Balanced Leadership

To stay in tip top shape during the summer, it’s important to eat healthy. Often, when we look for a snack on the go, it’s easier to pick unhealthy snacks like chips and cookies. Let’s face it, it’s easier, familiar and convenient, but there are several healthy alternatives that you can grab quickly and enjoy poolside, in the park or even pack for work. When grabbing healthy snacks try to aim for items under 200 calories. 

Below are a couple of options:

Veggies and Hummus-You can have as many veggies as you like. Think celery sticks, carrot sticks, broccoli, green peppers with about 3-4 tbsp of hummus.

Almonds- 100 calorie pack almonds are easy to grab and go. Almonds are a great

Apple slices and almond butter or nut butter- Apples are a great source of fiber. The almond or nut better provides protein and healthy fat to keep you feeling full.

KIND Bars- Healthy, packaged snacks made with whole ingredients and under 200 calories.

Popcorn- Popcorn...

There is nothing like the support of your tribe; a group of women who show up when least expected. Your tribe can provide support during challenging times like the loss of a loved one, a divorce or illness. They can also provide encouragement during exciting times like starting a business, getting married or changing careers. These special women in our lives; our best friends; our chosen family; our sister friends; our mentors; are the ones who make us smile a little brighter, laugh a little louder, and live a little better. They should be celebrated.

Women have often put the needs and feelings of others ahead of their own. They carry the weight of the world on their shoulders to make it a little easier for their loved ones. They often do this at the expense of their own health and happiness.

Sometimes women think it’s not possible to change the course of their lives because it’s too overwhelming. They put it on the back burner thinking they’ll get to...

Does this sound familiar? You wake up each morning with a list of things that must get done. You rush out the door to work, forget to pack your lunch, spend your day answering emails and going to meetings. Only to have to come home, cook, attend family events, prepare for the next day and then start all over again. We are so used to running from one activity to the next, that we often forget to just slow down and breathe.

If we continue to go about our busy lives without allowing ourselves time to recharge, we run the risk of being chronically stressed. Signs of chronic stress are muscle tension like neck or back pain, headaches, forgetfulness, insomnia, gas and bloating and weight gain. These long-term effects can lead to heart disease, depression, hypertension, memory loss, obesity, stroke and advanced aging. The good news is that there is a way we can reduce our stress levels. We can improve our health by practicing meditation.

Meditation has many physical and mental health...

Have you been searching for happiness and not sure what it feels like? Are you wondering how it really feels to be truly happy? How would your life be different? Happiness has been defined by some researchers as a state of well-being where life has meaning and is satisfying. Happiness does not mean feeling good all the time, because we know that this is not possible. We also know that happiness cannot be found through acquiring material things or quickly changing your current situation. Happiness is an emotion that is not brought on by what you attain or how successful you are. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Happiness can lead to your success and help you with achieving your goals. We know that to maintain happiness we need to practice habits that lead to a fulfilled, satisfying life.

According to research by Sonja Lyubomirsky, in her book The How of Happiness, 40% of happiness is within our control, 50% is determined by “set points” (genetics) and...

Now that summer is almost over, it’s back to school time for over 25 million working moms in the U.S. and their children. Independent of the number of working adults in the household, mothers continue to carry the lion's share of household and care-giving responsibilities. That means trying to juggle both work and back to school related responsibilities like homework, after school activities, sports practices and games, teacher conferences and PTA meetings. Just thinking about balancing it all can bring anxiety and worry. Most children today participate in one or more sport or after school activity like music lessons, advanced academic courses and dance lessons jut to name a few. So how do you manage it all?

I remember when my kids were in school (they’re in college now), they were involved in sports, dance, school clubs and volunteer organizations, in addition to a rigorous academic load. To keep them involved would mean driving them to their activities, picking...

We know as working moms how important work-life balance is. It requires a combination of physical, mental and spiritual well being. If you're physically healthy you have the stamina and drive to keep going everyday. If your mental state is healthy you can become resilient in the face of adversity. If you are spiritually grounded, you know that all things are possible because of a higher power working in your favor.

In order to achieve balance in these areas we need the right tools. Here are the 6 things working moms need in their toolbox to achieve physical, mental, and spiritual balance.

The word NO- No is a complete sentence. It is a word that is often hard for us to use. We want to please everyone and not hurt anyone’s feelings even if it means we may have to take on more than we can handle. Learning to say no provides boundaries and reduces overwhelm and burnout.

Me time- Not taking time to recharge can easily lead to burnout. Prioritizing me-time is important and should...

Burnout among women juggling the responsibilities of a demanding career and home is at an all-time high. There are many reasons for this increase such as working lounger hours, having less time for family and social interactions and increased personal demands. Burnout doesn't happen overnight. A series of stressful events, and life changes happen over time that build up to a point where you feel like you can't escape. When we are facing overwhelm, stress and burnout, not only do our careers suffer but our physical, mental and spiritual health suffer as well. So how do we get to an state of well-being in our personal and professional lives? Below are 4 tips to help working moms reduce overwhelm and prevent burnout:

1. Self awareness

To manage burnout, we need to have a deep understanding of self. We have to be aware of our own strengths, beliefs, emotions, thoughts and behavior. A person who is self aware can then change the way they react to stress and learn techniques to...