Nobody warned me about Peppermint! When I first started to learn about herbs, peppermint (Mentha piperita) was always part of the curriculum. It is safe, effective and easy to use. Now that I am a master herbalist I teach all my students about the power of peppermint. It has become a mainstream herb that most people recognize and tea bags are now readily available on the shelf of your neighborhood grocery store. But I always give the warning. Peppermint has been an important plant for much of recorded history. The Pharisees paid their tithes with peppermint, Romans crowned themselves with wre ..read more

Everyone has a time in life when they recognize that they are no longer living in the moment. You may look at things going on around you and feel hopeless and stuck, like you are on autopilot and things just happen to you, rather than you being the one in the driver’s seat. Finding a way to get emotionally unstuck so you can enjoy life once again can be key to helping you get the most out of life. While many things can cause you to get stuck in life, from a mental health condition to a big trauma that goes on in your life, there are also many steps you can take to help yourself get restarted ..read more

It seemed so easy at the time. A simple business marketing class that had us list monthly themes. Maybe I should have tried harder, not gone for the obvious but I chose self-love as my theme for February. It never occurred to me that I would have to think about my own self love in order to move that theme forward. Confession time….sometimes I find self-love very difficult to do. Most of the time I believe myself to be a good person. To be worthy. To be of value. Other times the self talk in my head is ruthlessly mean. I doubt myself. I feel worthless and lazy. I believe I’m a failure. I think ..read more

We all have boundaries. Maybe you don’t feel like you do, because of many times past when people have overrun you.  Somewhere around the umpteenth time of being taken advantage of, of being ignored about your own needs, and treated as though your time is not valuable, you start to believe that you’ve lost whatever boundaries you had. The good news is, you can re-create your boundaries, and make them stronger and healthier than ever before. How? Read on for a quick list of five tips to jumpstart your life and put it on track for a happier you. 1. Permit yourself to start over. While this ..read more

It’s an appealing idea to embody the Vulcan words of farewell, “live long and prosper.” However, navigating the creation of a long, healthy, and prosperous life can feel overwhelming, or worse, tedious.  To combat this, it helps to make things that are good for us both accessible and fun. To that end, the following six hobbies for physical health have you covered. 1.   Dance Incorporating dance into your life can be an organized event, such as taking a class, attending salsa night at a Latin club, or heading to a concert.  However, it can also be more impromptu, like putti ..read more

The Dictionary defines patience as, “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. “ Patience is a skill that many of us could learn how to master better. We may get short with our kids, have some road rage, or struggle with other issues that make us stamp our feet or get frustrated over the little things. Learning the art of patience can facilitate more success, healthier relationships with others and yourself, improve wellbeing and much more. What is Patience? “One minute of patience, ten years of peace” – Greek Proverb First, we need to ta ..read more

Many people have a complicated relationship with food, for different reasons – concerns about health and physical appearance, and feelings and memories associated with food. However, where you stand in regard to food is not always clear.   Finding out where you stand is the first step towards a healthier, more fulfilling relationship with food. Friend It’s very common for parents to use unhealthy foods to motivate their children to do something – from eating their veggies to finishing their homework or cleaning their room. And although parents mean no harm, many people continue to ..read more

You’ve probably heard the saying “you are what you eat”. It is also true that you are what you drink. And unfortunately what we drink is often unhealthy, full of chemicals and has enough sugar to cause an addiction. Depending on where you live, it can be called soda, pop, coke or soft drink. Whatever you call it, the results are the same. It causes your body problems. Soda didn’t start out bad. In 1767 a European man named Joseph Priestly figured out how to infuse carbon dioxide into water, making the first carbonated beverage. People believed that carbonated water cured illnesses so “soda” w ..read more

Ask the average person to define herbs and he or she will probably tell you that herbs are green leaves that may have some medicinal properties. Some may even add that herbs like Thyme and Sage are used for cooking. This is how most people define herbs, which is quite good knowledge considering that the majority of people don’t use herbs in their own lives. The dictionary defines an herb as 1) Any plant with leaves, seeds or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine or perfume. 2) Any seed-bearing plant that does not have a woody stem and dies down to the ground after flowering. An herbalist ..read more

Understanding your worth as a woman is important. In a society where women have historically faced discrimination from others in a variety of contexts and cultures, understanding that you do have value in the world is essential for feeling empowered. Think of understanding and embracing your own worth as fuel for empowerment. When you understand how essential you are and that you do hold an important place in the world, you increase your feelings of empowerment. If you struggle to see your own worth, it is possible to learn how to do it and gain that sense of worthiness in the world. What ma ..read more