Live Joy

  When I became a mom, I read all the baby books. I knew what swaddling was, had a list of puree combinations, and could recite sleep schedules like it was nobody’s business. There was so much guidance for those early years. Mom Groups. Playdates. Milestone charts. But no one told me what it would feel like to watch your baby walk into high school soccer practice with half the team driving themselves or how it feels when your eighth grader is now giving you tech tips and reminding you of the latest trends. No one prepares you for the feelings you get   to have to be on your tippee toes to give your kids a hug and kiss because you are now the shortest one in the family. This week, school starts again. My oldest begins high school, and my youngest starts his final year of middle school. It’s a beautiful, bittersweet milestone. One that makes me pause. In five short years, both of them will be in college. And the day-to-day rhythm that has defined motherhood for me, wakin...

  These days, we’re all so busy. Between picking up and dropping off kids at practice, working, traveling for work, making dinner, cleaning the house, squeezing in a workout, there never seems to be a moment to just… stop. If this sounds familiar, you’re exactly who I’m talking to. It’s time to get intentional with your time and give yourself permission to slow down, even if it’s just for 5 or 10 minutes a day. Everyone deserves at least that much space to let your body and mind relax and simply be still. I can already hear what you’re thinking:   “I don’t have time for that.”   “I can’t shut my mind off.” But here’s the truth: you do have time for what matters, and everyone can learn to quiet their mind. Like any skill, it just takes practice. You won’t master it on day one, but the more you show up for yourself, the easier and more enjoyable it becomes. So, how do you get started? It’s called meditation, and no, it doesn’t have to involve chanting, light...

  I was talking to my health coach in England this week, telling her about all the tests I’ve been doing a gut test, a DNA test to figure out what workouts and food are “best” for my body. She started laughing and said something that really stuck with me: "You Americans have all these tests and supplements, I have some clients taking 30 supplements a day! Here, we just eat healthy, move our bodies, and get good sleep." It made me pause because she’s absolutely right. Over the last 12–18 months, I’ve been on a bit of a roller coaster: perimenopause, weight gain, weight loss, weight gain again, frozen shoulder, more bloodwork and tests than I can count, diet changes, running a half marathon, and trying a dozen different “solutions.” But her words reminded me of what I already know   and what I would tell anyone else if they asked: keep it simple. Eat real, whole food. Move your body every day. Get 7 – 9 hours of sleep a night. Somewhere along the way, we’ve overco...

  Let’s talk about something that doesn’t always get the spotlight: real friendship . Not surface-level. Not social media perfect. Not “only shows up when it’s convenient.” I’m talking about the kind of friendship that feels like home . A real friend is someone you can talk to about anything without fear of judgment. They don’t just listen to you, they see you. The messy parts. The dreams. The doubts. All of it. And they cheer you on without a hint of jealousy because your success makes them genuinely happy. A real friend doesn’t always tell you what you want to hear. They tell you what you need to hear. They’ll call you out when you’re wrong, not to hurt you, but to help you grow. Because they love you that much . They’re the ones who show up when life is beautiful and when it’s broken. They’re consistent. Honest. Loyal. Rooted in your life in the best way. In today’s world, it’s easy to feel like we have 100s of “friends.” We connect with people from high school,...