24 Seven February 2021

Personalized
Actions
T owards
Health
www.prospectfitness.com/path
1004 Beverley Road Brooklyn, NY 11218
347-413-6390 info@prospectfitness.com
www.prospectfitness.com

Allison
Carmen
MAYBE
I can help you?
I am an Author, Business Consultant, Business/Life Coach and
podcaster ready to provide you with the tools to grow or start
your business, find a new career, let go of your stress and
worry, manage life changes or find more fulfillment.
The Best Gift Of Maybe
Published by Penguin Random
House.
Many things are beyond our
control, but the mindset of Maybe
presents a simple, powerful way to
stay connected to what’s possible,
and work to make it happen.
10 Minutes To Less Suuering
Allison Carmen, Self-help author
and Life Coach, presents different
techniques to reduce your stress
and worry in less than 10 minutes!
Event Speaker
Self-help and inspirational speaker available for
conferences, workshops and corporate events.
Life/Business Coaching
Career changes, Reduction of daily stress and worry, Goal
Setting/Implementation, Increased fulfillment in daily
business/personal life.
Business Consulting
Business and financial advice including financial analysis
and marketing for increased profit and expansion.
I have a background in accounting, and I am a licensed
attorney with LLM in taxation. You can find me blogging for
Psychology Today, Huffington Post, Thrive Global
and Mind Body Green.
CHECK OUT WWW.ALLISONCARMEN.COM TODAY!
Contact: ALLISONNALLISONCARMEN.COM
Rates and References upon request

EDITOR IN CHIEF
Joan Herrmann
—
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Lindsay Pearson
—
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Matt Herrmann
—
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Chris Giordano
Andrea Valentie
Oliver Pane
—
CONTRIBUTORS
Guy Finley
Lorie Gardner, RN, NBC-HWC
Gayle Gruenberg, CPO-CD, CVPO
Rick Hanson, PhD
Mark Hyman, MD
Joan Herrmann
Linda Mitchell, CPC

FROM THE EDITOR
—
February is all about hearts - but not
just the candy kind. It’s also American
Heart Month, a time to turn our thoughts
to keeping families and communities free
from heart disease.
Heart disease kills more women than
cancer, diabetes, and stroke. It will claim
the lives of one in three, killing more than
400,000 each year. The good news is that
a majority of these cases may be prevented
through education and lifestyle changes.
Although heart disease is sometimes
thought of as a “man’s disease,” fewer
women than men survive their first heart
attack.
According to Dr. Mark Menolascino,
author of the book, Heart Solution for
Women: A Proven Program to Prevent and
Reverse Heart Disease, women present
differently and their heart disease signs
may be subtle – anxiety, heartburn,
nausea, digestive issues - so it’s important
to seek medical care at the first sign of
a problem. He advises: If you think it’s
your heart, get checked out because if you
don’t, you may be dead wrong. We often
don’t get a second chance.
Studies show that 90 percent of
women have one or more risk factors for
developing heart disease or stroke. Dr.
Menolascino notes that with less exercise,
higher stress, less nutritious food, and
more toxins in our environment, there
is so much stacked up against us that it
makes it difficult for us to stay healthy.
A few of the risk factors and behaviors
that put us at risk for heart disease
include: high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, smoking, obesity, diabetes,
physical inactivity, and unhealthy eating
habits
While we face many challenges that
make us feel helpless, we actually have
tremendous control over our heart health.
Altering our lifestyle puts us in the driver’s
seat to preventing and/or reversing the
conditions that may lead to heart disease.
Listen to my conversation with Dr.
Menolascino:
https://bit.ly/3sNT7of
— Joan Herrmann

MARK MENOLASCINO, MD
ISSUE NO.124

INSIDE THIS
ISSUE
ON THIS MONTH’S
COVER
THE FIRST STEP TO YOUR BEST HEALTH:
A KITCHEN MAKEOVER
BY MARK HYMAN, MD
PAGE 12
SPEND VALENTINE’S DAY WITH
THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE
BY JOAN HERRMANN
PAGE 20
HEART DISEASE KILLS MORE WOMEN THAN CANCER,
DIABETES, AND STROKE. IT WILL CLAIM THE LIVES
OF ONE IN THREE WOMEN, KILLING MORE THAN
400,000 EACH YEAR. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT A
MAJORITY OF THESE CASES MAY BE PREVENTED
THROUGH EDUCATION AND LIFESTYLE CHANGES.
DR. MARK MENOLASCINO TALKS ABOUT THE FEMALE
HEART AND HOW WE CAN CHANGE OUR GENETIC
POTENTIAL FOR THE BETTER. DR. MENOLASCINO
IS AUTHOR OF THE BOOK, HEART SOLUTION FOR
WOMEN: A PROVEN PROGRAM TO PREVENT AND
REVERSE HEART DISEASE.
LISTEN TO DR. MENOLASCINO ON CYACYL:
https://bit.ly/3sNT7of
FOUR STEPS TO MAKING A FRESH START IN LIFE
BY GUY FINLEY
PAGE 24
TAKE HEART
BY RICK HANSON, PHD
PAGE 28
ORGANIZING OUTSIDE THE BOX
BY GAYLE GRUENBERG
PAGE 32
STEPPING INTO YOUR PERSONAL POWER
BY LINDA MITCHELL
PAGE 36
LONELINESS ISN’T JUST ABOUT BEING ALONE!
BY LORIE GARDNER
PAGE 40
FEBRUARY 2021
24 SEVEN MAGAZINE

How to
make
your 2021
dreams
come
true.
Don’t make New Year’s resolutions—set your intentions instead.
You want 2021 to be different.
In 2020 you figured out where you want to go, what
you value, and that it's time to make a change.
But this is not a time for New Year's resolutions.
Resolutions are associated with the negative energies
of "sacrifice," "struggle," and a separation from the
quantum field of potential and abundance.
But the Law of Attraction is always at work, working
with your INTENTIONS, and when you internalize that
you are receiving everything that is a match with the
vibration of your intentions, you will understand that
getting in alignment and leveraging this natural law is
how you are going to make your dreams come true.
Manifesting the most meaningful of dreams, no
matter how “crazy" they seem, is a way of life that
EVERYONE can embody. My signature Law of
Attraction program proves this week after week.
I get emails from customers every day about how
magical their world has become, and I am so
passionate about wanting this for you, too, that I have
a 30% off code that you can use for my Miracle Maker
Immersion course.
The Miracle Maker Immersion is my proven simple
method for manifesting, and this is your chance to
possess the actual secret to the Law of Attraction. It is
brief, it is powerful, and it is yours to download and
keep forever!
So set your intentions for what you want your
outcomes to be in 2021 and join me!
Use code CYACYL30 for 30% off the most
transformational day of your life.
Mary Petto,
Law of Attraction Author, Teacher, and
Creator of the Miracle Maker Immersion

NEED NEW AD

ISSUE
NO.124
FEBRUARY
2021
THE FIRST
STEP TO
YOUR BEST
HEALTH:
A KITCHEN
MAKEOVER
Dr. Hyman, over and over I find myself making unhealthy
choices,” a reader writes. “Even while I am at home, I reach
for something that I know is going to make me feel like crap.
When dinner time comes around, I get so overwhelmed and
end up making pasta or pizza. Please help me make better
decisions about what I put into my body.”
Written by Mark Hyman, MD

T
This is a challenge that so
many of us deal with on a day to day basis, and the only
way around it is to do a kitchen makeover. Bringing
fresh energy and fresh food into the kitchen and purging
it of all of the foods and items that make us sick and
unhealthy is an important step to making better choices
and overcoming food cravings and addictions.
The cure for what ails us — both in our bodies and in
our nation — can be found in the kitchen. It is a place
to rebuild community and connection, strengthen bonds
with family and friends, teach life-giving skills to our
children, and enrich and nourish our bodies and souls.
We need to break the addiction cycle and halt your
cravings – likely the same cravings that have sabotaged
your weight loss efforts in the past. Why not stack the
odds in your favor by removing the items that have kept
you trapped, sick and miserable? Or, to put that a better
way: Why not set yourself up for optimal success by
making your kitchen a happy, hopeful place filled only
with vibrant, real, whole foods that will nourish your
body and genuinely feed your soul?
If you make your kitchen a safe zone, with only foods
that nourish rather than harm, then you will automatically
make the right choices. If you fill it with crap, you will
eat crap, no matter how much willpower you have.
How to Purge Your Kitchen
Here are my four easy-to-follow steps to start your
purge:
Step 1: Reclaim your kitchen by replacing anything
that is questionable with real, fresh, whole foods without
labels. A fresh avocado or a kiwi doesn’t come with a
nutrition facts label or a bar code or an ingredient list.
The questionable items are those that come in boxes,
jars, cans and other packaging. In other words, most
convenience foods.
It’s important to first shift your focus away from the often
misleading nutrition “facts” list (which is mostly designed
and developed under huge food industry lobby efforts to
confuse and confound your efforts to eat healthy) and
instead rely on the ingredients list. When reading through
the ingredients, look for items that you don’t recognize,
can’t pronounce, are listed in Latin or aren’t items you
would normally have in your cupboard.
Beware of foods with health claims on the labels. These
claims usually signal a marketing ploy to make you think
they’re good for you when they’re really just healthy
pretenders. Things like sports beverages, energy bars and
even multigrain breads (which often contain high fructose
corn syrup) fall into this category.
Step 2: Now, you’ll want to remove ALL of the junk.
This includes any food which contains added sugar,
refined and processed flours and all processed foods.
Even seemingly safe foods like spices and seasonings can
contain maltodextrin, autolyzed yeast extract and even
high fructose corn syrup that have no place in a healthy
kitchen. Scrutinize everything!
Step 3: Remove all bad fats. The wrong fats can wreak
serious metabolic havoc. Toss out any highly refined
cooking oils such as corn and soy, fried foods you may
have stored in your freezer and margarine or shortening.
These products have dangerous trans fats that create
inflammation and cause heart disease. Scour labels for the
words “hydrogenated fat” (another phrase for trans fat),
which has finally been declared not safe for consumption
by the FDA.
Step 4: Throw out food with artificial sweeteners of
all kinds (aspartame, NutraSweet, Splenda, sucralose, and
sugar alcohols — any word that ends with “ol,” like xylitol
or sorbitol). Stevia may be better than aspartame but only
whole plant extract, not Pure Via and Truvia brands, which
are made by Pepsi and Coke and are chemical extracts of
stevia. And when using whole plant extract stevia, use it
sparingly. A new non-caloric sweetener that comes from
monk fruit that is rich in antioxidants can also be used in
small amounts. But remember, any sweetener can cause
you to be hungry, lower your metabolism, create gas and
store belly fat.
Don’t just tuck all of these toxic foods away – toss them
into the garbage! We’re going to quickly and easily replace
them with delicious, healthy alternatives that will leave
you more than satisfied.
Stock Up On the Right Foods
Next, you’ll want to fill your fridge with plenty of
beautiful vegetables, fruits, healthy proteins and fats.

You’ll also want to keep plenty of healthy snacks around
in case you ever run into a food emergency. Instead of
reaching for sugary, processed snacks, you can reach for
nourishing ones like nuts and seeds, dips and veggies,
fresh fruit and more.
Focus on non-starchy veggies. These are things like
broccoli, kale, tomatoes, bok choy, peppers, asparagus,
cauliflower and so much more! Eat as many as you like!
Limit fruits because they increase your insulin levels.
Berries are your best bet. When possible, choose organic,
seasonal and local produce.
Stock up on dry foods. These staples usually have a
longer shelf life and include raw or lightly roasted nuts and
seeds, legumes, quinoa, and gluten-free grains.
Include herbs, spices and seasonings. You’ll want to
have a range of pantry ingredients, including seasonings
and spices, on hand. Buy organic when you can. Because
you only use a little of some of these, they tend to last a
long time so you get a lot of value from them. Among my
favorites include extra-virgin olive oil, extra-virgin coconut
butter, sea salt, black peppercorns, and seasonings and
spices like oregano, cayenne pepper, garlic and more. Just
read all of the labels to ensure the products don’t contain
hidden sugar, gluten or other problematic additives.
Keep your fridge and freezer stocked with protein.
Check out the Environmental Working Group’s, Meat
Eater’s Guide, to choose meat that’s good for you and good
for the planet. Optimal protein choices include: boneless,
skinless chicken and turkey breasts; ground chicken and
turkey; grass-fed beef, lamb and bison; pastured omega-3
eggs; whole forms of non-GMO soy food like tofu, tempeh
and gluten-free miso; and wild seafood like sardines,
salmon, herring, flounder, clams and more. Avoid those
fish that are high in mercury such as tuna, swordfish and
Chilean sea bass.
Get Inspired. Eating food that is good for you is not
about feeling deprived. If you choose the right foods and
the right recipes, you can reap the benefits of a healthy
lifestyle without feeling denied.
About The Author
MARK HYMAN
Mark Hyman MD is the Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Center
for Functional Medicine, the Founder of The UltraWellness
Center, and a ten-time #1 New York Times Bestselling author.
To Learn More Visit:
www.drhyman.com

DISCOVER
YOUR INNATE WISDOM
AND
CHANGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP
WITH YOUR BODY
IT'S YOUR BIRTHRIGHT TO LOVE THE BODY YOU'RE IN.
CHANGING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR BODY STARTS WITH SELF-LOVE.
AND THAT - CHANGES YOUR LIFE!
CONTACT US TODAY TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT FOR GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL
SESSIONS ON YOUR SCHEDULE. THE CHOICE IS YOURS.
Follow Us On Social Media
@FindBodyFreedom
ILENE LESHINSKY
FOUNDER
ILENELESHINSKY@GMAIL.COM
Join the Movement Today!
WWW.FINDBODYFREEDOM.COM

essentially YOURS
DID YOU KNOW?
70% of your immune
system lives in your gut.
Say hello to doTERRA Essential Oils,
the most accessible Certified Pure
Therapeutic Grade (CPTG) oils on the market.
For just pennies a day, revolutionize you and
your family’s healthcare in a natural,
effective way. doTERRA’s protective blend,
On Guard, is an effective alternative to
synthetic options for daily immune support.
Jill Merriman, Certified doTERRA
Essential Oil Specialist
-Made with five pure oils, known for
their protective properties
-Supports the body’s natural
antioxidant defenses
-Supports healthy
respiratory function
To take your first step
toward a healthier lifestyle,
please contact:
Jill Merriman
Certified doTERRA Essential Oil Specialist
(732) 778-0860 - JillMerriman.com

WE MAKE YOUR
SOCIAL MEDIA
SIMPLE
S O C I A L M E D I A M A R K E T I N G
F O R B U S I N E S S
smcventures.biz
201-365-7946

February 2021 Issue
Spend Valentine’s Day
with the Love of Your Life
Written by Joan Herrmann
I
I was watching television
recently when it happened … I saw the first commercial
for the Valentine’s Day diamond collection – you know, the
gift that every woman will treasure. As I listened to the
music and watched as the camera panned the romantic
setting, waves of emotion overcame me like a tsunami. At
that moment, in my mind, everyone in the world was in a
loving, committed relationship and I was going to be the
only person alone on February 14 (most likely eating ice
cream).
Realistic assumption? Of course not. But for a few
minutes the drama queen in me took over and my emotions
ran wild. Fortunately, I was able to reign them in, but the
feelings I experienced are very common.
The truth of the matter is that while there are many
people in wonderful relationships, there are more people
today living life as singles than ever before. So, there are
more people sitting home believing that they are less of a
person because they are one and not a part of two.
Society perpetuates this belief. When we are little, we
are taught that we need someone to complete us. The
princess is always in search of her prince. We search high
and low for him, trying on every glass slipper looking for
the perfect fit. Sometimes we find the right shoe, other
times we squeeze a size nine into a seven. Going barefoot
is never an option. We are given the misguided notion that
life is a Hallmark commercial.
But… guess what? The fairytale doesn’t exist; at least not
in the way it’s portrayed. There is no prince or princess that
will make any of us live happily ever after – no outside
person can do that; it’s an inside job. Until we rekindle
the flame of self-love, there will be failed or unfulfilled
relationships and tears at the thought of being alone.
The self-love I refer to has nothing to do with being
selfish, it’s actually being selfless. It’s putting the time and
energy into understanding who we are and what we want.
It’s about finding our path and fulfilling our dreams. It’s
making ourselves whole so we can be in a relationship
with another (or not) in a healthy way. When we’re whole,
there is no jealousy, resentment or neediness. It enables
us to find (or stay with) someone who complements us –
not completes us.
What better time than Valentine’s Day to reestablish a
relationship with yourself? Let it take root and then share
it with your soul mate or your sole mate!
About The Author
JOAN HERRMANN
Joan Herrmann is the creator of the Change Your Attitude…
Change Your life brand and host of the radio show and podcast,
Conversations with Joan. She is a motivational speaker and the
publisher of 24 Seven magazine.
To Learn More Visit:
www.JoanHerrmann.com

Need a personal
or professional
plan to ensure
success in your
new normal?
5 Days to
Clarity: Your
Easy Roadmap
Change is
Constant!
Be Prepared
Be Successful
to C.H.A.N.G.E.
Click below for your free Roadmap to
Change
https://bit.ly/LivingInspiredOffer

SMOKING
DOUBLE
CAN
COVID-19
PROGRESSION
IT TIME
ISN'T
QUIT TO
Mary Beth Battaglia
Certified Clinical
Hypnosis Practitioner
Video Hypnosis
Sessions For
Individuals And
Groups
SMOKING
WITH
www.metrohypnosiscenter.com
HYPNOSIS?
Call For A Free
Video
Consultation
201-477-0265

Four Steps
To Making
A Fresh
Start in Life
Written by Guy Finley
M
Many of us have done drastic
things trying to make a fresh start in life. But no
matter what we do, nothing seems to change.
Outer conditions may be different, but inside
we’re still the same. If changing things outside
doesn’t make a difference, where does a genuine
fresh start begin?
The answer lies in four connected steps:
Step One: Learn What Prevents Us From
Making a Fresh Start
Our plans to make a fresh start have not
delivered the new life we’d envisioned. So the first
fact we need to understand – that runs completely
contrary to our usual ideas of starting over – is
that we can’t plan to do it.

If I plan a new start, that
means I’ve envisioned a new
position, power, or possession
by which I will enjoy a sense
of newness. The problem is,
everything I imagine doing or
becoming is a variation of past
experiences and dreams. And
clearly, nothing I pull from my
past can bring a fresh start. It’s
just a reconfiguration of an
old idea that didn’t work the
first time around. Our image
of what it means to be a new
human being is a product of
our past, and it is what keeps
us from making a real fresh
start.
To be new we need a
different relationship with life
itself – a relationship where we
stop planning life, and become
a participant in it. It begins
with putting ourselves where
fresh starts actually take place – not in our minds,
but in awareness of the ever-changing present
moment.
Step Two: Have a Real Wish
Before I can have that relationship with the
present moment, I need to understand that
unattended, my mind gives itself to every vagrant
image that promises a fresh start. It isn’t the object
– the new job, the new relationship, the new
person – that is the illusion, because these things
can be obtained. The illusion is believing they will
bring newness.
What we need is a new wish – a real wish – to
stay conscious in the present moment, so we’re no
longer drawn off into useless thought.
That wish will grow when we see the necessity
of staying present to ourselves because we
understand it’s not enough to want a new start.
Instead we must need to be a new person.
Step Three: Be Willing to Take a Risk
Which brings us to the next step in truly starting
fresh – the willingness to risk. Risk what?
When I feel bogged down, my mind immediately
jumps in with its same old solutions. They feel
comfortable. And they are all I’ve ever known to
do. I worry my life will come to a dead end if I
don’t follow the old path.
But now it’s evident that those old
solutions go nowhere; and the fresh start I long
From The Story
“Our image of
what it means
to be a new
human being
is a product
of our past,
and it is what
keeps us from
making a real
fresh start.”
for can’t be produced by obeying the pain that
produces the longing. So I’m not going to do
anything in this moment other than consciously
participate in it by watching it.
I must be willing to risk not doing what my old
thoughts and feelings are telling me, knowing they
will just bring further suffering and repetition.
Newness only comes by leaving the old behind.
Step Four: Resolve to Persist
When we see these facts for ourselves, we’re
willing to take this risk to see what happens. Then
comes the last of these steps, which is the interior
resolve to persist.
It’s easy to give in to our old dreams. And it’s
hard to go against those inner voices that are so
sure of what we need. We must resolve to persist
in just staying watchful, instead of taking the first
solution offered by our mind. It takes time before
we can hear the new voice, but our patience is
rewarded with new guidance.
Our work is to make a shift in our attention. To
what do I give myself all day? Do I give it to my
repetitive thoughts, or do I keep it firmly in the
present moment and what it offers?
As we give ourselves more and more fully to life
as it unfolds, and are willing to give up our old
selves, something is born in us that’s better than a
fresh start in life. We become part of a life that is
always fresh.
The opportunity is always here. We’re living
in it. Understanding this leads to a fearless life,
because if I no longer have to protect a plan I’ve
made, I have nothing to be afraid of relative to its
achievement or its failure.
Then I’m free. I can just drop whatever the past
moment has been, and start over… and over again.
About The Author
GUY FINLEY
Guy Finley is an internationally renowned
spiritual teacher and bestselling self-help
author. He is the founder and director of Life
of Learning Foundation, a nonprofit center
for transcendent self-study located in Merlin,
Oregon. He also hosts the Foundation’s
Wisdom School — an online self-discovery
program for seekers of higher self-knowledge..
To Learn More Visit:
www.GuyFinley.org

ODETTE CORONEL
WITH
Life & Success Coach
Certified
the
you want
Create
Relationship
& Life
The most important relationship you have
is the relationship with yourself.
I help people create a deeper connection with their partner,
by deep-diving into the relationship with themselves.
CONTACT ME TO BOOK YOUR FREE DISCOVERY SESSION
odettecoronel.com
lifecoach@odettecoronel.com

ISSUE NO.124 FEBRUARY 2021
Written by Rick Hanson, PhD
Take
Heart

What do you do when the bottom falls out? Take
heart. It takes heart to live in even ordinary times. By
taking heart, I mean:
• Sensing your heart and chest
• Finding encouragement in what is good both around
you and inside you
• Resting in your own warmth, compassion, and
kindness; resting in the caring for you from others; love
flowing in and love flowing out
• Being courageous, whole-hearted and stronghearted
– going forward wisely, even when anxious,
knowing your own truth and, as you can, speaking it.
When you take heart, you’re more able to deal with
challenges like aging, illness, trauma, or conflicts with
others. You’re also more able to take advantage of
opportunities with confidence and grit.
Additionally, it takes heart to live in, live with, and
live beyond times that are really hard. Your personal
hard time might be bad news
about your health, the death of a
parent, or betrayal by others. Or
it could be related to changes in
your country and world, and your
concerns about their effects on
others and yourself.
There are so many examples
of honorable people facing great
difficulty with dignity, principle,
and courage. They did it. We can,
too.
How?
Start by riding out the storm.
When big things happen at any
scale – in your child’s schoolyard
or in a refugee camp on the other
side of the world – it is completely natural and normal
to be shocked and disturbed by them.
As best you can, stay with the raw experience, the
body sensations, the deep feelings, the stirred up fears
and anger and perhaps paralysis. Whatever it is, it is
your experience; some may be upset about a big event
while others may be glad about it; I am definitely not
trying to talk you out of your experience.
Be mindful of whatever is passing through the big
open space of awareness, observing it without being
flooded by it. Painful and counterintuitive as it may be,
this is the foundation of releasing really hard experiences
and replacing them gradually and authentically with
thoughts and feelings that are helpful, wholesome, wise,
and even happy.
Do things that help you come back to center and
find your footing. Personally, I prioritize exercise, sleep,
and meditation; I try to feel the truth of being basically
alright right now, in this moment, moment after
moment (alongside and deeper than pain or sorrow);
I do the dishes and make the bed. Walk the dog, call a
“It takes
heart to live
in, live with,
and live
beyond times
that are
really hard.”
friend, eat something, look at trees and sky, get
a cup of tea and stare into space. Take good care
of your body.
Guard and guide your attention. It’s one thing
to find facts and form the best plans you can. It’s
another thing to get distracted or upset by news
or other people that do not add any useful value.
Take heart in the good that is real. Outside
you, there is the kindness in others, the beauty of
a single leaf, the stars that still shine no matter
what hides them. Right now as you read, all
over the world children are laughing in delight,
families are sitting down to a meal, babies
are being born, and loving arms are holding
people who are dying. Inside you, there is your
compassion, sincere efforts, sweet memories,
capabilities – and much more. Take heart with
others, sharing worries, support, and friendship.
Do the things you can. The more that events are
turbulent, alarming, and beyond your influence,
the more important it is to grow stability, safety,
and agency inside you and around you.
Have courage. At all human scales, strong
forces have always tried to confuse and frighten
others. Whatever outward action is necessary,
you can preserve an inner freedom, never cowed
or bowed in your core.
Last, I’ve found it really helps to have
perspective. Without minimizing one bit of
whatever is awful, it is also true that humans like
you and I have been walking this earth for nearly
200,000 years. I see the trees, the land, the ocean
– all of it here before me and lasting long after
me. Empires rise and fall. Sometimes the center
does not hold – in a body, marriage, or nation
– and still. And still people love each other, go
out of their way for a stranger, and marvel at a
rainbow. Nothing, nothing at all can change this.
We keep putting one foot in front of the other
one, lifting each other up along the way.
About The Author
RICK HANSON, PHD
Rick Hanson, PhD, is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of
the Greater Good Science Center at UYC Berkeley,
and a New York Times best-selling author. His books
have been published in 29 languages and include
Neurodharma, Resilient, and Hardwiring Happiness.
To Learn More Visit:
www.RickHanson.net

Life.
Simplified.
201-364-6833 www.LGOrganized.com

February 2021 Issue
Organizing Outside the Box
Written by Gayle M. Gruenberg, CPO-CD ® , CVPO
P
Professional organizers love to
put things into containers. We delight in taking a pile of
“stuff,” sorting it into categories, and finding a suitable way
to contain each category. We derive great satisfaction from
seeing things sitting neatly in cubbies, cubes, and caddies.
We rejoice in lists and labels, files and folders, baskets and
bins.
We think inside the box.
However, our clients think differently. There is no onesize-fits-all
organizing technique, containers don’t solve
every organizing challenge, and as specialists in chronic
disorganization, our clients tend to be non-neurotypical.
We often need to think very far outside the box and be
creative in the solutions we offer.
This can be a very rewarding and enriching exercise
for both the organizer and the client. It’s also great
fun. Organizers tend to be linear, logical, and left-brain
dominant. Clients often think in serpentine paths and
spirals; they are frequently right-brain dominant. Working
with such clients is like going on an adventure to a colorful,
exciting, constantly changing playground.
The organizer gets to draw on all of her training,
experience, and research to stretch her imagination and
dream up customized solutions for clients whose brainbased
conditions present significant challenges to being
able to organize. We need to tap deeply into the processing
styles, sensory preferences, lifestyles, professions, and
interests of our clients to create organizing systems that
make sense to them.
For a client who is a doctor, a system that organizes
an office as if it were a human body may resonate. Her
bookshelves and file drawers may function as the brain,
where she acquires and stores information. Her desk is the
stomach, where she digests her patients’ conditions and
integrates their diagnoses into effective treatment plans.
Clients with a shopping compulsion acquire for a
variety of reasons, one of which is because they may not
know what they already have. Organizing a home like
a department store may be helpful. It is easier to see
everything of a certain type, the quantity, size, style, and
shape of each, and encourage the client to “shop” at home
first, before purchasing something substantially similar to
what is on hand.
One of my clients is a man on the autism spectrum. He
loves theater and needed a system for doing laundry. I
created a mock Playbill for him, with pictures, outlining
the flow of doing laundry into acts and scenes. It helped
him relate to the task, explained the steps using both
verbal and visual cues, and made something tedious a bit
more fun.
About The Author
GAYLE GRUENBERG
Gayle M. Gruenberg, CPO-CD ® , CVPO is the chief executive
organizer of Let’s Get Organized, LLC, an organizer coach, and the
creator of the Make Space for Blessings system.
To Learn More Visit:
wwww.LGOrganized.com

New Baby?
REFRESH…
with this simple yet beautifully
written book which offers a
sense of peace, camaraderie
& some humor. All necessary
when a newborn is involved!
“A perfect gift for expecting moms.”
“The author’s voice is that of a sage friend.”
VISIT AMYMCOLLINS.COM
to purchase Infant Inspiration
& channel your supermom powers with a FREE 4-minute video
Amy m. Collins is a Motherhood Mentor who helps women build a solid
foundation for their motherhood journey. You’ll learn easy-to-use tools to become a
more confident mom...and have fun doing it, too!
When mom feels good, everyone benefits!
Follow Amy: @AmyMCollins.mommentor @joinAmyMCollins

MOM, TAKE YOUR LIFE BACK
FROM AUTISM!
Trade in isolation for friendship
Swap burnout for power
Transform confusion into a plan for your
child’s success
Meet other awesome
moms going through
the same thing and
get tools to help
you stay sane and
actually thrive!
Heidi Rome, MBA, Autism Moms Coach
and Founder, Moms Spectrum Oasis, LLC
Helping autism mothers stay strong,
inspired and prepared to get your special
kids’ lifelong needs met.
www.MomsSpectrumOasis.com
Schedule Your Talk With Heidi TODAY!
www.CallWithHeidi.com

Stepping
Into Your
Personal
Power
Written by Linda Mitchell
Current day circumstances can make us feel
powerless amid all the chaos around us, our
relationships and our careers. When we feel
powerless, we feel out of control and sometimes
fear overshadows hope.
Imagine the simple act of lighting a match in
a dark room. We see more, become calmer and
we create an opening to possibility. You’re no
longer giving your power to the unknown. Think
of lighting that match as finding a foothold
when navigating a steep hill. Certainly, we are
here as a result of choices made, but that is not
the only truth. There’s also the truth that our
attitude, expectations for the future and what
we can imagine for ourselves, very much creates
new possibilities too!
How do we reclaim our personal power, create
and step into the future we want and live more
fully alive and fulfilled in any circumstance?
It’s important to remember that everything
we want is on the other side of fear. When we
let fear paralyze us, we stay stuck. It’s not to
say we shouldn’t heed serious warning signs
or ignore the obvious; certainly, take those
into account when creating your new pathways
and solutions. We need creative thinking and
inspired problem solving to proceed.
There’s an underlying discomfort some feel
toward the word power. Some believe that power,
even personal power, is bad or akin to forcing

one’s will upon others. Let’s
put to rest the old paradigm
around power which equated
it to being forceful or
controlling. Granted, a child
or an emotionally immature
individual might use their
personal power to bully,
coerce or force another to
do things that are meanspirited,
ill-advised, divisive
or injurious to others. Most
healthy and intellectually
mature people use their
personal power for the
betterment of humanity
without causing conflict or
hurt feelings. In fact, when
our personal power is tapped,
we’re neither overbearing nor
submissive.
The new paradigm around
power means stepping into
our truth, our worth and
our highest potential. This
creates joy that spills over into everyone with
whom we interact. Claiming our power actually
creates quite the opposite experience from
being forceful, controlling or domineering.
Recognizing how our personal power positively
impacts our own world as well those around us,
we become more sensitive and respectful. How
can this be wrong?
Boldly claiming our power also involves
harnessing our powerful subconscious brain to
create better circumstances for ourselves. It’s
the catalyst to finding our next meaningful step
on our path, regardless how rocky the present
circumstance may be. We get clear on our
individual gifts and strengths and we realize we
have the ability to author our own life, even in
challenging times.
When we take responsibility for our lives,
our thoughts, decisions and actions, we are in
our personal power. We get there by refusing to
stay stuck in old stories and patterns and begin
to use the limitless power of our subconscious
brain. We create first in our minds what we
want to experience in our physical lives. Focus
on the why and the what and leave the how to
unfold naturally. If we recognize parts of our
lives are less than ideal, we must use the infinite
power of the imagination to create solutions
and inspired action steps, which bring us closer
to what we truly want.
From The Story
“Most
healthy and
intellectually
mature
people use
their personal
power for the
betterment
of humanity
without
causing
conflict or
hurt feelings.”
Stepping into our power happens when we
recognize what we are especially good at and
make use of those talents. We communicate from
a place of authenticity and with a desire to share
our strengths, gifts, joy and passions.
Most importantly, claiming our personal power
means we’ve recognized that we’re in control of
our thoughts and actions despite external forces.
We’ve figured out what subconscious beliefs limit
us and we’ve decided not to be ruled by them.
Instead we create and live by new empowering
thoughts that support the life we truly want to
live.
We needn’t be an extrovert or a leader to step
in to our power. Start by listing the things that
you love. What would you do with four hours of
free time? What topics can you discuss for hours
without ever getting bored? What things did you
enjoy as an adolescent? What subjects or topics
touch your heart, stir your emotions or ignite
your passion? What comes easily to you?
These are all tips that will highlight special
gifts, talents and strengths, which help to
step into personal power. Note natural gifts;
list topics for which people come to you for
help. Think about the major challenges you’ve
overcome and the skills you used to conquer
those hurdles. By reviewing this list you’ll not
only feel empowered, you’ll likely have some big
insights too. Many seek coaches to help, but this
part can be done on your own. Once you realize
what excites you, create goals to bring more of
that into daily life. If you get stuck, figure out
which thoughts and beliefs keep you from taking
action. Take some time to get still, meditate,
pray or do whatever feels right to help you tune
into your inner wisdom. It will serve you well
to discern your unique gifts and share them
with others. When you do, you’re claiming your
personal power and creating a fulfilling life!
About The Author
LINDA MITCHELL
Linda Mitchell is a board-certified transition
coach, speaker, reinvention expert, and LMT. She
empowers people who are stuck, overwhelmed
or ready for change to release the struggle, gain
clarity, balance and radiant health as they
move through life’s challenges and transitions
and step into their highest purpose.
To Learn More Visit:
www.LivingInspiredCoaching.com

February 2021 Issue
Loneliness Isn’t Just
About Being Alone!
Written by Lorie Gardner, RN, BSN, NBC-HWC
W
Whether we are amid a pandemic or not, loneliness
and social isolation are a big issue in this country. It has
been exasperated during the challenges of the pandemic.
Even before the pandemic, loneliness has been referred to
as a massive and deadly epidemic. Is just being alone the
cause of loneliness? Can finding personal fulfillment be a
factor in combatting loneliness?
The winter months in the colder climates can increase
the isolation and loneliness due to the weather and
people staying indoors more. It is quite amazing all of the
things we took for granted about our social connections
that have been restricted as a result of the pandemic.
Think about the chance encounter you had in the
grocery store when you met someone you hadn’t seen
in a while and had an opportunity to catch up. That
connection feeds us! And what about the after-church
uplifting conversations or the new exercise buddy you
connected with at the gym. How about the connections
you had at work? These connections were all taken away
or at least minimized during the pandemic with crushing
effects on our mental health.
Better Together – Healing Power
Our former surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, MD, wrote
a wonderful book, Together- The Healing Power of Human
Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. He notes that
humans are wired for social connection and we are better
together.
Some things hold us back from these connections
beyond what has been written about such as living far
away from family, technology, and our drive to prioritize
financial and material success over personal satisfaction
and relationships. There is also clear evidence and

research that loneliness can increase health
issues. It is believed that loneliness is as harmful
as smoking.
Dr. Murthy notes that loneliness is not just
being alone, it’s the sense that you are lacking
the connections you need. A Brigham Young
University psychologist, Julianne Holt-Lunstad,
has been reviewing the positive effects of
relationships and found that people with strong
relationships are not just less likely to die earlier
than those with weak relationships but there are
50 percent less likely to die early.
What are the factors that contribute to loneliness
and social isolation? It could be not having the right
mix of relationships or an intimate connection
with just one or two people who support you. We
need a variety of types of connections and not
just family. Our modern technology keeps us
online versus in personal connection with others
many times and can create that “fear of missing
out” and “compare and despair” syndrome. These
online connections are not always supportive or
authentic.
Fulfillment: Is It A Remedy for Loneliness?
Have you considered how achieving personal
fulfillment is related to loneliness? Our culture
has taught us that fulfillment and happiness
come from having wealth, status, many
friends, possessions, etc. We all know people
that have these wonderful gifts but are not
happy, connected, or fulfilled. Although social
connections with others are vital, the first step
we can all take during these isolating times is
to do some deeper work on how to be fulfilled
from within. More fulfillment may just mean less
loneliness because you have “filled yourself up”.
There is nothing more important than you!
There are some steps you can take to try and
combat loneliness and social isolation (some may
or may not be possible with the pandemic).
• Assess if your feelings are temporary or
long-standing and if professional help could be
of benefit
• Evaluate your personal and family
relationships and if there are any conversations
or suggestions you could make to connect
regularly with one or two close connections.
• Help and accept help, if needed
• Embrace solitude as an opportunity to
connect with yourself to your wonderful
inner self
• Listen carefully to each other
• Try a new health habit that may connect you
From The Story
“Humans
are wired
for social
connection
and we are
better
together.”
to others such as a walking group, breakfast club,
knitting group, etc.
• Balance your “screen time” with your
“connections” time
• Consider joining a new group or learning a
new skill such as a language or painting
• Ignite old friendships
• Practice meditation/mindfulness to start to
discover what fulfills you from the inside out.
Dr. Murthy delivered a powerful message in his
book about it being possible to build a free society
that is rooted in connection if we focus on the right
values like kindness.
After all we have gone through last year, I hope
this is a message we can take with us during and
after this pandemic into 2021. Think about all of
the kindness shown by all the essential workers
during this pandemic. We all could consider the
following in a pandemic safe way to share kindness
and increase our social connections, decrease
loneliness, and improve our health:
• Connect with neighbors to see if they need
anything
• Volunteer for an organization
• Give yourself the gift of making a list of
your positive qualities and those in your life and
embrace solitude
• Reach and help someone in need
• Smile at a stranger and show kindness to those
that provide you a service
• Spend less time on electronics and more time
“connecting”
We can be better together if we let go of the
differences among us and focus on the fact that we
are wired for connection to stay healthy and well.
We can use our courage and strengths as a human
race and unite to act in a positive way to help the
poor, widowed, the suffering, and marginalized. We
are better together and one small act of kindness
for yourself or others can have a major impact!
About The Author
LORIE GARDNER
Lorie Gardner, RN, BSN, NBC-HWC, founded
Healthlink Advocates, Inc., to assist people with
all aspects of their healthcare. As private nurse
patient advocates and board certified health and
wellness coaches, they partner with clients seeking
assistance navigating the complex healthcare
system and those seeking self-directed, lasting
health improvements aligned with their values.
To Learn More Visit:
www.healthlinkadvocates.com