09/18/2023
Thirty Seven.
My birthday started with a private visit to the Philae Temple or Temple of Isis before dawn. Our beautiful guide led us in a group chant in the Holy of Holies and played the harp during meditation.
After exploring the temple, facilitated breathwork as we sat facing the rising sun. As she removed her hands from my body, I opened my eyes to witness the sun breaking the horizon.
The energy in Egypt is magical. The Temple of Isis is loving, soft, feminine, and embracing.
Our visit to the Temple of Isis was originally scheduled for yesterday, but the divine intervened and brought me the most beautiful birthday gift. I am forever grateful for my journey home to Egypt. 🤍
09/12/2023
This morning was hard. I received a message that one of my patients passed away as I was moving through the security checkpoint. Already crying, the TSA agent rudely informed me that I was in gross violation of the 3-1-1 rule. My toiletries were all the right size, but there were too many of them 🤷🏼‍♀️. I had to quickly repack my bags, return to the check-in counter, check my bag, and return through security with little time before boarding.
In need of energetic reset, I made the conscious choice to move through the chaos with ease and trust.
Instead of focusing on all of the things that went wrong this morning, I am focusing on the gifts, like the one pictured above.
I left Nashville with my bags packed, journal included. When I arrived in Chicago, I couldn’t shake the need for a new journal, one exclusive for my sacred journey through ancient Egypt. I was a bit anxious about finding time to purchase a new journal. The universe delivered! My friend and soul sister gifted me the most incredible journal; one branded with the Egyptian cross and Eye of Horus. The Eye of Horus symbolizes well-being, healing, and protection.
I choosing to let this beautiful and unexpected gift set the energy for my trip.
I am both heartbroken from the loss of my patient and excited for my journey through Egypt. I am allowing these feelings to co-exist.
I am choosing to trust that I will be reunited with my bag when I land in Cairo. I know the universe will deliver.
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08/27/2023
I love this picture of me. I am soft, open, and tender.
I haven’t always been this way. It has taken a lot of deliberate work to embrace my divine feminine. Somewhere in my formative years, I developed the belief “I am not enough.” The rule associated with this belief was “I have to earn love.” I threw on my armor of perfectionism and embodied my masculine characteristics of hustle and grit. For years, I was accomplished, but not nourished. I was striving to earn love as though love existed outside of me.
For me, the real work began when I started removing my armor, meeting my shadows, opening my heart, and loving all of the parts of me I was once afraid to reveal.
The woman in this photo embodies both the divine feminine and masculine and most importantly, her love comes from within. đź’•
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08/27/2023
Tonight, we celebrate!
Earlier this month, I submitted a 50-page professional portfolio to be considered for advancement. I completed a quality improvement project focusing on the use of standardized assessments to support early detection for cerebral palsy. This was a year long endeavor.
Proudly, my portfolio was accepted and I am officially promoted to a Level III Physical Therapist.
I received a lot of positive feedback from my assessors. I am most proud of the comment, “your knowledge, perspective, organization, and intentionality bleed through every page.” This comment means so much to me as it reflects my authenticity and the way I show up in my work and in the world.
You’re the best hype man. Thank you for celebrating with me.
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08/24/2023
TWO. YEARS.
I moved to Nashville two years ago today.
I expected to feel homesick. I expected to call my friends and family members crying and book at least one unplanned, but much needed trip back to Chicago.
The truth is my soul was homesick for Nashville years before I moved here. I am not sure why, but Nashville is home. I have never felt more grounded and spacious.
I am beyond grateful for every new connection and experience Nashville has afforded me. I cannot wait to see what my future holds. 🤍
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08/24/2023
The universe is really something! I am journeying through ancient Egypt with a group of about 15 people, none of whom I know personally. Our group consists of travelers from all over the world; Australia, Mexico, Europe and the United States.
It just so happens that there are ✌🏻of us traveling from Nashville! What are the odds?!
I had the pleasure of meeting at a writer’s round last night. For whatever reason, we are meant to be on this journey together!
Go check out his music!
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08/11/2023
Let's get to know each other!
10 Fun Facts About Me:
1) I have a hyphenated first name.
2) The paternal side of my family is rich with diversity including Cuban, Afghan, Indian, and Japanese cultures!
3) My paternal grandfather was the first cardiothoracic surgeon to use a bypass machine for open-heart surgery in the State of Virginia. I now treat pediatric patients post heart transplant!
4) I was a competitive figure skater.
5) I completed seven half-marathons, one marathon, and one sprint triathlon.
6) I lived in Madrid, Spain while studying abroad for a semester.
7) I love to travel and experience new cultures. I trekked to Machu Picchu, rode camel-back into the Sahara desert, and released a lantern during the Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
8) I have an outstanding speeding ticket in Spain.
9) I have naturally curly hair.
10) I am still deeply traumatized by my Indian Princess name, Screeching Hawk. My dad has an interesting sense of humor!
List at least one fun fact about you in the comments!
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08/10/2023
Pictured above is a woman working to stay grounded in the present moment while simultaneously taking conscious steps toward the future she envisions.
This balance is effortful. It takes work.
But why is it so challenging?
So many of us are grounded in our past because we do not choose to heal. Healing requires courage, emotional expression, and vulnerability.
So many of us take up residence in the future, desperately trying to relieve our fear of uncertainty by predicting what might come next. This is called future tripping.
So many of us move in circles, repeating the same toxic and harmful patterns. This is called the self-fulfilling prophecy. The self-fulfilling prophecy is an unconscious process in which our actions are driven by and serve to confirm our limiting beliefs. The process provides safety and protection by keeping us in familiar and comfortable spaces.
For example:
Someone who holds the limiting belief “I am not worthy of love” is likely to choose a partner who is emotionally unavailable and incapable of loving them in a way that meets their needs. The action of choosing an unavailable parter and the result of the relationship confirms their limiting belief “I am not worthy of love.”
Where are you grounded? The past, present, or future? Do you see the self-fulfilling prophecy playing out in one or more areas of your life? What beliefs are contributing to your repeating patterns? What would you like to believe about yourself? How can you choose differently to end the cycle?
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08/05/2023
Your thoughts influence your beliefs and your beliefs influence your actions. Let’s talk about our belief systems. I’m not referring to our moral, political, religious, or spiritual beliefs, I am diving into self-perception or what we believe about ourselves.
Our sense of self is developed during our formative years, typically by age seven. Early childhood experiences shape our belief systems; how we view the world, our place in the world, and how we view ourselves. Sometimes we develop beliefs from explicit messaging and other times our beliefs are formed implicitly over time. Core memories, whether traumatic or positive, also shape our belief systems.
During my middle school years, I spent a lot of time hanging out with my neighborhood friends. One day, I found my friends in the backyard with a large fish in a small aquarium, a product from an earlier fishing expedition at the creek. My friends were poking the fish with sticks. I immediately shouted, “STOP, you’re going to drown the fish.” Oops! In my fear, I misspoke. Fish breathe underwater through their gills. Obviously, the fish was not going to drown, but I was concerned the fish would be harmed. My friends laughed at me and called me “stupid” and an “idiot” all summer.
My friends didn’t mean to hurt me, but this experience shaped my belief, “I’m an idiot.” This disaffirming belief drove my choices and actions for years, serving to limit my success and keep me feeling safe.
I am quite accomplished academically and professionally despite my core limiting belief. For many years, I didn’t receive nourishment from my achievements because they were mounted on top of pain.
Our beliefs are rarely truths. What are your disaffirming beliefs? How do these beliefs limit you? Are these beliefs true? If not, what would you like to believe about yourself?
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08/24/2023
08/11/2023
08/10/2023
08/05/2023
07/27/2023