I wrote this blog entry in my Caribbean blog, but wanted to share what I learned with you here as well. Why? Because it shows how we can create anything we want to through the power of our thoughts and beliefs. Thoughts and beliefs create actions and reactions. They create habits, moods and emotions. They determine how we will respond to life — what we notice and what we do or do not take advantage of. In another post, I will write about the science behind this — because recently, a few scientists have started writing about it. For all the skeptics (like I used to be!), these books show us fact-based evidence that our society has come to crave — in order to believe. If we can create money with our thoughts, we can create anything — even our recovery!

If I told you that money really does grow on trees, would you believe me? Would you put on your skeptic’s hat and call me ridiculous, over the edge, breathing too much ocean air?

At one time, I would have done the latter – full of fear about money, thinking that I had to hang onto my job, save carefully and continue to climb the corporate ladder. In fact, I became an expert at climbing the ladder, securing the bigger paychecks – and feeling like I needed to work harder – take on more pressure – to justify my high salary.
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I am blessed with an amazing group of women who meet on a weekly basis to move toward recovery. Each week, they inspire me with their insight, their triumphs and their power. I was given permission to share one story, which is very compelling, about the price we pay for our perception of beauty.

It all started when one of the women in my group shared the Dove Self-Esteem Fund video – if you haven’t seen it, take a look. You may recall an article I wrote on airbrushing, where you can see more of how women’s pictures are changed in the name of beauty.
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It’s been a little over 3 months since I started a recovery group with an amazing group of women who read my blog. The women are located all over the United States, with some in far flung countries overseas. My experience with these women has been uplifting and inspiring – they are true believers in their ability to create their recovery and their ideal lives.

Underneath An Eating Disorder
Who they are underneath an eating disorder is exceptional, talented, beautiful women. Sometimes, we build layers of fear, shame and doubt around ourselves so that we can no longer see the unique people we are underneath. Peeling away the layers allows that uniqueness to shine. To witness the uniqueness of an individual – what makes them different and special – is a healing experience for all.

Another Inspiration - Christine Kane
At the 3-month mark, we were joined by Christine Kane, who came to speak to us about her own recovery and her journey to creating a beautiful life. This all came about in an interesting way. First of all, most of us in the group had been reading and enjoying Christine’s blog. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it – it’s well written, insightful and uplifting. In addition, many of us had been enjoying Christine’s music and loving the energy it created within us.
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It’s been a pretty amazing week of travel — a business trip, a wedding and finally back home after a 10 hour drive! I came back to hundreds of comments on my blog…most of which were spam! But the rest were wonderful comments from my friends in the blogosphere — thanks! I’m glad everyone liked the Free Hugs video – if you haven’t seen it, take a look and see how you feel afterwards.

Going to Malibu, CA!
The latest news is that I am going to go to Malibu for Donna Gates’ Certified Body Ecologist training. It took awhile to work out how I’d get there, but it all fell into place tonight. I will be working — and during the breaks, offering Emotional Freedom Technique and energy clearing sessions for core issues that keep us stuck. It will definitely be an amazing retreat, with a focus on healing mind, body and spirit. There will be acupuncture, yoga, EFT — in addition to all of the amazing Body Ecology training and food. If you haven’t read my post on the training and are interested in attending, take a look here. The training is being offered in an exclusive Malibu home — and my understanding is that there are only a few spaces left. I would so love to meet readers of my blog at the event!
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As a member of the coaching industry, I get a lot of e-mails from coaches I like. Today, I read an e-mail with a beautiful short movie clip from Lou D’Alo, who is a coach and facilitator at the International Coach Academy, where I got my coaching certification. Lately, I’ve been deleting a lot of “extracurricular” e-mails because things have gotten so busy that I’m on extreme time management. Somehow, I opened this one — and I’m glad I did.

In this movie clip, a man is walking around with a sign that says, “Free Hugs.” Take a look and see what happens. I just love when there are signs of proof that life is beautiful, people are wonderful — and that even though it may not seem like it — we can break through the walls that separate us. Even though we may feel “weird” or may not trust — breaking through those walls often lead to peace and joy.

Consider making a parallel between what you learn here — and the walls we put up around ourselves in other circumstances in life. Where we hide in fear — a false fear that only serves to keep us in a prison on pain.

As you watch, I’m sending free hugs to you all — spreading the light of love to as many as possible!

I wanted to let everyone know that Donna Gates is doing an exclusive, small training in Malibu, CA on October 16 - 19. This training is going to be held “retreat-style” in a private residence in Malibu and will include breakfast, lunch and dinner made by Body Ecology chefs. This is a rare opportunity to get trained as a Certified Body Ecologist on the West coast, since Donna typically teaches on the East coast.

Worth Every Penny
While the price of the training is a bit high, it’s worth every penny. Especially if you want to improve your health or start/add to a business in nutritional or health coaching/consulting. On top of that, Dr. Leonard Smith, a well-known General, Gastrointestinal and Vascular Surgeon will be there to teach and answer questions. The cool thing is, both Donna and Leonard understand eating disorders, how to help them nutritionally and how to work with the symptoms we often complain about (constipation, slow gastric emptying, IBS, abdominal pain, gas, bloating, hormonal issues, etc.). You will learn a lot about these things — even if you don’t ask questions specifically. As someone who talked to a whole room of participants about my story, I got a lot of support from everyone — because they completely understood the underlying health issues that contribute to an eating disorder. Everyone is there to heal themselves, a loved one — or others (if they are starting or expanding a healing business).
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