Today we explore James Clear's words, "Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become." I thought this quote was perfect for this time of year.

Tomorrow being the last day of 2021. The end of a year often brings the desire for fresh starts and new beginnings. The motivation for change is high at this time as many people have New Years Resolutions. However, 80 percent of New Year’s Resolutions often fail by the first week of February. Today we explore why motivation is not enough and why understanding habit formation is crucial in long term sustainable change. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg teaches us about his 3 step Habit Loop ~ Cue, Routine and Reward. We look at Duhiggs Golden Rule of Habit Change where you keep the same Cue and Reward and only change the Routine. We explore the 3 F's ~ Freedom Technique in Feel Great, Lose Weight by Dr Rangan Chatterjee ~ Feel, Feed, Find to help interrupt Habit loops of emotional eating and bring awareness to why we do what we do, inorder to change the behaviour to a more healthier alternative. "We are used to only eating to fill a hole in our stomach, but now we eat to fill a hole in our heart." Research says 80% of us will change our eating habits in response to stress. This is proof that we need better stress management techniques rather than more diet culture alternatives. Building healthy sustainable habits and reprogramming our brain is possible for everyone. I hope this new year brings you new hope on how possible change is for you. Never underestimate the power you have in creating the life you want!

Every action you take matters and is a vote towards that version of you that you wish to become. Make 2022 the year of becoming. Not a year of depending on motivation, but a year of committing to establishing those life long habits that serve you! I wish you and yours a very happy and prosperous new year! Ever~Present will have an all new interview series called Turning Obstacles into Opportunities coming in the new year. I thank you for sharing this year of 2021 with me and I hope you will join me in 2022! Until then, be present, be grateful and be well. Happy New Year! 🎉

From the wise words of Dolly Parton, "The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." Today we explore the strength that comes from the storms of life. We look at Mel Robbins perspective that, everything is always preparing us for what comes next. And when we stay anchored to hope and faith we can confidently be reassured that something better is ahead. Just as Dolly tells us the rain means the rainbow is on its way. The pain we experience in life is also a catalyst to our growth, strength and compassion. I share the R.A.I.N technique when facing problems which is an effective way to check in with yourself and give yourself permission to feel, to be, and to respond. You Recognize, Allow, Investigate and Non identify with emotions to better manage and express them. After all emotions are just forms of energy seeking to be expressed. This episode encourages you to use the light of this Christmas season to be your lens in and through darkness. My hope is that no matter what you are facing today that you do so determining to allow your pain to refine you, not define you! Remember the rain really is only evidence that your rainbow is on its way. Be present. Be grateful. Be well. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Today we explore the wise words by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Life is a journey, not a destination." We talk about the importance of living FROM our values instead of living FOR our goals. We look at the relationship between responsibility and meaning and how when we live from our values and not for our goals, we can create a more meaningful and intentional life. Through the power of choice we are called to create, not wait on, the life we want. We explore how our pain and adversity are catalysts for our growth and how living from our values helps us navigate our obstacles with more flexibility and optimism. Learning to live from our values in the present and appreciating the journey is key. We must use our values as a compass. What action can you take to become more aligned with your values today? We look at the below video https://youtu.be/T-lRbuy4XtA called Values Vs Goals by Dr Russ Harris to understand the difference between a goals focused life and a values focused life. I share about an exercise I did when in a bereavement group after my brother died using green and blue clay (I said red by mistake once)🤔🙃 but it was green and blue, and ended up being a symbol to me of my world and how much my world was drastically changed forever. My value of resiliency stems from the experience of losing my brother so young and continues to help me navigate every obstacle I face to this day. Take a listen and remember, be present, be grateful and be well!

Today's quote says, "It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it" by Lou Holtz. Join me as we explore how to regulate our nervous system! We look at our Autonomic Nervous System and two of its branches the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic Nervous System. Our fight, flight or freeze response and our rest and digest response. We look at ways to manage our stress by purposely activating or parasympathetic response through our vagus nerve while strengthening our vagal tone. This is important to our overall health and longevity. The more often we are in a parasympathetic state the healthier we are. Remember, the breath goes deeper than the mind. We look at the bottom up approach of healing our bodies inorder to better manage and heal our minds. The truth is stress emotions are just as much in our body as they are in our mind. It's not just all in your head as some may say; it's all in your body to! Lucas Rockwood's Ted Talk https://youtu.be/_QTJOAI0UoU called Change your Breath, Change your life walks us through three practical breathing techniques to help activate our nervous system and have our bodies work for us. The breath is the best way to create mind-body coherence and to heal your nervous system. We briefly talk about other ways to purposely activate our parasympathetic system such as Tapping, Grounding and Cortices techniques. When we are operating from our rest and digest system we are better able to make clear decisions and connect with our intuition bringing us into the present moment where we are safe and in control. Stress and fear have a way of pulling us into an unknown future. I want you to know you are safe to feel everything that you are feeling today. "When you choose to view your stress response as helpful you create the biology of courage." Start creating that biology and learn to regulate your nervous system so you can choose to carry your stress with dignity, strength and courage! I believe in you.

Today we explore Joe Dispenza's wise words that say,“If you become aware of your automatic habits and you are conscious of your unconscious behaviours, so you cannot go unconscious again, then you are changing.” Our life is a reflection of what we believe! Today we explore the power of our conscious and subconscious mind understanding that sustainable change happens when we become conscious of what is unconscious. Our subconscious mind is very literal and only knows how to accept information. Our conscious mind is full of intellect and reasoning and has the ability to accept or reject information and gives us flexibility to make choice. The important thing to know however is that we spend approximately 95% of our time operating from our subconscious mind. Our subconscious really drives so much of our thoughts, feelings and actions. So becoming aware of this and healing patterns that no longer serve you is key. Reprogramming our mind to think what we want opposed to what we don't want is crucial. I use my weight loss journey to explain how this helped me and became a game changer for my life. And now I want to help other people do the same and live the life they want, opposed to the life they were programmed for. We create what we think about, so choosing to think about the things we want is necessary to create the life we desire. Neurons that fire together wire together! And what we dont consciously reject we will subconsciously accept. We need to protect our subconscious mind! I hope todays episode adds value to every ear that hears it. ~ Be present, be grateful, and be well.

Today's quote of the week is from Roger Ebert and he says; "We are put on this planet only once, and to limit ourselves to the familiar is a crime against our minds." This made me wonder how often do we limit ourselves. Today we explore self limiting beliefs; what they are and ways we can start to reframe and dismantle them. Our brain is changing with every thought and experience we have and our beliefs create our reality. So I encourage each of us to take an inventory of our belief systems to ensure you are creating the life you truly desire. I share The Elephant Rope story and relate this to our most formative years (0-7years) of conditioning and learning who we are. We must be careful of the labels we choose to identify with as the labels we give ourselves lead to more of the same. We look at Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and the 3 senses of self such as the Conceptualized Self, Self as Experincer, and Self as Observer to help confront our limiting beliefs. As we take a step back from our labels we can begin to see our thoughts, emotions and actions as something we are experiencing and observing rather than something we are. Do your beliefs limit you or do they give you flexibility to make choice? This is a powerful question. What we label we limit, so I encourage you to step away from your labels and untether yourself from any bonds that no longer serve you. You are not broken. You are perfectly and wildly in process and I want you to take this one beautiful life you have and make it count! Our limiting beliefs are really blockages to us obtaining our true creative potential. Choose to do the work and choose to heal! I'm so excited to be back and thank you so much for joining me today. Be present. Be grateful. Be well.

Today's quote says, "One of the unique things about the human brain is that it can do only what it thinks it can do. The minute you say, my memory isn't what it used to be or I can't remember a thing today, you are actually training your brain to live up to your diminished expectations" by Deepak Chopra. This is so powerful because it shows us how important it is to ensure we are thinking wisely. Today we look at Dr Caroline Leaf's 5 Step Scientifically proven Neurocycle and we discover how the brain and mind are different and why this is so important. The mind is how we think, feel and choose. It is the energy that we give our brains. The mind truly is the brain in action and the brain is always changing! It changes with every experience you have, every moment of every day. The brain is being shaped by the mind which is what we think, feel and choose. So this means you are the architect of your brain!Researchers now believe that toxic stress is responsible for up to approximately 90% of illness including heart disease, cancer and diabetes. When we are in a state of toxic thinking this releases stress hormones such as cortisol and homocysteine which significantly affect our immune system. Dr Leaf's Neurocycle is a promising way to promote mind directed Neuroplasticity. We skim the surface of her Neurocycle today by looking at the 5 Steps ~ 1. Gather 2. Reflect 3. Write 4. Recheck 5. Active Reach ~ and how this can help battle and over come worry, anxiety, depression as well as encourage brain building, detoxing trauma, breaking down bad habits and building good habits. It takes 21 days to build a long term thought with its embedded memories, and 63 days to turn this thought into a habit! Consistency is key and in a world with increasing rates of anxiety, depression, toxic stress and suicide we must learn effective mind management. Learning to self-regulate and manage your mind is a life skill that must be taken seriously! Check out more content on Instagram of her work @drcarolineleaf as well as her book and podcast called Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess. She also has an app called Neuro Cycle that can be purchased and help get you started with cleaning up your mental mess! We truly do become what we think!

Today's quote is all about being present. It says, "There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so TODAY is the right day to

love, believe, do and mostly live.”

~Dalai Lama~ Join me today while we explore how to stay intentionally present and how living IN the present is not the same as living FOR the present. I share some ways I am sharpening my skills of living intentionally IN today by using the Dalai Lama's quote to ask myself ~ How will I love today? How will I believe today? How will I do today?

How will I live today? ~ I hope you find value in this episode and remember to keep spreading the word about Ever~Present. For more tips and encouragement on living intentionally in the present you can follow me on Instagram @ever_present_holistics Remember today is the right time to love, believe, do and live! Be present. Be grateful. Be well.

Join me today for the final interview of this Game Changer Series! Interview 10 with Robbie Csontos shows us how to be a true game changer. Robbie is a World Champion Skipper! He holds the title of 24 World Jump Rope Championships and has traveled around the world collecting all of his gold medals. His first World's experience was in 2004 and in 2006 he won his very first World Championship. He was born and raised an American man and not only holds World Champion status, but he also holds a pretty heavy and traumatizing start into this world. Robbie is here to share how he has battled adversity, coming from being in the foster care system to being adopted by his amazing parents who taught him the importance of mastering discipline. He has certainly used his painful beginnings and successful jump rope career to become the man he is today! He is always working toward being the best and winning the day in front of him. The quote for today is from John Maxwell who reminds us "motivation gets you going but discipline keeps you growing." This is certainly true for Robbie! He shares his three game changer lessons regarding 'embracing the suck, paying it forward and not running from your past.' These are all golden nuggets of truth and you don't want to miss this. You can find Robbie @roblobster90 on Instagram and see some of his jump rope routines here below ~ https://youtu.be/Jd1ts0bUq68 https://youtu.be/Lt5LK896ZUw https://youtu.be/Lt5LK896ZUw (Found on YouTube by typing in Robbie Csontos) Let's do this!

"You never know when our actions are actually writing somebody else's survival guide." This is truth from my friend Dan Court who joins me today to share his powerful story and his response to a heartbreaking life crisis. His survival guide is one I would follow and have much respect for. Dan says he is a man that loves to love and choosing love in times of betrayal and heartbreak allowed him to become more vulnerable and a more authentic version of himself. Dan has such passion for personal development, helping others and fostering his mental health in pursuit of becoming the best version of himself. He shares his wisdom and heartache to demonstrate the value of vulnerability, leaning on others and processing emotion. Dan is a local Farmer and has placed a billboard on his property to help himself and others remember that, 'you are enough, you are stronger than you think and you got this." His ability to own his story and turn his pain into purpose is remarkable. You do not want to miss this. I end with a quote by Brene Brown that reads, "Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change" as well as one by an unknown author that states, "The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed." Vulnerability exposes our inner being and has life long benefits. Dan's example of how vulnerability and doing the hard thing can heal and truly transform us speaks volumes of his character and integrity. He actively seeks to operate from love and inturn he has been able to turn a heartbreaking story into one of triumph, purpose and hope. Dan shares his three game changer lessons with us about being true to you, choosing love and not letting other people's opinions of you stop you from being you. Determining to grow through what we go through and challenging the limits of what we know is Dan's passion. If you are enduring a life challenge and want to reach out you can find Dan on social media @dan.court on Instagram and Dan Court on Facebook. You truly are stronger than you think, now let's do this!