HAVE QUESTIONS? Contact us.

Whitney Mack

love yourself into vibrant health

Goal Setting Built For Your Female Physiology {That Works…NOW!}

by Filed Under: Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Goal setting is a hot topic around the New Year, to be sure. And it might not surprise you to know that I’m not a big fan of the way the health, fitness or nutrition industry approach goal setting or New Year’s “resolutions”.

Here’s why:

As a woman, you’ve been brainwashed to believe that the change you desire to FEEL happens ONLY *after* you’ve reached your goals – AKA once you’ve lost that extra 10 lbs., started working out regularly, are eating right, getting enough sleep, have balanced hormones and added in more self-care…

But that’s patriarch bullsh*t designed to keep you stuck, feeling “never enough” (no matter how you look, what amount of money you make or the children // partner // home you’re blessed with) and distracted by the never-ending cycle of seeking that “perfect” body or life.

But did you know that especially when it comes to goals concerning your body, as a woman, setting linear goals just doesn’t work long-term. Why? Because physiologically, your hormones are cyclical over the course of a month and NOT the same every day (like men)!

And your hormones literally affect E.V.E.R.Y. system of your body – including energy, brain function and what we perceive as “motivation” or “progress”. So when your goals aren’t coming along as intended, the tendency is to believe there’s something wrong with YOU.

 

When the truth is, the problem lies in HOW you’re setting goals
(aka the paradigm // expectations you’re operating from).

 

FACT: as a woman, you have two distinct hormone phases of your cycle – low & high. Your low hormone phase is when you may feel momentum & energy building towards a linear goal, but come your high hormone phase, your body PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY requires a shift in how you exercise, work, eat, sleep, mother & live. Meaning: you can *still* work towards your goals, but the WAY in which you do it must adjust to your hormones in order for your motivation, progress & energy to not wane.

This shift also requires goals that are connected to something more MEANINGFUL than aesthetics or materials. You can desire to shift these areas of your life 100%, but if there’s no deeper meaning attached, you’ll soon lose “motivation” because half of your hormone cycle calls you into discernment of that which matters most and is in line with your true desires.

So instead of setting a goal like “I want to lose 10 lbs.”, TRY THIS: imagine what being 10 lbs. lighter FEELS like.

  • What do you imagine you’d be doing?
  • How would you adorn yourself?
  • What self-image // beliefs would shift or be different?

That FEELING is your real goal. And once you are clear on the feeling, you can start taking small actions to feel that way RIGHT NOW, not after you’ve lost the weight.

No strings or New Year, New You // Whole30 // 30 Day Workout Challenge attached. 👊🏻

And that’s the WHOLE point, isn’t it? To FEEL amazing – and specifically, how you deeply desire, in all areas of your life

Focusing on the feeling also allows for flexibility and redirection when something you’re currently doing isn’t working. It makes space for grace and truly tuning into your cyclical body’s changing needs.

Want to learn more about goal setting for your female physiology so you can begin to feel how you desire RIGHT. NOW?

I’m hosting a free online workshop TOMORROW, Monday, 1.11 at 11am PST, that will walk you through this process, step-by-step {join here!}.

In this workshop, you’ll learn a new way of goal setting that is designed
to work WITH the needs & hormones of your female body, not against them.
And the best part, it’s FUN, simple and it WORKS –
no matter what life or hormone season you’re in.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN
(details on how to join via Zoom will be emailed to you).

OH! And one more thing – there’s a NEW MOON on Tuesday that perfectly supports this revolutionary way of setting goals. WHY? New moons signify new beginnings. They’re the perfect time to set intentions and plant seeds of desire for the upcoming cycle.

So you’ll be energetically supported in gaining clarity AND taking action. When you sign up, you’ll also receive a FREE handout on Creating The Life You Desire which breaks down this process step-by-step for future use. If you’re IN (for the LIVE or recorded workshop), click HERE.

Your Permission Slip {Plus A New Moon Solar Eclipse}

by Filed Under: Healthy Living Inspiration Leave a Comment

Hey momma, have you noticed that this holiday season feels more full than any other year? Even though, technically, there’s a lot less going on? Less parties, holiday events & shows cancelled, seeing friends & family nearly impossible for a lot of us and let’s be real – it’s basically a total wash for a majority of the ways we once used to experience the holidays.

 

Have you felt yourself overcompensating for this “deficit”? Have you noticed how even though there’s less on your calendar, your plate feels more full than ever? You feel busier and more exhausted – on all levels? You’re trying to make this time special for everyone around you, to fill the gap of missing traditions and “holiday cheer”, all the while running yourself ragged? Feeling like a failure.

 

I see you. I’m navigating this right there with you.

 

And here’s a hard truth – if you keep going at this pace, you’re going to get to the actual holiday and be so drained & exhausted that your worst self shows up and ruins Christmas (hand raise, speaking from experience here).

 

Let me ask you: what “extra” are you doing right now? And is it *REALLY* necessary? If not, can you just STOP doing it? Or how can you get support? How will you and your kids look back on this time & remember it? Is the path you’re on now in line with your desires?

 

You’ve got a lot on your plate. But what I’m asking you is, does it ALL have to be there? Or is anything you’re “doing” just added busy to keep you distracted from the fact that this season is HARD and it’s even harder to sit with that?

 

Let’s start there. I want you to write down everything that SUCKS about this season, this year. Let it pour out of you. Maybe even scream or weep into a pillow. Allow yourself to feel the disappointment, the anger, the devastation. It’s real and it *needs* an outlet. 

 

This is about being HONEST, not self-judgy, so that you can adjust expectations and source your magic; find the ease (simplicity).

 

Once you’ve done that, I want you to write down how you WANT to feel this season – both the holiday season and in this season of life. What THINGS // ACTIONS // RITUALS *actually* will create that feeling – for you & those that matter to you. THAT’S what you want to spend your time & energy on.

 

I’m not talking about MORE, I’m talking about less. The simple. The peeled back. Because those are the moments both we and our kids will remember. You know this. But you’ve been brainwashed to believe that more is better (it’s not) and that your magic comes from what you do (it doesn’t, it’s innate in WHO you are).

 

And that’s what this WHOLE year (2020) has been about. Shedding what we don’t need so that we can make space for what MATTERS.

 

This is your reminder that you’re doing an AMAZING JOB *and* the PSA that all you’re doing isn’t necessary. You can do hard things, but you don’t need to do all the things or BE all the things to everyone. Momma ain’t ACTUALLY got time or energy for that.

 

It’s also your permission slip to take a f*cking break, momma. What could you build if you let it all fall apart? How GOOD would it feel to let it all fall apart and then CHOOSE what you want to pick back up?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Today, Monday, December 14 is a New Moon Solar Eclipse. New moons are a potent time for intention setting and manifestation. They are the “winter” of the lunar cycle (which happens every 29.5 days), a new beginning where you are supported in shedding what no longer serves you (that perhaps wasn’t working in the past moon cycle or that has come into our awareness) and in planting new seeds of what you desire to create and call into your life. 

 

Solar eclipses take this power (release, intuition & manifestation) and amplify it (some astrologers say by 10 fold). This particular new moon is the last of 2020 and the perfect opportunity to seed what you desire for the upcoming year, along with releasing that which you want to let go of // shed.

It’s a perfect time to reflect:

  • What did you accomplish this year?
  • What went well?
  • What was disappointing?
  • What fell apart?
  • What became clear?
  • What journeys did you take (soul, physical, emotional, mental) – and what have you learned from them?
  • What shadows of yourself were revealed to you or amplified this year? What are they here to teach you?
  • What are you ready to release or manifest in order to come into closer alignment with your highest self?
  • How do you want to show up differently than you have been?
  • What lessons (sacred medicine) have I learned this year?
  • What has been coming up for you this year in regards to your “foundations” – home, relationships, money, work, body, etc.?

 

In the last 24 hours, I have lost my shit, cried a lot and screamed. I’ve felt exhausted, totally “done”, frustrated, immense joy and deep, emotional pain. Anyone else? These big swings in moods and feelings are often labeled as “too emotional” or “bitchy” in this patriarchal society we live in. But the truth is, they are MEDICINE. They are here to shed a light on what’s keeping me // you stuck, what’s suffocating our light and holding us back from our power, purpose and joy.

 

Feelings are here to tell you your truth – to reveal where you are overextended, to highlight what’s not working and shed light on how your lifestyle, reactions and choices are either in or out of alignment with your deepest desires and needs.

 

I hope you’ll spend some time today, with me, holding sacred space for yourself to go inward and see what’s there for you. I promise the medicine – although not always easy to swallow or live, is there so that you can step closer towards your dreams and into the highest version of yourself (where you can make the biggest impact on the world and your community). 

 

(If you can’t today, do no fret, this support and heightened intuition is available to you tonight and for the next few days – the power of the new moon builds a few days before and stays for a few days after).

 

In temple with my spiritual and life mentor, Sarah Jenks today, she dropped some wisdom that I’ll leave you with:

“When you see life as sacred and see the medicine that’s being given to you versus being or playing the victim, it’s like taking a surf board to ride the waves instead of letting it (life) crash down on you.”

 

What in life keeps crashing down on you? What is the potent MEDICINE in that wave? The waves are going to keep coming, that’s life. But the perspective you take, the nourishment and space you give yourself, your willingness to look at the hard things and let them transform you – that’s the surfboard. Grab it, momma. It’s time. It’s your time. 

 

If you want to dive deeper into what this particular New Moon Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius brings (energy-wise and insight-wise), check out this blog post from my business coach & astrologer Lauren DeGolia and/or this blog from The Moon Deck.

 

Happy New Moon, happy shedding and intention setting; oh and enjoy that f*cking permission slip too. 🙂 I love you.

Holiday Gift Guide

by Filed Under: Healthy Living Inspiration Leave a Comment

This isn’t your “typical” holiday gift guide. It’s fitting for this year, but also I think a model for gift giving all the time. One where we support small businesses and give gifts that add value (upgrade!) the lives of those around us.

So here you’ll find a collection to infuse + inspire INTENTION and RITUAL.

Intention in how you adorn yourself or your home and the ways in which you care for and understand your body + soul (or inspire others to), wrapped within the rituals that add meaning to your day or your life. The items that made this holiday gift guide are meant to bring you (or the lucky recipient) into the present moment to create more of what you desire, while also appreciating what you have (your body, your family + friends, your spirit) and enhancing your moments of joy + calm (with yourself and others).

This guide supports small local businesses and friends (feel free to leave you favorite small businesses in the comments below too!) who direly need our support right now, along with companies whose products I’ve personally used to deepen my own rituals and/or loving relationship with myself. {Although you can get some of the products below on Amazon, I’ve chosen to link the original sites for everything.} There are tools of self-discovery and exploration, luxurious (and clean!) body products, along with beautiful options to adorn your body and home.

You’ll find gifts for varying price ranges and people – all unique and creative! There’s even some ideas for the kids in your lives.

 

ADORNING:

  • THE HOME:
    • HANGING WOODWORK: Amanda Whitworth is a local, super talented woodworker and friend who has wall and plant hangings. Check out her wall hangings HERE and plant hangers HERE.
    • MOON, OCEAN & ASTROLOGY CHART ART: I found Hanah Hailey on Instagram and love gifting her colorful, original pieces. I have gifted a few of her pieces to friends and am adding her Driftwood Moon Phase hanging to my office! To get an order by Christmas, you must order by December 1!
    • CUSTOM POTTERY PIECES – Bullseye Clay is owned by my cousin Ukiah, and he makes some super cool vases, pots and more! Check out his Instagram account HERE and email him for custom pieces or to shop what he has!

 

  • THE BODY:
    • UNIQUE, FEMININE CLOTHING FOR ALL PURPOSES: Malika Siddick – female owner of the retail & online clothing store Lika Love here in West Seattle (where I live) – helped me step into a more authentic and feminine expression of myself through my clothes. Check out her website HERE (there’s so many great, unique pieces). They’re doing some killer Black Friday (50% off) and Small Business Saturday (20% off) deals, so don’t miss out!

This winter, I’m currently loving:

 

  • FOR THE TEENS – my client’s daughter Ruby, (who I’ve known since she was like 7 and now she’s a senior in HS), began by hand stitching eight black & white bandanas to a pair of sweatpants for herself. What started as something to do because she was bored, turned into something that friends and beyond were asking for! Ruby donates 50% of her proceeds to community partners (Justice for Girls Coalition of Washington State and Nomad Boxing Club) and her designs are super cool. Check out Ruby Laine Apparel HERE for some one-of-a-kind gifts!

 

  • JEWELRY:
      • Stella & Haas – all of their jewelry is classy, quality, subtle and goes with everything. I got a necklace from them in July and literally haven’t taken it off. Great prices and the perfect gift for your girlfriends.
      • POUND Jewelry – if you’re into gems or crystals (or know someone who is), this jewelry is SO cool and beautiful. I also love that it’s made by a mother & two daughters.
      • Rebekah J Designs – Rebekah is a local West Seattle babe whose pieces are super unique, classy and always get a compliment (every. time. I wear my Fortunate Necklace).
      • Rain City Forge – adding this local Seattle jewelry artist per the recommendation of a comment on my Instagram. Her pieces are beautiful and super classy!

 

SELF-DISCOVERY: 2020 has been a year that’s pushed us all. It’s been an incredible year of (sometimes forced, but needed) growth and change. For me, I’ve found this path so much easier when I deepen my understanding of who I am and why I react to things the way I do or want things the way I want them. With so much more on our plates as women, these tools help you cut through the BS to uncover exactly where you should be spending your time and energy to maximize growth + understanding, while minimizing being at the whim of your circumstances.

 

  • ONE-ON-ONE HEALTH COACHING SESSION WITH ME: This year is an unprecedented season of life. As moms + women, we’ve shouldered so much of the changes, often at the expense of our own health, leaving little time to tend to our body & soul. If you desire to radically change the way you care for yourself – factoring in all the challenges of this current season and working WITH them – I would be honored to help you find ease and begin navigate this season with vibrance and joy. Together, we’ll create solutions & rituals that allow you to create space for yourself, even on the days when space feels limited or non-existent. I simplify and tailor all aspects of health, nutrition, and exercise techniques to YOU, using a cyclical approach, that shifts with your daily-changing needs. You don’t have to neglect your body and spirit in order to help your family survive this time; motherhood does not have to be martyrdom. And when you prioritize your own needs & desires, you’ll have more energy and a well of ease from which you can dip into without depleting or exhausting yourself. Email me whitney@macksmo.com to set up a one-time new client intro session of 60 min for $75.

 

  • PERSONAL NATAL CHART + BOOKLET: Your “natal chart” gives you insight into where the sun, moon and planets were at the time of your birth, which, astrologically speaking, influences your personality, emotions, life lessons & gifts you’re here to share. Hanah Hailey makes custom astrology natal charts for one person, couples and families. It’s such a cool gift for those who are into astrology or just starting to discover this fun tool to better understand yourself, your gifts, your personal challenges and purpose in this life! It also comes with a custom booklet to explain your chart! To get an order by Christmas, you must order by December 1!

 

  • PERSONAL ASTROLOGICAL READING: Understanding your “cosmic signature” {as my astrology & business coach Lauren says} is such a cool way to understand your feelings, your desires, struggles and gifts you’re here to share with the world, with a clear path on how to harness your innate power and energy. A personal reading of your natal chart gives you one-on-one insights into deepening your relationship with yourself and I recommend it to all my friends & clients. I find that people LOVE learning insights about themselves, so this makes for a unique gift that keeps giving long beyond the holiday season. Purchase a gift card for a reading with my astrology coach, Lauren HERE. 

 

ADDING RITUAL TO YOUR MORNINGS & EVENINGS: Sanity, loving presence, and the ability to ground into your body is strengthened through ritual – the intentional things we do daily that add grace and slow us down, while also infusing calm into (what might otherwise be) chaos. I’ve made notes about all of them (and my favorite time & ways to use them). Many of these make great stocking stuffers as well!

 

  • Set The Mood {Ritual Builders}
      • glassybaby votives {another local Seattle company} + beeswax tea lights
      • Himalayan Salt Lamp – great for winding down in the evening, helps your body transition from day to night with soft, soothing light
      • Primally Pure JUST launched their first candle for the holiday season! {I’ve got a lot of their goods in this list, so be sure to check them out now while they’re running Black Friday deals!}.
      • The Moon Deck Oracle Card Set – The Moon Deck is my go-to for creating rituals around the phases of the moon {specifically the new & full moons}. Their card deck has beautiful, feminine-inspired artwork with insights, mantras + rituals to help you deepen your intuition and create sacred space for growth. I’m constantly amazed at the wisdom within these cards, each time I use them. If you’re interested in creating more ritual around the moon’s energy and curious about pulling cards, I highly recommend this deck!

 

 

  • Face Rituals:
    • Primally Pure Gua Sha Stone & Face Roller – two of my favorites in a set (see the benefits below)
    • Province Apothecary Sculpting & Toning Facial Cupping Set – okay, I just discovered this and it’s amazing! Cupping is a healing modality rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (you’ve probably heard of cupping other parts of the body, like the back), but it’s also an effective beauty tool, known to improve the skin’s radiance while naturally sculpting and toning as it gently pulls the skin away from deeper layers of fascia, smoothing wrinkles and revitalizing the look of your skin and heightening your skin ritual.

 

PUT TOGETHER A SELF-CARE PACKAGE OR GREAT STOCKING STUFFERS: One of my favorite things to do for the women in my life is create self-care packages. I buy a few things in “bulk” (like the eye masks and lip balm) and put it all together in a gift bag or stocking. This is also a great and meaningful gift for teachers, where you could throw in a couple local gift cards too.

  • Stella & Grace OR Beautycounter Eye Masks – an energy drink for your eyes! I love these on the weekends, after a late night or to make Monday mornings a little more enjoyable! 
  • Gua Sha Stone – gua sha is an ancient healing technique rooted in Traditional Chinese medicine that gently massages and lifts the skin using a gua sha stone. It works with the skin to support and optimize the body’s own reparative functions by promoting lymphatic drainage, calming the nervous system, relieving muscle tension + tightness, clearing congestion + buildup, and increasing the flow of oxygen and vital nutrients to the skin. Energizing in the AM and soothing in the PM. One of my fave tools to wind-down and up the relaxation factor of my evening skincare routine.
  • Rose Quartz or Jade Face Roller – like gua sha, face rolling helps stimulate lymphatic drainage, detoxify the skin and boost blood flow to promote healthy skin from within. The stones in a roller tend to maintain a lower temperature (you can also keep it in the fridge) so they add a cooling effect as you roll.
  • Anthropology Blue Light Blocking Glasses – for the TV watchers in your life, these help improve sleep hygiene by blocking blue light (which interferes with your melatonin production – the hormone that signals the body its time to sleep).
  • Primally Pure Lip Balm Set – I love adding these to self-care packages for friends & family or in stockings for my sisters & mom!
  • FourSigmatic Mushroom Cacao with Reishi (aka hot chocolate with stress soothing reishi mushrooms – don’t worry, you can’t taste them!): Great for on the go and for calming the nerves. Reishi is a class of mushroom known as an adaptogen – a type of plant that helps your body adapt to stress better. It’s hormone friendly and a yummy treat to enjoy with the cacao! They’re doing 50% off right now for Black Friday & Cyber Monday!
  • FourSigmatic also has on-the-go coffee packs paired with other adaptogens like Ashwagandha (my fave – helps mitigate stress & improve sleep, decreases symptoms of anxiety & depression by helping with cortisol & stress response – does so by helping parasympathetic nervous system to activate), Chaga & Cordyceps (chaga supports your immune system & cordyceps boosts mental clarity and focus), and Lion’s Mane (supports clear energy).
  • Primally Pure Deodorant – the BEST deodorant and a great stocking stuffer. I love every scent (minus the Geranium because I don’t like floral scents too much), but my favorite is Charcoal (great for the guys too), Blue Tansy and Tea Tree. Maybe even get the TRIO to stuff a few stockings or for your self-care packages for your girls!
  • Primally Pure Dry Shampoo – the best I’ve found and one for light or dark locks. Great stocking stuffer!
  • Acure Sheet Face Masks – I gift these often and include them in all my self-care gifts for friends & clients.

 

CLEAN BEAUTY: Upgrading your skincare to clean, non-toxic ingredients is one of the most impactful choices you can make for your health and also your hormones – which impact every system of your body. I’ve done a ton of research and testing over the years (you can verify the safety and toxicity levels of any of your current skincare using the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep Database, which offers safety ratings for over 78,000 cosmetic products along with the “why” behind the rating – like toxic chemicals used and health concerns that they’re linked to.

 

Primally Pure (PP) and Beautycounter (BC) are my two favorite skincare companies; and the two companies // products I recommend more than anything else to clients, friends & family (aside from my hormone-loving adaptogen protocol). I love them so much that I became a Beautycounter Independent Consultant last year and would do the same for PP if I could but instead, I have a discount code for you, LINK HERE). Beautycounter is currently doing a 15% off site-wide sale through Monday, so start shopping HERE.

  • Primally Pure Starter Kit – A great way to sample some of my favorite products from PP – the deodorant (only clean deodorant I’ve found that WORKS and doesn’t eventually give me a rash), Everything Spray (literally great for everything – like freshening up your face or a room in your home, also doubles as a toner) and THE BEST body butter in the world (get the Almond+Vanilla – great for mamas-to-be to rub on their bellies too!).
  • Primally Pure Vanilla+Almond Body Butter – literally the BEST smelling and most luxurious body butter I’ve ever used. It’s 100% a spa experience every time you use it. PP also just added a holiday edition scent of sweet mint + warm toasty vanilla too that I’m sure is also divine!
  • BC Countertime Deluxe Mini Set – this is my all-time favorite line from BC (it’s the anti-aging line) and I noticed a huge difference in my skin – brighter and smoother – after just a week of use (and I got lots of affirmations of this too)! This mini set is a great way to sample the whole line (then have travel-size containers for the future). Every single product is divine (the Antioxidant Soft Cream {day lotion} is what originally got me hooked, it’s so smooth & light // and the Supreme Cream {night} nourishes and feels like silk). Worth the money FOR SURE!
  • The Ultimate Renewal Bath Set – new just for the holidays, the body polish and body oil smell divine and are the perfect for giving your winter skin a boost! Dry brushing helps stimulate the lymphatic system and increase circulation to the skin. Dry brush, then hop in the shower and use the body polish, finishing it off with the body oil for spa-like skin.
  • BC Counter+ Overnight Resurfacing Peel – this is an overnight peel that smooths the skin and adds a morning glow (it’s actually clinically proven to improve the skin’s texture and add radiance to the skin). I use it under my Countertime routine at night every other night. 
  • Counter+ All Bright Serum – kinda the yin to the yang of the Overnight Resurfacing Peel, but for the daytime. Pumped with vitamin c, this serum goes on under your day lotion and helps to reduce the appearance of dark spots, while also preventing new ones. What I noticed was the added brightness after about a week!
  • Beyond The Gloss Trio – I love this lip gloss! Enough said. 
  • For Your Guy: Counterman Fresh Essentials – Regan loves the Energizing Body Wash, and I’m totally giving him this set for Christmas. Men need clean skincare just as much as the ladies and these 3 are all winners.

 

KIDS:

 

 

  • Not Just Another Toy:
    • For your littles interested in cooking – The Little Sous Opinel Le Petit Chef 3-Piece Knife Set // And add a cute Kids Apron – Dino, Construction, Personalized Rainbow, Firetruck, Bees
    • Cool, unique and activity- or learning-based gifts: I discovered Uncommon Goods when my sister forwarded me a link to their USA Coloring Tablecloth (which Will is currently working on & part of his social studies lessons!). It’s now my go-to place to order gifts for the wonderful kiddos in our lives – my own & those of family and friends.
    • Mama Sing My Song  – This is SUCH a cool idea (I plan to gift this to Will for his birthday and eventually to Felix when he is older). If not for Christmas, at the very least, I feel like you need to know about this amazing company that creates a custom song all about & for your child!
    • Together We Rise Holiday Stockings For Foster Children – The // our children have been the most impacted by the incredible challenges we’ve encountered this year. As a family – and namely with Will, we are going to sponsor some Holiday Stockings for foster children in need. I hope that you’ll join me or find other ways to support our communities during this time.
    • Subscription Boxes We Love – activity boxed delivered bi-monthly or monthly that our kiddos have thoroughly enjoyed:
        • Lovevery – Felix was gifted this montessori-based subscription last Christmas and we LOVE it. All of the toys and learning materials are high-quality and beautiful. Felix has used each of them over & over in new and fun ways. Highly recommend!
        • Little Passports – Will was gifted a subscription by a dear friend for the last 3 years and has loved the Early Explorers, Science Junior and is just starting the World Edition. He so looks forward to getting a box and it’s a great activity to do together. 
        • Kiwi Co – we haven’t personally tried this one, although we have friends whose kids love it and I plan to do it for Felix!

 

DO IT YOURSELF GIFTS TO MAKE FOR FRIENDS & FAMILY:

  • Homemade Granola – whip up a big batch of my granola, put it in mason jars and start gifting!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 3 cups raw nuts (I like pecans, walnuts, cashews & pumpkin seeds)
  • 1.5 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon (add more or less depending on how much you like cinnamon)
  • ½ cup organic, raw coconut oil
  • ¼ cup organic, Grade B maple syrup or organic, raw honey
  • 1 tsp. organic pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup wide-flake unsweetened coconut (added @ end of recipe!)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
  2. Mix oats and nuts together in a large bowl. 
  3. Add salt & cinnamon (+ hemp seeds if you’re using them) and stir thoroughly to combine.
  4. Stir in coconut oil, honey/maple syrup and vanilla. Heat in microwave for 30 sec to soften coconut oil, then mix well until nuts & oats are evenly coated.
  5. Spread granola out over non-stick baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes.
  6. Add coconut and bake for 10-12 minutes more.
  7. Stir to combine. Let cool before enjoying. Store in an airtight container for 7-10 days (I store mine in fridge).

 

  • Whipped Coconut Body Butter – all you need is a mixer and some cold-pressed, organic coconut oil. Option to add some drops of essential oils too (I love doTerra brand – wild orange & lavender are my favorite). Whipping the coconut oil keeps it from hardening, which is super helpful in winter months. TO MAKE: scoop coconut oil into a mixer and whip the oil for 5 minutes (add essential oil at this time too). 

 

  • Sugar or Salt Body Scrub – I keep one of these in my shower at all times and always make extra for friends at the same time. TO MAKE: you need organic sugar or fine himilayan pink salt, coconut oil and if desired, essential oils. Use a 2:1 sugar // salt to coconut oil ratio. Add all ingredients to a food processor and mix. 

 

*If you liked this gift guide, please share the love!

Medicines of the Darkness

by Filed Under: Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Have you been feeling the “extra” this week? A little extra tired and emotional? Or that everything in your life and around you is feeling extra too – a little heavier, a little more overwhelming or “too much”? While this “season” of life certainly lends itself to these feelings, the Super New Moon in Libra happening today is amplifying all of it (plus we have 5 planets in retrograde adding fuel to this fire).

As women, we’re taught to keep it all together, all the time. To not be too emotional and not rest when we feel tired, or until our to-do list is complete (which, by the way is like never, right?!). We’re also taught that when things get hard or overwhelming to just put our heads down & keep going (generally at the expense of our own health, mental & well-being). But culminating with this new moon and continuing for the rest of 2020, you are being called to actually FEEL what’s coming up and WITNESS it. No more pretending you can do it all or that you are “fine”. No more pushing through or pushing stuff down.

Truth be told, we are at a reckoning. And I’m not just talking in the realms of political, social justice or health. ALL of your toxic beliefs, patterns, traumas and ways of being + doing are being brought to the surface because it’s time to decide if the way you’re living & working, the thoughts you have and actions you’re taking are in alignment with who you want to BE and in service to your highest, true self.

We – you and me – are being called to get in right relationship with OURSELVES so that we can change the world. It starts with me, starts with you, then moves outwards to our families, then our communities and into the world. Because TRUTH: if we don’t look at our own shit, we honestly can’t make the impact that we were born to; and we are unable to stand in our full power (which is exactly what’s needed if we hope to change the world). That’s just how it works. It’s hard, it’s necessary for growth and rebirth and – never forget, you can do hard things.

The thing I love about new moons is that they signal beginnings (it’s the start of a new moon cycle) and bring us “the medicines of darkness“. I want you to remember that while we are certainly moving toward a place of culmination in our world (at least politically speaking), new beginnings are happening all the time. And you always possess the ability to decide where & what you put your energy + attention towards.

And so today, or sometime this weekend, I am calling you inwards. Asking you to take this potent opportunity of necessary shedding of “the old & no longer needed” (remember: the new moon is the same energy as bleeding within our menstrual cycle) and then set an intention for the upcoming month cycle that directs your energy and attention towards expressing your true self & stepping into your highest power.

xoxo. – W

{For more information on this particular Libra New Moon, I highly, HIGHLY recommend reading THIS blog post by the Moon Deck. Reading the insight this new moon sheds on our feelings is like taking a big breath of fresh air & knowing that you’re not alone, you’re not crazy AND you deserve tending. It also has a great NEW MOON RITUAL to do for the next two weeks}.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

MOON MEDICINE: Every new and full moon, I pull a card from my Moon Deck oracle set. Each card has a mantra and ritual that I journal on and practice for the next two weeks. The deck is so beautiful and inspires me to consistently turn inward, in small & intentional ways. Today, I felt called to full a card for YOU, my community. I asked the question, “what medicine does my community need right now?”

The card I pulled was SUCH an amazing answer, totally not what I expected and truly, the medicine we are craving. The card was “When I let others shine, I shine too”. It centered on our need, as women to LIFT EACH OTHER UP and the “charge” (the ritual) was that for the next seven days, you vocally share your admiration for another woman – a stranger, friend, family member or colleague. Are you inspired by her style, her art, her smile, her beauty, her words, her vibe or her achievements? Tell her gracefully and while grounded into your own heart space. 

Why is this important medicine right now? Because with so much divisiveness within our communities and world, we need to remember that CONNECTION is what drives change and initiates compassion + understanding. We are all struggling right now; and we could all use the uplifting boost of being SEEN.

Will you join me in this ritual over the next week?

The Antidote To Overwhelm

by Filed Under: Healthy Living Inspiration, Moming // Parenthood 2 Comments

I had a client and friend this week tell me she didn’t think she could keep going without medication. Her overwhelm and anxiety were through the roof and she couldn’t fathom any effective method of coping other than going on medication. She was at the end of her rope, end of her capacity.

Before I tell you my response to her, I want to ask: how about you? How’s your anxiety? Are you exhausted and/or burned out? Find yourself paralyzed in overwhelm?

What’s happening right now – between COVID, the election, the BLM movement // work, virtual learning for our children, losing access to our “third spaces”, limited social contact and support, working from home, to name a few major ones – it is A LOT. Actually, it’s more than a lot; it’s freaking ASININE. No ONE person can shoulder the responsibility, “work” or headspace that all of these, or even a few of these require. And let’s also be clear that there has never been a point in history where we HAVE had to hold all of these at once AND under one roof.

And what I’ve been hearing – from friends, clients, family and on social media, is thinking, once again, that’s something is wrong with YOU that you can’t “do it all”. 

“What’s wrong with me that _________?”

  • I am not enjoying this extra time with my kids or I don’t feel the joy of motherhood (like I “should” or used to)?
  • I am doing a lot less than “normal”, but I don’t feel like I have capacity for anything?
  • I can’t feel joy right now?
  • I don’t feel connected to my partner?
  • I can’t handle all of this or even the simplest things?
  • I. am. so. angry. and exhausted?

A big problem with this narrative? When you believe something is wrong with YOU, you take it upon yourself to do more (to fix it, of course!) or berate yourself for being ungrateful, incapable or inadequate. 

TRUTH: how you’re feeling more likely means one or more of the following (this list built off an original by the amazing Beth Berry):

  • You have unmet NEEDS that are keeping you from feeling whole and vibrant.
  • You are exhausted and don’t have the SPACE, time or self-permission to rest.
  • You have unresolved trauma stored in your body that’s being TRIGGERED by everything going on & being at max emotional // mental capacity.
  • Parts of you are ATROPHYING – your passion, your joy, your playfulness, your spontaneity and flexibility, etc. – while other parts of you are overworked.
  • You don’t feel SEEN for the (limitless, unpaid) work you do and/or energetic investments you make.
  • You CRAVE deeper connection and more inspiring conversation than most people around you seem to be able to offer.
  • Your nervous system isn’t getting enough BREAKS from chaos and/or hyperarousal.
  • You’re introverted and don’t get enough TIME alone.
  • You struggle to feel WORTHY of investing in yourself while your kids’ (and everyone else’s) needs are given center stage.
  • As much as he cares, your partner DOESN’T QUITE GET IT, which has you struggling not to resent him (I’m speaking specifically to the inability of non-birthing partners to understand the emotional, mental & physical demands of mothering+).
  • You don’t feel as if you’re DOING ENOUGH to make any real difference.
  • You long for SUPPORT, but you don’t know where to find it and don’t always feel worthy of what you desire. Or when you do get space, you find yourself scrolling social media, watching TV or tasking around the house because you feel your time is either better spent “catching up” or numbing out OR you’re not sure exactly WHAT to do to combat the overwhelm and exhaustion that feels “productive”.

The problem isn’t YOU, my darling. It never was. It’s the SYSTEMS you live in/under, the “norms” and unrealistic, life-sucking expectations of our patriarchal society + grind culture, the stories, thoughts & beliefs you hold about what makes a “good” mother // partner // friend // sister // woman that keep you exhausted, burnt out, always striving and feeling guilty for wanting more or being unfulfilled.

 

We need to flip the script.
As one of my mentors Kate Northrup says,
“The secret is not fitting more into our days as we’ve been told.
It’s fitting more of OURSELVES into our days.”

 

Read that again.

There is always a ROOT CAUSE to our overwhelm, anxiety and stress. And the answer is not doing more or sucking it up. For me, in this season of life, the root cause of my stress it’s interrupted sleep (Felix’s night wakings) and running the story that “I don’t have time” to workout, meditate or rest or the space to care for myself well.

Something I’ve found, though? The exact thing you tell yourself you don’t have time for (or isn’t “worth” your time) IS the antidote to the overwhelm, anxiety and stress. And doing that exact thing – standing up for your body & your mental + emotional well-being – is a radical revolution that gives you your power + energy back and transforms your life from the inside-out.

I encourage you to get curious and ask yourself, what is your “what’s wrong with me that ________” story?

Then use the above list of root causes as a starting point to figure out what you NEED to move away from overwhelm and into more ease.

Away from anxiety – which is telling you that something in your life is out of balance* and apathy – which is telling you where you’re overextended & burnt out*  (*thanks chroniconofficial) and into joy and vibrant energy.

Take a deep dive the feelings you’re experiencing and then get clear on the WHY and how you DO want to feel. And tell me (like seriously, send me an email whitney@macksmo.com) what YOU would do to take care of yourself if money, time or support weren’t an issue? And then how can you build that it right now, even if just for 5-10 min per day. It WILL make a difference. In fact, those 5-10 minutes will BE the difference.

So back to my friend. I asked her, “If time, resources, availability of support or money wasn’t a barrier, what would you add to or remove from your day to have space to take care of yourself, fill up your cup or bring you joy?”

Her answer was so simple. So intuitive and also revolutionary. Time to herself (alone) outside in nature. I asked if she felt she could ask her partner to watch their child at some point every day to facilitate this. She thought yes. 

What was keeping her from seeking help or exploring her needs & desires – what stops ALL of us from doing the same – comes from the patriarchal brainwashing that taking time for yourself is selfish; that you should be grateful for what you have and not ask for more; to accept the status quo even if you’re not fulfilled or happy; that doing more and being busy makes you more worthy of love // more valuable // more productive; and that asking for help or not “doing it all” is a sign of weakness and incompetence.

When actually ALL the opposites are true. Taking for your time is essential and non-negotiable. You can be grateful AND desire more. Your productivity will always be limited by the space you dedicate to rest and recharging your mind, body and soul. Asking for help is a sign of strength and having boundaries around your time & energy helps you stand in your innate worth.

I’d love to continue this conversation with you, as you feel called – below in the comments or one-on-one. We’re in this together.

 

If this post resonated with you, please share! I’ll be forever grateful as a small business owner.

 

Make sure you don’t miss a beat of this evolving conversation or my work by subscribing to my mailing list (and follow my Instagram & Facebook) so that you never miss a blog post, recipe, healthy lifestyle tip or workout – all created with your unique female body in mind. And if you’re interested in learning more about aligning your life with your feminine cycle NOW or desire to become a client of mine, please don’t hesitate to reach out: whitney@macksmo.com.

 

NOTES:

  • There are certainly situations where taking medication is necessary and/or helpful. If this is you, I both see you and lift you up. It’s also important to get to the root cause (there always is one) because you deserve and were created to have innate vibrant energy, ease and joy; and be able to feel deeply and fully. It is your birth right.
  • I know there are those whose experience of asking for help or even getting it truly is or feels impossible. If this is you, I encourage you to begin by asking me. With whatever is within my power or resources, I’ll partner with you and am dedicated to helping you transform your current season of life, from the inside-out. I believe you’re here for a reason; and I’m here for that.

Seafood Stew

by Filed Under: Dinner, Main Dishes Leave a Comment

I made a Seafood Stew this week that hit the spot with the weather change AND is amazing in preparation for your period {thanks to the iron – your levels dip during menstruation, protein – help stabilize your blood sugar & omega-3 fatty acids – which can reduce the intensity of period pain}. If you make it, be sure to tag me {@whitney__mack}, I love to see your creations!

 

SEAFOOD STEW:

Ingredients:

  • Grass-fed butter OR organic, cold-pressed: avocado or coconut oil
  • 2 leeks, green part cut off; white part cut in half and sliced
  • 2-4 tsp. minced garlic (depending on how much you like)
  • 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
  • Bone broth (check out my recipe for homemade broth here) – add as much as you like to desired “soupiness”
  • A few stalks of celery, sliced
  • 3 medium sized sweet potatoes, diced
  • 1 yam, diced
  • 1 large can of organic diced tomatoes
  • A couple fillets of fish (ex. halibut, haddock mahi mahi, or salmon – I used wild frozen haddock from Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 lb large prawns, raw, peeled and de-veined ( or sub scallops)
  • Optional: 1 lb mussels clams
  • ½ teaspoon chili flakes or cayenne
  • Sea salt & pepper to taste
  • Optional: garnish with freshly chopped parsley and squeeze of lemon

 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Add oil, leeks and garlic to a large pot. Saute until garlic is browned, 2-3 minutes. While that’s cooking, start preparing the celery, sweet potatoes and yams.
  2. Add tomato paste & Italian seasoning, then stir together. Add a little bone broth and let that simmer while you finish chopping the vegetables.
  3. Add vegetables, diced tomatoes and fish to the pot. Pour bone broth over top – just cover if you want it to be a stew consistency, add more if you like it more soupy.
  4. Cook for 8 – 10 minutes on medium (until vegetables are turning soft).
  5. Add shrimp and cook for 2 more minutes.
  6. Let cool before serving. Option to garnish with freshly chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon!

Energize Your Mornings & Wind-Down Your Evenings

by Filed Under: Healthy Living Inspiration, Moming // Parenthood Leave a Comment

As a parent, one of the first things you do to support your baby in understanding the difference between night & day, awake & sleep is to develop routines – in particular, a sleep routine. The sleep routine might go something like diaper change, PJs on, 2 books, lights out & songs in the rocking chair – you know the drill. The consistency of this routine allows the baby’s nervous system to key into the transition they’re making. The day is done, it’s time to sleep. I’d say regardless of parenting philosophy, this is pretty basic Baby 101.
 

As adults, we’ve learned how to sleep; but most of us forget that just like babies (and children), we also benefit from intentional TRANSITIONS from sleep to wake & wake to sleep. We’ve abandoned any practices or rituals that plug us IN to how we want to feel – to begin & end our days, and instead think we can go go go, until we drop (or hit the pillow). While your body might be exhausted enough to fall asleep quickly, it doesn’t mean that your MIND shuts off (hence middle of the night wakings with a racing mind & the inability to go back to sleep) and it also doesn’t equate to the most restful sleep, either (even if we don’t wake).

 

Here’s the truth: how you begin your day will determine how it feels all day long and how you end your day plays a huge role in how rested + recharged you feel the next day. And they snowball on one another. Good sleep and a focused, energized day takes some intention; it doesn’t just happen. Enter: the practice (or reintroduction) of morning rituals and an evening wind-down routine in order to dock back into your body (your powerhouse)  – to recharge, refuel and restore. Because another unavoidable truth? If you don’t put steps into place to feel how you want to feel, day in & day out, you’ll be at the whim of your external world – and your body, sleep, mood, energy, immunity, metabolism, brain function, hormones – literally everything, will pay for it.

 

In other words, having an energizing morning routine is the difference between rushing through your day feeling overwhelmed, chaotic and unorganized as compared to feeling centered, mentally clear and equipped to tackle your day with ease & flow – because, like I said, how you begin your day sets the tone for the entire day. Starting your day with space and mindfulness also increases productivity and puts you in a better position to feel in control, adaptable and be non-reactive.

 

{photo: Heather Brincko}

Likewise, how you close your day impacts your ability to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system – your “rest and digest” mode – that’s responsible for restful (quality) sleep, optimal digestion and increased metabolism (to name a small few). Contrary to popular belief, being so exhausted that you fall right to sleep does not mean that you’re getting the rest and recharge you need to maximize your health & energy.

 
 
Rituals can & should look different for all of us, depending on what we desire to feel AND what season of life you’re in. They’re meant to fill YOUR cup, so how you go about that matters much less than making it happen, even 5 min is a game-changer. Right now, my morning ritual means sleeping in as I’m up 1-3x per night average with Felix. I used to get up, do some mobility and enjoy my morning beverage wrapped in a cozy blanket taking deep breaths. That’s just not happening right now, and that’s okay. More sleep is what this season calls for. Nighttimes, on the other hand, have become a little more elaborate or at the very least, essential. They typically look something like this, but even so, don’t always include everything, because…LIFE!:
  • A body ritual: doing myofascial release to relieve tension spots or yin yoga to free up stuck energy – both help me physically decompress and move from a state of “doing” to “resting” and letting go of the day. This also include a face // skincare ritual to refresh and nourish my skin and to end the night feeling a little pampered!
  • A water ritual: a shower, bath or foot soak (either with Epsom salts + essential oils) or my personal fave – a hot wash cloth face steam. All serve to fulfill the intention of “washing the day away”.
  • A stillness ritual: this could be a couple deep breaths (using different breathing techniques), meditating, laying down or relaxing in a comfortable seat and listening to relaxing music or a post-reading moment to feel my body sinking into my cozy bed.
  • A gratitude practice: usually noted in my head, though in the past written down, it’s important – regardless of how the day went, to take stock of what went WELL versus ending the day in a negative headspace that fuels stress, anxiety, guilt or shame.
 
Beginning a FEEL GOOD morning & evening ritual to bookend your days can feel super overwhelming. Don’t worry, momma, I’ve got you! I’ve put together a collection of energizing morning and evening wind-down routine ideas to best fit your life and body’s needs into a virtual workshop that includes video tutorials for every ritual idea, a written guide, follow-along movement videos and links to my favorite, time-tested products (all non-toxic & luxurious!).
 
In this workshop, you’ll learn simple & uplifting ways to add more ease, intention and headspace, while decreasing tension, stress and anxiety. BONUS: improve range of motion, mobility and flexibility by incorporating the movement options into your {almost} daily routine!
 
TOGETHER, WE’LL LEARN AND YOU’LL RECEIVE:
Morning Rituals:
– Two energizing morning mobility flows {with follow-along videos to support you post-workshop}
– Simple and doable morning meditation ideas to increase mental space & clarity while boosting oxygen flow, intuition and feel-good vibes all day long
– A how-to on integrating a written daily devotions practice that inspires your mind + soul to expand
 
Evening Rituals:
– 3 sets of evening wind-down stretches (heart & hip openers with counter pose) to help release tension and create easefulness in the body
– 3 sets of myofasical release pairs using the Yoga TuneUp balls to increase muscle function and release blocks
– My four favorite tools for creating instant calm that take under 5 minutes
 
Grab the workshop HERE to start creating the energy, radiance and rest you really need & desire on the daily! 

{Recipe} Cinco de Mayo Special: Killer Tacos & Palomas

by Filed Under: Uncategorized 5 Comments

Cinco de Mayo is happening tomorrow, friends. And in case you didn’t know, tacos are my favorite food and tequila-inspired cocktails are my jam. So in light of the fact that we have Cinco de Mayo falling on a TACO TUESDAY during a CORONA pandemic {this has to make you smile a little, right?!}, I’m sharing one of my favorite taco recipes {with a killer cilantro-cashew cream sauce} and my most popular cocktail recipe – Sparkling Grapefruit Palomas, with you today.

 

Yam Tacos with a Killer Cilantro-Jalapeño Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 yams, cut small into half moons or smaller
  • 1 can organic Garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed (I like Eden Organics)
  • 1/2 package of farm-raised Heritage Pork bacon (optional)
  • 1 avocado, pit removed and sliced
  • 1 can black olives, drained & sliced (optional, but really good!; green olives great too!)
  • 1 cup cashews, soaked (quick tip: boil water & pour over, letting soak for 20 min)
  • 2 heaping handfuls of cilantro leaves (some stem okay)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil (depending on desired consistency of sauce)
  • 2-3 green onions, ends chopped off
  • 1 medium jalapeño (option to pre-roast with other veggies) OR 1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapeños or green chilies (or both if you want!)
  • 2 garlic cloves (skin removed) OR 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • Organic corn tortillas (check ingredients – only corn, salt, lime) OR use Butter Lettuce leaves

 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set out a baking sheet with parchment paper on top.
  2. You want to pre-soak the cashews, but if you didn’t get a chance beforehand, boil some water then pour it over the cashews & let sit for 20 min. 
  3. Prepare the yams and garbanzo beans. Place on the baking sheet and drizzle with coconut // avocado // olive oil, then use hands or basting brush to evenly distribute. Season with sea salt and chili powder. Option to also roast the fresh jalapeño whole. If using, also add 1/2 package of bacon on the pan. Roast for 25 minutes or until yams are cooked through.
  4. While that’s cooking, drain, rinse & chop olives. Strain cashews and place in the food processor with olive oil, cilantro, green onions, green chilies or jalapeño (unless it’s roasting, then add after done – be sure to remove seeds) and garlic. Blend until smooth.
  5. If desired, heat the taco shells in a pan with oil, otherwise serve those tacos up! Layer sauce, yams, bacon (chop first!), chickpeas, avocado and olives and then sprinkle with fresh cilantro. 

 

And just for funsies, in case you’re new around here, be sure you get your hands on this Melt-In-Your-Mouth-Fajitas recipe too, also on my blog.

 

La Paloma: Toss or shake first three ingredients together with ice. Pour sparkling water on top, then add garnish.

  • 2 shots (3 ounces) of high quality tequila
  • Juice from 2 limes
  • Juice from 1 grapefruit
  • Ice to fill glass
  • Top with sparking water or club soda (Topo Chico is my fave)
  • Grapefruit or lime for garnish

 

 

If you try these recipes and love them, please share the love! The sauce for the taco recipe was inspired by my Cilantro-Jalapeno Pistou – a great everything sauce – in my Living Fully Spring & Summer E-Cookbook, which you can purchase HERE to get over 60 real food focused and simple recipes for all occasions! {You can also get more details on the e-cookbook here}. And even better? The Paloma is part of a FREE BONUS of Healthy, Clean Cocktails that comes with the purchase of the e-cookbook!

This “Great Pause” Might Not FEEL That Way

by Filed Under: Healthy Living Inspiration, Moming // Parenthood Leave a Comment

This current season of life we’re in, sheltering-in-place in our homes, is being called “The Great Pause”. While many of us are certainly experiencing a life-as-we-knew-it pause, for many – depending on your financial circumstances, your socioeconomic status, and whether or not you have people at home you’re supporting (like kids or older parents) – to name a few things, IT MIGHT NOT ACTUALLY FEEL LIKE A PAUSE – as in, “you have more time & less ‘to do’”. I have so many mom clients with kids at home saying that this time is / actually feels BUSIER because there’s so much more to manage and do with every member of our family now under one roof. 

Whether you are a family of one, seven or anything between, though, one thing is universal – basically EVERYthing you &/or everyone else used to do alone or together (work, school, play, socialize, exercise, etc.) is now consolidated into one space all the time. It’s A LOT; and I know in many ways, for so many reasons, we are all struggling and/or feeling deeply. 

So in that, I want to know, really & truly – how are you doing? If you feel called, I ask that you please respond to this email & let me know that + in what ways my work could support you more. I’m here to support you and I want to. For me, the answer to “how are you doing” changes by the day – or even by the minute :). So if you’re there too – or wherever you are – I want you to know that I see you and everything you feel is real & worthy of tending. 

And I want to touch on that just for a second – the concept of tending. It’s highly likely that a lot has been coming up for you during this life-as-we-knew-it “pause”. Our pre-COVID lives have come to a halt. And things (like feelings, trauma, negative beliefs or patterns, financial strains, relational struggles, etc.) that we may have been able to avoid or push away with our “busy-ness” are bubbling to the surface. I believe we are being given a sacred opportunity to look at our shadows and repair or heal what we haven’t dealt with. You may or may not be ready. And both are okay. I believe that we hold on certain ways of life until we are fully ready to create another.

 

Personally, here are just a few of the things I’ve been witnessing that need “tending”. In other words, this is what’s been “coming up” for myself, my clients, friends + family during the last month, along with ideas for connecting deeper (and I’d love to hear yours too!):

 

* Our boundaries are being tested, pushed and are also more important than ever. We feel anger, resentment and triggered when our boundaries – both spoken & unspoken (but held) have been violated. Expressing old &/or setting new boundaries is really important to tend to our heart, body & mind.

– – – – – – – – – – 

* The agreements – again, spoken & unspoken – we have with our partner & ourselves need to be re-worked or examined. Like agreements of who does what in the household, how time is split between working & being with the kids, how you’re delegating your time + energy, and how you’re being supported or supporting – to name a few. It’s likely you stepped into “fix it mode” initially and took on way more than before (and you were already at your max). So I’m curious: how can you step away from this pattern of doing it all and share the load or re-work how your energy is spent? What would feel GOOD and fair?

– – – – – – – – – – 

* The (likely negative) belief you personally hold around “worth” and “doing” is being activated. As women, we are culturally raised to believe that our worth comes from how we look and what we do. We feel guilt & shame for not “doing enough” or not living up to the impossible “superwoman standard” that’s been exacerbated right now as all the pieces of our lives that were once separate have collided under one roof.

Take a deep breath and hear me now: My love, your worth comes from WHO YOU ARE, not what you do. Examining the belief you have around this will be HARD. A lot will come up. During these uncertain times where you feel less like yourself, you may try to keep doing more to feel worthy and productive (because we also believe productivity = our value).

I see you and I offer my witnessing to validate your feelings and struggles. You are not alone; and YOUR WORTH is INHERENT, not EARNED. Period. What if you moved from that knowing instead? What if this time were to be a great opportunity to connect deeper to yourself and examine the beliefs that make you try to earn your inherent worth; and accordingly always leave you feeling “less than” or bone-tired. It’s time, my love. You are supported. You are not what you do.

And one special note for my mommas: you are doing ENOUGH. I’m seeing a lot of language around how this time is magical and such a rare opportunity to be with our kids more. And while I do feel this (at times ha ha), I think it’s using the word MORE, that’s the problem. We hear “more” and think that we need to be spending tons more time with our kids. But I don’t believe that’s where the “magic” is. I think it’s in small moments of “more” little opportunities. The getting to be together, un-rushed to “get somewhere” before (at home) school or work begin. The availability to sit and have a moment for lunch together in the middle of the day, or the extra hugs or small conversations we’re getting // having that we normally wouldn’t. PLEASE ditch the guilt for having to work (to provide), for not spending every waking moment with your kids or for not wanting to. Look to the little moments and let go of the “grandiose ones”. And know it’s ENOUGH.

– – – – – – – – – – 

* The quiet of slowing down or even the concept of having nothing to do is triggering and anxiety-provoking. WHY? In part because of the worth belief above, but also because it’s IN the quiet that the stuff you’ve been avoiding comes up to reveal itself. Creating the space to examine these difficult truths or shadows is HARD. But running from it or coping in ways that actually deplete us and perpetuate the feeling is EXHAUSTING. What would happen if you got curious and explored, “What’s the gold (aka wisdom) that I can dig up out of all this dirt (aka the hard sh*t & feelings coming up)? What is it here to teach me?” Some days I still run, but more and more, I’m trying to sit and get curious. It’s really challenging. But me & you? We can do hard things. 

– – – – – – – – – – 

* Your body may need different movement medicine at this time. How you were moving your body before might not work right now. Your physical energy is likely being depleted and used up by other systems of the body due to all the juggling you’re doing and the emotions you’re feeling. You may also experience exacerbated pelvic floor symptoms (like prolapse, incontinence, tension, pain, even a general increased heaviness) or shifts in your period – like spotting, or an irregular or heavier cycle. 

Tami Lynn Kent – women’s health physical therapist, pelvic bowl expert and author of 3 amazing books on the divine feminine + creativity – attributes these physical responses to the root chakra, which is located in our pelvis and associated with things like your security + safety, survival and basic needs (think food, water, shelter, sleep & self-preservation). Seeing as those have been seriously “uprooted” for many of us with current events, an increase or change in physical symptoms within your pelvic region totally makes sense, right? For every physical symptom we experience in this life, there is a traceable energetic root; and so these are all ways that your body is processing what you’re energetically feeling and experiencing. It’s normal and I encourage you to tune in. 

Instead of pushing yourself to move how you “always do” or for feeling shame for not being able to muster the motivation or sustain your performance, ask yourself / your body: “What do I need right now?”

  • To flow and feel free? Perhaps yoga, barre or dance is the medicine you need.
  • To take deep breaths and feel open or ease? Maybe a walk is just the thing.
  • To feel the energy and aliveness of your heart pounding? A moderate-weight, strength training workout with quick transitions may be just what the body ordered.
  • You don’t need to do any HIIT workouts or go on any long runs. But then again, this may also be valid medicine. There’s no right or wrong, your body and situation are unique. I just ask that you check-in and FEEL first, then move. 
  • And remember, as a woman, to feel our best, it’s important to pay attention to the ever-changing energy of our menstrual cycle (or the moon cycle if you’re not cycling for whatever reason) and adjust our workouts accordingly ALL the time – not just in quarantine. This helps preserve + boost energy and mental focus, keeps your body’s metabolism humming and allows you to align with your body’s needs + strengths. If you’re interested in learning more about this, be sure to check out THIS BLOG POST.

– – – – – – – – – – 

* All the hats we wear and things we do daily are becoming one jumbled mess. So taking Intentional Transitions is key to decreasing mental load, while increasing focus and creating a deeper connection to self. It’s a way to feel grounded and help you create more space and separation between all the roles you’re juggling. Before shelter-in-place, you may not have realized all the built-in transitions you relied on for “space”, so let’s explore an example – let’s say you used to get up & leave to workout, then come home, get yourself & kids ready and out the door. Then you drove to work, worked, and came home. After the kids went to bed, you cleaned up, you had some down time, then went to bed. There are 5 different transitions here: home to workout // workout to home // home to school, then work // work to home // nightly duties to bed. All of these transitions integrated into your routine helped you have space for yourself before you stepped into your “separate roles”. Now, with everything at home, these transitions have likely dissipated; and as a result, you’re also feeling scattered and uprooted. So how can you re-create different intentional transitions at home? Here are some ideas to get you started: 

  • A walk before you begin work (a new, more calming commute!). 
  • Spritzing your face with some rose water, lighting a candle and taking 60 seconds for a round of 4-7-8 breathing to energize, shift & focus your headspace when you’re transitioning to/from work and motherhood or other household roles.
  • Working for 50 minutes, then taking a 10 min break for water and some squats with alternating standing side bends. OR, take a quick midday break and do this 10 minute {FREE follow along} Mobility Flow I created for you!
  • Think of how you WANT to FEEL. Then write down a list of anything you can think of that makes you feel that way. Do a few of the small ones as transitions, and maybe schedule one of the bigger ones as a treat to look forward to at some point during the week.
  • Putting a dab of your favorite essential oil on one hand (I love doTerra Wild Orange or Balance Blend, but any will do!), then rubbing your hands together and bringing them to your nose & mouth for a few invigorating deep breaths.

It doesn’t need to be grandiose. In fact, please don’t make it so. 🙂 Allow it to be small. Even so small that it may seem insignificant. These transitions will soon become treasured rituals you  may even want to take out of this “season”!

 

This is in no way an exhaustive list of what’s “coming up” for you // me // us // our world. 

I would love to hear what you’re personally struggling with and hope that this could spark some curiosity and insight. Remember, these are all just my opinions and observations. Everything you need is already inside you, sometimes we just need a little reminding and support to “go there” and trust.

And I know that it’s likely you were expecting my next newsletter to be all about my labor and birth with Will. Don’t worry – that’s coming tomorrow, I promise! 

I’ve been feeling the need to reach out to my community and offer both perspective and support outside of my “story of becoming” into who and where I am now. So thank you for sharing this space with me, I am truly honored to be here with you – during this time and always.

 

If this post resonated with you, please share! I’ll be forever grateful as a small business owner.

 

Make sure you don’t miss a beat of this evolving conversation or my work by subscribing to my mailing list (and follow my Instagram & Facebook) so that you never miss a blog post, recipe, healthy lifestyle tip or workout – all created with your unique female body in mind. And if you’re interested in learning more about aligning your life with your feminine cycle NOW or desire to become a client of mine, please don’t hesitate to reach out: whitney@macksmo.com.

Photos by the wonderful Kate Porter.

Becoming A Mother {Part II}: Labor & Birth

by Filed Under: Moming // Parenthood 3 Comments

This is Part II in my story of Becoming A Mother and all about my labor and delivery with Will {if you missed Part I of this story – all about my pregnancy – you can read it HERE}.

My water broke at a little after 10am on February 28. I was 42 weeks pregnant and exactly 2 weeks past my due date.

If I had not gone into labor on Feb. 28, I would’ve had to transfer care to a hospital and forego my dreams of a home birth. So needless to say, I was pretty stoked. I believed it was all happening for me, just as I’d “planned”.

“The Universe is on my side.” I thought. “I’ve got this.” 

But I had no idea the long road ahead and the unforeseen difficulties I would face over the next 16.5 hours to bring Will into this world…

My labor had a slow start and I didn’t really feel too much for the first few hours. I labored around the house, switching positions often, feeling restless. My midwife on call that day – Traci, came over to my house around noon to check on me and administer IV antibiotics because I had tested positive for group-b strep (something they test for late in your pregnancy). She said she’d be back in about 8 hours, unless my labor progressed faster.

I found myself most comfortable laboring on the toilet – partly because of the Midwive’s Brew (which, because of the castor oil, can cause diarrhea) and also (I have since learned) because it’s one of the places where we are most used to “opening” and the hole in the toilet seat supports that.

Regardless of labor “progress”, almost immediately, I began to implement the hypnobirthing techniques I’d learned.

Hypnobirthing, at its core, is all about the way you breath to allow a mother’s surrender to the natural process of labor. During labor, you have contractions (surges) in order for the baby to move down the birth canal and for the cervix to open. The muscles of your uterus contract (tense) and then relax. The principles of hypnobirthing believe that if you tighten against the muscle tensing (contraction), you are inadvertently interfering with the contraction and will thus experience pain. So by surrendering to the surges via your breath work & entering a self-hypnotic state, you can let the body do it’s work and remain “relaxed”; thus keeping out of the fear-tension-pain cycle I mentioned in my first post.

Hypnobirthing has two types of breath you utilize – I refer to them as labor breathing & birth breathing. For the labor breathing, on your inhales, you imagine filling a balloon (your belly) with air and expanding. On your exhale, you imagine your breath – or the balloon – floating up and out of your body. So the idea is open and release up versus contract and push out/bear down.

For almost 9 hours – from around 11am to close to 8pm, I sat in complete silence, engaging in this “labor breathing” on the either the toilet or the rocking chair in Will’s nursery; and two times in the bathtub. It took all my energy and focus to be present to each surge and breath my way through it. I couldn’t speak or eat. I was given water often, which I sipped through a straw, by my doula and Regan – and I could barely even muster the extra energy to open my mouth to do this. My doula twice gave me honey on a spoon, but that also took more effort than it was worth to me.

At some point during my labor (I had no concept of time), when the contractions began to intensify, my body would shake uncontrollably between surges. I was sitting perfectly still, but my body – especially my legs – would convulse / quiver as if possessed. Then as soon as a surge washed over me, it would stop completely. It was another wild sensation of labor that I had to practice surrendering to versus fighting or controlling, because doing so would impact my ability to stay “above” the surges and relax deeper between them.

Still to this day, my labor with Will is the most mentally & physically intense thing I have ever done.

Yet, through it all – for 9 hours of active labor,

I truly experienced NO. PAIN. 

I know that sounds crazy. Unbelievable, even. But I swear to you, it’s true. Zero pain. I realize it’s the opposite of what we’ve come to believe birth is. The vast majority of representations of birth in mainstream media or television is ALL pain, suffering. And I fully acknowledge that we all will have our own path within birth and sometimes that must BE pain because of where we’re at and what we must go through or learn to become a mother. But it’s also important to know what’s POSSIBLE and what we have the ability to co-create, to imagine, to practice.

And to be honest, it’s STILL challenging for me to even put to words the difference of feelings between the sheer, indescribable intensity of surrendering and opening my whole labor (which was so incredibly powerful and all-consuming) and yet no pain (as we experience and think about pain as hurting). Staying in my breath took everything I had. There were many times when my mind said, “I want this to be over” or “I can’t do this anymore”. During almost the entire time, those 9 hours, Regan was by my side. Encouraging and steady, often silent or using the partner-support hypnobirthing gestures he’d learned, tracing a light touch up & down my leg in symphony with my breath during the surges.

There came a time – I’m guessing around 7pm or so, that I asked to get in the bath for a second time. My doula advised that I stay out of the bath because she said it could slow my labor this late in the game. But I insisted, something in me knew it was right.

When I was in the tub, my breath suddenly changed. I was no longer able to let my exhale breath float up & out of me. Instead, my breath became choppy. It felt like when you’re driving on icy roads and when you brake, instead of coming to a complete & clean stop at a stop sign, your car kinda jerks forward a few times, then stops. Do you know what I’m talking about? It’s so hard to describe, but I could totally show you with my hands / sounds. 🙂 I would inhale up, then my breath would “jerk downwards” 4-5 times throughout the exhale. With this, my body was overtaken with this intense and instinctive desire to push. I told my doula, “I’m ready to push”, but she didn’t think it was possible as she said I hadn’t shown any signs of my labor progressing that far (this was because I had labored in complete silence and showed no “usual” outward signs that typically indicate late stages of labor). Due to the closeness of my contractions, however, my midwife had already been called and was on her way.

I wanted a water birth. Yet somehow, it didn’t then occur to me that this could happen in my small bathtub. But one hangup on remaining there – since I’d tested positive for group-b strep, I had to get another shot before I birthed Will (or at least it was strongly recommended because you’re supposed to get a shot of antibiotic every 12 hours for the health & safety of the baby) and my midwife didn’t want to have to stop me mid-push to administer it, should the labor & pushing take longer than expected.

When Traci arrived – right at this time, she requested I get out of the bathtub to administer the IV antibiotics and check my cervix to see how dilated I was. So I got out of the tub – amidst my desire to push. Looking back, it’s the point in which I feel like I abandoned my knowing in Will’s birth. Where I stopped tuning into my body & trusting. Where I let someone else tell me, “this is what comes next” versus what I FELT viscerally in every corner of my body. For so long, I had such deep regret around this, wishing I would’ve verbalized this knowing to Traci and asked to remain in the tub. But that wasn’t my path, nor Will’s, to arrive Earth-side. We both had more struggles to overcome.

By now it was around 8pm, and my midwife found that I was 9.5 cm (10 cm = fully effaced and ready to birth). So it was confirmed that my labor had progressed to “almost there” using my hypnobirthing techniques and that I likely had gotten the urge to push in the tub. This being my first birth, I thought that’s what the urge // sensation I’d experienced was, but I was unsure & still relying on what other’s told me was happening to me. It wasn’t actually until Felix’s birth that I would have personal confirmation that this WAS for certain the urge to push.

But now, before I could push, Traci and my birth assistant (a midwifery student from Bastyr) got me all ready to administer the IV antibiotic. But we had one problem. Even after putting on a tourniquet, they couldn’t locate a vein close enough to the surface to do it…they said, because I was so relaxed. They couldn’t believe how difficult it was. It took nearly an hour, going back & forth between arms, to successfully give me the antibiotic.

While I was getting poked, Regan and my doula were preparing the birth tub we’d rented. After I’d finally gotten the antibiotic, I climbed into the tub. Again, I felt ready. Determined.

“9.5 cm” I told myself, “He’s here, my baby is finally coming to me. I am relaxed and happy.”
(an affirmation I’d said so many times with the hypnobirthing tracks).

I don’t think anyone could’ve foreseen this flook of an obstruction to my labor – how long it would take to get the IV in – but nonetheless as time wore on, and I continued to labor in the tub, it was clear that my labor had slowed down to a crawl. I was no longer at the same stage where I felt the urge to push like in the bathtub. Even so, I had tried to shift my breathing to the birth breathing of hypnobirthing – also known as “breathing your baby down”. You still focus on expansion and opening on the inhale, but instead of letting the balloon “float up” on your exhale, your direct the breath downward to help “push” the baby out.

After about an hour in the tub with no changes in my surges or urges, Traci thought I should get out so she could assess what was happening while I was laboring // “breathing baby down”. As my next surge came – where I engaged in the birth breathing – she placed her hand inside my vagina and felt.

After a few surges of doing this, Traci then told me that my baby’s head was crooked in the birth canal. That for every exhale breath // pushing or breathing out, his head straightened, but made no forward progress. She said, “I know hynobirthing has worked amazing for you until now. But you’re going to have to really start pushing to get him out.”

What ensued next was 4.5 hours of grueling pushing.

Looking back, what made this stage of my labor so hard was that I didn’t understand how to both open and push. To hold space for both the ease of opening and the effort of pushing – within the same breath.

I had learned how to go inward and surrender to the power of the surges, but I hadn’t learned how to LET GO. That it was about the softening versus anything I would be “doing” (a lesson I would learn many times over in my postpartum & motherhood). Because I didn’t know how to let go; specifically how to let go FULLY in my pelvic floor so that my cervix could complete it’s final opening, I had to push through.

As a fitness instructor, regular exerciser and a woman, I’ve been constantly told my whole life – by media, by my peers, by fellow instructors, by fitness models, by the entire fitness & health industry – that I needed to keep my abs (my “core”) tight all the time.

But the first lesson that I was to learn from my birth was that there was equal value in being strong // having a strong center + core AND being able to fully relax and let go of ALL the tension // engagement. That strength we so value, without the ability to release or fully let go, is hindered; weakened. In exercise, if we’re always holding a muscle tight without equal release, we actually lose contractual capacity of said muscle; we lose power and adaptability. Life and birth, it turns out, are no different.

We are only as strong as our ability to ALSO release.

When I was pregnant, one of the most common things I heard was, “You’re so fit! Birth is like a marathon, you’ll have no problem.”

People told me that healthy, fit people have easier births. Well intended shares I’m sure, but in the end, totally not helpful because it shaped my expectations of what my labor & birth would be like. I neglected a huge piece of essential birth preparation – learning to PHYSICALLY let go of the constant contraction I held in my pelvic floor so that Will could pass through the birth canal. I have since learned, however, that this practice – combining the mental aspect of surrender with the physical release of letting core contractions fully soften – is NOT something we talk to mothers about, nor use as an (at least mainstream) technique to help them prepare. This practice would make the biggest difference in my birth with Felix, and something I work on with all my expecting momma clients now.

In truth, I think we’re doing women a disservice by focusing solely on birth as a physical event or even comparing it to a physical feat. Because it’s NOT like anything we’ve physically ever done before – it’s not about our ability to do & push through, it’s about releasing. About finding the delicate balance to being engaged, yet not controlling. It’s a spiritual event where mind & body surrender to the natural knowing of the body. Never in my fitness practice did I practice “letting go”, “releasing” or surrendering to find strength.

And here’s the other piece of the puzzle – our modern world operates from a primarily masculine paradigm, one that only values logic and the “doing energy”; not rest, intuition or release. Sadly, we women, have bought into this paradigm & subscribed ourselves to mostly existing and operating from this energy on the daily in all aspects of our lives. We’ve accordingly neglected the tending of our feminine qualities and practices – myself very much included. And as such, when we enter into birth – a distinctly feminine space of being, receiving and releasing – we are unpracticed and in unfamiliar territory. What should be natural for us is foreign. I could talk about this for ages – for it has now become my passion & work, but reconnecting to and learning to find the sacred dance between both the masculine and feminine energies would come to be the other vast difference in my birth with Felix.

Speaking of my birth… for last 4.5 hours of my labor, I tried various positions to try to push Will out.

And when I say PUSH, I am not exaggerating. The opposite of my hypnobirthing techniques, it an all out effort of using the full force of my breath, belly & physical body to try to figure out how to move Will through me.

Countless times, Traci would reinsert her fingers, pressing on my perineum and say “push here”. But somehow I could not direct my effort there and release at the same time. 

I tried pushing from a side lying position while Traci held my top leg up. I tried pushing from All Four’s. I sat in a Squat and labored there. I rotated these positions and sank into my determination. With Will, I always had enough rest between surges to gather my energy anew – and for this, I am grateful. Each surge though, it felt like my face and head was going to explode from the effort of pushing. I would grunt and turn red and “push” as hard as I could; just hoping THIS contraction would be the one that made the progress I needed.  I wanted to weep & wallow, but was also unwilling to even take a second to stop if it meant I could get Will out faster. 

Finally there came a time when Traci suggested that I move back to the toilet and labor there until I could feel the top of Will’s head starting to emerge. I interpreted this as good news; thinking I had to be close.

Although I later had the “bathtub regret”, I am so grateful for Traci’s guidance during this whole process. She was so steadfast. She never – in her mannerisms, suggestions or encouragement made me feel like I was either close to delivering Will or really far away from the possibility. It might seem odd, but this “unknowing” kept me going. If she had given me timelines, like “not much longer now” or “you’re getting close, just a few more”, I think it would’ve been harder and I would’ve focused on “getting there” versus being in the moment of every surge individually and putting ALL effort I had into each one. 

And when I was on the toilet, it didn’t take long for me to be able to reach down and feel the top of Will’s head, just a bit. I told Regan and he told Traci and she came in to get me (she was readying the living room space for my birth).

I assumed THE POSITION – for me, that being a squat. Fitting, I know. 🙂 

Regan was sitting on our red couch and my spine was upright against it. I was between his legs, my arms on his thighs and my hands interlaced with his hands, over his knees. Every time I pushed, I would press into his legs to lift myself up. He would later say that he thought I was going to squeeze his hands off and that he could feel the intensity of each push coursing through me as I grounded into his body to hold myself up.

Between those surges, I rested my hips on the ground (still in a wide squat position). I have no idea how many pushes it took, but finally I felt the “ring of fire”. This is when the baby’s head is crowning and the labia + perineum are at their point of maximum stretching (this is right before the final push(es) get their head, shoulders & body out).

To me, it felt like the most intense stinging sensation as the skin stretched. It also felt like a hallelujah and I knew I was finally almost done.

I gathered my energy one last time and pushed Will out into Traci’s hands at 2:33am on March 1…after 4.5 hours of pushing.

I wish I could say that once Will was out, I was elated and reveled in his presence; that time stopped and I felt immediately connected to my baby. But I didn’t. After almost 15.5 hours of laboring and pushing with my eyes closed, I came back to reality feeling hazy. We hardly had any lights on, yet I could barely open my eyes. My face felt swollen and my body drained. When I finally found my voice, I felt out of body when speaking. I held Will and felt like I was living in a dream, everything seemed so unreal. I showed him to Regan (still sitting behind me) and we commented on the crazy cone shape of his head (totally normal I guess, but very shocking). Not exactly the Kodak moment I had envisioned.

I still had yet to birth my placenta, but Traci thought I’d done enough pushing so gave me a shot to help along the process (I have since learned that this is called “active management” to help speed up the delivery of the placenta. Traci pushed on my uterus and pulled the placenta out by the umbilical cord). At this point, I passed Will to Regan to complete my birthing process. Once that was done, I was moved to my bed and holding Will, really saw him for the first time.

He latched well and began to suckle while the midwives tended to me and Regan leaned in. I remember feeling both connected to Regan and disconnected from the moment at the same time. My body shakes returned, this time because I hadn’t eaten in almost 24 hours. While Traci did all the newborn checks, I ate and honestly was still in such disbelief that Will was actually here, I had prepared so much for the doing – the labor, the birth, having our house prepared and all the baby things ready, that I hadn’t really stopped to think about the feeling. What it would feel like to be a mother, to hold my baby. Or for what I would feel afterwards – on all levels – physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally and in every aspect of my being. 

The birth was done, my baby was here and we decided to name him Will Andrew (Patrick was the other hot contender). I had gone through so much to get Will here. Even so, I hadn’t yet begun to LIVE the complete transformation I had just undergone. I had no idea how my life, my body and my entire world would change. I didn’t know that with Will, I also had been born anew. That was one thing I had not prepared for – and it was about to rock my world.

 

{Stay tuned for Part III: Postpartum – Being a Mother & Healing}.

 

ABOUT US

If you are MOtivated to accomplish a goal, you will do whatever it takes to get there. Once you determine your goal, you must set that goal in MOtion. If you were given all the resources along with a step-by-step roadmap to those goals, what is to stop your MOmentum toward that goal?

Read more

LATEST FROM THE BLOG: Put MO In, Get MO Out

The Question That Can Change Your Life & Body {And How You Feel IN Both}

Do You Crash Post-Workout?

Summer Sangria + The Perfect Party Side {or Main Dish}

Get The Meaningful, Fulfilled (Soulful, Joyful, Healthful) Life You Want. Simplified + Supported.

Cycles + Seasons