I’m leaving for days. 

I’ve wondered how hard it might be for the girls and for my husband too. 

I’ve wondered how much I might miss them. 

I’ve thought about how my mom never took trips like this when I was little. It seems like I always had the comfort of knowing mom was home. 

Yup, mom-guilt. 

And,...

You may not know this, but since my late teens/early twenties New York has felt like another home to me.

I’m a native to Portlander, but spent my college years at Sarah Lawrence in Bronxville (just north of the Bronx).

Yet, I haven’t been to my “other home” in probably 16 years.

Sometimes, I ached for New York. I’d close my eyes and remember the smell of bagels and pizza and hear the sounds of the city.

I’d remember the feeling of walking through galleries in Soho and the beauty of the leaves changing in the fall.

Going back to New York City and my alma mater has been a “someday, maybe.”

It was a “someday” because I’ve had two kids over the last 6-ish years and didn’t really want to go while pregnant, or with a nursing baby, or with the whole family and all of our kid gear.

That sounded like work.

It’s been a “maybe” because I couldn’t see when it was going to be a good time.

Then, one...

For the last few weeks we’ve been talking about the magic of recovery, including how to create a recovery plan and tips for creating more ease with sleep. If you’ve missed them, be sure to click the links to catch up!

Recovery is not just about the physical body. 

If you feel stressed because you’re believing you’re not getting enough done…

If you fear that you might suck as a business owner…

If being a parent has felt so, so, so hard… 

If you were brave and now feel a shame spiral for a mistake you made… 

This is when “ego recovery” will help.

Sometimes, it can feel like our ego has taken over and is driving our every thought.  

The ego is mind-based, fear-driven, and famously says things like “not enough,”“things could go wrong,” and “I made a mistake.” 

The ego can make us feel less than others or fear being seen as better than...

How’s your recovery plan going? 

Did you miss that blog? Oh, you don’t want to miss it, so check it out right here. 

Over the last week, many have prioritized sleep for their recovery, so let’s talk about the benefits of sleep and what we can do to improve our odds of a good night’s sleep. 

Sleep does cool stuff. 

During sleep the body does countless forms of healing, including a process where the brain essentially washes itself, your body regulates your hormones, and injuries get repaired too (isn’t it so cool?). 

Sleep (I’ll throw meditation in here too) is also an opportunity to feel alignment with our higher self. My hunch is that the shift in brain waves that scientists measure is a reflection of the vibrational shift into alignment with the higher self.  

When we’re not getting enough sleep, we may feel a disconnect with our higher-self. Physically, our prefrontal cortex also takes a hit. The...

Ya know… many of us are unconsciously using a backward strategy for getting things done, but not realizing it’s working against us. 

The strategy goes like this… life asks more of us, it feels busy, so we speed, try to do more, and then CUT OUT what we need most. 

Any guesses as to what gets cut? 

I’ll give you a hint… it’s the same thing that professional athletes PRIORITIZE as much as their training. 

It’s RECOVERY. 

We cut sleep, meditation, good nutrition, hydration, and positive self-talk (to name a few). 

We drain our systems trying to give more and get more done. 

The result? 

Whether we realize it or not, our creativity, communication, and decision-making capabilities are compromised. Add on top of that, we often feel depleted, stressed, anxious, and pressured. 

Athletes know from research that cutting recovery will negatively impact their performance and will increase the odds of...

My time for writing, responding to emails, and moving forward on projects has been squeezed down to what has felt like nothing.

The culprit?

Summer camp.

For the last six weeks I’ve spent roughly 30 minutes driving my daughter to camp, and then driving another 30 minutes to drop my other daughter off at her daycare and then driving back home.

Twice a day.

You did the math, didn’t you? Well, I can’t tell you how many times I’VE added up the driving hours as EVIDENCE of the lack of time I’ve had to get stuff done.

Did I fully embrace the hours in the car and find ease and acceptance with getting fewer things done each day?

Sorta... no, not really.

Sure, I made the best of the drive-time with some incredible audio books, music, and “car dancing” with my daughter -- we’ve had a lot of fun -- but that didn’t override the strong feeling I had everyday that I WASN’T DOING ENOUGH.

That FEELING was the bump in the “ease...

Do you ever have a case of “Who am I . . . to want this / have this / be this?” ?

Like, you think of your dream house and then stop yourself and think, “yeah, but who am I to have a house like that?”

Or, you think of raising your rates or asking for a salary increase and think, “yeah, but who am I to be asking for that much?”

OR, you embrace EASE, maybe working less and making more, and think, “who in the hell am I to be doing LESS and making MORE?”

Sarah, who are you not to have those things? It is only the egoic mind that says “who am I?” suggesting that you’re somehow less than someone, or will be seen as better than others. You’re not less than or better than anyone.

And, the thought in your head that asks, “who am I?” that’s not you. You’re not that thought. AND, you’re not the house you live in, or your income, job title, or car that you drive. You’re WAY MORE than all...

Meet Meghan. 

Meghan is an entrepreneur who knows how to work hard. 

She’s also my client and right now Meghan wants CHANGE: change in her business, change in her mind, change in her body. 

She wants to stretch herself, but she’s tired of the old way of long-hours and exhaustion. 

Recently she felt stuck, “I feel like I’m trying so hard, but nothing is working!” she said.

So, I asked, “How are your mindset practices, like your affirmations, going?” 

(LOUD SIGH) “I was doing them, but I quit. I just get pulled away with other stuff,” she said. 

“Got it. Okay, how about your meditation practice?” I asked.

“What meditation practice?” she said with a chuckle. “Ugh, Sarah, I was doing all of it for a while and it felt so good and then it just dropped off.” 

Meghan did what a lot of us do.

She ATTACKED the practices like they were a...