My Random Thoughts from April 2024

Well.  I finished this newsletter.  I loved it.  I accidentally hit "see preview" without saving and I lost 90% of it at 11pm.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

I guess ... I was meant to start again.

Take.  Two.



~ ~ ~

When I started writing this email, my son and I were watching the CFL draft - 4 of his teammates were drafted this year (2 to Hamilton and 2 to Toronto).

As we were watching the second round, a UBC player (just drafted to Chicago) was chosen by the BC Lions.  When they showed a few clips of this UBC player ... and in two of them my son was playing against him!!  

It's surreal that this is his life, ya know?  

Side note:  This video captures what it looked like watching the draft together .... 

Here's a video of him and I ... I'm the hugger ;)

and now ... back to me ... 



P.s. I would be waiting a long time ... I have to drink DECAF.  ugh.  Fake coffee is so gross.  

I don't love it ... but I DO love a calmer nervous system.  I'll get used to it I'm sure ... maybe.

COFFEE TALK 

For the past few weeks I've been working with a client who is starting up her own agency.

We are starting from the ground up ... we have created a STRONG brand, a leadership philosophy and I fully believe that she will own THE agency that everyone will either want to work FOR or want to work WITH.  We are taking our time to ensure that this business fits her like a glove.

And it does ... and when that happens, success is right around the corner.

I haven't done leadership coaching in a while (most of my clients have been for individual business, relationships or empowerment) but WOW I have missed it.  I have strong opinions on leadership and I KNOW what builds strong teams (and sadly I know what tears them down ... i've seen a LOT of shitty "leaders" in the past who revel in power, control and lead with their ego.  ick ick ick. )

If you're wanting a winning team, respect for the players is where we start.


(If you haven't seen Ted Lasso on Apple TV, it's a cute series and Ted has some REALLY good one-liners that make you think).

FENG SHUI TIP OF THE MONTH 

Last month I talked a bit about our outdoor spaces and gardening. 



I think that many times we forget that our yards, our patios and our decks make a difference too.  Adding something to our exterior space is like "extra positive chi (energy)" so feel free to have some fun out there!



While we're talking about it ... did you know that you can lay your bagua map over your yard as well?   The bottom of the map will be at the entrance side of your yard.  

Question for you .... what is in your back left corner?  It's wealth & abundance so adding wood, green purple and jewel tones (or items that make you feel wealthy) can add positive energy and wealth to your life!  Check out the map below.




and just for fun ...



WHAT (or who) INSPIRES ME

Recently I've been inspired by my Instagram feed.  I have no idea how I stumble onto some of the things that I do but getting lost in the scroll isn't ALWAYS useless and mind-numbing avoidance.  (usually it is ... but sometimes it's not lol).

Here are a few of the things I've saved this month:



and also 



and some from the strangest of places 




1.  If it still bothers you after 24 hours, speak up within 48 hours. 
2.  Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for taking care of
3.  A bad day doesn't mean a bad life.
4.  Ask yourself, will this matter in a month's time?
5.  it's not possible to be both grateful and anxious at the same time.  When anxiety rises, focus on finding things to be grateful for.
6.  Stop apologizing for expressing your feelings.  You're convincing yourself that you are not worth the space you take up.





COOL SHIT
 
A few months ago my husband came home with the new Charmin Ultra Soft Toilet Paper (the one with the scalloped edge).   I shared it on my social media ... people shared my post, tagged me in THEIR posts and messaged me to tell me how much they love their TP now.  One person said she usually uses the cheap stuff, but after seeing my post she bought Charmin and now she will never go back to anything else.  ha

The little things sometimes really DO make you happy!!!



 
Side note, I now have two large bags of straight edge toilet paper and I don't wanna use it.  LOL

WHAT'S COMIN UP?

This month in The Powerhouse Membership we worked in the Journey/Career/Life Path guas of our homes and we did a LOT of mindset work.  In fact, this past Monday I shared the BEST strategy for productivity, success and happiness.  I'm OBSESSED with it, I really am.  It's simple, it's something that I believe to my core (and have shared previously) but it's the WAY that it is explained that is the game changer.  




In May, we will be working on the Wisdom/Self-Knowledge area (and the mindset and intuition to match).  If you're feeling overwhelmed, way too busy, you can't hear your own thoughts, your unable to listen to your intuition, you feel you have NO TIME to yourself ... this is your month.

$20 CAD/month.  Cancel at any time.  

I'M READY TO JOIN THE POWERHOUSE

2) and if you join The Powerhouse OR The Next Level (my private coaching) you will get access to my Power of You private podcast.  I designed it so that women in a few of my coaching containers had access to me at their fingertips.  



If you aren't in either of those containers but you'd still like access to a few of my meditations, some quick hits of inspiration, $9 CAD will get you access!!!   I will be adding some quick mindset shifts that will help you control the circling thoughts, so you won't feel like a big bag of dogshit.  The goal is ALWAYS to feel good.

** If you are in my private coaching container (THE NEXT LEVEL), THE POWER OF YOU or THE POWERHOUSE ... you have access already!  Look to your respective groups for details on how to access it.  

FOR ACCESS TO THE PODCAST CLICK HERE

TASTY SHIT!

When my son is in University and my husband is at work, my daughter and I like to experiment.   She found this recipe on Tik Tok earlier in the month and we've eaten it 3x since.  haha.  Safe to say we like it.  It seems labour intensive, just because there are four different components to make, but it's worth it!  

Chicken Vermicelli Bowls





Chicken Marinade 

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp avocado oil (or any neutral oil)
2 stalks lemongrass (or 2 tsp lemongrass paste)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt 
2 tbsp sugar


Nuoc Cham Sauce 

1/4 cup water
1 tbsp + 1 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp grated carrot
1 clove garlic, minced

Pickled Veggies 

1/2 cup white vinegar (or rice wine vinegar will work)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup carrots, cut thin into matchsticks (or just bought like that in the bag)
1/2 cup daikon radish, cut into thin matchsticks (** optional **)

For the Bowls 

6 oz rice vermicelli noodles
romaine lettuce, cut in ribbons
cucumbers, in matchsticks
fresh mint leaves
chopped peanuts
sriracha sauce for serving
2 scallions, sliced on an angle

Directions

Marinade:  Discard the top two thirds of the lemongrass as well as one inch at the bottom;  peel off the tough outer layer and then smash the rest with a meat mallet to release the oils.  Cut into 1" pieces that will be easy to remove later.  Place the lemongrass in a bowl with the chicken and the rest of the marinade;  mix until evenly coated and marinate for at least 2 hours (or overnight - the longer the better).  

Pickled veggies:  Place the vinegar, water, sugar and salt into a small pot and bring to a simmer.  Place the radish and carrots in a bowl and pour over the pickling liquid.  Let sit for 30 min.  

Nuoc cham sauce:  mix the ingredients and set aside.

Chicken:  after marinating, remove the lemongrass pieces and discard the marinade.  Grill or fry the chicken in a pan until no pink remains.  

Noodles:  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and boil vermicelli noodles for approx 5 min, strain and rinse with cool water.  

To assemble:

Lay noodles on the bottom, with romaine lettuce, cucumbers, pickled veggies, sliced chicken, mint and scallions.  Top with crushed peanuts and pour some nuoc cham sauce over top!

Our Tips and Tweaks:

- I'm not a fan of mint on my food ... mojitos?  YES, but not my food.  We chose to substitute it with cilantro and we added some micro-greens too.

- don't skip the nuoc cham sauce (or alternatively, you can buy it in the grocery store).  It adds somethin-somethin to the dish that you NEED.

- I'm not a huge fish sauce fan (it really isn't great smelling lol) but the dish wasn't as tasty when we tried to omit it!  I would say it's worth it to buy the bottle.

- the recipe calls for grilling the whole green onions and THEN chopping them.  We did that the first time but it seemed like a lot of energy for it to NOT look nice and not really add much flavour.  I'd skip it unless you are bored and have nothing else to do.

If you try it, or tweak it I'd love to hear what you do!  Take a picture and send it to me!

***

Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you SO much to all of you who regularly email me, recommend my group, my courses, my coaching or this newsletter to your friends and colleagues, your biz besties and your family.  I appreciate every one of you and every message that I receive.