THE ONLY GOAL YOU NEED

I’ve got a tool you can start using today to unlock your most fulfilled life and it’s totally FREE… 

It’s gratitude.  But hear me out before you scroll on thinking “yeah I know this”

We know this - gratitude can boost serotonin and activate the production of dopamine. But what does that mean? 

Low serotonin creates decreased confidence, makes you more reactive to stress, less happiness, more pain and anxiety, more illness and a shorter life span.  

But get this - this is still a factor even if life gets better. 

So you could get a pay rise, meet the love of your life, connect with high quality friends, overcome a health crisis… but if your serotonin levels remain low, you are still dealing with the above ramifications.  

WHAT THE?

What I am saying, in essence, is that gratitude can completely turn your life around through the simple fact that it can support your body to reverse these. 

One fast, simple and effective practice can mean - 

:: increased confidence

:: the ability to handle stress better 

:: more happiness (no matter what changes in life) 

:: less physical pain and anxiety 

:: healthier body

:: longer life span

And one more time… it’s completely free and takes a few minutes (if that) per day. 

My hope for you is that the resolution or goal you put the most focus and attention on this year, is practicing gratitude. 

For the sake of your health, happiness and life.  

Ange x

WHAT I LEARNT TODAY

Recently I’ve been pulled to the thought of writing for the sake of writing. And then I remembered, I have a platform here that allows me to be completely creative and free in this respect.

I know that in order to have more, you need to do more. I’ve been craving more creativity, spirituality and connection to myself. To have more of that, I know I need to be more creative, focus on my spirituality and spend more time connecting to me.

So I’m going to start writing in here, for the sake of writing. Maybe one person will read this and maybe 1000 will but it doesn’t matter, what matters is that I’m sharing and adding value, and the right person will see this as they are meant to.

This morning I woke up feeling pretty crappy and I wanted to stay in bed and snuggle with Maple (my puppy). But some sort of knowing made me get up regardless and put on my clothes. I’ve been sleeping in more over the last two years than I ever have. Before my uncoupling I was always up at 5am to start the day but lately, cuddles, puppies (I really want to blame the puppy cuddles for extended sleep ins!) and the desire for comfort has me staying in too long. But with that I’ve definitely found myself feeling less grounded.

I decided to walk and listen to a new podcast that I can’t for the life of me remember where I found it. It was really good. It was perfectly timed and about what to do when you’re feeling uninspired. And like any good podcast, I can’t really remember the specifics of what she spoke about, but I remember the way she made me feel. I was reminded of my power to create my own energy and not just let life LIVE me.

I got myself a green juice, I sat on a chair on by the beach and I watched the world go by. The seat was the most comfortable place I felt like I had ever sat. I rested, drank juice and listened to a meditation. It just felt good. And what I realised is, that I could literally have made one small decision that would have had me missing that moment. That life is literally just a collection of choices we make each day.

The decision to get up or sleep in.

To take the shortcut or go the scenic route.

To listen to a meditation or call a friend and gossip.

To take an extra 10 minutes to meditate in nature.

Life really isn’t the big ‘instagrammable’ moments. The wedding proposals, holidays, new outfits or forever home purchase. It really is those tiny moments that create the threads of your day, but eventually will coat your life as the fabric that you created through those decisions.

So today I’m not focusing on perfect. I’m just going to make a better decisions in each moment and see where that takes me.

Ange x

YOUR FREQUENCY MATTERS

I often have heard that people take action to either avoid pain or gain pleasure.

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We go to the party because we want to have fun.

We avoid the party because we don’t want to see that mean girl.

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We eat that chocolate because it’s delicious.

We avoid that chocolate because we feel we’ve gained weight.

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We do the activities to build our business to create abundance.

We avoid the activities in our business because we fear rejection.

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And so being someone who’s main driver in life is to support people to push past their limits to create the life of their dreams, it’s often on my mind if people are being moved by the exhaustion of discomfort or the dream of more joy.  But this week I’ve heard 3 times for three different people, the same thing, in three slightly different ways.

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Creating from fear, scarcity or lack won’t work long term.

Creating from gratitude, joy and excitement always will.

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And I know that energetically, this will always make sense.  You attract your energetic match.  So if you’re attracting new people into your business from a place of fear, they will also hold fear.  If you’re manifesting from a space of not having enough, you will never get all that you desire.

BUT…

If you’re attracting into your business from a place of KNOWING that you have the gift, that your abundance is being shared with someone who is truely going to make the most of the opportunity, you find yourself linking up with that same vibrational match.  And if you manifest from wanting to add to your already abundant being, you’ll find you can have more than you could ever dream.

AND ALSO…

Coming from a place of indifference (and even a bit of arrogance) will attract into you that same vibrational match.

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So ask yourself, where am I attracting from?

How can I raise my vibration to find myself in alignment with my desires?

What activities, people, sounds and smells will ignite this feeling?

EVEN - what foods are raising my frequency in life right now?

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Constantly connect to things that raise your inner vibration.

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And start THERE.

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Because from that inner frequency, you’ll attract your match.

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RECENT MUSINGS:

CYCLE SYNCING

I first learnt about Cycle Syncing about 19 months ago.

I was listening to a podcast about how to run your business around your cycle as a woman and it BLEW MY MIND.

Why did I sometimes feel so 'not on' when recording videos or getting on trainings?

Why did I feel like I was pushing some days when others I felt like I was on fire and unstoppable?

Why could I write 10 blogs in a day one week, but the next struggle to put together a legible sentence?

Because I'm a woman. And we work on an infradian cycle (around 28 days) where as men work through a 24 hour hormonal cycle. And because most studies around health, wellness and productivity up until now have been on men OR post menopausal women. So of course it is shocking and confusing to realise that we don't live up to traditional expectations around performance.

I read the book In The Flo this year and Alisa outlines all the goods you need to know about Cycle Syncing. But I wanted to share with you some things I do to support myself during each phase as a mama running a few businesses.

MENSTRUAL PHASE

If you follow me on Instagram, you might notice that for 3-5 days of the month I don't really show up on stories. Not because I'm in cramp city, but because I don't feel like it in the 1-2 days before I bleed and my first day. I want to introvert. I want to write. Stay home. Relax. Communicate with my loves.

So I give myself full permission during that time to do nothing on social media. It's freeing!

FOLLICULAR PHASE

As energy increases, I assess what I want to achieve this cycle and start to plan. I'm naturally more creative but also need to pace myself and not try to do too much or I get overwhelmed. For me this is all about planning and intention PLUS creative writing so I journal loads, blog my heart out and map out the weeks ahead.

OVULATION PHASE

I'm out, I'm socialising, I'm going on date night, I'm filming all the things, I'm in your face on my social media. I'm communicating creatively and I'm straight forward saying the things I want to say. I'm wearing my favorite clothes. I'm dancing around the house with the kids before a pilates class then getting things done at home, watching my fave rom-coms on STAN and having friends for dinner. I'm on fire and I'm owning it. This phase for me is about flow and things feeling really good.

LUTEAL PHASE

And then this phase is where I'm rounding it all out, tying up loose ends, editing, slowing down (only a little) and getting prepped for my Menstrual Phase to come again. I'm also not great at communicating, I don't know what I want and I don't make any decisions in this week. My partner knows to just love me, tell me I'm amazing and give me lots of hugs. Not because I'm tender but because I'm sometimes a little up and down during this time and I thrive around words of affirmation and physical touch.

I don't book important chats, I keep life light hearted and focused on finishing things.

Now, this might not be you. And I don't write this to encourage you to do what I do. But I simply am inviting you to witness the phases yourself and notice where you're at. Are you massively into spring cleaning when your period finishes? Do you usually get snappy with the kids the week before? Are you social AF when you're ovulating? Maybe, just witness it. And I would highly encourage you to do two things -

Get the book In The Flow.

And get some sort of cycle tracking app on your phone so you always know which day you're on. I love MyFlo or Clue. If you start to take note, you will definitely start to see a pattern and if you're really smart, use it to your advantage!

Do you cycle sync or know much about this? Would love to know what you've noticed in the comments below!

SPRING 2020

Well what a surprise 2020 was, right?

And I say surprise instead of the words that usually come up around this year (shit show, nightmare, freaking disaster) because our mind is ALWAYS LISTENING and our body reacts accordingly. So if you use words like inconvenient or interesting instead of the big, dramatic words, your body actually changes its state around a memory. Interesting, right? I’ll talk more on that another day if you’d like, let me know in the comments.

But today marks the first day of SPRING. And I’m sure your inbox is flooded with reminders.

I wanted to give you some things I do to mark a new season.

What I love about Spring in particular (other than the fact that it isn’t cold, I find the cold harder to deal with), is that it’s all about fresh starts, rebirth and beginnings.

And, I think many of us are feeling the desire for some fresh energy right now. So I’m going to share my Spring Intentions with you in the hopes it will ignite you to get purposeful and create your own intentions and rituals.

Intentions

To focus less on what’s going wrong, and more on what’s going right

It is not the collective anger, fear, rage and suffering that will bring the world into a good place. Those emotions will bring us further down, lower the overall vibration of the planet. Instead, it’s the collective hope, gratitude and joy that lifts us up as a community.

Last week I had an IG DM from someone who was struggling with negativity. She is doing AMAZING work in the world, finding pedofile accounts on IG and reporting them to be taken down. But she mentioned to me how while doing this work, she couldn’t feel anything but anger and rage, which is completely understandable. How could you feel joy when you’re seeing pages dedicated to the exposure of innocent children to sexual predators? I’d be fuming also.

This is work that NEEDS to be done. It’s beyond necessary in a time when this crisis is so big and for whatever reason, the media tends to turn a blind eye to it.

But, rage isn’t a nice emotion and I honestly believe that in order to manifest, you’ve got to love the way it’s feeling.

So my advice to her was, instead of focusing on all the things that make her angry in that moment, focus on the amazing work she is doing. Visualise the future when this is completely wiped out. Think about the children she is saving from being exposed to this whenever an account is taken down. Think about all the good that will come from her hard work.

And this reminded me, in a time when there is so much division and frustration around other peoples actions, to focus on what we can do and the positives that are coming from such a time in our world.

TO SLOW DOWN AND SAY NO A WHOLE LOT MORE

And sometimes not a ‘no’, but a ‘not right now’. For the people pleasers in the crowd, I feel you! It’s a constant and never ending journey for me to hone in on what I need and stop doing for others when my cup is overflowing for others.

So I’m making sure at the start of each week that I have an abundance of free time in my calendar. Not to do nothing, but to have space to do what I want to do in those moments. And telling people when I’m in need of introvert time. That’s always the hard part for me.

to tune in deeper with my cycle

I’ve followed Cycle Syncing for a little over a year now but never with the full intensity I feel it deserves.

Recently I purchased this book and it’s given me more knowledge on how I can support myself during my cycle. I’d love to go deeper into this, but in short right now, this means clearing my schedule on days 1 and 2, booking interviews and photoshoots when I’m ovulating and getting intentional about when I’m communicating important things with people I love.

Rituals

I’m a creature of habit, so my mornings are usually pretty much the same. But I have found myself lately floating around the house and just doing things as I feel like doing them.

• Going into the office when I wake up because I remember I have someone to reply to.

• Cleaning the kitchen midday because I walk past and it’s messy.

• Laying on the couch and scrolling my phone because I’m tired.

And these are all the benefits of working from home, but I found I was never really disconnecting from any task because I was constantly in and out of all of them.

But while we can decide we’re going to work out, meditate more, save money, eat better etc. it can actually be hard to remember all these things when life gets on top of us. So instead of making it hard, I make it simple. This is done by creating triggers around my home so that I’m constantly being reminded of the rituals I want to continue with.

Things like -

• Placing my workout clothes next to my bed so I know when I wake up, I’m straight into movement.

• Leaving my phone to charge near my meditation chair so I know I’m not on it until after I’ve reconnected to myself and taken some time to empty my mind.

• Having a lemon, knife and tea mug on the kitchen bench so I’m reminded to start my day with that.

• My new Luna High Vibe Spray on my desk to scent the room before I start working.

• A full Living Water Bottle to make sure I remember to get hydrated while I’m getting into flow with my work.

• After I make my bed, placing whatever book I’m reading on my pillow so I remember when I get back into bed to wind down, I read at least one chapter. Right now I’m loving this book!

And all of this happens because at night, I have a short list that reminds me to set this up for the following day. Water bottles filled, sprays out, lemon ready, clothes out. It takes me less than 5 minutes to prep for the next day and since I’ve started this the results are so great. I’m creating habits. Which I can keep for good if I do them long enough!

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Bonus Spring Starters

On top of getting clear on the above for me today, I also have done a few other things to really start the season feeling aligned.

I pull an angel card for this season. This is what I got -

I fill out my Intentional Living Workbook to make sure I’m going deep into what I want to consciously co-create over the next 3 months.

Plus - I take time to get rid of anything that has been sitting stagnant physically for me. For you this could be clutter, a relationship that’s holding you back from being your best self, or even weight gain.

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I hope that this has been helpful, and gives you a little nudge to create your own ritual for the new season. It’s a beautiful time to be alive.

PERIORAL DERMATITIS

Last week I posted a filter free skin celebration - two years on from that time when my face fell apart (along with my marriage and life in general… that’s a story for a different day).

And I’m pretty happy about it. Mostly because this RASH (aka. Perioral Dermatitis) took over my confidence and social life for a good few months when it happened. And trying to fix your marriage when half your face resembles pizza, is fun. So let me tell you about the rollercoaster that was this ride…

It came hot, angry and fast. One day I had some redness around my nose and a month later it had engulfed half my face. I knew what it was because we had a brief encounter in my teens.

But let me take you through the journey that has been the last two years.

AND LET’S START WITH WHAT NOT TO DO :

The first mistake I made - steroid cream. It made it go away, and then come back 10 times worse (apparently this is common… would’ve been good to know but ok).

So it went from annoying redness and bumps around my nose to this.

I’d like to apologise in advance for this image. I like pretty things #libra and my website to be aesthetically pleasing and so placing this image here is so cringe worthy I’m almost not going to do it. But you need to know how bad it was. It was, oh, so, bad.

And that photo is when I started taking “progress shots” as it calmed down. This is it calm.

I was travelling like a maniac at this point, at least one trip each month. I went to Melbourne and NZ twice with this face. I went to Tony Robbins UPW as a guest for Success Resources, meaning I was meant to post and share insights the whole time on my social media. I filtered the crap out of them. Make up worked overtime but would flake off during the day. I spoke at events with this going on and my confidence was crashing.

And I mean that. My confidence was CRASHING.

I didn’t want to talk to people. So when I was at an event or a gig, I would hide, try to be in the darkest corner of the room, make sure I wasn’t standing anywhere near over head lighting, run to the bathroom every 10 minutes to assess and reapply concealer.

Funnily enough, I was travelling a few people including with my NOW partner who was back then my mentor and friend. He must have thought I was losing my mind. I didn’t want to do anything fun on these trips. At meals I faced away from people, covered the bottom half of my face when speaking to people. I couldn’t face anyone properly.

So during this time of travel, working on my marriage and life in general, I made my second mistake.

ANTIBIOTICS.

Which worked a treat. Until they didn’t. And came with all the fun side effects of antibiotics… you know… so fun. And still rashy after all that. Cool.

So I was back at the beginning after that ordeal. I knew that I needed to stop looking for QUICK FIXES and get ok with the fact that I needed to heal my skin from the inside out and cut back drastically on anything that could have contributed to the fire on my face.

I became ok with the fact that it would be a healing journey. Not an overnight success.

Now if you’re still reading, you really want to know what works. And guess what… Not one thing worked for me.

Not one.

Nope.

Not a SINGLE one.

BUT.

Many things, working in harmony together, all contributed to the rebuilding of my healthy skin which is actually now better than it’s ever been. How bout that?

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What I did...

I lowered my intake of red foods - capsicum, chilli, tomato, goji berries etc. My General Practitioner actually recommended this. I didn’t cut them out, just lowered how often and how much. No one is really a big fan of Mexican or Italian food anyway, right?

I used MooGoo Skin Care Nappy Balm to provide relief. The high Zinc content did help and it was all I had in the house. Dr Google gave me this handy tip!

I took and also smothered our Health Hub GLOW DUO on my face. This combo is our Vegan Omegas and Whole Food Based Berry Supplement. Omegas help to moisturize the skin from within, and are especially helpful for skin conditions. And because our body doesn’t create all the omegas we need naturally, we need to get them via consumption. That plus the antioxidants and free radical fighting effects from berries is a magical combo. You can buy what I used HERE (PLUS there is a deal on for the month of August!

I stopped using all the free products I get sent because of my IG and only used MooGoo Skin Care. I was trailing and testing so many different things and MooGoo is literally created for skin conditions like this. So it became my one and only, my true love.

Other than MooGoo, I would spray my face with this Avene Thermal Spring Water. I had read good reviews online and seriously, I’m now addicted because it feels nice and doesn’t it make so much sense to pay $20 for a spray bottle of water for your face? No? Well I don’t have dermatitis anymore so we can try it your way or mine.

I got in the sun and or ocean as much as humanly possible. Luckily it was coming into summer as I was healing so sun and surf was a given.

What I found...

I found that after 6 months, I had healed significantly. But I would still have irritations in the corners of my nose and sometimes inside my nose (ew and ouch). So I knew there was something missing. Luckily, that’s when I met Josh.

Josh created and founded Hydrogen Health and does a much better job on his WEBSITE of explaining the magic of his shower filters and water bottles.

When he first explained it I was skeptical, I had almost resigned myself to the fact that after almost 18 months of working hard on my skin, could this thing really be the one thing that helps?

But it really was the final thing that I needed for my skin. I installed the shower filter which removes chlorine, heavy metals and pathogens and adds in Vitamin C to boost collagen and help with UV damage. It also resotry a healthy pH level and increases the waters nutrients. And it did all that without slowing down the flow!

Then I got onto the water bottle which structures, mineralises and filters the water I drink. Check out the website to read more about this but it made perfect sense to me and I haven’t looked back.

If you decide to try Hydrogen Health products, Josh has lovingly given me a discount code for you to use - GRATITUDE.

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The long and short of it...

Any type of healing takes time. Short term fixes rarely see long term results.

I know our body is massively driven to self heal under the right conditions. Our job when we get a warning sign is to simply continue to create the ideal environment for healing to occur.

Whole foods heal.

Good quality water heals.

Meditation heals.

Sunshine heals.

Happiness heals.

And very importantly - love heals. Especially self love.

If you’ve got a tip for healing, I would love to hear it in the comments below. And if you’ve found any benefit or value in this information, please share it on your social media platforms to continue to share that value to others who may need it!

Thank you for being here.

Please know that some (but definitely not all) links through this posts are linked to affiliate programs which could see my financial benefit from your purchase. As always, I will never recommend a product, program or service unless I back it 100% and I thank you for supporting the work I do!

WHY I FORGIVE

This is one of my favorite topics and can be such a game changer for any transformation that affects all of your relationships and, very importantly, your HAPPINESS.

Forgiveness is turning your energy another way. 

Looking in a different direction to the pain, hurt, anger you may have felt.  

Seeking out the opposite to what you’re seeing and feeling.

Forgiveness is FREEING yourself.  Not the other person.  Freeing yourself from the story and seeing the other person as anything other than a loving being in your world.

And this doesn’t even need to effect the person who you’re forgiving. You don’t even need to tell them. It can be your own personal journey and when you really understand it, it’s beautiful.

So, let’s do an activity…

I’d love for you to do this while sitting, with a journal and in a quiet space.

Think of someone who you hold a story that they have WRONGED you. 

Think of the things they have done, how angry you felt, think of all the WRONGS you believe they have pressed against you.

Feel that in your body.  Take note of what you feel and where.  It’s not nice, is it?

Now see that person in your minds eye. 

See that person and the child within them that is searching and not knowing. 

See that person for all the GOOD they have done for you. 

See that person for all the beauty that is within them.

And to really top it off, add the cream to that inner work you’re doing in this moment - see the situation and find the blessing. 

Find why you’re grateful for whatever transpired between you and this person. 

Find the lesson, the blessing and the gift you received.

Do you feel it now?  Do you feel that release, relaxation and replenishment?  Do you feel the lightness of just loving someone for all that they are and the best that they are always trying to do.

This feeling… THAT is why we forgive.  

Not to let someone off the hook for bad behaviour.

Not to lower your standards of how you want to be treated.

Not to make someone else feel comfortable.

But to free YOU. To hold your standards high of where your precious energy will go.

To make yourself comfortable.

To be responsible for your own part in every situation.

I would love for you to share below how this has helped you. Your comments light me up more than you would know!

MORNING SMOOTHIE

My most requested recipe on IG? My morning smoothie.

I literally have this everyday. If not for breakfast, for lunch or sometimes a snack.

I freeze it into popsicles.

I share it with my kids.

It’s nourishing AF, but also SO YUMMY!

So here you go. And I’d LOVE for you to share your fave smoothie recipes below or even some hacks to add MORE goodness in!

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MORNING CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE

• 1 peeled and frozen banana 

• 1-1.5 cups coconut milk

• 1/4 zucchini - frozen

• 1 medjool date - pitted

• 1 tsp raw cacao powder

• 1 sachet Complete Protein

• 1 scoop collagen

• 2 tbs hemp seeds

• 1 tbs chia seeds

• 1 tsp maca powder

• 2 of each Fruit, Vege and Berry wholefood capsules (I throw them in WHOLE)

1. Add all ingredients to a high powdered blender and blend until smooth. Add more coconut milk if too thick!

For ease and efficiency in the morning, I make little jars of the dry ingredients - medjool date, cacao powder, Complete Protein, collagen, hemp seeds, chia seeds, maca and wholefood capsules. I keep these little jars (which I purchase from Kmart) next to my blender so I only need to add the other ingredients.

Enjoy! If you share on your social media please be sure to tag me so I can see!

THE BEST PARENTING ADVICE I'VE EVER RECIEVED

For all the mamas, soon to be mamas and want to be mamas. This is some sage advice I want to pass to you.

To give some background if you’re new here or don’t know much about me… I have two beautiful, spirited, clever little girls. Bo is 7 and Harper is 3. My ex husband lives most of his time in the USA, starting his empire and so that means the girls are with me full time, most of the time.

I am also a working mama. On top of the mentoring and coaching I do within the Gratitude Gang, I also am constantly creating new content and finding talent to educate our members of the Health Hub. Throw in weekly interviews for various podcasts, the occasional photo shoot for brands and content creation - work is busy.

And then, attentive girlfriend to my man and half time help when his two girls are with us half of the week. All the cooking, cleaning, homework, playing and other jobs that come with being a mum.

My hands are full and so is my heart. Life is good!

But one thing I’ve struggled with since the transition from being a single mum of 2 and only having my girls 50% of the time when my ex husband lived here, to now having them 100% of the time, is the balance of spending enough time in all the areas.

My kids need me.

My business needs me.

My partner wants me.

Seeing my parents and friends are important to me.

The kitchen needs me.

The laundry needs me.

Having me time is important to me.

So I started to feel challenged around the juggle. I was used to 3 days where I would work, socialise, get the house ready and nail life. Then 3-4 days of mum life and the work juggle.

And one thing that always pulled at my heart-strings was my kids wanting my attention, always just when I sat at my computer, or pulled out my phone to do some work.

EVERY - DAMN - TIME.

Anyone else experience this?

So I enrolled in an online parenting course that I had heard about MULTIPLE times and decided to actually do it. I had heard Amy on a podcast and knew she aligned with my desired method of parenting.

And one of the first things she will teach you, is one of the most valuable.

MIND, BODY AND SOUL TIME.

Essentially, it’s mini ‘mummy dates’ with each child. Ten minutes every single day, same time of day, one child at a time. This is 10 minutes of time to do WHATEVER they want to do. Play dolls, make something in the kitchen, have a chat, go for a bike ride.

And let me get this straight, it’s not the only time you will spend with your kids that day - obviously.

But it is scheduled, important and focused time with each child. No phone around. No place to be.

Just you, and your child. Connecting. How they want.

Now listen, with all the stuff going on with lock down, it was pretty simple. We were home all the time each day. But now that school is back and routine is happening again, this is something that needs to be a priority.

The magic is, that each time you do this, you show your child that they’re important and special. They belong and they’re significant. And at the end of ten minutes when the timer may go off you can say “same time tomorrow?” and they don’t BEG for more minutes because they know that everyday, you have special time with them. Just them. Doing just what they want.

Our children want to know they are significant to us and that they belong. I’ve found that this time fills up their love cup and gives us the connection that sometimes we go a few days without feeling, especially when there is so much going on at home.

It’s been a game changer.

You can learn more about Positive Parenting Solutions by clicking HERE.

And I’d love to know below - what is the BEST parenting advice you have ever received?

GET YOUR KIDS TO LISTEN WITHOUT NAGGING OR YELLING!

I'M BACK AND THIS IS WHERE I WENT

It was almost two years ago that I decided to take a break from blogging.

To be honest, it was when I realised that things were going to be changing and I knew I’d need the space to handle it. I mean, can you imagine going through trying to save your relationship, eventually uncoupling, a TIA stroke, heart surgery and finding new love… and feeling the desire to be consistently truthful and vulnerable in this space?

I’m also super aware of the influence words can have. And in navigating my uncoupling, I wasn’t willing to share that process. Why? Because if someone, going through the same type of thing, was to read what we were doing, and it wasn’t right for them, it could’ve been detrimental for their relationship. I’m not a expert on uncoupling. I’m not an expert on saving a relationship that feels like it’s finished. So it simply wasn’t right to share.

And it was hard. There were days, and sometimes weeks that I wanted to hide from the entire world (and there are still those days). But the incredible thing that happened was that I got to put all ‘the work’ into practice. I got to see what really helps when things are completely unravelling, when your world feels like it’s ending.

And I did some things really well.

And I sucked sometimes too.

But I really got to know myself. I opened up in a new way that felt, and still feels, so good. Almost every person close to me in my life witnessed my walls and barriers come down, and the real, emotional, raw me come out of hiding for the first time in my life. My relationships with some friends deepened because they finally felt they were getting Ange, not the version that I felt ‘safe’ showing. Some people weren’t ask keen on this side of me, so some friendships started to dissipate because expectations couldn’t be met on both sides.

And that was all ok.

Because I trust in the universe. Even in those really shitty moments. The day I had my stroke and I lost my vision while I was reading on the couch. Going home after each test, alone, and not having a partner to cuddle and tell me it was all going to be ok. When I was questioning how I could be a solo mother and build a business. I always knew two things -

That it was all happening for a reason.

AND

That for things to get better - it was up to me.

So lots of changes happened. I stopped people pleasing to the level I always have (still working on this!). I became ok with my life not being perfectly mapped out in the socially acceptable way. I worked towards getting better at the areas where I was challenged.

I opened up to love.

Loving myself.

Loving my situation.

Loving the WHOLE journey.

And while I’ll never give you a ‘happily-ever-after’ conclusion. This is where I’m at now.

Happy.

Content.

Growing.

And I’m excited to be back and sharing what I’m learning along the journey.

Thank you for coming with me.

P.S. I would love to know how I can best share here. Comment below and tell me what you would like to hear more of, learn more about and see more. It would mean the WORLD to me!

NOT GOODBYE... JUST SEE YOU LATER

Those of you who visit me regularly on here might have noticed a pretty massive absence lately, and I'd love to explain why and what the future holds. 

To be honest, I have blog posts written up and ready to go but energetically, it didn't feel exciting anymore to post.  I wasn't feeling the love and I wasn't feeling like this was the right way for me to be serving at this time.  I had grand plans of posting shorter 'blog style' posts on Instagram but something swooped in and took my focus away from it.  

The Gratitude Gang.  

I'm sure you've noticed that that is where lots of my energy is going and while there are some really beautiful things happening in that space, I need to release the need to be everywhere online.  Because not only does that not serve me, it doesn't serve you to see me not living authentically to my values around time and freedom.  

So while I'm nurturing and growing with the girls in the Gang, I've had to take a step back.  

But I want to remind you that there is LOADS of amazing content in this blog, if you haven't been here for long then I encourage you to scroll back and read some of the oldies.  Trust that you will find what you need to read, even if it was published in 2015.  

It's definitely not goodbye to blogging, it's just an "I'll see you later".  

I've been having conversations with some big names in the world of Health and Wellness and even stretching into looking for someone to help me take my mission to the next level.  A little voice inside of me is calling out "re-brand" but I want to give that creative energy the space to grow into what it needs to be and not jump into creation mode immediately and burn myself out.  

I want to do it properly, for you.  I've run this site on my own, creating my own page and content and running it all.  Maybe it's time I stop trying to be a jack of all trades and become the Master of my Passion.  

But, for now, I'm all in for the women of the Gang and helping them to build a life that lights them up from the inside and I'm ALWAYS posting on Instagram, come find me and connect through there.  I love reading your comments and seeing all your statements on my posts.  

See you, later.

ALL SLEEP IS NOT 'BEAUTY SLEEP'

You heard right, all sleep routines weren’t created equally. 

We’ve all been there, waking up after a solid 8 hours but still feeling exhausted. Having regular early nights but still having a 3pm crash.  

But even more annoying - the puffy eyes, dull skin and constant exhaustion. 

Which is why I wanted to share today a little about what I’ve learnt about sleep so that you can lay your head on the pillow and wake up feeling refreshed and revitalised in a few simple steps!  

There are things that I know to be true when it comes to getting AMAZING sleep… and it starts the day before.

STEP ONE

Slow down your mind

Sleep prep doesn’t happen in the moments before jumping between the sheets.  It happens a few hours before.  

How often do you scroll social media before drifting off?  Or watch reality TV to ‘wind down’ after a big day?  

This may seem like a great way to get ready for sleep BUT it’s actually hindering your sleep quality.  

Why?

Because you’re stimulating your mind when you should be allowing it to wind down. 

I know that personally, when I scroll Instagram before bed and check out photos of people on exotic holidays or in their gorgeous homes with their perfectly dressed children - I start to get caught up in a little bit of comparion-itis (learn more about how I combat this here) and my mind can start over thinking things.  How I can serve more people through my business, how I can raise my girls with the values I hold close, how I can be thinner, smarter, prettier and richer!  All the things!  So instead of drifting off into a restful sleep, my mind is racing with thoughts of development and growth.  

On top of that, you’re allowing the blue light that is particular of TV and mobile phones to stop your brain from triggering the release of melatonin.  You may still fall asleep fast, but you won’t fall as easily into the restorative sleep pattern that you need to wake up with energy!  

I personally wear these Blue Blockers at night once the sun goes down to help me get better quality sleep.  Sometimes I have online trainings for the Gratitude Gang at night so I can’t avoid the blue light.  I’ve found since using these glasses for the last year I’ve been able to wind down much fast after a night of connecting with my girl gang! 

STEP TWO

Create a wind down ritual

It definitely seems easier to just get into bed when you’ve had a big day and when exhaustion gets the better of you, it’s inevitable that you’ll pass out immediately.  

But having a ritual that prepares you for QUALITY sleep can change the game, allowing you to wake up fresh and refreshed for the day ahead.  

My own ritual is as follows ... 

:: Turn down the lights, leaving on one in my bathroom and a very dull lamp in our room.  

:: Jump in the shower and read over my end of day questions that I have laminated on the shower wall.  Personally I have borrowed Brendon Burchards - Did I live? Did I love? Did I matter?

:: Put on my face creams and do a little Face Yoga which is a new thing for me that I’m kind of really loving! 

I’ve been using MooGoo Night Time Face Cream and I’ve noticed a huge difference in my skin when I wake up.  It was recommended to me by a friend and I’m so glad I’ve been using it religiously lately!  

And then I moisturise my body and pay extra attention to massaging my feet, they held me up all day and they totally deserve extra love! 

:: Last up I read, not something educational but something that calms my mind and prepares me for beautiful dreams.  Inspiring books.  I’m currently re-reading the Tao Te Ching.

STEP THREE

Mini Medi

This is the part where we fall asleep.  I highly recommend having your phone in a different room when you sleep and also keeping it on night mode so you don’t hear or feel any vibrations or notifications.  But I know that some people will thrive on a guided meditation to get them started with this ritual.  I would recommend doing one weeks worth of guided meditations (I love the Omvana app) and then start to leave your phone in a different room and take yourself through the meditations.  

Usually you’ll get a few minutes in and drift off. 

So those are three splendidly simple steps to a better and more beautifying sleep.  I’d love to know what you have tried and what has made a difference in your sleep routine below! 

AUTUMN MEANINGS AND ENERGIES TO EXPLORE

We’re officially halfway through Autumn and I’ve spent the last 6 weeks diving deep into doing everything seasonally.  

I mean everything!  

The next few weeks I’m going to have a focus on seasonal eating, seasonal beauty, seasonal self-care and everything else that is exciting me lately.  

But I wanted to start by unpacking the spiritual side of this season. 

It’s always been a favourite of mine.  Here in Australia, Autumn doesn’t mean the leaves turning and dropping, leaving a blanket of orange, yellow and red on the ground.  It basically just means you use a blanket at night.  So it’s not quite as dramatic as some places in the world but still a beautiful reason to view and adjust your rituals and belief systems as needed.   

So, what is it that I have found this 3 month period of the year to mean for me?

Autumn is all about change.  

Shedding what no longer serves you.  

Change, transformation, transition. 

I believe this time of year is about releasing and letting go, slowing down and preparing for Winter.  It’s a time to look at the BS (belief systems, not what you were thinking!) that aren’t serving you and get into action with removing the doubt, self-sabotage and frustrations that can come up in the months prior.  

I believe it’s about both releasing and embracing.  Saying goodbye to the parts of you that aren’t serving your path and allowing yourself to be secure and confident in exposing the parts of you that are sometimes hidden.  

I believe that in the way animals prepare to hibernate and stock up for winter ahead, it’s also important for us to prepare to be a little more intentionally isolated so that we can connect back with ourselves.  

Find comfort. 

Find balance. 

Find acceptance in releasing what you no longer need to hold onto.  

Enjoy letting the parts of you that need to go, go.  

I would love to know what you feel you want to let go of this season? What parts of yourself are you going to allow to drop off and float gently where they belong?

HOW TO CREATE A MORNING ROUTINE JUST FOR YOU

Having a morning routine is the key to a productive, positive and calm day.  

BUT

There are millions of online articles telling you how to have a good morning, what you should be doing, the time you should wake up and exactly the order things need to be done.  

That’s all well and good, but what if you could create a routine that fit in perfectly with what feels good to you, comes naturally to you and helps you to feel like you’re living in flow?  

You can, I’m going to tell you how.

WHAT TIME SHOULD I WAKE UP?

There are literally 84 million google search results to this question.  Some experts will tell you 7am is the ideal time to rise, others that you should shift your time with when the sun rises, others say 4:30am is the sweet spot.  But there is one question I find these experts fail to ask is 

“What time do you naturally wake up?”

This is key to getting to know your sleep cycle and getting further into your quality of sleep!    If you do feel like you’re not having a good slumber and restless nights, I highly recommend you read The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington.  This book will change your sleep, energy and relationships.  

So, if you’re having good quality sleep, going to bed at a reasonable hour and sleeping in a calm environment, you should naturally wake up at a time when your body has rested.  

WHAT SHOULD I DO FIRST THING AFTER WAKING UP?

This is the fun part, choose your own adventure style morning rituals!  Below is a list of some beneficial things you could do, you get to structure it however you want, listening to what your body and mind need each day.  

:: Have a glass of warm water and lemon 

:: Roll out of bed onto your yoga matt and stretch for 5-10 minutes

:: Meditate

:: Journal

:: Watch the sunrise (if you’re early enough) 

:: Head out for a walk

So again, you get to construct a conscious ritual that is tailor made for YOU.  

OK, BUT WHAT SHOULD I EAT FOR BREAKFAST? 

This one is easy.  

Real food.  

Yup, just eat real food.  That real food can be scrambled eggs with some turmeric coated veggies, overnight oats with berries, a green smoothie or whatever makes your body feel good and isn’t coming out of a packet with more than two ingredients!  

In the Health Hub, we have SO MANY amazing breakfast ideas!  Loads of juice ideas, smoothies and light options to the heavier Sunday breakfast indulgences (including our Complete Pancakes that have superfoods like spirulina, mushroom powders and pumpkin powder that taste better than the naughty gluten laden version!) so if you’re struggling with ideas, you know where to look!

These are my three steps to a simply successful morning routine.  Wake up with purpose, do something grounding and nourish your temple.  

It’s really THAT SIMPLE! 

Love,

COMPARISON FOR PERCEPTION

After having a day with the Gratitude Gang yesterday working on our 2018 Intentions, I realised two things. 

:: ACCEPTANCE was a big part of 2017 for me

:: I didn't do enough GRATITUDE

Yup, I have a business called the Gratitude Project and I didn't live my truth this year. 

It wasn't easy.  This year saw more tears, more moments of exhaustion and more sadness than ever before.  But this year also saw more good than I've ever had or experienced.  

As high as I went, I fell that low.  

So this morning I set myself up on my balcony to journal.  In the background, Bo was playing with her new talking toy from Santa.  Harper was banging a hairbrush and singing very loud with the beat.  Somehow they had turned the TV on (sports channel, of all things) and I had my mantras playing on the Bose.  

So. Much. Noise. 

 

But I was set down on the mat, ready to journal and I wasn't giving up. 

So instead of doing what's been easy for me this year, blaming my environment on my state, I took charge of how I wanted to feel.  I wrote.  I wrote about why I was grateful for the noise and messiness of my home.  I wrote about how lucky I am to have these two little girls in my life.  I wrote about where I'm lucky enough to be sitting, with limited beach views and a breeze.  

And I realised as I was writing that I was comparing.  

But... Isn't comparison wrong?!

I've always lived by this truth, don't compare.  It doesn't help.  I remember Julie Parker once saying that comparison is just procrastination.  But, here I am, using my gratitude practice to compare to others.  

"How lucky I am to have these children, some other people would give anything to have their own"

"This breeze, this beautiful breeze I have when some people are trapped in places where they won't feel this air on their body"

And it got me thinking that maybe comparing is ok, maybe we can compare at times.  With boundaries. 

:: I choose not to use comparison to feel superior to another human, but to bring acknowledgement to my current situation. 

:: I choose not to use it to bring others down, but to give myself perception of what I have in my life. 

:: And I could even choose to use it to help others when the situation permits.  

So next time I'm using comparison to bring myself down, I'm going to remember that there are moments when I use it to lift me up.  I get to choose how I do it.  

I just need to stay conscious. 

PALEO CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Some days I'm all about green smoothies and kale chips.

Others I'm about chocolate. ALL. THE. CHOCOLATE.

#balance

So when I have a treat, I want it to be tasty, a little guilty but also healthy enough to not make me feel like death after eating it.  

I found this great recipe right here, but I amended it slightly because I found it a little sweet.  So below is what I make and love.  These are a huge hit in our house and we always share the batch with our friends who live close by, because putting this much love into something deserves to be shared around.  

---

PALEO CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

• 3/4 cup + 2 1/2 tablespoons (104 grams) raw cacao powder

• 2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons (80 grams) almond meal

• 1 1/2 teaspoons GF baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (126 grams) coconut oil, melted

• 2/3 cup (213 grams) honey

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

• 4 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 175 °C and line a muffin pan.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the raw cacao powder, almond meal, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the melted coconut oil, honey, applesauce, eggs and vanilla. Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir just until combined.

4. Pour the batter evenly into the muffin liners, about 3/4 full.

5. Bake for 24-28 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean.

6. Let cool for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. These do not taste very good straight out of the oven. I recommend letting them sit for 2 hours and then frosting.