We’ve all heard the old adage, “It’s better to give than to receive” – but how can generosity actually transform your life? First, it is important to understand what giving actually means.

This year I was blessed to ring in the New Year with a family I love very deeply. It was not the first year we’ve celebrated bringing in a New Year together, but it was the first time we released lanterns symbolizing our hopes, goals, dreams, and intentions for the year ahead. It was the perfect end to a perfect day, and a memory I will cherish forever.

I’ve always been an avid goal setter, but this year I wanted to take it a step further. So, when deciding what to write on my lantern and how I wanted to kick-start the New Year – I focused on intention setting vs. goal setting.

Intention setting is game changer, and here’s why...

When looking for ways to spread holiday cheer, remember that small acts of kindness can have the biggest impact. Write a thank you note to a local volunteer. Offer a friend a ride to the airport. Donate anonymously. Even the smallest acts of good can go a long way and bring a smile to someone’s face.

Looking for inspiration? Here are 10 easy ways to spread Holiday Cheer this season...

Approximately 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer throughout the course of their lives. It could happen to any of us.

Thanks to the increased awareness over the past years, more women are getting their routine mammograms, which is helping them catch the cancer early. And when detected early, the cancer is typically easier to treat, giving women a much higher survival rate. But this in no way means that the diagnosis — early or not — is easy to deal with. 

Since breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, it’s likely you know someone affected by the disease, and when you do — it can be hard to know what to say or do to show your support.

Here are 5 ways you can support your loved one after diagnosis and throughout treatment and recovery...

Whenever we undertake a new change in our lives – whether it’s starting a new job or business, moving to a new location, or implementing a new health & fitness routine – we tell ourselves a story about it.

The stories are different for each of us, but if we are not enjoying the experience, it’s most likely because of how we’ve written our story. There are hundreds of research studies that prove the power of a productive story, and these studies reveal that the greatest predictor of whether or not we live a joyful and fulfilled life is never the facts surrounding our situation, but rather the stories we tell ourselves about them.

Our female friendships are critical to our emotional well being. From an early age, our “best friends” provide a sense of belonging, emotional connection, and the ability to learn to rely on someone. 

Female friendships are, quite simply, a catalyst for sense of purpose. 

So what is the secret ingredient to female friendships? Why are they so powerful, bonding, unrivaled?

After a rough two months of post break-up blues, I was recently diagnosed with separation anxiety. And yes, it was as fun as it sounds. My therapist informed me that this was brought on by my fear of abandonment. Some of you who know me well may be saying "duh", but for me this was a total revelation. 

With spring now officially here, I always feel compelled to declutter and clean my house (a mood that does not strike often!)

Spring has always been my favorite time of year. The arrival of spring feels like a new beginning. It is about freshness, new life, and life lived anew.

I have always found the ritual of spring cleaning to be an important one. In addition to making my house more pleasant to live in, there’s more to this ritualistic refreshing than just our living spaces. It can also be an opportunity to open our internal windows to release the stale and tired emotions we’ve been carrying.

Even though it might be more difficult than cleaning out a cupboard or even a garage, spring cleaning can (and should) extend to decluttering our minds. If you are feeling overwhelmed, have little capacity to take on new information and/or you are struggling to focus, there is no better time than the present to perform a mental spring cleaning.

Here are eight ways to initiate the internal spring-cleaning process...