 Written by: Jacqueline Stahl
Across the street from my childhood home lived my first Mentor. She and her husband Morris drove a rusted red Volkswagen bus from Seattle to our little rural town in Connecticut in the late 70's. I babysat constantly for their two daughters and fed their flea loving cats when they traveled.
Lori taught me things that my mother wasn't experienced in. She introduced me to yoga, meditation, vegetarian cuisine and the dangers of deodorant. I watched in awe as she breast-fed her infant. She chewed apples, pears and bananas while spitting it out into her hand to feed her children.
Lori made delicious organic peanut butter and lit incense while espousing the healing benefits of massage. This Hippie Earth Mother didn't bother with fast food, body odor, bras or bikini waxes. She really didn't care what anyone thought about her, because she never seemed to judge anyone herself.
One day I caught my brothers spying on her from our front yard behind a tree as she sunbathed in the nude. She knew. She didn't care. She was free. I envied her. I could tell her anything. She believed in me.
Lori was filled with esoteric information and philosophical perspectives about relationships, Buddhism and love and I was her enraptured student. When her daughters were asleep I would tip toe into Lori's Bedroom and pull the Joy of Sex off the shelf and gaze at all the sensual positions and intimate lovemaking techniques. My heart pounded and my thighs were on fire as I memorized each page. I was physically very inexperienced, but mentally the seeds were deeply planted for my future escapades. I was building and dreaming my own mystical foundations of love and passion. I definitely struggled with my Catholic upbringing and the fear of God visiting me during my research:
“Thou shall have pure thoughts Jacqueline
and thou shall abstain from premarital sex! Amen.”
I devoured her books on Creative Visualization, Sexual politics, Our Bodies Ourselves and my favorite, Love, by Leo Busgaglia. I wasn't content with hugging the periphery anymore. My curiosity was ravenous and I began asking uncomfortable questions. Lori patiently listened and honestly answered.
I was no longer struck motionless inside my adolescent mind and body. Perhaps my new confidence was borrowed at age 14, but I was encouraged to wake up and stretch and I'm still stretching and opening my mind and my heart. Thank you Lori!
Love and Light,
Jacqueline Stahl
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 Written by: EDWIGE GILBERT
Have you ever wondered what the true definition and meaning of the word emotion is? As women we are often accused of being too emotional, and often we simply agree, wishing we weren't. The real problem, I believe, is not having too many emotions, but actually is not knowing how to have our emotions flow in harmony and balance. Consider changing your perspective and looking at the word emotion as “E-motion” meaning "energy in motion." Look at it this way, and you can see that too much E-motion can create an excess and imbalance of energy in the body, which in turn directly impacts our health and leads to “dis-ease”, thus the ease of the body is dis-rupted. We all agree that we cannot avoid our responsibilities and obligations in our lives. We also agree that we are constantly bombarded with challenges, which in turn throw us out of balance and create excess ‘E-motion’. We have now entered a complete vicious cycle: from emotions to stress, and from stress back to more intense emotions, looping around again and again... Let us ask ourselves this question now. Does all this mean that the perpetual emotional roller coaster ride we experience will condemn us to suffering and sickness? No! What we need to learn is how to get off the roller coaster ride and understand how to return to a safe place within, to a state of emotional balance and optimum health and strength. In my Fresh Start program I teach my clients how to achieve this result, by teaching them how to transform stress into strength with a fundamental two step process called “The Clearing and Creating formula”: 1. ”Clearing” the present from any anxiety or fears that hold you back, then accessing a quiet place within, where you can relax and feel safe. 2. ”Creating” the future, imagining the person you would like to be with and the life you would like to live. You can also learn to change your beliefs about what happens to you. For instance, you could start believing that you have the power to transform your life and to imagine that the universe tests you at times, to see how you will respond to conflict and challenge. Have you ever questioned what would happen if you chose to welcome every challenge as an opportunity to develop courage, discover your inner strength and resiliency? Have you ever wondered what would happen if you chose to feel victorious instead of victimized? This choice is yours and yours alone, and will determine the state of your well-being. Having said that, let’s find out what practical steps you could take every day to reach, and most importantly, to maintain this emotional balance in your multitasking, hectic life. I have created a series of rituals and exercises that I promise, if practiced daily, especially for the first 21 days (necessary time to create a new mental conditioning), will have a very powerful and positive effect in your life and will simultaneously create more “Joie de vivre" (French for joy). If you seriously want to be successful with this process, I suggest that you start believing that you can, that you are worthy of feeling good about yourself, that there is always light waiting for you at the end of the tunnel, and most importantly, celebrate every day as if it were your last: • When you first wake up in the morning, stretch your arms above your head and declare to yourself: ”I am happy to be me, I welcome the world of infinite possibilities, I Can, I Do, I Will! Victory to me, victory is mine." • When a difficult moment arises, imagine yourself holding a sword of fearlessness in your hand as you walk boldly forward to meet the challenge. • When you feel very anxious, gently wrap your left thumb with the fingers of your right hand, hold it for 1 minute, and as you do, breathing deeply, imagining all your worries melting away. • When you encounter a challenge, see it as an opportunity to test your courage and to develop your strength of character. • When you want to experience some calmness in your day, take a deep breath in and say to yourself the word “calm." And as you exhale say the words “let go” and begin to imagine your mind like the silent bottom of the sea without a ripple of thought disturbing its surface. • When desiring more confidence and energy, think of your belly as your power center, and as you breathe, gather all your energy supplies into that space and smile. • When desiring change, release your will power, activate your subconscious power instead and imagine yourself the way you want to be. Now – You are ready to experience joy, love balance and positive energy. Merci, Edwige, Author of The Fresh Start Promise
 Are you someone that wakes up in the morning obsessing about your to-do list from here to eternity? Or, are you someone that takes a moment and a breath and is grateful for a good night’s sleep, letting the day unfold as it may? I don’t know about you, but the days that I look at the cup flowing over, everything seems to really work out in my day and in my world. See how starting your day with a new, positive attitude will bring about a whole new energy and way to be. Aren’t you excited to start today? Here are the steps that you should follow to have a positive day: Think One Positive Thought: So much of our attitude in our lives is decided by what our thoughts are when we wake up in the morning. Coming from a true, positive place will set everything in alignment for you throughout your day. Hug Yourself: Lately, I have started wrapping my arms around me first thing in the morning, giving myself a morning hug and saying, “i adore me.” This evokes my self-love, that I’m going to be ok and that I’m ready for my day. Mirror Talk: As you look at the reflection in the mirror first thing in the morning, what do you say to yourself? Are you looking at yourself and loving what you see or are you being harsh and critical on that reflection? It’s so much better when you look in the mirror and say: “I’m going to have a great day today,” rolling up the corners of your mouth, letting that smile just peak through. With or without makeup, you are beautiful…but you need to feel that. Take one to two minutes out of your morning, looking in the mirror and have a positive conversation with yourself about what you are going to do during the day. Take an Invigorating Shower: The next step to having a positive day is enjoying your shower. In order to enjoy your shower, don’t run your to-do list in your head. Put on some upbeat music and/or just let the essence of the water invigorate your body. Water makes you feel fresh, alive and clean. Let it do its job. Envision Your Daily Color: Still in the shower, envision what you want to wear and what color is going to be in your day. For example: “Today the color I want to wear is orange to give me courage” ( click here to find out how to use color positively in your world). Then incorporate orange from what you’re going to wear to what healthy orange foods you’re going to put in your body for breakfast, to feeling that sunny nature and the sweetness of the color orange. Immediately you will feel so good. Meditate: After the shower and envisioning your color of the day, take a few minutes and put on some calming and meditative music, sit up straight in a chair (or upright on your couch) with feet planted on the ground, feel yourself connected to the earth and allow yourself to relax. Close your eyes, take three breaths in and out and allow the moment to just be this beautiful, precious moment of peace. You will not believe what a difference taking these two to three minutes will make in starting your day. Use an Essential Oil: An essential oil is also a wonderful way to give yourself a positive outlook for your day ( click here to find the list of essential oil options). There is a wonderful assortment of blends to make you feel empowered, relaxed or even to awaken you. The “Awaken” blend is one of my favorites, making me feel alive. It truly gives me that essence of feeling happy. Eat a Healthy Breakfast: The last thing before you leave the house is to put some wonderful nourishment in your body. Think about your color of the day and find a way to incorporate it in your meal in a natural way. An example: If orange is your color of the day, eat a piece of orange, an apricot or an orange piece of melon. Have some healthy greens (like spinach or kale) to give you energy and vitamins, protein such as a hard-boiled egg and a fresh piece of fruit. This gives your body energy, brainpower and a wonderful way to start that positive day of yours. So now that you have a wonderful list to start your day, follow these steps. See how great you’re going to feel: the positive change you are going to bring into your life and the people you will meet. Aren’t you ready for that? *Please comment below and share with your friends.* Hugs, Betsy Karp, Founder of i adore me
 It was the perfect summer night. I had made chicken skewers with onions, tomatoes and peppers, marinated in honey teriyaki sauce with a little bit of peach marmalade, a pinch of sea salt and a splash of lime. I also made a delicious, fresh cilantro and corn side dish shucked right from the ear and a watermelon, feta, mint salad as well. Cooking relaxes me, it inspires me, it nourishes me and it gives me hope. It also brings me back to my artistic days of creating something that I can enjoy. Cooking is all about experimenting and having fun. I love sharing what I make with wonderful friends, family and clients. Food feeds our minds, our bodies and our souls. It gives us energy and a sense of true contentment. There’s nothing like a good, homemade meal. So many of my clients tell me that they can’t cook, because they are single and that it’s too much work with no one to share it with. My response to them is “try something new. You may be surprised how much you enjoy it.” Cooking for yourself, can actually uplift your mood, your state of being, as well as your health. For so many years I have been single and I make myself a beautiful meal. And I ENJOY it! I do, by the way, also enjoy having others over to eat the food I’ve prepared. It’s fun to share in conversation, the delicious meal you’ve made and discuss what happened during your day. When was the last time you cooked for yourself or someone in your life? Maybe you don’t cook because you don’t know how to. There’s a solution to everything. Want to learn how to prepare amazing foods for yourself and others? Treat yourself. Check out Betsy’s Bites… *Please comment below and share with your friends.* Hugs, Betsy Karp, Founder of i adore me
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