share good news about other Ladybosses in my life. It’s a place where I feel supported and also where I can provide support! Q. What is your favorite form of selfcare? A. I am a huge proponent of meditation. It has allowed me to be more present with people, stay calm in the midst of other’s emotional upsets and reduce my anxiety to where I now feel comfortable being in my body. In meditation, you are working a muscle…the muscle of the mind. It takes time to develop, but a mindset of commitment and patience with meditation reaps major rewards. Businesses who commit to supporting their employees by offering corporate meditation have seen an increase in productivity and a more positive outlook from their employees. I’ve experienced similar results in my own life. I also enjoy running and believe it has been a type of meditation for my mind with its repetitive nature. Some of my best insights come when I am running. It has also allowed me to release trapped emotions, boost my confidence and increase my energy levels so I can be my best self. I believe a powerful self-care program requires working the muscles of both the mind and the body. Q. 2021 has already thrown us some major stressors. How can we all resolve to take better care of our mental health this year? A. COVID has been emotionally draining and we have seen an increase in depression and physical symptoms caused by stress. At the same time, it has also given us an opportunity to really look at what things in our life are exacerbating those conditions. Many people have finally had the time to slow down and reflect on what they truly want in life and this is a beautiful thing!
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FEBRUARY 2021
One of the most powerful things you can do for your well-being is to begin paying attention to where you are placing your attention. Where you place your attention shapes your entire reality. My advice would be to treat your attention like a hot commodity. What things outside of you are truly worthy of your attention. When you become consistently mindful of where you are placing your attention, you notice thoughts in your mind that are not serving you. We have goals and we want our attention to be placed on thoughts and things that support us in reaching those goals! Q. What is mindfulness and is there an easy way to fold it into our everyday lives? A. Mindfulness is a form of meditation and is a simple way to become more grounded in your self-awareness so you are not easily swept away by your emotions or the emotions of others. It allows you to see life more objectively. I use mindfulness techniques in corporate meditation environments. There are thousands of mindfulness techniques and most of them are quite simple to learn. When I start people on a mindfulness practice, the first thing I do is have them focus on their breath. When we are stressed, we naturally tend to hold our breath. Intentionally focusing on our breathing (belly breathing rather than chest breathing) allows us to connect more with our bodies and brings us naturally out of that fight/flight reactionary response. Q. What do you think women need right now? A. Women need to know they are enough simply by being them. You don’t need to do anything to be enough. Who you are matters! A former mentor of mine used to say, “In your uniqueness lies your greatness.” I’ve been afraid to share that
uniqueness fully with others for fear of being judged as eccentric or weird. My work is not mainstream, so it would be easy for me to allow other people’s judgments to get the best of me. However, as I’ve released the need to fit in a certain way and started speaking from my heart on subjects that most matter to me, I’ve actually been able to build deeper and stronger connections with people, including my family members.