Okay, okay…I lied! This subject is so very near and dear to my heart that I simply had to post it as soon as I finished writing it…

As I mentioned at the end of my last post, the MOST important aspect of my weekend actually had nothing to do with the conference itself, but the AMAZING women I shared a house with! As an introverted person, it’s a big step to commit to rooming with someone I’ve never met let alone committing to sharing a house with ELEVEN people I’ve never met. WOAH – talk about a leap of faith ; ) But I’m here to tell you it was hands down the best decision I’ve could’ve made!

It almost seems as though the universe had a plan when they put the group of us together and for that, I’ll be forever grateful. This weekend brought together a very unique, diverse set of individuals who all brought some different, but equally important to the table.

This weekend, each and every one of us spent time exploring our emotions and breaking down barriers some of us didn’t even know existed. Tears were shed and laughter was had. My heart is filled with so much love and joy for the people I shared my time in CA with. I learned more about myself this past weekend than I have in a long time and I’m excited to continue exploring and diving deeper into areas I now realize I need to work on.

Life is truly about learning and growing with each passing day. Some days more than others ; ) I can honestly say I am truly blessed to have been introduced to such a wonderful group of people that are now and forever will be near and dear to my heart <3

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I am forever indebted to the ladies (and gentleman) of Casa Blanca!! XOXO

Sorry this post is a little late, after a LONG day of travel on Monday, I spent most of the day resting on the couch yesterday. Shhh, that’s our little secret ; ) Anyway, Day 2 was even more amazing than Day 1. How you ask? Well, let’s see…it was all about business building and quite frankly, I’m in business building mode so it really appealed to me.

Eric Barron started us out talking about D.i.S.C. Behavioral Styles (a more user friendly version of Myers Briggs). I actually just took the assessment and am looking forward to reading more about my styles (S and C for those wondering)! Find out what behavioral style you are here: http://www.tonyrobbins.com/ue/disc-profile.php

Next up were Carey Peters & Stacey Morgenstern of Holistic MBA. I have to admit, I’m a little biased since I’m currently working with them in their More Confidence, More Clients Academy, but these ladies ROCK!

I have to be honest and admit that’s all the pictures/info I have about the speakers. I know, bad blogger! I sort of zoned out and just enjoyed the rest of the conference. Oops. I think you get the gist that this conference and every speaker was pretty freakin’ awesome. How many schools put on such an amazing conference that gives you an opportunity to connect with thousands of like-minded individuals all while giving you resource after resource to succeed?! Let’s just say, I haven’t heard from my alma mater since I graduated in ‘06, but with IIN I am constantly reinvigorated and reinspired by every thing this school does for its students and graduates!

The biggest take away from the conference for me was the importance of primary foods and that is in much thanks to the people I spent my weekend with. I stepped outside of my comfort zone and stayed in a house with 11 other health coaches and will say that hands down, it was the best decision of my life and I can’t wait to tell you all about it….tomorrow ; )

If you’re looking for more perspective or more in depth info about some of the speakers, check out my fellow bloggers!

• Emily Levenson
• Little Blue Hen
• Eat Swell
• Jamie Living
• Whole Figured
• Eat Real Things
• Fit Flexitarian
• Sarah Kay Hoffman
• Moore: Living with Sarah
• Vintage Savoir Faire
• Healthy Crush
• Where I Need to Be
• Natalie Duhamel
• Taste for Healthy
• Kelly Cornell Wellness
• Fitting It All In

WOW! IIN really knows how to outdo themselves. Each and every conference gets better and better! We even received special treatment with a red carpet arrival ; )

First up, one of my FAVORITE people (but I am a little biased as she is MY coach!)…Cora Poage of Sexy, Soul Wellness speaking about intuitive coaching. I can personally vouch that intuitive coaching is AMAZING. Sometimes it really is best to let the client lead a session with what comes up for them. Give it a shot ; )

Aside from Cora, I was most excited to hear from Mark Sisson. While I didn’t really learn anything I didn’t already know, it really drove home my commitment to the Primal Blueprint/Paleo challenge I’m currently doing (more on that soon!).

While the primal way of eating tends to be controversial among many (he claims grains are the worst thing to happen to us), the beauty of IIN is there concept of bioindividuality and for some people, paleo may be just the right style of eating (possibly myself included).

And speaking of IIN outdoing themselves, HOLY COW…they are giving away a CAR! For anyone that refers ONE person during the year, they will be automatically entered to win. How cool is that?!

And BEST OF ALL, IIN will now be equivalent to 40 college credits with National Accreditation! Simply amazing!

Interested in learning a little more about the rest of the speakers? Check out Natalie Duhamel’s blog because she’s a ROCKSTAR and has been blogging after each speaker!

Can’t wait to see what Day 2 brings!!

I LOVE getting mail (like real, FUN mail…not bills!) And what’s better than mail?! A PACKAGE!! When I found the Foodie Pen Pals that Lindsay was hosting, I instantly joined. She’s amazing for pairing everyone up and organizing this whole thing.

I sent a package to Frieda of Purple Oven Mitt, go check out what I sent! I hope she loved it =)

My package came from Lily of Eating for Excellence!

These {gluten free} chocolate chip cookies came at the perfect time. My sweet tooth was raging and I don’t usually keep too many treats in the house. These tasted just likes Famous Amos cookies…yum!

Thanks for everything Lily, I loved my package!!

Some details about Foodie Pen Pals in case you’re interested in participating yourself:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your pen pal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your pen pal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your pen pal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Pen Pals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your pen pal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Pen Pals is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

If you’re interested in participating for March, please send  an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
-WHETHER YOU ARE A US RESIDENT OR CANADIAN RESIDENT. – this is SUPER important so you get on the right list!

You must submit your information by March 4th as pairings will be emailed on March 5th!

I recently completed the Good Belly 12 Day Challenge. And let me say, I’m a BELIEVER!! I’m learning now more than ever that digestive health is extremely important to your health, wellness and general well being. If your gut isn’t healthy and happy, your entire body is out of whack. The easiest (although certainly not the only) way to get your gut in check is by taking probiotics. Enter Good Belly!

From the site:

The Digestive-Immune System Connection

Since 70% of the body’s immune system dwells in the digestive tract, a properly functioning digestive system is essential to maintaining overall health. Learn more about the incredible link between these two systems.

Keeping Your Body’s Bacteria in Balance

They say that life is a balancing act. It’s especially true when we’re talking about the trillions of good and bad bacteria in your body. When they’re out of balance, you might start feeling run-down and out of sorts. Learn more about simple ways you can take charge of your health by reestablishing your microflora balance!

A Probiotic By Any Other Name

Probiotics have proven to be an extremely important factor in human health. They’ve been found to improve core digestive health and support the immune system. But they’re not all the same. Learn more about our patented probiotic, Lp299v, and about how to choose the right probiotic for you.

Suggested Use & Safety

When it comes to probiotics, you can’t get too much of a good thing.  We’ve developed a variety of products to meet your specific probiotic needs.  Learn more about which GoodBelly product makes the most sense for you and how to best consume it for full effect.

I recently finished the 12 day challenge and while its over, my use of Good Belly is just beginning. I had wondered if it was something I would need to continue taking after the challenge or if it was something I could just use from time to time. Well, two days without it and I noticed a HUGE difference. My belly wasn’t as happy and neither was I. So bottom line, my fridge will always be fully stocked!

It’s just 30 days away from Integrative Nutrition’s next conference and this time we’re hitting up the west coast! I’m SO excited because I’ve never been to California and who couldn’t use a dose of warmth and sunshine in early March?! I know I can!

My airline ticket is bought (miles have me flying first class…woohooo!), lodging arrangements are made (staying in a beautiful house with a large group of awesome women!), and awesome activities are piling onto the itinerary (hello Happy Hour & Ambassador luncheon!). Needless to say, I’m stoked. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg…IIN has an incredible lineup of speakers ready to dish out the latest and greatest in the nutrition world!

While it’s hard to choose who exactly I’m most excited about, if I had to pick it would have to be Carey Peters & Stacey Morgenstern because they ROCK. I’m currently working with them in their More Confidence, More Clients Academy and I’m lovin’ it! An extra dose of their love and energy is ALWAYS welcome. I’m also super excited to see they’re bringing back Eric Barron because he gave an amazing presentation at Rock the Ripple Effect, which I unfortunately missed due to being filmed by the school (it’s okay, totally worth it!).

So what’s not to be MEGA excited about?! I can NOT wait to be surrounded by my tribe of people who continue to motivate, support, encourage, invigorate, and most importantly LOVE me for ME =)

See you all there!

P.S. Can’t make it?! Tune in here because I’ll be blogging about it all weekend long!

I’ve been meaning to sit down & write this post for several days now, since January 17th to be exact, but blogging is a lot like exercise for me and once I fall off the wagon, I struggle to hop back on. But alas, here I am ready to start blogging again!

As you may know, on December 27th, we lost our precious pup, Amber. It was just a short 10 days prior that we found out she had cancer. Unfortunately it has progressed so quickly that she was suddenly taken from our lives. It was a very difficult time for us as the world we knew was completely turned upside down. For those of you who have pets, you know exactly what I’m talking about. For days, I couldn’t even talk about her without sobbing. I missed her dearly and I was lost without her. Enter my AMAZING coach Cora! During our session, through my sobs, she suggested speaking with a colleague of hers, Cara Gubbins who is a Spiritual Intuitive (also known as a pet medium). 

I immediately setup an appointment with her for Tuesday, January 17th which also happened to be Amber’s 7th birthday and exactly 3 weeks since we lost her. I can not thank her enough for the AMAZING session we had. Amber left our world so swiftly that we were left grasping for answers and comfort. With Cara’s help, she was able to connect us to Amber and assure us that her life with us was amazing and she loved us deeply. She gave signs to help assure me that without a doubt she was conveying Amber’s truth. Since speaking with Cara, I feel so much more at peace with her passing and realize I will be forever connected with our sweet girl. Later that evening, I was able to sit and talk with Amber and while doing so, feel her presence in my lap (her favorite place to sit). Truly magical!!

Hands down, the most beneficial thing I could’ve done for myself to help move thru the grieving process. I still, and always will, miss her dearly and would love nothing more than to be snuggled on the couch with her right now, BUT I can say having that session eased the pain tremendously. I can now speak about her with joy in my heart and wonderful memories that I will forever cherish.

These are two paintings I had done to memorialize our sweet girl. Mica Galleries did an AMAZING job! The detail and precision is out of this world and I couldn’t be happier with the turnout. We’ll always have our angel watching over us!

Back to regular scheduled programming ; )