I have often wondered about the people who come up with the nail polish names. Is it a team of people sitting around a conference table brainstorming with a white board? Are the names submitted by customers? Does the OPI nail polish company have one person whose title is Nail Polish Namer who is solely responsible for all of the extremely creatively named shades? I recently went to a local salon for a ‘mani-pedi’. This was something BK (before kids) that I did on a somewhat regular basis. As I often say to my clients, students and in my blogs, if you cannot remember the last time you did something, then it has probably been way too long. That was the case for me with manicures and pedicures. I have used the excuse “I’m too busy” for many years now. Suffice to say, I was long overdo.   "Tickle My France-y" was the name of the lovely neutral shade that I chose at the nail salon. As I sat there enjoying the many amenities that come along with a manicure and pedicure (hand massage, hot stone leg massage, essential oils soak, neck rub, and hot towels), I felt a bit guilty about the seemingly over-the-top indulgences. Then, as I watched the dead skin cells and very ragged cuticles being removed from my hands and feet, I had a major “ah-ha” moment...this is not an indulgence, this is part of an important self-care plan. Anyone who regularly gets a manicure knows what I experienced...each fingernail is treated as if it is the most important part of your body and the manicurist pours all of his (or her) attention into creating a mini work of art out of each and every one of your fingers and toes.I did not expect that I would gain perspective on life while sitting in the nail salon. Read More

At the time that I am writing this, the latest super hero movie “The Avengers: Endgame” has grossed over 2.2 BILLION dollars! Based upon that statistic, I feel as if I may be the only person who has yet to embrace the blockbuster movie franchise. The movie brings together many of the super heroes who are represented in the Marvel Comics such as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Ant Man, Captain Marvel and the Hulk, just to name a few. Each has his or her own super power such as controlling lightning, super strength and regeneration. From what I have heard, fans of this genre enjoy these movies not only because of the “escapism” that the story lines provide, but also because they find what the characters do with their super powers to be inspiring.   There is a cocktail party question that asks “If you could have any super power, what would it be?” Have you ever given this question any thought? What would you wish for? Supersonic hearing? The ability to fly? Invisibility? Time travel? Water breathing? Night vision? Telepathy?   Read More

We have officially entered party season...the Kentucky Derby, Cinco de Mayo, Graduations, Confirmations, Communions, and Memorial Day are all upon us. There are lots of upcoming opportunities for you to fill up both your calendar and your dance card! My family is busy putting the finishing touches on a celebration for our eldest son’s high school graduation. The big question: piñata or no piñata? I have been told it’s not really a party without one.   Did you know that piñatas have a long, rich and colorful history? The candy and toy-filled paper-mache creations date back as far as the 14th century. If you are thinking that when it comes to party piñatas, “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all”, then think again. The days of the boring and plain piñata are long gone. They now come in all shapes and sizes and there is one for every occasion. As I try to find one that says “congratulations, you did it!” and ponder what candy to fill it with and what size sticks to hit it with, I am reminded of something my high school Mock Trial teacher/coach used to say: “Don’t give the devil a stick to beat you with.” As we worked to prepare the persuasive arguments that we would present when we were “in court”, our teacher made certain that our testimonies were rock-solid, with no loopholes. He often reminded us that if we tipped our hand by answering a question with too much information, we might as well hand a stick to the other team to beat us with. “Make sure you don’t give the devil a stick to beat you with!” became the team’s mantra. Read More

  A very funny video went viral this past week. A Mom from Texas posted a video of what happens when you are busy getting ready for work and you forget to hide the dog shears.Her five year old son used the clippers to give his younger sister and brother haircuts. You have to see the video for yourself to believe it! My sister and I had a similar incident when we were toddlers...fortunately for us you can’t do as much damage with kindergarten scissors as you can with electric hair clippers. The toddlers’ video has received over 5 million views and their Mom Stephanie has received praise for the calm way she handled the ‘Edward Scissorhands’ hacking of her kids’ golden locks.bad hair day”, you will think differently about your own hair after having seen the new look of Stephanie’s kids. For me, the incident brought to my mind a song called “I Am Not My Hair” that was written and recorded almost 15 years ago by the singer-songwriter India Arie. The song was written after India watched Melissa Etheridge’s performance at the 2005 Grammy Awards where she appeared bald after having undergone chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. The lyrics go like this:   “I am not my hair I am not this skin I am not your expectations no no I am not my hair I am not this skin I am a soul that lives within...”   Read More

There are times in your life when you accomplish something so monumental and important that you want to make sure you have a WITNESS! When you catch the big fish, make a basketball shot from half-court, or reach the top of the rock wall, it sure feels better knowing someone is there to capture that moment and corroborate your story. Former President George W. Bush had one of those moments recently...he got his first-ever hole-in-one while playing golf...and fortunately the three other guys in his foursome were there to witness it! I loved what he said that day: “Next golf goal: live to 100 so I can shoot my age!”My golf score is much higher than that, so I would have to live to 120!   Wanting to live to 100 is no longer an unreachable goal. Believe it or not, as we often hear about other things, “there’s an APP for that.”"Living To 100" is an app that you can put on your smart phone or your tablet and is based on the popular book with the same name - Living to 100. The app provides you with a Life Expectancy Calculator which uses the most current and carefully researched medical and scientific data in order to estimate how old you will live to be. You are asked 40 questions about a variety of important topics including your family medical history, lifestyle, nutrition and how you handle stress. It did not surprise me that the life expectancy calculator includes so many questions on stress. Doctors routinely report that over 80% of their patients’ office visits are due to medical conditions related to stress. April is Stress Awareness Month so there is no better time than now to address this topic. Many of the health issues that we all regularly deal with (headaches, digestive distress, neck and back pain, blood sugar imbalances) are due to what Time Magazine called America’s # 1 Health Problem - the stress epidemic.   Read More

This past weekend, an historic event took place at the Augusta National Golf Club...and I am not talking about the annual Masters Tournament. The very 1st ever women’s event took place there - the Inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship. The event was established to increase the interest and participation in women’s golf and to inspire younger female golfers to take up the sport. The winner of the tournament was Jennifer Kupcho, the world's top-ranked amateur, who is a 21 year old senior at Wake Forest College. Everyone is talking about how well Jennifer golfed, particularly the fact that she played her final six holes in five under par, including an eagle on the par-five 13th hole and birdies on the 15th, 16th and 18th holes.   As impressive as those playing statistics are, what blew me away was when I found out that during the tournament, Jennifer was suffering from such a severe migraine headache that her vision was completely blurred and she could not see her own golf ball! In a recent interview, when Jennifer was asked how she could have played golf so well with impaired vision, she said that it was possible because she frequently practiced with her eyes closed. I find this astounding! I should not be surprised by this concept....after all, I remember when decades ago Michael Jordan famously shot a free throw with his eyes closed and my high school typing teacher blindfolded us so we would be forced to memorize the key positions. Additionally, my eldest son regularly plays the piano with his eyes closed and I often encourage my Qi Gong students to “go with the flow” by shutting their eyes as we practice the movements. The part I never contemplated about this “eyes closed” practice was just how helpful this technique can be to your brain. Closing your eyes prompts your brain to engage in a higher degree of activity since you are forced to use your other senses and pay more attention to what you are doing instead of relying on your eyesight to do the job for you.   What if we tried this technique with other aspects of our lives? Read More

It’s not what you expect to hear from a Health Coach: “Put down the Pedometer!” I want you to strip that device off of your ankle, remove it from the clip on your belt, and stop looking at the rings on your fancy watch. My advice to you today, as startling as it may sound, is to take a pass on the pedometer. This is because I have something else in mind for you...and it has to do with the beautiful country of my ancestry...the one shaped like a boot...yes, I am talking about none other than Italy. There is a daily tradition that is part of the culture in Italy that is known as “La Passeggiata"...which is a beautiful way to say “the evening stroll”. The name originates from the verb passeggiare, which means ‘to walk’. La Passeggiata is a ritual that Italians, and tourists visiting Italy, take the time to enjoy nearly every day – relaxing and walking through the pedestrian streets. The walk, which may be short and is taken purely for pleasure, typically happens between the hours of 5-8 pm, after meals. This daily walking ritual, which originated in the south but is now happening all over Italy, may involve a variety of things - window shopping, chatting with friends, “taking a coffee”, sightseeing, admiring great works of art, or stopping for a gelato or an aperitivo. The one thing missing is that no one is counting the number of steps that are taken! This cultural phenomenon is so special that it is not uncommon to see entire families walking together. Now that’s my idea of “FaceTime”! Read More

It’s a phrase you hear often....expect the unexpected. What images are conjured up when you hear those three words? I think of preparing for a sudden storm, a power outage, a significantly delayed flight, or a surprising election result. I also think about something my Grandmother and Mother often said to my sisters and me, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” Most of us were raised with a similar mindset...that we should ‘always be prepared’ because life will certainly deliver the unexpected.   What happens when YOU are the UNEXPECTED? I bet there have been times in your life when you did something that was different than what was expected from you and you surprised your loved ones. If that is the case, then you and the famous singer Taylor Swift have something in common. The iHeartRadio Music Awards were presented last week and Taylor Swift received the award for “Tour of the Year”. The award came as a shock to many, particularly Taylor’s critics, who had predicted that her recent musical tour would fail. In Taylor’s own words: “I think one of the most wonderful things about the way this whole tour turned out, is that for the entire six months leading up to the tour, every headline I read about it was that this is going to be a massive failure — this is going to be a flop tour...and that I was going to be playing to nearly empty stadiums. I've learned a lot, and one of the things I've learned is that life is really unpredictable, and people can make forecasts and make predictions, but those predictions and forecasts may not come true.” Taylor’s tour was actually the highest grossing United States music tour ever! Talk about the unexpected!   Have you ever done something that was unexpected? Did you take a job in another field? Asked for a raise or promotion? Started a new workout routine? Traveled to someplace exotic? Joined a new club? Whatever your unexpected accomplishment was, perhaps you surprised yourself as much as you surprised your friends and family. Read More