“So… what’s your story?” I get asked this a lot. I’ve always found sharing “my story” difficult – mostly because I’m never sure what exactly to share or where to begin. I wrote a condensed version of my struggles with diet, exercise, my body and my weight in the first chapter of Happy Calories Don’t Count. I shared it to provide …

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “body positivity?” For most women I’ve met, body positivity means “love your body” or “feel good about your body.” I see this as a problem. While loving your body and feeling good about your body are definitely good ideas, they are not things that can be compelled. You cannot compel yourself …

Grant me the Serenity toAccept the Things I Cannot Change,The Courage to Change the Things I Can,And the Wisdom to Know the Difference. This little gem, written by Reinhold Niebuhr, is known as the Serenity Prayer. And while Happy Calories Don’t Count® is in no way a 12-Step Program, a recent coaching session with a client revealed that the Happy …

“She’s the happiest person I know!” That’s how a radio host introduced me before an interview. “She’s always so happy and energetic.” That’s what a client wrote about me in a testimonial. “She lights up the room,” I overheard one colleague say to another. I would bet money that if you asked one hundred people to describe me, one hundred …

I finally bit the bullet and went to the optometrist today. Apparently you hit “an age” and can’t read anything – including your phone – without “cheaters.” I had been resistant to go in for an eye exam because I don’t like the idea that you simply “hit an age” and things just start “falling apart.” I’m a strong, healthy, …

Does your body trust you? Do you even think about it? I just saw a post on social media that started with “The eating plan I’m on now…” – now, being the operative word. It seems like every month this person is on a new eating plan – by a new doctor – backed by new “research.” And I can’t …

One of my readers asked for a specific example regarding my latest blog post – What Do YOU Mean By The “Law of Attraction.” Since my response would have ended up as long and involved as a regular post, I get a two for one! So here it goes. There are a lot of good old catch phrases floating around – things …

“Do you believe in the ‘Law of Attraction’?” The event organizer at a recent luncheon I attended asked this question to begin the program. It seemed like every hand – except mine – shot into the air. I hesitated. I know what I believe, but I didn’t know what she meant by the “Law of Attraction.” Some people say that …

If it weren’t for the calendar – or the dreary, grey, rainy Seattle days – I’d know what month it is by all of the commercials and morning talk show segments focusing on weight loss. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but it seems to me that the news media offers less and less actionable “news.” Perhaps it …

If there’s one lesson Life has tried to teach me again and again these last few years it is this: people – and their perceptions and world views – are a product of their life experiences. Case in point: much of the time “Happy Calories Don’t Count” is met with incredulousness or confusion. But every now and again, when I …