The Brick Magazine - December 2019

BRICK

THE

DECEMBER 2019

MAGAZINE

ANN ARBOR

FIVE FAMILY VACATION IDEAS FOR 2020 SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE PATIENCE ON THE PATH

PLUS! IS CBD FOR ME? PART THREE

Sarah Dew Whitsett

THE BRICKS BEGINNINGS

R E F L E C T YO U R L I F E ST Y L E .

Birch Design Associates specializes in residential and commercial interiors. www.birchdesignassociates.com

Special Holiday Smile & Thank You to Sarah for all she does with The Brick Magazine in Ann Arbor

LEWISJEWELERS.COM • ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN

THE

BRICK MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2019

Publisher • Sarah Whitsett

Assistant to the Publisher • Tanja MacKenzie

Art Director • Jennifer Knutson

Copy Editor • Angelina Bielby

Marketing Director • Steve DeBruler

Online Creative • Bridget Baker

Cover Photographer • Maize House

Make-up • Juna T Hamolli

Contributors >>

<< Gail Barker Liz Crowe Morella Devost Kristen Domingue

<<

Tiffany Edison Beth Johnston Kellie Mox Marilyn Pellini

Lisa Profera Theresa Reid, PhD Stephanie Saline Maria Sylvester

Contact Us >>

The Brick Magazine, LLC 734.221.5767 Email: office@thebrickmagazine.com Visit us on the web at thebrickmagazine.com

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Advertising Inquires >> email office@thebrickmagazine.com or call 734.221.5767

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Find Us ... >>

Visit us on the web at thebrickmagazine.com to view our online digital edition, locations on where to find us, or subscribe to have THE BRICK MAGAZINE delivered directly to your home.

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The Brick Magazine >>

THE BRICK MAGAZINE makes every effort to provide accurate information in advertising, editorial content and placement; however, we cannot make any claims as to the accuracy of information provided by advertisers or editorial contributors and will accept no responsibility or liability for inaccurate information or placement. No content can be duplicated without the permission of The Brick Magazine, LLC 6 | The Brick Magazine

s y a d i l o h happy

CONTENTS 8

Some ‘Nog for Your Noggin

12

I Built This for Us The Brick’s Beginnings with Sarah Dew Whitsett

20

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

22

For Personal & Planetary Thriving The One Step

26

Five Family Vacation Ideas for 2020

30

It Begins with a Baby Step

32

One Step at a Time

36

Woman on the Street Letter to My Younger Self

38

Is CBD for Me?

42

Patience on the Path

44

The World in a Drop of Water: Our Lives in a Moment’s Choice

48

The Stuck Place

@Maizehouse

MaizeHouse.com

Welcome to Booze 101 with

Liz

Some â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nog for Your Noggin

by Liz Crowe

8 | The Brick Magazine

W

hat would you say if I told you that I never knew that eggnog was supposed to be an alcoholic beverage until I was…older than I should’ve been to know that? Let me frame this for you.

My saintly and wonderful grandmother used to make homemade custard (something referred to, erroneously, as “eggnog” at times) every Christmas I spent at her lake house in Western Kentucky. It was rich, sticky, delicious, and 100% alcohol-free because spirits were how the devil turned you. And that stuff you buy for the fridge starting around Thanksgiving is booze-free, too.

So, I could be forgiven in this particular drinks-related ignorance, right?

Wrong.

Let’s start with George Washington’s version: Ingredients: 1 quart cream, 1 quart milk, 12 Tbsp sugar, 1 pint brandy, ½ pint rye whiskey, ½ pint Jamaica rum, ¼ pint sherry, 12 eggs Mix the liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of 12 eggs. Add sugar to the beaten yolks and mix well.

Add milk and cream, slowly beating the mixture some more. Beat whites of eggs until they’re stiff and fold slowly into the mixture. Let it set in a cool place for several days. Taste frequently.

(Liz’s note: most drinks should be tasted frequently!)

That sounds seriously potent and potentially dangerous, but people still use it to make traditional eggnog.

You see, eggnog started life as a boozy concoction. Most agree it was a “posset” — a hot, milky, ale-like drink. Sort of the agrarian version of bathtub punch — whatever you’ve got lying around, combine it and drink it because our lives are too tough not to drink. Monks drank a version of it with milk, eggs, and sherry — all items reserved for the wealthy. Once we Americans decamped for the New World, our version contained rum. Mexico has one (rompope), and Puerto Rico’s take (coquito) uses coconut milk and skips the eggs.

As for the somewhat guttural nature of the word (not to mention the concept of drinking raw eggs), one theory claims that “eggnog” derives from an Old English word for strong beer. There’s a school of thought that claims it derived from noggin, a word for a small cup that was first used 1588. Another version attributes the name to colonial America where colonists referred to thick drinks as grogs and eggnog as egg-and-grog.

But enough of that. This holiday-themed drink falls firmly in the “love it” or “absolutely despise it” category. If you despise it, consider that you might just be drinking it the wrong way. That sugary stuff you buy in the milk section? It’s mostly egg-flavored milk, and not nearly the proper representation of true eggnog. I’ve found a couple of recipes that I think might convert you.

December 2019 | 9

As part of my deep dive into egg-based drinks, I discovered the flip. In the cocktail world, a flip is a cocktail with a full egg in it. It was originally a beer-rum-sugar cocktail whose heat turned into a froth, but it evolved into a method with a cold egg that provided the froth. The simple flip format is a spirit, a sweetener, and egg. Think about that: when you grate some nutmeg on top, you’ve basically got an eggnog lite.

Here’s a bourbon version (big surprise) from Food and Wine: In a cocktail shaker without ice, combine 2 oz. of bourbon, ¾ oz. honey syrup (equal part honey dissolved in hot water), 1 whole egg, and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters. Shake that all up without ice; add ice and shake again; strain into a rocks glass without ice. Garnish with grated nutmeg.

And for purists, remember that separating the eggs allows you to use the yolks for a creamy base, and the whites for a frothy head. Yes, I said that. To wit, this recipe sounds complicated, but it isn’t. You can make your guests one drink at a time instead of committing an entire punchbowl to the task, because remember, half of your guests wouldn’t touch that stuff with someone else’s mouth.

Here’s another from Food and Wine:

10 | The Brick Magazine

First, beat an egg white until it’s frothy, then pour into a glass and set aside. In a shaker without ice, combine 2 oz. of dark rum, 1 oz. of simple syrup (equal parts sugar dissolved in hot water), 1 oz. of half-and-half, and a whole egg. Shake all that up without ice, then add ice and shake again. Strain into a festive glass and top it off with the hard-earned egg froth. Garnish with grated nutmeg and ground cinnamon.

For those of you on the “not in my mouth” side of the eggnog equation, I can state without equivocation that your Christmas drinking experience is not complete until you’ve had glühwein. This is in the spiced or mulled wine family, but the German/Austrian version is meant to warm you from the inside out après-ski or while shopping at an outdoor Kindle Market. And no, this is not where you shop for a new e-reader. It’s a Christmas-themed tchotchke fest. And one best enjoyed while getting slowly looped on hot wine. And yes, I have a story.

The first Christmas we lived in Istanbul, we were lucky to know a fellow automotive Michigan-displaced ex-pat family we met in Japan. They ended up in Köln, home to one of the most famous Christmas markets in Germany.

My mother and brother came from the US and we met

Reduce the mixture to half of its original volume, add the Cabernet Sauvignon and heat until just below simmering. Ladle into glass mugs. Garnish with orange twist and cinnamon stick.

There is a famous Christmas carol ear-worm about drinking and wandering down the road singing at the top of your lungs. The “Wassail Song” is of English origin. The drink it refers to a kind of the British version of mulled wine. It’s another one that will make your house fragrant for days. My favorite recipe is from Cookie and Kate, which is where I get a lot of my recipes these days.

NOTE: her addition of bourbon had no weight in my decision-making process for choosing this one over the scads of other options. Or maybe it did. Who cares? them there for an incredible, European Vacation Christmas with friends. It even snowed and the experience was perfection-adjacent, especially with the glühwein added.

The thing to realize/understand about this particular beverage is, as it’s served warm or hot, the booziness gets to you extra quick, so pace yourself. There are plenty of bottled versions of the stuff but honestly, it’s not hard to make and the smell of it will get your entire house in the holiday spirit.

This recipe from Wine Enthusiast is our go-to every year:

Ingredients: 2 cups water, 1 cup orange juice, 1½ cups sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks, 8 whole allspice berries, 1 star anise pod, 2 oranges (halved), 10 cloves (whole), 8 juniper berries, 1 lemon (halved), 1½ bottles Cabernet Sauvignon For garnish: orange twists, cinnamon stick Combine water, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon sticks, allspice, and star anise in a pot over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a mild simmer.

Juice the orange halves into the simmering liquid.

Stud the remaining rinds with the cloves and gently place into the pot. Add juniper berries. Next, juice the lemon into the simmering liquid, and place the halves into the pot.

Ingredients: 4 cups apple cider (or unfiltered apple juice, doctored up with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice); ½ inch nub of fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely minced; 2 lemons, sliced; 1 cinnamon stick; 3 star anise (optional, but they’re pretty!); ½ vanilla bean, slit down the middle with the insides scooped out (or ¼ ounce vanilla extract); bourbon (plan on about 1 ½ oz. per drink) In a medium saucepan, combine all of the nonalcoholic ingredients and simmer for at least thirty minutes, preferably over an hour. Use a jigger or shot glass to measure bourbon into mugs. Pour in your hot spiced cider.

Ideas for garnishing: cinnamon sticks, star anise, lemon slices, and/or thinly sliced red apple (highly recommended).

I wish you a happy, healthy, hangover-free holiday season.

See you January!

Amazon best-selling author, mom of three, brewery founder, craft beer marketing consultant, and avid sports fan, Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville currently living in Ann Arbor.

She has decades of experience in sales, public relations, and fundraising, plus an eight-year stint as a three-continent, ex-pat trailing spouse, all of which provide ongoing idea fodder for novels and other projects. www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor (fan page) www.twitter.com/ETLizCrowe

December 2019 | 11

Photo by Maize House

12 | The Brick Magazine

I Built This for Us: The Brick’s Beginnings with Sarah Dew Whitsett

by Kristen Domingue

T

he day I met Sarah, I was part of a group of businesswomen who came together with the express purpose of growing their businesses. I was a part of the group for about a year before Sarah joined.

I’m not really one for making new friends. I’ll be honest, I’ve had the unfortunate experience of seeing some of the worst sides of women in the workplace. The cattiness, the backstabbing, the microaggressions that women can display towards other women — all of that has given me surreptitious pause when it comes to professional collaborations with women. It’s painfully unfortunate to witness those who should be fantastic allies turn into spirited detractors from other women’s success. It’s disheartening to admit that women can be like this.

But not Sarah Dew. I remember the day I met Sarah like it was yesterday. We each shared our business and what we needed help with and what we could bring to the table. While new to the group, Sarah’s honesty and integrity about who she was, what she needed, and what she could offer marked her as immediately trustable. There were many more experienced business owners in the room that day, but it was Sarah who stood out as a woman of extraordinary character.

Her work in creating this magazine and her commitment to the greater community of women business owners — and to Ann Arbor specifically — has won my heart over and over again. I hope you enjoy getting to know her through this article as much as I have over the years.

December 2019 | 13

Photo by Maize House

14 | The Brick Magazine

How we got started The Brick has been in print for two full years as of this month. The first print issue was made available in December of 2017. However, we started about six months prior to that, in June.

Before starting The Brick, I was the owner and editor-inchief of a different magazine that was a marketing vehicle for a consulting business I ran. I still run that business now; we’ll celebrate a decade in about a year or so. The original magazine was fun for me; we put out quarterly issues for two years. But as marketing strategies for that business changed, we retired that magazine. Its value was always in the back of my mind.

I loved what it did for the women business owners who were featured. I loved reading their stories. It had such an amazing impact on the readers as well, and that feeling of doing something big that brought together women who were changing lives never left me. It occurred to me that we didn’t have anything like this in Ann Arbor. I could see that Ann Arbor is of a size that could sustain it, so I figured, why not? The women of this community are interesting, and they should have a place to have their work featured and be inspired by one another.

Why women, why now When it comes to the magazine, I am a consumer as well — I’m a member of the target market for the magazine. When I look at us, I see a collective of driven, smart, and compassionate women. Many of us are moms and have families. Many of us own businesses. These are women who are actively committed to making the world a better place — not just for their own families, but better for everyone they interact with every day. When they talk about what they’re up to, they can sometimes think their work is small. In my opinion, in a world where there’s so much divisiveness, all of it counts, all of it is significant. When I look around, I see that it’s women who are doing the work of bringing people together in a moment when it’s so easy for all of us to be torn apart.

The content that is targeted at us, however, doesn’t reflect that. It doesn’t show how we’ve grown as a demographic.

When I looked around at content for women like us online and offline, it wasn’t a reflection of what I was thinking about, what I was interested in, or how I even viewed myself. Overall, the world of print and digital content for ambitious and family-minded women rubbed me the wrong way. I was bothered by the ways it erased us, or

kept focusing on the fact that there might be something wrong with us that we could fix to better please a man, a boss, or to avoid messing up our kids. The premise for content directed at us is, essentially, “You’re not right the way you are now.” Whether the editors and publishers mean to or not, they send the message that we need to lose weight, put on more makeup, wear these clothes.

I reject that wholeheartedly. The women I see and meet in the world are amazing. They don’t need to change anything about themselves. I would prefer to hear about what they’re accomplishing.

We’ve grown past that point as women. We’re doing more, thinking about more, and giving more. We deserve to get more than that from a magazine. My main question when I started the magazine was, “What if I could create something that was of interest to women like me, that actually felt good to read? Something that gave information and also told important stories, since storytelling is central to the way we learn as human beings?”

I wanted to share the stories of women you might hear about from friends and from friends of friends. The celebration stories, the triumph stories. I wanted to share those stories that don’t always get the recognition they should, especially right now in our country.

Just like you, just like me I wanted to share stories about women who have opened businesses, who have overcome loss in unique ways, who are impacting our community in ways that aren’t always highlighted on the news. These are the stories we wouldn’t hear about in a regular magazine. “Just-like-me” stories are typically relegated to celebrities, to normalize and humanize them. But I wanted “just-like-me” stories to humanize the woman next door that you haven’t met yet.

Hearing our stories reflected back to us raises all of us up.

We call it The Brick because I see each of these women doing their part to make our community a better place, to build it up. We’re each bricks of our community, and it’s the work we’re doing individually that make us who we are as a whole.

I love that we get to tell stories like that of Dr. Sabiha Bunek, and how she overcame hardship and adult bullying to open her practice. We recently featured Coach Kim

December 2019 | 15

Barnes Arico, and had a very honest conversation about women and ambition, as she sees so many talented players give up basketball because they don’t see how to play professionally and have a family.

These are important stories that show women that there’s nothing to fix because there’s nothing wrong with them.

Instead, we’re going to share how women just like you are figuring it out, and doing their work in the world, living fulfilling lives. They’re happy, they’re healthy, and they have challenges just like the rest of us. These are the things that I wanted to read about, but couldn’t find when I looked at the standard women’s magazines. I had a hunch that these are stories women in our community want to read about as well. So far, the feedback from the community has shown us that this approach deeply resonates. We still have articles about fashion and such, like a typical magazine, but I can see that our approach raises the vibration in our community, which I am 100% committed to doing. It think it also sends a message and raises the bar for content directed at us in the future from standard publications for women.

In the past, as we all know, the media has not been an equal playing field, especially for women of color. I can see I have the opportunity to change that to make sure all voices are held as equally important to our community as a whole.

For divisiveness to heal in our world, we can’t afford to be divided “on accident” any more. So, I’m very intentional about including women of color in our features and telling their stories as well.

Our cover stories

Photo by Maize House

16 | The Brick Magazine

We get asked once in a while, “Oh, how did this or that person get on the cover of The Brick?” There’s no formula for it. There are some people who take the advertorial route because they have an event, cause, or business that they want to give more exposure to within a certain time frame. Others come to me through our network and pitch a story. Not every story pitched is the right fit for what we do or for the larger strategic plan for The Brick.

Sometimes we have to decline good stories because for various reasons, it’s just not a fit, most often to do with timing. But we’re always listening and being introduced to women we can include to tell the story of our community.

Other times, we have feedback from our readers who tell us who they want interviewed and featured. For example, this year we were able to get time with Sarah Harbaugh, who was our most requested interview to date; that was so awesome to share her story with the readers who asked for it.

I knew I didn’t want the life I had built I mentioned this magazine isn’t my first one, or my first adventure in publishing. In fact, my first adventure in publishing was an attempt at sanity while having little ones at home. I think that people forget that it’s not easy to keep a sense of self when you become a mom, to maintain your own interests and mental pursuits. No one warns you how mind-numbing children’s books can be, or how monotonous your days can get once they’re sleeping through the night and before they are in school.

Also, I had kids while in a demanding career as an acute care nurse. The salary was fine, but the hours were killing me. I didn’t have it in me to do ten-hour days of crisis after crisis anymore. Between that and being a mom to three young boys, it just wasn’t realistic to expect that of myself anymore, nor was it the kind of life I wanted to live anymore.

Could I have kept doing it? Yes. Did I want to? No. I wanted a different kind of life, but I didn’t know what that would be yet. So I started a blog, just to keep my brain busy when they were tiny, and that blog grew.

Surprisingly, it ended up being a profitable blog, and that intrigued me. I knew there had to be a way I could grow the blog into something more, so that it could support me. I’d heard about people who built a blog and used it to make a living. I wanted to know if I could do that for myself because I knew if I could pull it off, I could leave nursing and do more fulfilling work. I found a woman who was able to help me grow my business, and I trained with her for four years. It was during that time I created the first magazine, and met the women who would become my collaborators and future co-founders of a new business I now run.

Our business, Las Peregrinas, helps women business owners and entrepreneurs build, grow, and scale service-based businesses. Our primary focus is on business development, operations marketing, and leadership development. We meet women from all over the world who are growing their businesses and it’s always fascinating. I love figuring out what will work to make their business grow. Same thing with The Brick: I’m fascinated by figuring out the growth strategy for this magazine and creating a lasting legacy.

A day in the life: from guilt to just getting it done Now life is different. My three boys are in two different schools. They’re all around the same age, but I noticed that one of them learned differently than the other two, and I wanted him to have the best chance of succeeding later in life by getting educated in the way that worked for him now. I knew this would change our day-today commute times and the school activities they participated in — our whole lives, really. I also knew that to make the change that was needed, I was going to have to think about things differently.

While I’m a very independent person, I don’t believe in doing things alone (not anymore!). And I knew that it would be unrealistic to expect that I could manage three boys in two different schools on two different sides of town by myself. So I budgeted for a babysitter, specifically a commute babysitter: one who could help take the kids to school and get them from school. While I don’t have her help every day, the days she’s available are a huge blessing.

Most days I drive them to school, which means the workday doesn’t start until about nine o’clock, sometimes a little later. If the babysitter is around, I can squeeze in a little workout; this week for example, I took the dog to the park and we did our 10,000 steps.

I have to work out. If I don’t work out, I at least need some alone time. I’m an introvert. When the kids were little, that was hard for me because I had to be all things for them, and two out of the three of them are quite extroverted. I had to learn that I’m not letting them down if I ask for an hour alone. I used to feel guilty and sometimes I still do — like I’m being a crappy mom and that took me a long time to sort out. But it actually turned out to be really healthy for me to have space to be me.

So now, hiring someone to take the kids to school just so I can get a work-out into my day is a big step for me, given that just taking a single hour to myself used to make me feel so guilty. I had to learn that it’s not “too much” to take care of our (physical and mental) health by outsourcing our biggest excuses. As women, we have to stop letting that “I don’t have time” mentality (because we’re too busy caring for someone else) to be the reason we don’t care for ourselves. The cost of not doing it is always going to be greater. I think about this a lot with the magazine and the kind of stories we tell. I think women need to hear more stories about how other women are making their lives work and fitting the pieces December 2019 | 17

Photo by Maize House

18 | The Brick Magazine

together. There isn’t a “right way,” there’s just the way it works for you; a babysitter who handles some of the weekday commutes is one way that works for me.

When I get to work, the day starts with a series of appointments for The Brick, and other days for the consulting business. In the mornings, I might meet with our advertising sales person to review our growth plan or with other team members to look at an upcoming issue.

In the afternoon, I might meet with business owners and work with them on their business. Work is nearly always done at four, because I pick up the kids from school. Then there’s the coordination of afterschool activities, making dinner, and doing homework. After this, they go to bed and I’ll lay on the couch and watch some ridiculous TV for about an hour. Then I go to bed and start it all over again.

Holiday plans This year for the holidays, the boys and I will be here and opening presents Christmas morning. That’ll be followed by a visit from my parents up from Cincinnati. We alternate between spending Christmas in Cincinnati and Michigan.

I have to say, I am looking forward to a relaxing holiday season. Even if the boys insist that Santa isn’t real, we still make sure to leave out cookies and carrots the night before. And they still have some doubts, because Santa is pretty hungry when he gets to our house.

Trying to live a balanced life: I’m a mom. I’m also still me.

I always feel like I’m not doing enough. Not only with my family, but also when it comes to building the community. I love Ann Arbor; but like many women who have children at home, it’s hard to be active in the community in a significant way outside of the work I do on the magazine. That said, however, I do try to stay connected as much as our schedule allows, so I can have time that allows me to be Sarah, not just Mom. For example, if I haven’t spoken to a friend of mine for a couple months, I make sure to reach out and grab coffee.

I’m lucky, I’ve fallen in with a very inclusive group of women here in Ann Arbor. One or the other of us will always invite someone else to come along so our circle gets bigger. It can be a challenge to keep things going with school-aged kids, but it’s nice when we can make it happen. I make it a point to let the kids have their play-dates, but to also make sure I have “Sarah time” with my own friends instead of trying to combine it or skip my personal time.

Further, I try to keep my own interests and not let my life get consumed with theirs. I have a weaving hobby — I

know, it’s dorky, but I love it, I even read a book about it this summer! (I’m laughing as I say this as I look back and wonder how I fit reading into the schedule.) Like almost everyone else, I have an online binge hobby of choice. For me, it’s playing Lord of the Rings. Also dorky, I know. On vacation, if I have a big block of downtime, you can find me playing Lord of the Rings online. (I may love it too much.)

I also love to cook, which helps, since I have to do it anyway. Almost all of our meals are homemade. I try to keep it simple by doing the “cook once, eat twice” thing. I don’t want to be obligated to cook every single night, but I do want something home-cooked every night. One of the house favorites in the wintertime is chicken and dumplings from scratch. A typical week can include a Bolognese with pasta of some sort, or chicken parmesan. It could be anything that I think is going to be delicious and filling for the boys. I’m mostly vegetarian, but I know they need protein, so I try to keep it light while still getting them the fuel they need to get through long school days.

One of my favorite ways to make the monotony of it all fun is to cook on Sundays while drinking a glass of champagne and listening to Hildegard von Bingham on Pandora. She was an eleventh-century Christian mystic. I get my $10 bottle of champagne (don’t judge me) and drink it barefoot while making dinner and doing food prep for the week.

And that’s me in a nutshell. It takes a lot to keep it all going — mainly stamina and the ability to constantly accept that it’s never going to be perfect — but it gets figured out.

More than anything, when I look at what I want for you and for me as we walk into 2020, it’s this: We are in this together. If you are in need of something, reach out to those close to you for support, or maybe even ask for help from someone you aren’t close to. Ann Arbor is home to so many giving and generous people; make sure you tap into that. Let’s raise each other up.

Cover photo shot on location at Graduate Ann Arbor 615 E Huron St, Ann Arbor, MIgraduatehotels.com/ann-arbor Kristen M. Domingue is a copywriter and content marketing consultant in the New York City area. When she’s not delivering on client projects, you can find her cooking up something gluten-free or in an internet rabbit hole on entrepreneurship or astrology.

December 2019 | 19

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

by Tiffany Edison

I

t matters not if you are building your dream home, renovating your existing one, or downsizing in an effort to simplify your daily life: planning is the key to guaranteeing a successful outcome. My dad always said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” When I was

20 | The Brick Magazine

younger quips like this used to annoy me; I found them simplistic and hollow. It was not until maturity set in that I began to comprehend my father’s wisdom. These days, I find myself repeating things of this nature to my children, and laughing in spite of myself.

As an interior designer, I know that clients are placing great faith in my ability to deliver a beautiful project — a beautiful home for everyday living and memory-making.

At times, this can seem daunting. But I take comfort in my ability to maintain the overarching goal and keep anxiety, for all parties involved, at bay. I’m able to achieve this by breaking down the necessary tasks for the project. In other words, I create manageable “bite-sized” pieces. It’s like the old adage, “How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.” This rings true in project management.

The choices we make in our daily lives regarding how we want to live, and (of equal importance) where we want to live, oftentimes happens on a subconscious level. Think about that for a minute. These hugely important decisions that drastically impact our ability to experience joy, measure success, find love, or shape our family and future generations within our communities, are often made without our full awareness. With this in mind, I challenge you to move forward — not next month or next year, but today — by setting a goal for yourself and actively planning the multiple steps necessary to achieve it. Simply put, our choices reflect our values. Remember another adage: “The devil is in the details” (sorry, I couldn’t resist!).

In my twenties, I had the pleasure of befriending a very interesting woman who made the decision to live her life in a way that many would call “extravagant” — or as the kids say these days, “extra.” She had considerable means, and was fortunate enough to have the ability to build the proverbial dream home she so desired. It was stunning! Her daughter happened to be a successful interior designer and took extra care in creating the environment her mother, whom she knew so well, craved. I could go on and on about custom window treatments, bespoke wallcovering, and family heirlooms (as well as the one-of-a kind treasures acquired along the way), but that is not the point.

The point is that while I was touring her amazing home, I walked into the gorgeous custom kitchen and found her emptying her dishwasher. My eyes practically popped out of my head when I noticed what was most assuredly real silver being unloaded piece by piece onto creamy limestone countertops. “What are you doing?” I shrieked.

Nonchalantly, she informed me that during the planning

Photo by Billy Huynh

stage of her dream kitchen, she had made it very clear that she needed a dishwasher that was safe for silver and china alike, as she planned to use it daily. My mouth fell open. Preposterous, I thought! That was so unnecessary!

For some unknown reason, I was the budding-designer who was there that day, and I was wielding my judgement all over her fine home. My curiosity got the best of me.

In sheer naïveté, I brazenly asked her why she used fine china every day, and she simply stated: “I grew tired of waiting for a special occasion to use the good stuff, when every day is a special occasion.” I left her home that day with a new perspective on life. Yes, not only an altered perspective on design, but life.

Fast forward twenty-five years. How uncanny that I now see through that same lens. She had a dream, which became a vision, and then set about making that dream a reality, step by step. I now work with my clients using this same filter. My process is simple: instead of saying “Why,” I say “Why not!”

Tiffany Edison has been an interior designer since 2002, and specializes in both residential and commercial projects.

She holds a Master of Social Work degree (ACSW) and utilizes interpersonal relationship skills on a daily basis with her client base, largely comprised of Ann Arbor and Metro Detroit residents. She has a wonderfully large blended family residing in the city and enjoys the comforts of home. When she’s not fully immersed in client projects, you can find her active on the golf course, a favorite pastime. www.birchdesignassociates.com Instagram: @birchdesignassociates

December 2019 | 21

for personal

& planetary thriving

The One StepÂ

by Morella Devost, EdM, MA

Photo by Jimmy Chang

22 | The Brick Magazine

I

n April 2001, the eagerly-awaited letter arrived. I felt awash in anxious tingles as I held the envelope in my hands: Teachers College - Columbia University. The answer it was about to reveal would shape the rest of my life. One way or another, it was a major fork in the road. A negative reply would mean I would have to apply to other counseling programs, or even reconsider my career choice. A positive reply would mean I was headed to a new life in New York City!

The answer was the latter. I began shaking as the tingles spread throughout my body. It was an overwhelming sense of validation from the universe, as if it was reassuring me, “Yes, Morella, this is the way.” I feel a humbling, moving sensation each time I think of that moment.

A path seemed to be opening up for me, but all I could see was the one step ahead and no further. I knew with every fiber of my being that I wanted to go to Columbia for my masters in counseling. I was elated and giddy, almost in disbelief. But that is all I knew. I had no vision as to what would come after that, and getting to this point had taken several years and many tears.

At that time, I had been working at Procter & Gamble in Venezuela for five years. I had been recruited my senior year in college and gotten one of their prized Assistant Brand Manager roles. It was a high-paying dream job I was supposed to feel lucky to have landed. Instead, I hated it.

Within three months, I knew the job wasn’t for me. The tricky part was that although I knew I loathed marketing, I was clueless as to what sort of work I would love instead.

I wish I could tell you that I savvily navigated my way out of career despair through masterful exploration of career options, to finally land in a well-thought-out decision to pursue counseling. It was none of that. It all unfolded spontaneously, one step at a time.

In 1999, I did make one bold move: I told my bosses I hated marketing and had no desire to be promoted. They were baffled. It was a potentially career-ending thing to do, especially at P&G where it was taboo to change departments. But my chutzpah paid off. They supported my career exploration and I moved out of marketing and into market research. I was thrilled. It was a far better fit for me.

I had been clear about what I didn’t want and a stepping stone appeared. But still, I couldn’t quite see myself staying there. I had an itch to figure out what the next step needed to be, and I felt that grad school just had to be in my future. But what type of program? No idea.

DENTAL STUDIO

One day, the Franklin-Covey people rolled into P&G and started facilitating their two-day workshop, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. As a high performer, I was enrolled in the program. I LOVED every bit as it increasingly activated my sense of personal power to shape my life. So at the end of the workshop, when the facilitators said they would be holding a train-the-trainer session, I knew I needed to be one of the facilitators-in-training. I volunteered and they looked at me incredulously, because even though I was twenty-six at the time, I looked more like fifteen. They were hoping to find someone more “seasoned.” I suspect they were afraid I wouldn’t be taken seriously. But the week before the training, their “seasoned” participant dropped out and I was asked to take his place!

The universe had placed another stepping stone ahead of me and all I had to do was step forward. As I began facilitating the Seven Habits workshops, I discovered I had natural insight into human behavior and how deeply our beliefs and attitudes shape our lives. I remember feeling moved to tears at the end of one workshop while presenting a slide-show I prepared with inspirational quotes and music. I thought to myself, “this is the work I am meant to do.”

Then in April 1999, another stepping stone appeared. I was spending a week in New York City to be with my

December 2019 | 23

Photo by Clay Banks

24 | The Brick Magazine

best friend from high school, who had just gone through a major cancer surgery. With the thrill of my Seven Habits facilitation running strong, I decided to visit Teachers College at Columbia to check out programs. “Perhaps I’m meant to be a teacher,” I thought.

As friends and family learned about my imminent move to New York, they each asked: “Are you going to be a therapist?” All I could say was, “Honestly, I don’t know.

I just know that I’m really excited about this program.” I could only see the one step in front of me.

I took the subway all the way up to Columbia and walked to the Teachers College building. I asked for a course curriculum book at the admissions office, and sat at the cafeteria to look through every program. My heart sank page by page, as it became evident that none of the education programs stirred any excitement in me. That is, until I landed on the Counseling Psychology EdM program!

I was stunned. Every single class in the counseling program excited me! It was a massive revelation that I could be so interested in psychology. How did I not know this about myself? Why did I feel so strongly pulled in that direction? It made no sense to me.

In the sixteen years since graduating from Columbia, I’ve increasingly learned to trust that all I need to know is the one step right in front of me, even if the destination is unclear.

For a long time I battled the excitement and tried to do the thing that “made sense,” but my heart’s calling was impossible to ignore. So I finally worked up the courage to take the one step I could take: I applied. A full two years after discovering counseling in the Teachers College cafeteria, I got the acceptance letter.

But I have also learned another hard lesson: there’s a huge difference between taking the step that makes sense and the step that excites the heart. In my case, the step that made sense was almost always a detour. The step that excites my heart has always led to the grandest adventure and fulfillment.

Morella Devost facilitates profound transformation for people who want to thrive in every aspect of life. After receiving two masters degrees in counseling from Columbia University, she also became a Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP facilitator, and Holistic Health Coach. Morella is a VenezuelanVermonter who works with people all over the world. www.thrivewithmorella.com www.facebook.com/ThriveWithMorella

December 2019 | 25

Five Family Vacation Ideas for 2020

by Beth Johnston

26 | The Brick Magazine

‘T

is the season for family get-togethers! Holidays are typically a time for families to gather together. Grandparents, children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and extended family all make an effort to see each other. Some of my favorite memories are of holidays spent with extended family.

When I was a child, I equated Christmas and spring vacation with palm trees and the beach because my great-aunt Rhea and great-uncle Kirk lived in Clearwater, Florida. We would pack up our camper and head south on I-75 the moment school let out for break. My parents were both educators, so our vacations revolved around the school calendar. Summers afforded us time for longer road trips.

These special family trips created lifelong memories and deep family connections, which is why I have such a passion for family travel. Traveling together has a way of building stronger bonds through shared experiences.

While it may be too late to plan a family trip for Christmas break, you should most definitely be thinking about next year’s spring break and beyond.

Childhood flies by, which is why you need to take advantage of family time while you can. Here are five ideas for spring break travel:

Ski Vacation The mountains are calling! Spring break is a great time of year for a family ski trip. The weather is usually mild and the snow base thick. Most ski resorts offer wonderful children’s programs and activities, including ski school. From unique dining options to spas and family programs, there is plenty to do for all ages.

December 2019 | 27

Below are a few popular ski destinations: Colorado There are many ski resorts within two hours of Denver, CO, including Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail, Copper, and Beaver Creek. I recently visited Beaver Creek and checked out Park Hyatt and the Ritz at Bachelor Gulch; both are perfect for family fun.

Banff, Canada If you are looking for something a bit different, I highly recommend Banff. The scenery here is stunning, and it boasts North America’s longest non-glacial ski season (into May).

You may even run into the Easter Bunny on the slopes!

Utah Park City Mountain Resort, The Canyons at Park City, and Deer Valley are some of the top-ranking places in the world to take a ski vacation. Park City is a short commute from Salt Lake City airport.

Of course, if you are like me, a beach getaway is the perfect way to spend spring break — especially after a rough Michigan winter. Kids love the water, and parents can lounge close by if they prefer, so it is a win-win for the whole family.

Lake Tahoe, CA This area has the highest concentration of ski resorts in North America. Squaw Valley is probably the most popular.

You can even treat the family to a dogsled tour!

28 | The Brick Magazine

Beach Getaway

Florida Florida is a perfect beach destination since it is easily accessible by plane or car. My favorite beaches are on the west side of the state, including Clearwater/St. Pete, Sarasota, and Naples. If you a Disney fanatic, you can also combine the beach with a trip to Orlando to see Mickey.

Dude Ranch Experience Authentic ranch experiences are becoming increasingly popular. The diversity and abundance of activities for families, combined with locations near our national parks, make the Western dude ranch one of the best family vacation experiences. A few of my top picks are The Ranch at Rock Creek, The Lodge and Spa at Brush Creek Ranch, The Resort at Paws Up, and Ted Turner’s Ladder Ranch.

National Parks How can you go wrong with a visit to one of our many national parks? The parks are just waking up from winter, plants are in bloom, and it is the perfect time to explore before the summer crowds. I am fortunate enough to have visited many of our national parks in my lifetime. My memories of them are still vivid today.

Hawaii If you are a Disney fan, Aulani, a Disney property located on the island of Oahu, is the ultimate beach getaway. I had clients stay here last spring break, and they loved it! So much for the whole family to do at the resort, plus extras like Pearl Harbor and North Shore, and no shortage of beautiful beaches.

Mexico and the Caribbean There are many excellent beach resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean that cater to families, including some that are allinclusive. Atlantis (Bahamas), Hard Rock (Cancun), Beaches (Turks & Caicos), Nickelodeon (Punta Cana), and Grand Velas (Riviera Maya) are just a few that come to mind.

Cruises Cruises have become the perfect spring break option for multi-generational families. They have dining options for a wide variety of palates and activities for all ages — everyone is happy. You can all gather at dinner to have that family time. Two of the top cruise lines for families with children are Disney and Royal Caribbean. If you have longer than one week to travel, I highly recommend Paul Gauguin Cruises in French Polynesia. They have an excellent family program during holidays and summer vacation called the Moana Explorer Program.

Here are a few suggestions: Joshua Tree National Park (CA), where the desert blooms; Redwood National Park (CA), where you can see the tallest trees or spy a whale at the nearby coast; the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (TN, NC), which has over 1,660 kinds of wildflowers, more than any other national park in North America; and if you want to stay closer to home, Cuyahoga Valley National Park (OH) has lovely waterfalls for your viewing pleasure.

You only have eighteen years with your children, so make each vacation count! Start planning your family’s memories today.

Beth was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI and currently resides in Pinckney, MI. She is a retired elementary educator from Ann Arbor Public School (13 years) and Pinckney Community Schools (17 years). She lives with her husband Dan and has three sons from her first marriage (ages 30, 28, and 25), three step-children, a daughter-in-law, and a grand-baby on the way!

Orenda Travel was founded by Beth Johnston, a luxury travel specialist who believes travel holds the unique ability to change lives. Our custom-crafted itineraries speak exclusively to families’ unique needs, passions, and sense of adventure. www.orenda.travel www.facebook.com/OrendaLuxTravel/ www.instagram.com/orenda.travel/ www.linkedin.com/in/bethljohnston/ twitter.com/orendaluxtravel www.virtuoso.com/advisors/15763027/beth-johnston

December 2019 | 29

It Begins with a Baby Step

by Bridget Baker

O

ne of my favorite things about being a coach is that I get a front row seat to witness the creative journey each of my clients take. From the first whisper of an idea, I get to watch the story unfold.

While I will walk alongside them, cheering them along, it’s their journey.

Something I know from over twenty years of coaching is that everyone has their own inner wisdom guiding them.

I also know that what can seem like a big leap for one person can be a baby step for another. The important 30 | The Brick Magazine

Photo by Maddy Bake

thing is for each person to be true to their creative dreams and their instincts.

Similar to a snowflake, everyone is unique; and like a snowflake, each has their own beauty and journey. Truth is, there are many paths to travel in a lifetime. Sometimes the route is familiar, well-worn, and one can move forward with ease, sure-footed and confident. More often, when it’s a new idea or dream they are pursuing, it’s time to venture off the beaten path into unfamiliar territory. These adventurers are charting their own course, and following where their ideas lead them.

There may be missteps along the way, and times when the ground feels like it’s shifting beneath their feet. There will be other times when they can see the direction clearly.

It’s all a valuable part of the creative journey.

That journey starts with a thought, which may sound something like “I wonder…” or “What if…” that opens a door. Creativity steps in and allows for play and exploration. At this point, it’s all about gathering possibilities, experimenting, and being in the inquiry — the questions and the not-knowing. Some ideas never get out of this phase; some are still growing, and it’s not time for them to be born. But those other ones? Those ideas that are so compelling, they’re begging to come into the world? Something magically happens and you just know it’s time to move forward. To take that first baby step.

Think of how a baby begins to walk. There may be many false starts, times when they take a few shaky steps, only to plop down on the ground. They get up again (and maybe even change their direction) to take those next few steps. Again and again, until they gain strength, focus, knowledge, and confidence. Even though they may not be aware, it also takes patience, perseverance, and dedication to their goal. Those early baby steps are key in preparing them to become independent and make their own way in the world. Timing is also important. The baby has an inner wisdom that tells them that this is the time, no matter how anxious and impatient others such as their parents may become. They trust and honor when the time is right.

We’re not so different from babies. How do we transform our ideas into actions? The biggest leap, before we take even a baby step, is bringing our ideas out into the world, from the dream into the reality. It may be as simple as having a conversation or writing down a plan of action — whatever breathes life into those ideas and makes them feel real and achievable. Now, we’re committed. It’s out there, and there’s no turning back.

Think of this another way: our creative ideas are our babies. For them to grow and be healthy, they must be nurtured and protected, nourished and loved. They are begging for our attention, and we are smitten. In fact, we are their caretakers, and we must be the ones to take action to bring them into the world and help them flourish.

We must be the ones to take those first baby steps.

What does this require? Courage, conviction, commitment, and clarity all play a part. It’s also key to protect our creative babies. We must keep them safe because at this stage in their development, they are vulnerable to what other people may say, suggest, or slime us with.

Surprisingly, this can come from some well-meaning friends or family members who want to keep us safe instead of allowing us to soar. Just like the new parents who are selective about who gets to see the new baby so they aren’t exposed to germs or other toxic things, we must do the same with our creative dream. When we are feeling our commitment grow and become stronger, we can take that first baby step or two, maybe even out of view of others.

I’m reminded of when my daughter was a little girl, maybe five or six. She loved to dance, but in the early days of her ballet lessons, she stood in the back of the class, quietly listening and taking tentative steps. Then, when she was at home, she would happily practice those steps relentlessly until she perfected them. As she gained confidence and mastery over the steps, she would joyously share them with the world. He early commitment led her to becoming a prima ballerina. She went on to craft other dreams, and to this day has never stopped following where her creativity led her. I’m grateful to have a front row seat here as well, and am constantly inspired by her. I bet there’s a part of her that still embraces the early wisdom she learned as a little girl, and this perhaps makes her so successful in following her dreams. Hers literally began with baby steps. It always does in one way or another.

The world is waiting for your creative ideas. What dreams do you have that are hiding away, lost, languishing, or just out of reach? Why not take another look and discover what intrigues you. Who knows? With some love and attention, you just might start that journey.

Bridget Baker is a branding consultant, website designer, minimalist, digital nomad, and adventurer. For 10 years, she’s supported small business owners in branding, designing, writing, simplifying, and integrating their websites so that they can do what they love and have more fun in the process. She also lives full-time in a travel trailer with her husband and little dog, writing and speaking about minimalism, decluttering, and living simply. Find her at : bridgetbakermojo.com; travellightlife.com

December 2019 | 31

One Step at a Time

by Marilyn A. Pellini

32 | The Brick Magazine

A

ll of life starts out with baby steps. From our first lusty cry at birth, we open our eyes to the world and all it holds. We see our mother for the first time and already know the comfort of her arms. We sense and even smell our environment.

The cooing of our parents, yelps of our siblings, and even the dog’s barking fills our ears with both the familiar and a myriad of new sounds. We find our fist and scrunch it into our mouth and love our mother’s sweet milk. All of a sudden, there is a spoon in our mouth, and on it is something so yummy and tasty. Tomorrow there is another flavor and another color. Keep it coming! It is delicious and my tummy feels happy and full. So full indeed, that I doze off to sleep in my crib without a murmur.

When I awaken, there is something moving and dancing above me. I don’t know it yet, but it is called a mobile. If I stay very still it completely stops moving; then I can wildly kick my feet and it starts to jump and leap, and the hanging animals sometimes get tangled together. I’m taking the baby steps needed to begin to control my environment.

When I start to cry loudly, it is often because I’m tired of the dancing giraffes and bears and tigers above me.

Then someone comes and picks me up. They change my wet diaper and feed me again. Now it’s playtime. I hear “patty cake, patty cake,” and if I smile and chuckle, my playmate will do it over and over again. I now know also, when someone climbs the stairs with me, I’m going to be deposited in my crib and am going to have to stay there until I sleep. I cry louder with each step we go up, because I do not like being alone. I already understand crying often gets me what I want. Bedtime or naptime is not my favorite, as I like to be with my family where the action is, where there is always something to observe or steal my attention.

Next advancement means true baby steps. I’m trying to pull myself up now, and if you will hold out two fingers I grab on to them and hesitantly put one foot in front of the other. Now I am really walking, and soon will be able to do this strictly alone. I can hardly wait for the time when I can go out to play with my siblings.

It’s my first day of school, and Mom and I will walk there together, as it is just down the street. When she sees just how grown up I am, I know she will let me make this journey on my own. There are not even any streets to

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admissions @ steinerschool.org • 734-669-9394 cross, and she can just look out the window and watch me the whole way. I want to be just as grown up as the other kids on my block. They walk alone or with their friends, and I know I can do it too.

High school is coming to an end. I’m going to miss it. My family and home I’ll miss too, because I am off to college come fall. I’ve wanted to be more independent for a while now, but the folks made it clear that they make the rules while I lived in their house. Much too strict, if you ask me.

I know, and have been taught right from wrong, and I now reason my life is not their life, after all.

Hm? I’m here at college and I’m wanting to go home.

Classes are really hard, my roommate is such a pain, as everything has to be her way. Wasn’t I the one who said I wanted freedom? Well, I’m discovering that with freedom goes an awful lot of work. No more Mom to do my washing or cooking of my favorite meals. Anything I need and want is now my job and responsibility. I’m reconsidering this independence thing!

Got a job, a really good job. Yes, I’m told that a 60-hour work week is the least that is expected of new recruits, December 2019 | 33

girls do, and has no trauma about friends, at least none that he mentions. The girls are always crying that soand-so hates them and won’t let them play or let them eat lunch at the same table. I don’t bother saying, “Go tell the teacher,” because they look at me like I have six heads, and of course roll their eyes. “What good would that do?

She can’t do anything about it.” “Well, she could in my day,” I say. Another roll of the eyes, and whoever is standing there with the complaint is gone. I do so wish I could figure it out for them, sit with them myself at the lunch table, but I do remember back to when it was me in that circumstance. Somehow, someway I lived through it, and so will they.

Photo by Marissa Price

but who cares, I’ve nothing better to do! Left the college boyfriend behind. He was definitely the loser my folks told me he was, but it took almost my whole four years at college to realize he would never accept a job like the one I just took — too much work and responsibility and time.

Wish I had not wasted four years on that guy. Just might have met the man of my dreams, and I’d be sitting pretty in a mansion somewhere with some darling little kids, a nanny and great hubby; the fair-haired boy at his law firm.

For now, I’ll have to be satisfied with exploring my new city, driving out to see the folks and siblings every few weeks, and working myself to the bone.

It’s happened, a promotion, a raise, and guess what — I may have met Mr. Right. He is darling, holds the door open for me, is sort of vegan too, loves the movies, even will sit through “chick flicks” on occasion, works out, and loves his folks and my whole family too. This may be it!

What a day. Charlene threw up before breakfast, Carolyn lost her diaper somewhere between the bedroom and kitchen, Charlie is screaming in his crib, and Cathy is banging her spoon on her highchair for some breakfast. I gave up a 60-hour work week for this? Even with some household help, I can hardly keep my head above water.

There is no mansion out in the ‘burbs. Just a nice, ordinary, plain house, with four bedrooms and three baths. Only kidding though, this is fun and satisfying. I’m watching my very own little ones grow right before my eyes.

Gosh! If this is Wednesday, it must be Carolyn’s dance day, Charlene’s gymnastic class, Cathy’s tutoring session, and Charlie’s horseback-riding lesson. Thank goodness for one boy. He does not go from lesson to lesson as the 34 | The Brick Magazine

All the kids are gone. A new step to take. One that is quickly leading to old age, but before that hits I have a new-found freedom — me and hubby, that is. Wow! What should we do with ourselves? Travel to far-off lands maybe? Our piano has been sitting in the living room all these years with no one to play it now. Perhaps it is my turn to treat myself to some lessons, and while I’m at it, some art lessons too. I’m thinking even golf could be fun.

Charlene needs help. Her baby has terrible colic. As a good grandma and grandpa, we drive the three hours to her place and help out. Her older one, now almost two, just loves grandpa, and when she sees him just wants him to carry her everywhere he goes. If he puts her down to go the bathroom, she cries at the door, and he has to talk to her from inside assuring her he will be right out.

My steps are shorter and I hobble a bit now that my beloved is gone. The three women’s clubs I belong to keep me busy, but nothing will replace that man of my dreams I met so many, many years ago. I’ve got to find something meaningful to do, perhaps a writing workshop and a hunt for a darling, posh, polished magazine like The Brick Magazine to publish my stuff. I tell myself, you’ll never know if you don’t try. I’m back to taking baby steps at such a mature time of life and I’m loving the thrill of it all!

Marilyn Pellini has recently published a grief book titled Dear Al, A Widow’s Struggles and Remembrances. Her other credits as a writer include recent articles in Brick Magazine titled “Memories in My Button Jar” and “Restructuring My World,” pieces in Westchester Parent Magazine, Bay State Parent Magazine, On The Water, Balanced Rock, and others.

In May 2018, she took the first place prize in the NY State Federation of Women’s Clubs writing contest.

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734-717-7532 • www.LifeEmpowermentCoaching.com

December 2019 | 35

WOMAN ON THE STREET

Letter to My Younger Self

by Stella Orange

36 | The Brick Magazine

Several years ago, I decided I wanted to have a kid. We tried the natural way for a while, but when that didn’t work, we enlisted the help of doctors, science, and fertility-boosting protocols. What has struck me along this journey is that we don’t really hear stories of women who are trying to get pregnant, and what it’s really like to be in that space of expectancy and trying. Many people seem to assume it is universally “hard” or a “struggle,” but those words haven’t matched my experience. So if I could go back in time, here is what I would tell my younger self about the road ahead. I share this as a love letter to every human who desires something that hasn’t yet come to fruition.

Dearheart, There are things I need to tell you about what you are about to experience. This is the most ambitious thing you have ever attempted. Despite your confidence, you are about to discover that you are not in control. There is great mystery in this life, and even though you are enlisting science to help you get knocked up, even the nurses and doctors acknowledge that this is not a sure thing.

You are up for the challenge. Remember what you have learned so far, and be ready to surrender what you think you know for sure. Some of your magical thinking will be sacrificed along the way. Let that go. You’re right about your own power, but there is still some innocence in the way you understand it working. That is about to be taken from you, if you allow it.

You will be given messages along the way. These are yours to use as you wish. Other people may not understand the directives you receive, or the ways in which you come to know them. That’s okay. This is your guidance. It’s not for other people. It’s for you. So listen for it, and let it guide your decisions as you choose your course.

Many people will expect you to be sad or worried through this process. Sure, there will be times when you are moving through your grief or disappointment, but also notice the full range of your emotions. You can be happy even when you don’t know how it’s going to work out.

You can have a full and meaningful life, even if this whole thing doesn’t end up as you’d hoped. Don’t let other people’s assumptions of what you’re going through bother you — it’s got nothing to do with you. Also, it’s not your job to reassure them; save your breath and your energy.

Many people will try to give you advice. At first, this will unsettle you, and cause you to second-guess

yourself. But over time, you’ll start to notice that the people making suggestions aren’t people whose advice you value. No need to start listening to randos now. Thank them and give their suggestions the consideration they deserve.

Remember to feel your feelings fully. All of them. You can expect to get lost. You can expect for your heart to hurt. You can expect to weep. You can expect to be more forceful with your partner than you’re comfortable with.

But you can also expect to feel courage. Grit. Expectancy.

Support. And to feel that you are deeply held by Life herself, no matter where this ends up. Your ability to feel is what will protect you, keep you safe, and emerge from this whole. Let yourself feel that. Let it sink into your pores and penetrate your bones. You get to keep that, no matter what. Let it in.

No matter what happens, you can’t lose. Either you have a kid as you desired, or you don’t have a kid, but you tried your best to have one, and saw that process through to the end. Either way, be proud of the race you run. Regardless of outcome, have an experience that you are proud of. That’s what you can control. The rest is part of the Great Mystery. Use this experience to get right with that.

Enjoy the ride, A Friend.

Stella Orange is a copywriter and co-founder of Las Peregrinas, a business advising and marketing service company. Find out more about her work at www.lasperegrinas.org December 2019 | 37

Is CBD for Me?

by Lisa Profera, MD 38 | The Brick Magazine

T

his is the final article of my CBD series. The previous two articles covered the basics of the endocannabinoid system, CBD chemistry, and the importance of high quality standards and reliable sourcing. CBD has many beneficial applications. I strive to empower the consumer with information to enable them to make the best decision for their health. Proper dosing and administration are the keys to unlocking CBD’s promising potential.

Dosing: Less is more when it comes to cannabinoids Less of a good thing is often better in the world of cannabis medicine. Generally speaking, a low dose of a clean, full spectrum, marijuana-derived CBD product is safer and more effective. Natural growth and extraction (to preserve the other phytocannabinoids and terpenes), with a little dilution with fractionated coconut oil to achieve a THC content of less than 0.3%, results in a perfectly legal and medicinally powerful CBD oil product. A microdose of CBD would be about 2-4mg. I use an artisanal, locally-sourced, better-than-organic product like this in my practice. My second choice would be a full spectrum CBD oil from hemp that is naturally extracted (not distilled), grown organically in the USA. There is a lack of consensus on dosing overall. The effect that cannabinoids can have is highly individualized. In general, we “start low and go slow.” It can take a few months of regular use to notice an effect. The dose can be titrated up until the desired effects are achieved. Since cannabinoids have a biphasic effect, there is a “sweet spot” where balance is achieved. Sometimes higher doses can be less effective and cause undesired effects (or tolerance in the case of THC). This is where working with an experienced healthcare professional can help individuals find their optimal regimen.

What is the best mode of administration?

This really depends on the individual’s preference and comfort level. I usually counsel people on the different choices and outline the pros and cons. Then we make the decision together.

Inhaling CBD Traditionally, marijuana is smoked, but many people don’t want to do this. The advantage of smoking is rapid onset, so that one can get immediate feedback on how

it’s working. Smoking can cause irritation of the airways and coughing. Vaped cannabis usually results in a slightly higher dose delivery and slower absorption — and, up until recently, was considered a safer alternative to smoking.

I haven’t been a big fan of vaping, since many vaping products contain potentially harmful ingredients such as solvents, flavorings, and additives. Recently, a number of cases of serious lung injury and some deaths have been linked to vaping. Because of this, The Centers of Disease Control issued a statement in mid-October recommending that people do not use vaping products or e-cigarettes.

Avoid all vape cartridges that contain the potentially lungdamaging solvents propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, diacetyl, or other flavorings. Investigations are underway and more research needs to be done. Dry vapes (which use dried herb and not oil) may be considered safer, but it is unclear at this point.

Oral CBD Most of the patients that I am helping are using oral CBD oil. Sublingual and transmucosal administration is ideal.

A person can place a dose of CBD oil or tincture under the tongue or hold it in the mouth for about a minute and then swallow it. This technique allows the medicine to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream via the oral mucosa. Onset of action is about 15-30 minutes, and about 50-60% of the dose can be absorbed. This is in contrast to traditional oral administration, where the dose is immediately swallowed and needs to go through the GI tract to be absorbed. Onset of action is much slower and less gets into the bloodstream (only 20-30%) since it is processed by the liver first.

Oral administration may be the preferred method for those with inflammatory gastrointestinal conditions. Onset of action can be 2-4 hours after ingestion, and effects can last much longer. I caution people taking cannabis edibles (especially those with THC). One can easily take too much of something tasty and they won’t know it right away.

Feeling “too high” won’t kill you (as with an overdose of

December 2019 | 39

opioids), but it can be uncomfortable for many hours. CBD gummies are popular and fun, but they are a poor way to administer medicine. Read the ingredients carefully and avoid products that contain corn syrup or artificial colors and flavors. CBD-infused honey is a healthier way to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Topical CBD Another popular mode of administrations is topical.

Topically-applied cannabinoids are readily absorbed through the skin and can be quite effective. These are often used to relieve musculoskeletal pain. Since they do not enter the bloodstream, there is no potential for drug interactions or psychoactive effects. Transdermal patches release cannabinoids into the bloodstream at a slow and constant rate. These formulations can be highly variable, and there can be some skin irritation with the patches.

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Vaginal or rectal CBD A lesser-known (but highly effective) administration method is via the vaginal or rectal route. This option results in 50-70% absorption. Suppositories inserted rectally or vaginally also bypass the brain, GI tract, and liver as the medicine is locally absorbed directly into the bloodstream and surrounding tissues. Once again, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no risk of psychoactive effects, and much higher doses of THC can be administered this way in cancer patients. CBD suppositories are also quite effective for genitourinary conditions such as dysmenorrhea in females and prostate issues in males.

Cannabis is medicine Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty simple, despite what we have been led to believe for the last several decades: cannabis is medicine.

Photo by Ramille Soares

Hemp is defined as cannabis that contains less than 0.3% THC by the federal government. Botanically speaking, the distinction is really between plants grown and bred for fiber and seed oil (industrial hemp) and those bred for medicine (medical marijuana). There are medical benefits to ALL of the phytocannabinoids elucidated so far. We know that in their natural, full spectrum form, the cannabinoids and the other terpenes found in a cannabis plant extract work better together. A high-quality full spectrum product can contain hundreds of these compounds.

The list of physical and emotional benefits of cannabis is growing and the extensive body of research is hard to ignore. The dosage and mode of administration can be tailored to an individual’s needs and preferences, which is

exactly what we need in this day and age when it comes to our well-being. An experienced healthcare professional can help guide you to a regimen to achieve better health and a more balanced future Owner and Founder of PROJUVU MD Aesthetics and Lifestyle Medicine in Ann Arbor, MI Expert Injector doTERRA Essential Oils Wellness Advocate BEMER Independent Distributor CrossFit® Level 1 Trainer www.projuvu.com | 1-844-PROJUVU | drprofera@gmail.com FaceBook business page: www.facebook.com/projuvu/ Request to join my Closed FaceBook group, Dr. Lisa’s Essential Oils Forum: www.facebook.com/groups/1952063771691445/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/youressentialoilsdoctor/

Disclaimer: Please note that the information in this article or any of its references has been designed to help educate the reader in regard to the subject matter covered. This information is provided with the understanding that the author and any other entity referenced here are not liable for the misconception or misuse of the information provided. It is not provided in order to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any disease, illness, or injured condition of the body. The provider of this information shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss, damage, or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this information. The information presented is in no way intended as a substitute for medical counseling or care. Anyone suffering from any disease, illness, or injury should consult a qualified health care professional. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

December 2019 | 41

Patience on the Path

by Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC

I

t’s been a lifelong challenge of mine, this notion of patience. Yet I’m happy to report that I’m finally making real headway with this phenomenon, resulting in all sorts of interesting changes in my life. And what perfect timing, as we head into the holiday season with lots on our plates and what often feels like a time-crunch fitting it all in.

For years, overwhelm was my nemesis, easily sending me reeling. Life seemed to be constantly throwing me fastballs that were way to intense for me to catch, let alone juggle successfully. Determined to gain some bit of personal mastery over these crazy-making experiences where overwhelm took center stage, I committed to developing some serious patience muscles.

Taking regular morning walks in nature while contemplating how I might become a more patient human was phase one. A baby step, really, although one that carried me far.

One day, as I climbed, huffing and puffing, up a path in a 42 | The Brick Magazine

Photo by Ben White

wooded ravine near my neighborhood, I was struck by the powerful realization that nature really does show us how to set a decent pace. Seasons come and go. What is supposed to happen each season will happen — gradually! They take time. And the “taking time,” each slow unfolding — buds to flowers, seeds to vegetables, leaves turning color then dropping, temperatures dipping til snow falls — makes each season rich and wonderful. I wanted some of that perfect pacing to grace my life, too. I felt determined to learn how to show up in a similar fashion — taking my little seeds of inspiration, patiently growing and transforming them, all the while tolerating whatever time it took see my ideas burst into bloom. Here’s what I discovered along the way…

The Urgency of Doing The urgency of doing is an energy that is so pervasive in our culture. It is also an energy that many of us don’t think twice about; instead, we often charge mindlessly toward action. In doing so, we feel productive, accomplished,

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything gets accomplished.” ~ Lao Tzu powerful, and valued. And indeed, sometimes we are!

Hastiness or pushing actively for desired outcomes can, however, also yield detrimental results. Impetuousness can rob us of insights that might actually serve us well.

Hurrying past self-reflection with an aim toward efficient completion of a task or experience can sometimes, as we all know, seriously backfire.

Trying to avoid the pain of having to wait for something to develop, or having to trust that time will bring a good outcome, can be downright uncomfortable. Often such discomfort is something we try to avoid or want to skip over. Yet, as I regularly remind my coaching clients struggling with these types of issues, the incredible sense of mastery that comes from learning to contain either the impulse to act precipitously or the urge to flee from a difficult emotion is invaluable. Effort put toward developing patience only serves to help you become even more so. The ability to endure a challenging or difficult situation employing a slower-paced, step-by-step approach can prove empowering on multiple levels.

Enhanced Learning One empowering perk of practicing patience is that the longer we can stay with something, waiting for results, the more we can learn. Realizing that the gift of time often provides us wise counsel can motivate us to become even more patient. We gain greater clarity and insight when we build in time to reflect or consider before acting or expecting something to happen. And then, too, there are some things that simply force patience, demanding we slow down.

The urge to flee a difficult relationship, for instance, or even a tough relationship moment, can hit us hard. The burning, intense desire to exit fast is a typical one. Yet, for many reasons, unless one is in a truly unsafe or dangerous situation, incredible power and understanding can be the delicious fruits of taking pause.

Fortified Emotional Muscle Imagine you’ve just been deeply slighted or hurt by someone close to you. You feel, all at once, flooded by sadness, anger, and embarrassment. Taking immediate action seems like it will bring relief from the acute

stress of sitting there in your painful and uncomfortable emotional stew. Yet this, perhaps, is exactly the time for No. Sudden. Movements. Jumping too quickly away from emotional relationship distress can rob you of better understanding both yourself and the other.

On the other hand, vast landscapes of rich personal growth can evolve if you stretch yourself to feel into what happened. The key word in that last sentence is, of course, feel. It’s about really dropping down into those uncomfortable emotions. When we can experience rather than flee our feelings, we magically transform them — and ourselves. We discover that tolerating moments of distress won’t destroy us. In fact, brief surrender into a feeling actually then lifts us up, through, and out of that state more quickly than impatiently trying to push past the discomfort.

Rolling with (and even into) uncomfortable feelings, and seeing that you can manage doing so, will — I guarantee — empower and strengthen you. Developing your capacity to patiently stay with feelings, and tolerate a full range of emotional moments, fuels personal resilience and confidence. Additionally, when we can sit with and endure difficult feelings, we are less likely to impulsively react, and much more likely to thoughtfully respond. And thoughtful responses, as you can very well imagine, make for a much more grace-filled outcome!

Shine Strong So, my fellow friends on the path, I challenge you to gently shift your energy into patience mode. Concentrate your intentions there, especially heading into this holiday season. Work those muscles! Your spirit will shine brighter — that I promise — as you experience pride in your patience self-mastery. You will be amazed at the personal breakthroughs you will leverage in many areas of your life as you do so. Can’t wait to see what you’ll discover!

Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC is a certified Life Coach in Ann Arbor, MI who loves empowering adolescents, adults, and couples to live from the HEART of what really matters to them so that they can bring their fully expressed, vibrant selves into the world.

She has a special gift for helping women reclaim their feminine power, and embrace their radiant, sensual, sexy spirits. Their lives transform. They soar into their mid-life magnificence! www.lifeempowermentcoaching.com Instagram: @life_coach_maria Facebook: www.facebook.com/LifeEmpowermentCoaching

December 2019 | 43

The World in a Drop of Water: Our Lives in a Momentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice

by Theresa Reid, PhD

44 | The Brick Magazine

A

few months ago, we moved my husband’s 91-year-old Aunt Evelyn into a beautiful new elder living facility — a light-filled, upscale, roomy place with loads of common areas for conversation, lectures, art-making, movie-viewing, and eating. On my first visit to her there, I asked her how she liked it. She leaned in, placed her hand on my arm, and said, sotto voce, “Well, dear,” shaking her head slightly, “a lot of these people are too old.”

I smiled (it’s impossible not to smile around Evelyn), and asked for more detail. “Well, you see dear, many of them never want to do anything.” The place offers all kinds of excursions — they take residents by private bus to plays, festivals, movies, art exhibits, and so on — in addition to its own robust programming. But, Evelyn tells me, lots of people prefer not to stir from their places. “It’s not that they can’t go,” she says. Indeed, if anyone has an excuse to stay in, Evelyn does. She’s had harrowing physical problems that have left her near the brink of death more than once.

She has pain, chronic pain, sometimes severe. She’s not exactly zipping around on roller skates. No — it’s not that

other residents can’t get out, she explains: “They just don’t want to.” This irks her.

Her comment took me back to an impression I’d had in the main dining hall, where we’d enjoyed lunch earlier in our visit. I’d walked in beside Evelyn, surveying the room with eager eyes — hoping, I suppose, to find future friends for my aunt, just as I’d scanned kindergarten classrooms years before, hoping to spot my daughters’ future besties.

I’d been deeply struck by some of the faces in the room.

One in particular stands out: that of an erect, welldressed woman whose expression spoke of a lifetime of aggrievement. Strong lines had settled her face into haughty displeasure, and she looked around with narrowed eyes that seemed to expect disappointment everywhere they landed.

Scanning the busy room, as any alert mother might, I hastily sorted the assembled diners into three groups that had nothing to do with their highly variable physical condition: those like this woman who exuded displeasure; those who seemed indifferent to life as it swam by; and those like Aunt Evelyn, whose eyes were alight with interest and expectation. I wanted us to sit next to those people.

December 2019 | 45

I think it was Coco Chanel who said, in effect, that at 20 you have the face that the gods gave you, for good or ill, but at 50 you have the face that you’ve earned. Some accumulation of day-to-day, even moment-to-moment choices had distinctively etched these people’s faces.

I want, like everyone else on the planet, an inviting face like Evelyn’s. How do I get that?

As I age, I am increasingly sensitive to three truths: that it’s easier to be rich than to be poor; that in Western countries it’s far easier to be “white” than any other color; and that nobody can steal your ultimate freedom of choice. It was definitely Victor Frankl, survivor of Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps, who said: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Our momentto-moment choices might be severely constrained by genetics and circumstance.

But to suggest that people born or thrust into punishing circumstances have no choice but misery is to deny them their very humanity. Hard as it might be for us to seize our freedom, our human dignity lies in the choices we make.

Those faces around the dining room in Aunt Evelyn’s retirement facility, and the ingrained attitudes they seemed to convey, revealed a truth we often overlook:

46 | The Brick Magazine

that our moment-to-moment choices don’t just express our worldview, they create our worldview, and indelibly shape our lives. A psychological term for a mindset is “confirmation bias.” Operating with confirmation bias, when we look out at the astoundingly manifold world, we only see evidence of what we are already set to believe. We think, “All Xs are like Y,” and we literally never see Xs who are like Q, or D, or L. We think, “The world will disappoint me,” and it does. We think, “Life is full of miracles,” and it is. The people who approach the world expecting to be disappointed, looking for the chance to judge, shrivel. Those who survey the world expecting the next happy surprise flourish.

Like life, the effects of these momentary choices — choices we often deny even making — can take us by surprise, as if they arose out of nowhere. People are always talking about how so-and-so is suddenly “aging,” meaning, typically, “looking haggard.” Sometimes aging does happen suddenly — through a stroke or some other extreme personal hardship. But more often, aging sneaks up on us little by little, like the effects of our attitude and decisions. Every day we live and breathe, the inevitable,

microscopic costs of cell division (including deposits of toxic chemicals and nicks in critical structures) take their toll. When these tiny costs of living start to become noticeable to the naked eye — in our mid-thirties, say — we start to fret about “aging.” But we’ve been aging all along. It’s the nature of life. In just the same way as the effects of our metabolic processes mount, the effects of our choices etch our faces and souls. We have a chance of living far more fruitfully if we get used to this reality.

Every moment of our lives is, as Thoreau wrote, “startlingly moral.” I love that phrase, “startlingly moral.” Every one of our decisions matters, morally, whether we take ownership of it or not. And each one matters spiritually as well. And they accrue. They shape our contributions to the world, and the set of our face and soul.

Theresa Reid, PhD, is Executive Producer and Host of Aging for Life, an emerging interview show about many aspects of aging, not including how to avoid it. She can be reached at theresa@agingforlife.org Instagram: @agingforlifetv

December 2019 | 47

The Stuck Place

by Kellie Mox

48 | The Brick Magazine

I

received the invitation for a free coaching session with Jocelyn almost two years ago. A mutual friend shared the offer with me, and I signed up without pause, as you do when you’ve been a coach and know how powerful a coaching conversation can be. That single twenty-minute session catalyzed a shift that delivered me here to the writing, coaching, and healing work I’m doing today.

At that time, I was in what I call “the stuck place.” I was feeling a pull to return to coaching after a nine-year hiatus, during which I’d focused on nurturing kids and healing. But I was also telling myself the story that I needed to have certain things in place before that could happen. I needed a website. I needed to renew my credentialing. I needed to do more healing. I needed to know what it was all going to look like before I could embrace myself as a coach again.

Who was I to just jump back into this work?

Thankfully, Jocelyn reminded me of something important I’d once known but since forgotten: that it was okay to focus on the being and then integrate the doing. For me, this meant letting go of figuring out all the logistics before I could be the coach I knew I already was. Cue the “aha” moment (always my favorite moment in a coaching conversation, as client or coach).

After that conversation, I crafted a new story, one that empowered me to move forward without having it all figured out. Eighteen months later, those “necessities” aren’t all in place, and that’s okay. I’ve made progress on those to-do’s, but the fact that they’re incomplete doesn’t hold me back in the stuck place and keep me from showing up as the coach that I am.

I could share volumes of similar stories from my own life and the lives of others — moments or even weeks of sitting in the stuck place, followed by baby steps or, sometimes, giant leaps forward when that a-ha moment permeates the mind. It’s one of the greatest gifts that coaching has to offer — the power to catalyze new thinking and ways of being that free us from the walls of our own limiting thoughts, beliefs, and stories. But I’m not in the business of people depending on me to get unstuck. I believe the power of coaching is not only in the coaching session, but even more so in taking what we learn and integrating it in our life. We all need support, and we can also learn to support ourselves so we can move forward every day.

Moving Forward If you find yourself in a stuck place right now, don’t misunderstand —being there isn’t completely a bad thing. While it can be uncomfortable or immobilizing, it also provides an opportunity to grow and evolve in our connection with ourselves, others, and the world. Whether you feel stuck on a career move, eating or exercise habits, negative thinking, a physical symptom, or overwhelm mode, there are things you can do right now to support yourself in getting unstuck. And remember, baby steps are just as important as giant leaps when it comes to moving forward. You got this!

Practice self-awareness. This may seem obvious, but it’s the most important thing to remember, as it is the foundation upon which all our movement rests. When you become more aware of your own automatic patterns, limiting beliefs, disempowering thoughts, or coping mechanisms, you can have an in-the-moment conversation with yourself that shakes up the stagnation.

Being self-aware might look like pausing when you notice a loop of negative self-talk or self-sabotaging behavior. It might be asking yourself powerful questions, like “How is this serving me right now?” It might mean spending time reflecting and journaling. It takes practice to strengthen this awareness muscle, but it will always serve you.

Consider the bold “What if?” When you’re stuck, it’s often hard to imagine being in any other place. Often, we make up stories about our “stuckness,” and we become so married to them that choices elude us. But our stories are just stories; they may be true or false or a little bit of both. You can explore new stories by asking yourself bold “what if” questions. What if this story I’m telling myself is not true? What if I chose a different, more empowering story? What if this is all for me? When we recognize that we have choices even in the midst of our stuckness, we can take the story into our own hands and write a narrative that feels more empowering and energizing.

Just be. Sometimes we need to focus on simply being.

This echoes Jocelyn’s reminder to focus on how you want to be before diving too deep into the doing. For me, this looked like showing up as a coach for others for free before I had the logistics of my business figured out, because I aimed to be in connection with and in service to

December 2019 | 49

Photo by Ashton Bingham

others. It involves surrendering a bit, to be sure. This does not mean complete inaction; rather, it means letting go of your expectations of how things should look and staying curious about how they could look. When you let go and focus on how you want to show up, you’re also more open to the messages, synchronicities, and opportunities that come your way, and you may be surprised to feel more movement happening organically and without force.

Just do it. A complement to just being is taking inspired action. Sometimes we need to do something if we’ve been in a state of inaction for a long time. Making a joyful, energizing choice to do something that makes you feel alive, even if that choice comes with some discomfort, is sure to get you out of your head and into your heart and body, opening new channels of forward movement. This might look like signing up for the free coaching session like I did, reaching out to a new friend, taking the cooking class you’ve been contemplating, turning up your favorite song and dancing in your bedroom, or saying “no” to something on your to-do list. That coping mechanism of overthinking everything, which may have served you at some point, is sure to keep you stuck (I know from experience). Halt the incessant thinking and just do it.

When It’s Not Enough Sometimes we’re stuck in a way that feels beyond manageable. Indeed, chronic stored stress, as well as big or little traumas in your life, may be keeping your

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physiology stuck in a frozen state, making any movement or action seem unfathomable. This is definitely a time to seek support from a trauma-informed coach or therapist who can help support the nervous system shifts that will facilitate forward movement. All the powerful questions and inspired actions may not be enough if your survival physiology has taken over the decision-making for you.

I recently discovered and fell in love with this quote: “Discomfort is not a terminal condition.” While it may feel uncomfortable being in the stuck place — and it will certainly feel uncomfortable stretching yourself out of it — remember that it’s not permanent. And even when you move beyond the stuck place, you’ll surely find yourself stuck again one day. But now, when that day comes (and with practice), you can be empowered to support yourself and seek support when you need it.

Kellie Mox catalyzes revolutionary healing for women through powerful conversations and whole-health mentoring. She is passionate about authentic, meaningful connections—to the self, others, and the world—and believes that healing flourishes when we strengthen these connections and embrace our wholeness.

Kellie is a certified coach and a student of homeopathic medicine with a master’s in health behavior and health education. She works with women virtually and in-person from her home base in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Website: www.kelliemox.com Instagram: @kelliemox Facebook: www.facebook.com/kelliemoxcoachingandhealing

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