Go Goddess! From Depleted to Divine

There you go, all your wardrobe issues, fixed. You're welcome.

2012-01-31T19:35:00.000-08:00

When I was preparing for some tv appearances, I hired a wonderful image consultant, Miranda Wulf at http://www.loulloudi.com/ who helped me understand about what clothes were best on my body. She is a genius, and solved a lot of issues for me in relation to how I dress. She really did make me feel like a Goddess. And kind of like I was on "What Not To Wear" for like a week straight.

Lately, I have been on a bit of a tear, wanting to streamline my life, de-clutter my closet and get the most for my money. My closet was packed with all the right colours, shapes and style of clothes, but I still have been feeling like nothing matches, and frankly, that things have been looking a little old.

SO- I did some great research on the internet and found the Inside Out Style Blog. http://www.insideoutstyleblog.com/ . This amazing gal, Imogen from Australia, has put together all kinds of images and instructions to help us Goddesses learn how to dress well. It's really cool. Anyway, one suggestion she has is to use Wardrobe Capsules to make your life easier. I will let her tell you about them on her site, but the basic idea is that you take a limited amount of pieces- tops, bottoms and accessories, and make sure that they all compliment each other. With only 11 pieces of clothing you can get over 70 combinations/outfits.

It's pretty neat. And it has made my life SO much easier. I always have something to wear, and I always look put together and stylish, regardless of the occasion. Her advice, combined with Miranda's expert tips and tricks has allowed me to feel so confident when I am speaking in public or even just heading to pick up the kids from school. I LOVE that women are willing to share information like this that can lift us ALL up, take stress away from our choices, and empower us to be our best. GO TEAM!

Check out the video here of my completed wardrobe capsule: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tqtbiiOo1Y

The Goddess' New Years Resolution - More of That!

2012-01-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

Ahh, tis the time of year for evaluating what goals weren't achieved last year, for berating yourself for not having accomplished them and for resetting them in earnest for this year. What joy. Not.

For most women, losing weight or "getting healthy" will top the list. We'll also probably include spend more time with the family and get organized!!! ( with extra exclamation marks for good measure - it's part of the berating).

These are all fine goals in and of themselves but how many of us put "take good care of ourselves" and "find more joy" on that list. For some reason, New Years resolutions tend to be about deprivation of some kind or limitation of "bad" behavior. But what would happen if we erased all of these traditional goals from our list and wrote the following two statements instead "Take Good Care of Myself" and ' Find More Joy"?

First of all, efficiency would happen, that's what. Taking care of yourself, properly and carefully, naturally allows the other things to happen. When we eat with care and thought for our body and souls, we naturally find our way to a comfortable weight for our age, our body type and for where we are in life's journey. When we move our body in a way that pleases us, we easily bring tone to our muscles and energy to our cells and blood to our brains and we FEEL better as well as look better.

When we learn to ask for what we need, whether it's quiet time with a book for 20 minutes each evening or to go to bed early three nights a week, we allow ourselves and others to experience our value and worth. Regularily assessing if what you are doing feels good and and is life affirming will produce a natural state of health, organization and happiness. You will quickly dispatch with things that make you feel rushed and uncomfortable in order too find practices and actions that bring you comfort, peace and joy.

And speaking of joy, Barb and I have recently adopted a new phrase - "More of that!" Our new mission in life is to seek out all things that bring us life affirming bliss, whether it's heart pounding and exciting or simple and peaceful, if it feels good, we want "more of that!" in our lives and we enocurage you to join us!

Happy New Year, Goddesses!

The Reader Reviews Keep Coming in!

2012-01-02T21:44:00.001-08:00

You know, we wrote this book to do one thing: inspire women to feel joy. And here's the thing- it's working!!! Here is another lovely review from a new reader. So succinct and so kind. Thank you!!!

I couldn't think of a more inspirational read for new years day than YOUR book!!

I started it this evening and honestly, I couldn't wait for (my kids) to get to bed this evening so I could continue reading and finishing it. What I love about it is it is packed with knowledge and fantastic tidbits but reads as if we are a bunch of girlfriends at a cafe. All of it was helpful as I know I don't pamper myself enough - I am so happy and thankful for all that i have but don't feel i feed my soul enough. The inspiration chapter particularly spoke to me. I was also happy to read about all the great benefits of quinoa. I have been cooking it for (my baby) due to its ease and its perfect size and am happy to read about how great it is.

I am excited to contact the girls I bought the book for and get that girls nite and conversation started!! I may also end up buying a few more books online as I can think of a few more goddesses in my life who should receive your message!

Thank you for your incredible book and message. I think I will keep my copy at my office so I can flip to it as a reference particularly in the next few months to keep myself grounded and focused on what is truly important.

A New Testimonial (Our Hearts Are Warm)

2011-12-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, you just gotta brag. We are so proud of this little book of ours, and now the testimonials are coming in. This one is from a lovely woman I met in the mountains at a conference I was speaking at. She bought the book on site, referred us to her colleagues, and now sent us this. Her support means the world to us. Thank you, Pearl.

Thank you ladies for this very enjoyable and easy to read book! I appreciated the practical and inspiring advice on how to achieve harmony in the hectic pace we have as a mother, daughter, wife and employee. It helped me to appreciate the Goddess that I am and how to take better self care. I look forward to trying each of the recipes you have provided, and to your next book! I will definitely share this book with all the important women in my life.

My Wool Socks

2011-12-12T05:45:00.000-08:00

photo courtesy of luigi diamanti

A while ago, my heart broke.

Shortly after that, my big toe turned an eerie shade of purply black. It scared me so much that I actually went to a medical doctor. “My toe is black”, I said to him.

“I know the cure,” he said, “Keep your feet warm”.

That’s it? Really? My blood is not pumping and all he could say was “Keep your feet warm”? Hmph. I don’t know what I was expecting him to say, but I guess the lack of drama had me a little mystified. So I went and did what any one would do in this harrowing, numb toed situation. I went and bought socks. Not that I didn’t have socks, of course, but clearly they were not doing their job. So I bought warmer socks- diabetic socks, to be exact, and four pairs of big workin-man wool socks, too.

For the next few days (I promise this engaging sock story is going somewhere) I took very good care of my feet. I soaked them and wrapped them in fuzzy things, and suffered through a few very hot nights in wool socks and flannel jammies, just to keep the blood, from that broken heart of mine, pumping and heading down towards my toes. And the blackness went away. And the socks- the big, blue wooly ones, have become part of a very important ritual for me now. They act as a symbol, and a reminder. They represent me, taking the time to take care of myself. Every morning, I warm up my feet, and put on my socks. And every night, after hard, busy days, I do the same. And every time I do, my socks remind me that the simple act of wrapping myself- my feet or my heart- in warmth and comfort and love- is important. That putting myself first, and not neglecting the importance of my basic needs like circulation and comfort and love, matters. So much.

My feet are warm now, most days. And when they are not, I know I have lost sight of what is important. So I stop, put on my socks, and take better care to take care of me. The blood flows, and the heart heals.

And I do, too.

Jamie's right. As usual.

2011-12-03T08:01:00.001-08:00

Ok, I know I'm a little bit of a fan. So I have all his cookbooks and feverishly watch all his shows. I even have a brilliant quote he said on the home page of my nutrition website, Love2Eat. But here's the thing: When it comes to connecting people to the joy of food, Jamie Oliver has it going on, Goddesses. If you have never worked with Jamie's recipes or philosophy about simple, honest food, then now's your chance. Jamie is completely dedicated to keeping real food simple so that everyone has access to better health. And for this Christmas season, he has put together a HUB that allows you, the very hurried and stressed out Christmas do-er, the opportunity to have access to brilliant recipes, tips, and more that will make your holiday more peaceful, your food more beautiful and your family happy. I'm just sayin. Love that guy.

Thirty Minute Thursday- What will You Do?

2011-12-01T05:26:00.001-08:00

Ok Gals, it's Thirty Minute Thursday again. For those of you who don't know what we're talking about, today is the day you purposefully take one half of one hour to focus on YOU. Every week we are committed to bringing you a tip about what we are doing for ourselves, and here is this week's:

DRY SKIN BRUSHING

Your lymphatic system, which collects and moves toxins through and out of your body, has no pump. Your own rhythm and movement is what slides the lymphatic fluid around your body and helps you get rid of all the nasty stuff that you have collected throughout the day. Keeping the toxins moving out of your system is a really good thing, because when you become too toxic, things like your liver, which makes your hormones, your enzymes and does 498 other jobs won't work as well. This all sounds very boring, perhaps, but you all know the feeling of toxicity, and it's not very Goddessy: lethargy, weight gain, pain in your muscles, poor digestion, skin breakouts... yuck.
So today, spend some time getting that lymph moving! The easiest thing for you to do is swing your arms. Go for a nice walk, bounce on the kids' trampoline or an exercise ball, swim, run, dance in the kitchen, whatever gets you sweating and moving around.

Another great way to move lymph is to use a dry brush before you shower. Dry brushes can be found at health food stores and are made of wood with vegetable fibre bristles. You do not wet the brush, and make sure you stand in the shower while it is OFF. Add a couple of drops of peppermint to the brush (because how Goddessy is THAT?!) and begin by brushing your skin from fingertips towards your heart. Make sure every stroke is going towards your heart, and work on your whole body this way. Do your stomach and your breasts in clockwise circles, and pay particular attention to where your lymph glands are located- on either side of your neck, your groin, behind your knees, under your arms.

It feels wonderful and really wakes you up! Then have a lovely shower with some grapefruit essential oils and finish the shower with a splash of cold water. There! Your toxins are moving out, your blood is pumping and you are awake and feelin the JOY!
Make this a part of your morning routine, Goddesses, and watch your happiness increase exponentially! Now off you go!! (Buy one on Amazon, Here)

Are You SELECTIVE Enough?

2011-11-29T10:40:00.001-08:00

I heard a comment about Leonadro Di Caprio the other day, it went something like this; " Leo is at a stage in his career where he is very selective about the project he works on and the people he collaborates with."

I immediately conjured up a vision of Leo, looking very at ease and comfortable in his own skin that, sipping brandy from a snifter, perusing a pile of scripts - tossing the ones he's not interested aside for the ones that he feels will serve him well.

Leo looking choosy - Image via www.treehugger.com

He's dressed in handsome and perfectly tailored pin-stripe suit with a crisp, white cotton shirt and a purple silk tie - he's wearing a cologne made especially for him that smells like soft Italian leather, sandalwood and something mossy ...sorry, I digress.

My point is, I really liked that concept of being "selective". When some one is in a place in their life when they can be selective, it means that have a solid understanding of themselves, they are OK with the varied aspects of their personality and they are not afraid to say no to what doesn't work for them.

In our book Go Goddess! Barb and I address the idea of choosing things that 'serve us' - this is the same concept. As women, wives and mothers, our selective skills are under attack everyday. These particular lifestyle choices practically demand that you drop the word from your vocabulary - I mean who really "selects" to pick up your husbands dirty socks or stay up all night with a sick child.

However, striving for a balance is vital in keeping our sanity and our health. The more consciously choosy we become, from what we eat to what we wear to who we spend our spare time with, the more our life begins to resemble our true and authentic purpose - the more comfortable in our own skin we will be and the more at ease we will be in our lives.

And I'm not talking about becoming rigid and stuck in our ways, clinging only to what we know. Rather, it's having the confidence to let go of that which brings you pain and suffering to make way for those things that bring you comfort as well as having time to search for and try new things that could possibly make it to the top of your "joy" list.

To check in with yourself and see how you are faring with this concept, ask yourself the following;

"Are the life choices I have made so far serving me or am I serving them?"

Need a little help? It's all in the book - Go Goddess! - see the side bar to get your copy!

Remember to Breathe!

2011-11-28T05:22:00.001-08:00

This time of year, everything seems to be moving like someone hit the fast forward button on the dvr. No matter where you go, the collective energy seems to be elevated- people are either really happy, really busy, or really frustrated. The holidays bring out all kinds of emotions! Through all this, we are rushing around, fighting crowds, driving the kids to a million different concerts, showcases and parties, and....

wait.

Even just writing that made me feel tired.

Let's start again.

All the busyness of the holidays isn't going anywhere. All that high strung, frenetic energy that surrounds us all is there, too and tends to get absorbed into your very cells as you go about your day. Whether you realize it or not, your body and mind feel this stress and need breaks from it, whether it is the background noise of shopping at the mall, the foreground elevated excitement of Christmas, or that your mother in law is visiting for Chanukah. It's there, regardless. And it is affecting you. Your adrenaline is pumping and you are not sleeping well. You are eating more sugar and drinking more alcohol and coffee. You are staying up later and driving more places. It's no wonder that by January, people want to feel like they need to "start fresh".

So take a moment right now to make a fresh start. Turn off the radio or tv, stop looking at your smartphone, and for a moment- just for a moment- sit in silence, close your eyes, drop your shoulders and breathe. Breathe slowly, meaningfully, from your belly like it is a balloon. Just take a moment in silence and do nothing but be with your breath.

Remember: the rest of it can wait. All the things that seem so meaningful like planning parties, shopping for gifts and rushing around lose their meaning quite quickly if your body is so wrecked that you can't get out of bed. So take care of your self this holiday season. Breathe deeply when you notice you are holding your breath, carve out moments of quiet when you can (turn off the tv!) and eat dinner with your family. Slow down. Give yourself the time to connect with what is truly meaningful, and the beauty of the holidays will magically appear.

More Joy, Less Burn Out This Holdiay Season

2011-11-25T10:37:00.001-08:00

I was thinking that I'd like to put my Christmas tree up this weekend but I acknowledge, perhaps, it's a little early for some. My little girls ( 4 and 6) of course are eager but my older sons ( 13 and 14) are adamant that I should wait. For me, putting up the tree is one of my favorite parts of Christmas and gives me an enormous amount of pleasure. I love unwrapping each ornament that I wrapped carefully for myself last year during the inevitable low that comes after the holidays. It's my final Christmas ritual and it helps me with closing the year out and preparing for the year ahead; taking the time to wrap those really special ornaments and decorations is like giving a present to my "next year's self" and that self is always very grateful..lol. While it's exciting to open new presents on Christmas day, there's a different kind of thrill opening those sweet memories and I look forward to it all year.

In any case, putting up the tree brings me joy and deciding when the appropriate time to perform this satisfying ritual leads me to ponder how we decide on the right time for joyous things and why we elect to put them off at all. Is it because we think it will give us MORE joy if it's done at a specific time? Do we fear that we will regret seizing the day and the time will come that we will wish we would have been more prudent?

I was dropping one of my son's friends off at his house the other day and I gleefully remarked about the lovely Christmas tree in his front window. "Yah, it's up already because my Mom loves Christmas, he said rather sheepishly. He was embarrassed, I guess, because his 13 year old sensibilities thought it was much too early to celebrate. Much to early to celebrate - there's a something to ponder. Is it ever truly too early to be joyous?

Of course we fear burnout in today's world - we fear we will be unable to sustain the Christmas high for long enough and we'll be too tired or too bored by the time the designated day for joy, Christmas Day, arrives. But do we feel that way because in actual fact, there is a dearth of joy rather than there being too much? Maybe we choose things in this busy season that don't actually bring us the replenishing energy of joy. Rather, we do things by rote because we have always done them. Maybe these things actually take away from us instead of sustaining us and go on to cause this burn out that many of us feel this time of year. Perhaps if we chose more rituals and practices that "filled our cup" this season and fewer exhausting, debilitating ones, we wouldn't have to worry about limiting or preserving our joy. It would runneth over, as they say, instead!

Maybe that's why my younger children see nothing wrong at all with decorating the tree right now, in the excitement of the moment, and my older children are more concerned about limiting it to it's appropriate time. Young children don't assume there is a right time for happy - they haven't bought into the idea that we should delay it because there might not be anymore for later if we use it all up right now. Of course, they are very skilled at finding joy constantly as the simpilist things cause them to giggle. The world has already begun to teach my sons and their friends that balance is important - you can't be joyous all the time - you have to serve your time being less than joyous to enhance the designated joyous periods... but is this really a valuable lesson? Is this the kind of balance we should be striving for?

Would it not be more important to know that if you are attentive to what truly bring you joy, meaning what sustains you, what fills you up, what makes you a better person, then there is no need to limit it- no need to save it for another day because it is actually what will see you through the joyless times, should they arise. I think the better lesson would be to learn the difference between authentic joy and base, indulgent behaviour that actually makes you feel worse in the long run- eating too much, spending too much, giving too much to the point that depletes you and causes you to feel bitter and resentful. Those things are often confused with joy because they initially feel similar - it's what comes later that differentiates the two. Joy brings peace, over indulgence makes you feel bad, depletes you, leaves you empty.

I think that I will go ahead and put up my tree this weekend - life is too short to put off such simple pleasures. In addition, I am vowing to make more choices this holiday season that will mirror the bliss I feel when I unwrap each of those treasured decorations and let the choices that steal my energy and my joy, fall away. In fact, I think this will become my new definition of "balance". I can think of no better way to celebrate this special time of year and perhaps this practice will serve not only to save me from burn out this December but all the other months of the year as well.

How about you, Goddess - what truly brings you life-giving joy? What takes it away?

2011-11-16T00:27:00.001-08:00

Time for A Revolution!

Alright sisters, we promised a revolution so let's get down to it. As women, we are all too often pre-occupied by the shape of our bodies and by extension, our level of sex appeal. It doesn't seem to matter how successful we are, how rich we may be, how closely we come to achieving what is currently trending as 'beautiful", virtually every women seems to spend a portion of her day concerned with the current state of her body.

Some are slowly changing their wording to say they want to be "healthier, stronger, and have more energy"- this is a good shift but it's not yet the norm and those phrases are often followed by statements like, " for my children, so I can be a better mom". Like you aren't a good mom at whatever weight and energy level you are currently at. Words like "healthier", "stronger", and " more energy" etc. are great, as long as they are not replacing words like "thin", "skinny", and "more attractive" in that they create additional stress over not currently being good enough in these arenas either.

We believe it's the time for a shift in the understanding of a woman's true nature and purpose. I can tell you that I, for one, was not put on this earth to waste my precious time here trying to fit into skinny jeans, and neither were you. When I am on my death bed, I will not be recalling the time I fit into that size 6 pair of slacks and I won't be saying to myself, "Well, at least I never went over a size 12!". I would be very disappointed if that was the extent of my achievements and I suspect you would be, too.

And yet, all too often, this is how we judge our success as women. Even with all her influence and good deeds, the one and only Oprah still struggles with how she feels about her weight. Surely she could not have achieved more as a size 6 - surely her weight did not stop here from improving the lives of so many. If it did, it wasn't the weight, or the "energy level", or her overall health, it was her views about the limitations of such things. One only has to look at Steven Hawking to realize that limitations are in the eye of the beholder.

We believe that women are held back from finding their personal peace by the pressure to be of a certain weight and shape. When a human being cannot achieve a state of peace, balance and love, they are inhibited from finding their true purpose. If I spend a total of 1 hour of my day worrying about what I eat, the size of my hips, whether it is a good hair day or a bad hair day or how much time I need to spend at the gym to justify a piece of cheesecake, I have traded an hour that I could have spent thinking loving thoughts about myself, my loved ones or the world in general. Better yet, I could have spent that time nurturing myself, giving myself the care and concern I deserve and being joyous instead of feeling worthless. What kind of peace could I find for myself, my family, my world if I spent the time on these things instead of dreaming up disparaging comments about the dimples on my thighs.

And what is so important about findings a sense of peace, anyway? Personal peace is found when we let go of our internal struggles. Letting go of even one of our internal struggles, like our body image, is like removing one of the slats from the shutter on your window...where there was darkness, now there is light. And where there is light, there is vision. In the light, you can clearly see your true beauty, your true worth and your true purpose. Are you ready to see clearly?

Go Goddess! Available Now for Purchase!

2011-10-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

THE BOOK - Go Goddess! From Depleted to Divine

Have you Gone Goddess? The long anticipated book by Calgary nutritionist, author, and lecturer, Barb Thomas, RHN, and her writing partner and spiritual adventurist, Jennifer Rochford, IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE! If you are interested in purchasing a copy, use the buttons below!

To purchase more than 10 copies for the exhausted women in your life, please go to our wonderful publisher's website: www.balboapress.com

About the Book
Go Goddess! From Depleted to Divine

exhausted: adjective dead-tired, dog-tired, bone-tired, ready to drop, worn out, wiped out, burned out, tapped out, bagged, whipped.

Dear Tired Goddess,
We see you there, holding this book, double espresso in your hand, eyelids half open. We know you have just a few minutes to yourself right now, so we plan to make this worth it for you.

We want you to stop feeling overwhelmed. But you need simple information—you need gentle changes and practical action that you can incorporate now into your crazy-busy, do-everything-for-everyone-else kind of life.

So how ’bout you start here? With Go Goddess!, Book One in the Goddess Revolution Series, you’ll join the simplest, most astonishing revolution around.

This book is an indispensable encyclopedia of how-tos:
• How to nourish yourself with holistic nutrition and whole foods
• How to gain back the energy you’ve lost
• How to do things for yourself, guilt-free
• How to balance career, motherhood, weight, and a sense of self

Preserve your precious energy and become the goddess you were meant to be. We’ve even included whole foods recipes and tips and tricks from our own lives as mothers and business women that have made us feel as goddess-y, as vibrant, and as ready to take on the world as can be.

This is your fresh start. This is your life preserver. And we are tossing it to you, Dear Goddess. Grab on and begin your own revolution.

Once you Go Goddess, you never go back.

With Love,
Barb and Jenn

What Readers are Saying
"This is the simplest, and yet most effective book I have read on exhaustion and getting my energy back! I already feel like a Goddess! Thank you!"

"What a relief to read a book that reminds me how important I am and how necessary it is for me to take care of myself. I will always keep it in my purse!"

"The recipes are delicious, gentle on my digestion, and give me tons of energy! Thanks Goddesses!"

Go Goddess!

2011-10-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

Women everywhere are looking for the “one thing” that is going to help them feel better, stronger, healthier and more empowered. Go Goddess is a guidebook for women who know that there is more to life than exhaustion and microwaved meals, but don’t know how to get it. This book is not just fluff. Co author, Barb Thomas, RHN, is a Holistic Nutritionist in private practice who has counseled exhausted, burned out women for years. Both Barb and co-author Jennifer are busy mothers, who feel the stress and strain of wanting to be all things to all people. They’ve figured out some amazing keys to survival as a woman, they are living it with style, and now they’re sharing what they have learned!

Go Goddess acts like a guidebook for the exhausted, frustrated women of the world who are ready to make serious changes and begin to heal. This book is like an indispensable encyclopedia of how tos- how to nourish yourself, how to gain back the energy you lost, how to balance career, motherhood, and a sense of self.

The Goddess Revolution Series works because it is realistic; it makes a connection for women on levels they never even knew they had, or had time for, and because it has a higher goal- to help women heal, so the world can heal as well. Once you Go Goddess, you never go back!

Download the Sneak Peek.