Recalibrate Your Work, Rest, and Play.
previous issues of the sabbatical lifestyle
A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to 40...
A funny thing happened on the way to 40. I went in search of self-worth but instead gained self-acceptance.
Two Human Thighs and a Swimsuit
I thought I was a friend to myself. Then I spent a week in a swimsuit.
What the Luck: Your 4-Step Patty Party
When I think about how much I’ve grown in the past 2 years alone, I feel pretty darn lucky. Which is timely since St. Patrick’s Day is this Sunday. But I use “luck” here on purpose…because there’s a science to luck. And that’s what I’m here to share today. Lucky you!
Crisis Subverted
“A ‘midlife crisis’ happens to other people, not me.” I told myself. Genial, hard working, multi-talented…I could maneuver most situations like a human Swiss Army Knife. But as I approached 38, I entered into a two-year period I couldn’t maneuver out of…
That Time I Left the 2018 Snowmaggedon for Cabo and Everything was Magical
We're having an impossibly beautiful snowpocalypse here in Minnesota. "Impossibly" because I can't get out my back door to take a proper picture of the soft, gleaming blanket of fresh powder. But, trust me, I've got Norman Rockwell-type beauty outside my window.
Which, ironically, has me thinking about my upcoming spring break to Cabo.
Which has me thinking about last year's spring break trip...also to Cabo.
Can You Talk to Your Mom About Vegas "Cock Ranches"?
I was in the middle of listening to Mom and Dad recount their travels in the American Southwest--Hoover Dam! Grand Canyon! A mountain top near Taos!--when they mentioned their forthcoming stay in Vegas.
Cutting the MacBook Strings: bringing meaning back to "not working"
Nearly two months ago, my friend had a baby. But for all the time she spends feeding him, burping him, changing his diaper, putting him down, or picking him up, I’m pretty sure I currently spend more time each day with my laptop (#startuplife #onlinecoaching).
The Audacity of "Look at Me" in a Bundled Up World
There's this amazing woman Erin who teaches my cabaret camp and has an ASTOUNDING ability to interpret any lyric at least a dozen ways. In each class, I say to myself, "Oh, so THAT'S how that lyric should sound." (<--- [SIGH] There’s that stupid “shoulding” all over myself…but, really, she nails those interpretations…all 12 of 'em.)
Going Home, a Shady Viennese Hostel, and Your "True North" Brilliance
As a kid, I stored up a lot of credits with God. Every Christmas Eve (and various other times of the year), I’d attend both Catholic mass and Lutheran church. Often providing special music (hat tip to all those “sounds advanced but is basically just a bunch of arpeggios” Lorie Line arrangements).
Reflecting On the Chin Hairs of Life
This is it! The last days of 2018 are upon us. 🎉 🎊 But if there's a ritual that perplexes me, it's New Year's resolutions: Why wait for an arbitrary date to be more awesome? (*scratches head*)
12 Days of Midlifing
Let’s get one thing clear: I'm not about to encourage you to wrap more gifts or plan a host of daily activities in honor of the 12 Days of Christmas. That’s just not my brand of ambition.
Why I Coach
I coach to discover. I coach to uncover. I coach to create color in a world that often appears black and white. I coach because I believe in people. I coach to honor courage. I coach in defiance of societal norms…
That Time I Ate Alllll the Cheese
(Not the #1 nightmare. That one is about crawling through an underground tunnel, where the hole is not much bigger/wider than me, and suffocating to death as it collapses on me. Don't even get me started on the snow fort tunnels of my youth.)
From Cersai-level Shame to a Legit Free Coaching Sesh
I’ve made no secret about The Year of My Discontent (chronic fatigue, adrenal fatigue, black mold illness, autoimmune disease, and a breakup with a wonderful partner...yada, yada, yada).
But I never really made public my Cersei-level shame navigating it all. “Why can’t I get my act together? What will people say? I've spent nearly 13 years working in wellbeing, FFS."
How to Spread Your Talent
At my first job that didn't involve scooping expired Cool Whip out of the containers and pouring it back into a giant vat for reheating and repackaging, my boss and coworker took me to lunch.
Closet Cleaning, Nancy Meyers Films, and Midlife Crises
When my client “Kim” likened navigating midlife to cleaning out a closet full of dry clean-only clothes that no longer serve her, I was all ears (I love a good metaphor). She said she doesn’t want to continue wearing them due to the cost of upkeep in the face of too many other priorities…even if all those cashmere sweaters appear soft and comfortable and pleasing to the eye.
Netflix & Chill for Midlifers
Adidas and crank the hip hop
Amazon and ennui
Apple and get no sleep
Corona and self-recrimination
Sorry, You're Effed: The Autoimmunite's Survival Guide
Autoimmune Disease Names: A Starter List
How to Not Try at All and Still Feel Aches All Over Your Body
40-Something Woman Hospitalized in "Balanced" Lifestyle Attempt
A 43-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency room this afternoon after several attempts at a "balanced lifestyle”…
Not well? Change your personality.
I gained 18 pounds in six weeks this past summer. What's your superpower?