Essence Blog

We are headed into Labor Day weekend here in the US. I count this holiday as the unofficial end of summer and back-to-school weekend that will lead us into fall, which is my favorite season.  

If you don't know, September 1st is when I make pumpkin waffles , start putting cinnamon in everything, and attend my first Halloween event .  

Yes, I’m one of those people.  

I LOVE this season. With all the unsettled anger, fear, and division in our world, I like...

As promised, this is part 2 of my Parisian adventure, and I thought I’d share tips on planning and packing from my recent trip to Paris.

Planning

Flights

We booked our flights through Capital One Travel. We paid a little extra to get their flight guarantee. If a flight is significantly delayed or canceled, they will book you on another airline or give you a refund for your base price.  

Layovers

Since there are no direct flights to Paris, we opted for our connecting...

Bonjour  

Last Thursday, I asked you what you most wanted to hear about regarding my trip to Paris. 

There are many stories and lessons from our trip, but I’ll distill them down to 10 short takeaways. 

• A croissant tastes so much better in Paris. I’m still dreaming about the eclairs. 
• Getting too comfortable made my world small. Getting uncomfortable is how we find adventure and new things to fall in love with. 
• You can express your unpleasant emotions...

Last Thursday was one of my favorite days of the year, and it made me think deeply about why and how I can cultivate more days like that. 

I took a day out of work for a Friendship Ritual. 

A friendship ritual is a regular occurring friendship date or tradition to deepen your relationship and increase your life satisfaction and joy. 

Here are the details… My dear friend Lisa and I had our 13th, 12th, or maybe 11th annual friendship ritual. ...

It’s 1.11 today. It’s also the first New Moon portal of the year, where we will be receiving messages, ideas, and intuitive nudges of what to follow and what to release. There is a clearing and purging energy this month, but today is a great day to set intentions, make some commitments, and even take a baby step toward what you want for this year. And if you aren’t sure, now’s a good time to listen and reflect deeply. 

Before I launch into my personal story, I...

I admit that I’m a little sad Halloween is over.

  September and October are my spooky season, and it’s filled with so many joy-filled activities, events, decor, and food.  

I’m happy to tell you that I made the most of this season with many joy-filled activities and moments crucial for balancing some of the heaviness, uncertainty, and grief I’ve been feeling. 

 This is my reminder to you that even though there is injustice, death,...