I have chanted the sound Om before and after yoga classes thousands of times. When I felt and heard the sound of Om reverberating off the walls in the actual room of my home yoga studio in Columbus, Ohio, for the first time in more than a year, I was awestruck. The...
Inadequacy covered me like a smothering blanket. Typing up the description to our first-ever foray into teaching a Mindfully Embracing Anti-Racism series, I heard the whispers of nagging voices in my head saying, “Who are you to do this?” and “You don’t know what...
I don’t remember much from sixth grade, but I have vivid memories of my teacher’s after-lunch reading ritual. The ritual was simple: We’d read our way through a book, a chapter at a time each day after lunch and recess. I’m terrible at remembering details, but somehow...
When I started doing yoga, I mostly did a physical practice. Yoga teachers love to give beginners a chair pose. It’s simple – sit your hips back like you’re about to sit in a chair and then raise your arms over your head. I wasn’t particularly athletic when I began,...
Nicole is excited to have filmmaker and educator Lindy Boustedt takeover her blog this week! It was early February 2020 and I was waiting to see a neurologist for the very first time. Migraines were happening at an ever-increasing rate – sometimes three a week – and...
What do self-care and self-love have to do with leadership? Everything. I bet you’ve worked for someone who was a nonstop worker. Someone who jettisoned vacation plans when even minor emergencies arose. Someone who worked long after everyone else left the building....
Warning: This blog post is going to get a little woo-woo. I’m not inclined toward long flights of ethereal new age speak or reflection on religious mysticism. But this past year has been a very different time. So strap in for a little woo-woo. When social distancing...
Ahhhhhh … Did you feel the collective exhale? Well, at least among more liberal/progressive people, a communal sign slipped out on Saturday morning when we learned that Joseph Biden Jr, and Sen. Kamala Harris were now the presidents and vice president-elect,...
https://youtu.be/KBqT8nYryxM The light, unexpected rain began to lift as we found our hiking group near the lower shelter at John Bryan State Park in central Ohio. It was mid-October and this was one of the first group hikes planned for the duration of the 2020-2021...
https://youtu.be/ZfPdSdCsKr0 We ask the wrong questions. All the time. Maybe it’s the former journalist in me, but I always yearn for us to ask better questions. Lest you think I get it right all the time, I promise you I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. In my...
https://youtu.be/BqdBo1dH6AQ Sometimes sitting in meditation just sucks. There. I said it. People often regale us the stories of blissful, releasing, or enlightening experiences they have. Those times happen, but they are few and far between. My typical practice often...
Many of our routines and rituals have been upended this year. Give yourself a gift this fall by registering for my next online retreat, Reinventing Ritual. We'll discuss what about our past rituals and celebrations have given us purpose or joy, how is the current...
https://youtu.be/nlz9yo3kkvM This just might be the best Birthday Month. Ever. Seriously. Who would have thought that - in a pandemic - my birthday month could have reached this level of awesomeness. Not even I. When I launched my Birthday Month of Connections, I...
When I began planning my crazy Birthday Month of Connections event series, I seriously wondered if anyone would show up. It’s summer, and people want to be outside. People are tired of being on Zoom. “People wouldn’t be interested in hanging out for my birthday,”...
https://youtu.be/2m1RQyb87AI Come network. It's my birthday. Celebrate with me all month during my virtual #BirthdayMonthOfConnections events. Schedule of remaining events here. Birthday hats optional. ***** All I wanted to do was bring cupcakes to class. But, alas,...