Own Your Evolution

Sass Magazine's Adventure Issue hit the streets 🗒️ 🧳 🌍 (& word on the Frederick street is there are some tickets left for GNO tonight. I have an extra one if anyone wants it!)

In this publication, you just may recognize the writer in the article "The Spirit of Adventure." (It’s me. I’m the writer. ✍️ 📝 )

"Most of my early travel was done with minimal funds and a lot of fear. I experienced challenges, slept on my belongings in youth hostels, missed international flights, overcame language barriers, and encountered scary creatures. With each trip and every struggle, I built grit, guts, resiliency, and self-reliance. Every time I returned to Maryland I felt situated more fully in myself; with a greater understanding of how other parts of the world live, think and work."

🫶🏼✈️ 🧳 🗺️ 🚀 🎧 🎢🎡🗽

"Every single one of them will secretly wish that they were going with you."

I've been writing about this in my head all week after sitting with others who want desperately to be free AND simultaneously live by others expectations.

It doesn't work that way & that is where the magic, growth + alchemy resides.

Let's sign an internal pledge to be less strategic about how to avoid judgement + criticism from others & figure out how to be in relationship with our true-blue-selves.

We are not in middle school anymore where fitting in was queen; ignoring our deep desires to be UNAPOLOGETICALLY & wildly ourselves.

Let's be more like Emily Dickinson who wrote "I am out with lanterns, looking for myself."

(Thank you Julie Gaver for posting this poem this morning.)

Let’s talk….


Therapy sessions in the Zen Den include but are not limited to:


⚖️ Anxiety & the Modern Woman
🤍 Relationships (always)
👯‍♀️ Women’s Issues
✋🏽 Boundary Setting
🌱 Self Esteem

Sessions also include:

🗣️ Real talk
💣 Well placed f 💣
🧻Tissues
🍫Chocolate
😹Uproarious laughter

🌈 Happy Pride Month 🌈

“I believe that telling our stories, first to ourselves and then to one another and the world, is a revolutionary act. It is an act that can be met with hostility, exclusion and violence. It can also lead to love, understanding, transcendence and community.” — Janet Mock

“You don't have to be gay to be a supporter, you just have to be human.” — Daniel Radcliffe

“I am not gay, but if I were, I would be the first one running out of the closet.” — Dolly Parton

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Own Your Evolution offers therapy & life coaching.

Life coaching does not treat nor diagnose mental health conditions. It is future focused & offers an accountability partner to move things forward in your life. 💡 📚 🌱 📝 💫

Therapy requires the practitioner have a degree & subsequent training/supervision in order to diagnose & treat mental health issues.

In therapy, we often sift & sort through past hurts, traumas & experiences to understand the current day you & create a wellness plan to move forward + live a life that nourishes you. 🩺 👩‍⚕️ 🔎 🧠 🦋

I have a waitlist but have openings for new client VIP days starting soon!

I received a question a few weeks ago:

Simply asked: how are you living a good life in your 50's? What's your secret?

🪷 {Some of} My 2024 Life Elixirs: 🧘

1. I've gotten significantly better at catching my automatic negative thoughts (ANTS) & exiting them stage left. Swiftly & lovingly.
2. Awareness of what + who feels calm, delicious & free. My nervous system wants to be in non chaotic environments & close to those who possess self awareness & feel regulated. It's revealed to me it does not feel emotionally safe for long periods of time around self absorption, over talkers, virtue signalers, imitators & those not situated in themselves (yet.)
3. Surroundings that are filled with flowers, plants, books & birds. Overall, aesthetic beauty.
4. Food that feels light in my body. In this warmer season, that means tasty -- body boosting smoothies with veggies, seeds, collagen, berries...... big salads with legumes, nuts, cheeses, herbs. Infused sparkly drinks.
5. Educating myself on all things hormones for both myself + the women that sit in my office. (I have books, resources & local practitioners who've helped in my learnin'.) Then putting into practice things that support hormone health.
6. Learning about Internal Family Systems (IFS) & learning to love all my parts.
7. Experiences + adventures with those I love; even if it's a local yoga class in a unique environment. My senses are restless & crave newness + novelty.
8. Stretching. My body, my mind.
9. Magnesium. Sprays, salts & capsules. For all the things. Sore muscles. Stress, sleep & brain support.

How about you? What are you craving in your stage of development?

🥬 🫐 🍌 Teens, food + mental wellbeing: 🥗 🌱🥦

Our babes need real food to nourish their systems. Every.Day.

Often, they benefit from supplements especially if they have anxiety, sleep disturbances, and low mood. If they are taking psychotropic meds, real/unprocessed food is especially important.

I see many teens who cannot access their feel good feelings or their brightness because they are either not eating enough to sustain them or are not eating whole foods.

Therapy & coaching can help them move forward & adjust the volume on their state of being but it doesn't work as well when their system is undernourished.

When they go to their pediatrician or P*P, you can have them tested for vitamin D, B12, zinc + magnesium. We live in a culture bereft of these crucial vitamins + minerals.

Magnesium provides wonders for anxiety, focus & sleep. I use & recommend researching: MagTech and/or BioOptimizers Magnesium Breakthrough (both on Amazon.) Most of us are vitamin D deficient as well. When taken with vitamin K, an uptick in mood may be noticed quickly.

If you suspect food sensitivities play a role in low mood, anxiety, stomach distress, you can get online food sensitivity tests + simply start by eliminating the inflammatory food(s) that may be clogging their sweet & sensitive systems. Have them keep a log of how they feel when offending foods are removed. To simplify it, come up with 5-10 meals that they like that doesn't incorporate offending foods.

Lifestyle has a huge role in our teens mental & physical wellbeing. I weave this into nearly every session with my teen clients.

I love seeing the lights come on in their eyes & their life force come back online when their body is being duly nutrified.

Lessons in Chemistry: 👩‍🔬 ⚛️ 🧪 📚

The book club for this (most delightful) book is filled to the brim but there will be a 2nd chance to be a part of the reading fun this summer at Black Ankle Vineyards.

Stay tuned for the date/time + to see if the chosen book appeals to you.

There will be 15 spaces available for the summer book club edition. 📕 🍷 💃

And, if you enjoy reading but are not coming to Get Lit part one, you may still want to read Lessons in Chemistry. If you are not an avid reader, the book is also a miniseries on Apple TV & it's so good that even my 16 yo was pulled in & wanted to watch.

The show deviates from the book but only in the best of ways.

Habit Stacking is one of my superpowers. 🍋

Being consistent with small daily, healthy habits creates a glow, flow & predictablity in our day. (Our nervous system loves predictability & consistency.)

When studying Ayurveda medicine, I learned the term dinacharya. Dinacharya is a "daily routine invites health, vitality, and a sense of clarity into our lives."

My daily dinacharya practice starts as soon as I open my peepers in the morning. One of the most potent things I added years ago is morning lemon + ginger water for liver cleansing. It gives a boost of vitamin C, helps the body maintain ph balance & adds nutrients like potassium & magnesium. I drink this on an empty stomach before coffee with a morning magnesium supplement to boost brain power & induce calm.

If you're also in the business of balancing hormones & reducing inflammation, this may be something to consider.

🍋 Lemon Ginger Tonic 🍋
- 4 peeled lemons
- 8oz of ginger root
- Juice or use a blender and a cheesecloth
- Store in the fridge for 5 days
- Enjoy 1-2 oz of this golden elixir mixed with 8 oz of warm water

(Recipe from Jessica Spiers)

What is one of your habit stacking practices that ground & nourish you? Or one you want to start?

March is National Social Work Month (& I am late to the party.) 👩 💼 🤝 💛

The White House deemed this year's theme as "Empowering Social Workers".

Happy Social Work Month to all my colleagues who do the quiet & often very loud work of caring for human spirits. Often social workers are doing their own internal work or moving through their own struggles & still showing up with presence for the human in their office. I've talked to 2 of them this week who are doing just that.

If you know one, live with one, work with one, thank them for showing up in this world.

This year, I wanted to recognize my social work friends & colleagues by sending notes, cards, love & flowers. They do very hard things & I see them.

Hilltop Blooms & Beef created some gah-geous bouquets that got delivered yesterday to therapists I know & love.

Hug or high five a social worker today.

Get Lit book club 📖 is sold out!

Look for Get Lit 2.0 details late summer.

New book. New venue. Same high vibe.

Sip & Sound success:

10 women + artfully curated teas & treats + the magic of Ayanna Aya Cultural Arts Studio guiding us to “re-body” ourselves.

It brought tears to my eyes to listen to the sounds & souls of real humans connecting. One of my favorite moments was hearing the meaning of your names & then the nature name you would’ve chosen. 🦅

Thank you to all who left your comfortable homes on a Thursday evening to sit deeper in yourselves.

🫖 🧘 🥣 🥁

🦋 When you're in a period of expansion + upleveling, notice who you feel comfortable sharing it with + who is interested. Also, notice the people/areas where you don't feel comfortable sharing + who doesn’t have any interest or curiosity.

🦋 When you expand, some will cheer you on, support your growth online & IRL. Note: often, it's the NOT the ones you are closest too.

🦋 Others will mimic or imitate it. Some will feel competitive. A person who loves me told me a few weeks ago, I posted too much. (I wanted to say...."you ain't seen nothing yet." )

🦋 One of my wise, old friends reflected that people who are not fully situated/sitting in themselves are the ones who either unconsciously or consciously imitate or recoil (thank you Bonnie🩷)

🦋 My truth: Keep shining your soul shine with those that uplift, energize & with whom there is energetic reciprocity. Throw loads of love & compassion on the others ….maybe from more of a distance.

When you start to change, every relationship in your life will change too.

That’s because relationships are all about energy!

When you grow in a new direction - your energy shifts in the same new direction.

That’s why relationships change. It’s why some friendships will start to feel off while others seem to click immediately.

The friends that start to fade are growing and changing too. Just in a different direction.

It’s normal for relationships to fade, to click, to come and to go.

It’s also normal for people to come back into your life when you both start growing in the same direction again.

Pay attention. If something clicks - it's meant for you. If something feels off - it’s not. Don’t feel bad. TRUST it!!

It’s just an energy thing ✨

I had the pure pleasure of being a guest on The Empty Nest Kitchen's new podcast! If you don't know the irrepressible energy & talent of Christine Van Bloem, you will after you listen in. She's a force. She's hilarious. She's talented. She seamlessly connects people + food with doses of humor. I want to see her on TV!

Take a listen to Own Your Evolution + The Empty Nest Kitchen jamming out on life after babes leave the nest, being a lifetime vegetarian (hello fried capers!) & the deep need for connected sisterhood with inspiring women.

Meet the lovely and luscious Heather Tydings; a Psychotherapist, Life Coach and owner of . She's an inspiration and my very first guest on the Empty Nest Kitchen pod (can I call it that now that I've had the first official episode drop?😂).

Our conversation covers mental health among empty nest women, vegetarianism, and what it's like to actually live the dream. I'm so delighted that Heather took the time to talk and hope you enjoy our conversation. You can take a listen here: https://emptynestkitchen.buzzsprout.com

“Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled “this could change your life.”― Helen Exley

Get Lit 📖 with Own Your Evolution & Old Westminster Winery on a Sunday, April 28 from 12:30-3:30 pm.

The question: what book should we read & discuss over wine + cheese/chaucterie/pizza?

Send some books you'd love to read + digest. Details to follow.



(Greenhouse pictures courtesy of Old Westminster Winery.)

🩷 February do's & don'ts 🩷

Do's ~

Savoring
Self Connection
Paper Whites + Primroses
Hand written notes
Galentine's

Don'ts ~

Virtue Signaling
Imitation
Over-doing
News
Restriction

🤍 The origin story of Own Your Evolution 🤍

"In essence, I get the privilege of offering clients connection, safety, trust, and hope. My schooling taught a more removed way of interacting with clients, however, I found people heal and change from authentic connection. Education and clinical training are crucial but if a client doesn’t trust or connect with you, it’s more of a cerebral process, not a soul-deep one."

Exploring Life & Business with Heather Tydings of Own Your Evolution - VoyageBaltimore Magazine | Baltimore's Most Inspiring Stories Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Tydings. Heather Tydings Hi Heather, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today. Hello! I’d love to introduce myself. I work as a psychotherapist and life coach living in the vibrant and mo...

Own Your Evolution & Aya Expressive Arts in Urbana will be holding a Sound Immersion Meditation with tea service + light snacks.

Thursday March 14 from 7-9 pm for 12 women.

Mark the date if you're interested in a 90 minute healing date with yourself + a side of tea & me. 🫖

"Sound healing has been used for centuries to help people heal both physically and mentally. It is a holistic practice that works with the vibrations of sound to restore balance, reduce stress, and promote awareness. Sound healing utilizes instruments like singing bowls and drums to create resonant frequencies that can be beneficial for calming the mind and body."



Sign up & more deets to follow soon.

🧘 "All I want to do is stay in & cocoon. I want to be wrapped up. I see my friends hanging out & painting the town but I want quiet + solitude. Am I lame?" ~Said Many Women the last 2 weeks.

🛋️Welcome to coming into alignment with winter.

❄️ In our part of the world, today/winter season is a perfect time for quiet, mindfulness & meditative practices that may include fireplaces, candles, hot tea, soups, fuzzy socks, books, yoga = all things slow, meditative & warm.

🌀Going inward lends itself to renewal & radiancy in the spring time; where we emerge with the stored up energy of the winter & feel luminous.

I'm watching the glorious sunset with hot tea after a slow burn workout. What are you doing for yourself?

The New Self Care: Mindfulness & Meditation Mindfulness and meditation are two of the most renewing things we can do for our mind, body and spirit. But what is the difference between the two?

Stay tuned & happy birthday to me (yesterday) 🌟 🪄 💛 ⚡️

⚡️ It's starting out electric ⚡️ (the odd 2024 word that came to me one day recently at 11:11 so....let's see how that goes.)

I will be featured in Voyage Baltimore (voyagebaltimore.com) as one of their Most Inspiring Stories.

A tight & appreciative hug to Frederick's illustrious Christine Van Bloem of Empty Nest Kitchen for nominating me. I may have had a hearty dose of Imposter Syndrome writing it but also feel honored.

I love my work, my life, & this town. Whole heartedly & unabashedly.

🎧 Often podcasts are an excellent option for "therapy in between therapy." This podcast specifically has struck a nerve with many. 🤍

M A N Y.

It's not just for those healing from emotionally immature parents (EIP.) It applies in equal measure for anyone healing & reeling from being in relationship with ANY EIP.

There are 2 parts & if you're so inclined, give a listen. It hits alot of pain points + offers ways to stay connected to yourself. 🧘

"The exhaustion of being connected to an emotionally immature person is exhausting because we believe at some level that if we just figured out the magical way to express ourselves correctly, that we would be able to engage with them in a way that they would be interested in understanding us." ~Lindsay Gibson

‎We Can Do Hard Things: 263. Healing from Emotionally Immature Parents with Lindsay C. Gibson on Apple Podcasts ‎Show We Can Do Hard Things, Ep 263. Healing from Emotionally Immature Parents with Lindsay C. Gibson - Dec 4, 2023

The founder & CEO of Own Your Evolution hosted a non corporate ✨heart-full holiday party 🥂 last night for the administrative assistant, intake coordinator, clinician, treatment/discharge planner & believer/uplifter of beautiful humans. See team picture ⬇️

Her handsome plus 1️⃣ from Terrace Dental Group was in attendance.

The holiday outing included quick stop to hug Sass Magazine’s powerhouses Kimberly Moore Dow & Katy Cawley at Frederick Social

Happy holidays from OYE “entire team.”