MUVE Forward

Christmas is less than three weeks away, so I thought it would be a really good time to chat about some of the feelings that you might be experiencing as the holidays approach. For many people, the Holidays can be a triggering time. Today we’re talking all things Holiday prep – and I don’t mean the turkey and the presents – I mean emotionally. Christmas is certainly a special time of year and brings people together, but it can also come with lots of stressors in having to spend extra money on gifts, food, entertaining and of course, spending time with people who you may not be overly excited to see. So, in case you needed to hear it, you’re not alone in these feelings. We’re all battling something in our minds during the Holiday season, but if you take the time to prepare, you can enjoy all of the magic it has to bring. Keep reading to learn some useful ways for you to prepare mentally and emotionally for the Holidays. Like most problems in life, talking about things rather than holding them inside is one of the most useful ways to release the stress, and prevent anxiety from creeping in. So, find your person; a friend, a family member or a therapist that you feel safe opening up to or journal about your feelings in solidarity. By doing this, you are allowing yourself to recognize that these are your triggers and then you can think of various ways to cope with them before any issues arise. Often times it’s when we decide to bury our feelings that bursts of anger or sadness occur. This is exactly the thing we want to try to avoid, especially over the Holiday season, so talk about those things before you are put in those situations with people you trust and decide that you will choose healthy habits to keep yourself on track if things should start to go south. Do your best to enjoy all that comes with the Holidays this year. Be mindful of what you need to feel at ease and make the necessary changes to remain in that positive space. I am sending so much love and light to all of you and I hope that this holiday season you laugh, love, enjoy and move forward.If your looking for some dedicated one on one help with your goals and overcoming your struggles, join me on a 90 day program. Sign up for your free introductory call here: https://calendly.com/muvelife/introcall?month=2019-12

Today I am chatting with one of Toronto’s Real housewives, Roxy Earle. Roxy is a TV personality, model, fashion designer, and body activist who is making her message heard loud and clear in the media. Roxy has a personal brand called My Size Rox which is inspiring generations of girls to feel good about themselves no matter what size they are. Roxy works with brands such as H&M, Knix, Le Chateau, Joe Fresh, Columbia, and so many others to educate them on the importance of including more of a range of sizes so all women can be included.Today she shares more about her business, the reality of body shaming and how she’s sharing body positivity to inspire the world. In the past year, Roxy’s Father passed away from cancer, and she talks about how his death was one last gifts he gave to her to teach her that life is precious and should be lived. This girl has a powerful voice and she’s using it to help so many other women who may not have the confidence to make the changes in society.Roxy shares that there was a moment that happened on television where she was being interviewed and everyone kept asking her how it felt to be the first plus-size housewife. She remembers responding with, “I am not plus size, I’m my size and my size rocks.” Following this statement, thousands of people reached out to her thanking her for representing them; they felt important because they could finally identify and relate to someone. She is now proud to be part of a group of women who are shifting the paradigms and conversations forward about size in the media.The biggest culprit in not feeling good is often people’s own voice; we are our own worst critics. Speak to yourself as you would to your best friend. You have to love yourself and be kind to yourself and speak kindly to yourself if you want to feel good things about yourself. Start from within - every time you have a negative thought about yourself, say out loud to yourself, STOP - and correct that thinking. The more positively you think about yourself, the more you will believe it and the more confident you will become.Follow Roxy on Social:@luxuriousroxy Luxurious Roxy Brand and the #MySizeRox Movement Today's commercial:Go to www.atlasbars.com, use the discount code MUVE for $10 off their 6 pack sample pack.

On today’s episode, I’m talking all about leaving behind your previous life; your struggles, your trauma, and even the perception of what other people think of you.Our past experiences, both good and bad, are certainly a part of what has gotten us to where we are today - but they no longer serve us to help us to reach our goals and journey moving forward. It is a valuable piece of our lives and has helped to shape our personalities and who we are. However, we also want to remember that holding onto past pains, tragedy, loss, or abuse can keep you trapped in anger and sadness and can prevent you from growing. We can’t change what has already happened, but we can learn from our past and use that to be a better person. Your past is your past and can be left behind you.Another form of living in the past can show up as holding on to stories of what others have told you, and what you have told yourself of who you’re supposed to be. You know the ones, the idea that you are or should be a certain person. Trying to live up to the mold of who people think you are, can be exhausting. It can be difficult to leave this behind and allow a newer version of you to shine but know that it’s okay to let go of the expectations and leave who you “are supposed to be” behind you. Let go of what is not serving you and making you feel good - you have the right to release them to grow into who you want to be. How many hours a day do you spend thinking about the “when’s” in your life? When will this happen for me? When will it be Friday again? The more time you spend thinking about the “when’s,” the more of the “now” you miss out on. Be mindful of your thoughts. Are you living in the past or the future? Shift into the now. Your future self will likely thank you!! Life is meant to be enjoyed in the moment. Our “now” moments are what create memories, and the memories are what creates the stories of our lives. Understand that what is meant to be, will be. All of the life lessons, the memories, and the hard times that come your way, are meant for you. Whether you spend time worrying about them or not, they are for you. Instead of stressing, choose to let it go. Live in the now. I for one am ready to not waste any more of my nows, who’s with me?Try my new obsession: Atlas Bars, go to www.atlasbars.com and use the discount code MUVE for $10 off of the 6 bar sample pack.

Guilt is an emotion that most of us have had. It’s normal to have some feelings of guilt but it’s when it becomes the main focus in your day to day is where it may start to have some negative effects on your life. Guilt has been showing up lots in my world and for my clients, so on today’s Podcast Episode I’m talking about the different ways guilt can manifest and positive ways to tackle it. Shortly after my Mom passed away, I was obsessed with researching food and how disease can manifest if we consume certain things. I felt guilty for not having known this information sooner. This guilt would consume me when I was feeling sad or angry for not having my Mom here with me in the physical world. It gave me something to blame when I was feeling upset; as if I needed a reason or answer why she wasn’t in my physical world anymore … and so I blamed myself. Looking back, it’s so clear how unrealistic these thoughts were - as an 8-year-old, how could I possibly have known the exact information she needed to beat her cancer? The blame I had was real though, and I am thankful that I didn’t let it fester and create anger deep enough to change my whole life. I started to understand that the blame was not realistic. Grieving is a process that can happen for many years - even a lifetime - after tragedy. So, we need to be patient while we process all of these emotions, but also be mindful of how it can affect us and those around us if we don’t do something about it. Suggestions to help Limit the Feeling of Guilt Talk to someone about it: a friend, a family member, a therapist; someone who can listen and someone who you can trust to give you some positive feedback on why you’re feeling that way. Journal about what you’re feeling when you’re feeling it, and why you think that’s coming up for you. Speak your guilty feelings and thoughts surrounding them as if you were telling them to someone you love, or even to a younger child. You see, it’s always easy to be hard on ourselves, but most words we utter to ourselves, we wouldn’t dare say to someone we loved. Treat yourself as you are your own best friend and be kind to yourself. It’s easy to criticize and be hard on ourselves but put things into perspective; if someone you love were to tell you how guilty they felt for something out of their control, you would certainly tell them not to worry and that it wasn’t their fault! Try this with yourself. And if you truly have feelings of guilt for wrong doing you know you did, learn from your mistakes. Guilt in times like this comes to us so that we know how to do things differently next time, but move forward in the now. So no matter where your guilt stems from, let it go. Let go of the toxic emotions holding you back from living and enjoying your life. It is up to you to decide to release yourself from the guilt. Let it go so you can MUVE forward from feeling the guilt.

On today’s podcast, we’re talking about the Power of a Promise and how impactful these can be if you attach them to your goals. Like most people, I have big dreams and big goals for my life and my happiness. But - it often seems like I’m going around and around in circles just hoping that something will stick. I find myself constantly trying to get focused on what I really want to accomplish, how I want to get there, and what type of person I want to be. As a result of not making my goals a priority, I don’t follow through on the things I know I should be doing.Instead of continuing this wishing and wanting cycle, I’ve decided to break it by implementing one new habit surrounding my goals: making a promise to myself. What does this look like? For the things I am really interested in making happen, I make a dedicated promise to follow through and when. Instead of feeling like I’m allowed to push off the “tough stuff” involved with reaching my goals, I have decided to make a promise to myself to make these things happen; this has been both more impactful and effective for me. Many of us have a goal, yet when we’re asked why we’re not implementing healthy habits that we know have a positive impact on us, we don’t have an answer for it. Let me paint a picture for you: you have a problem, you resolve this problem with something that works, but then you stop doing the thing that helped you and you go back to where you were at the beginning and now you’re questioning how to get back to resolving the problem. The thing is, you already know the answer and what you need to do, but you don’t make it a priority or a promise to yourself to actually commit. If we could all make a conscious effort to make a promise to ourselves to stick to the things we know we need to do, we would find that we work harder to accomplish that final goal. So, what are you committing to? Put it on a card, get rid of the excuses, believe and commit then watch your dreams come true. I know it seems simple, but with this promise, you will start understanding what’s holding you back and then you can move into doing actionable things to reach your goals. After all, we’re only hurting ourselves if we don’t follow through. Follow me on social @muvelife and check out my wellness programs here: https://www.muvelife.com/the-muvement

Today’s guest, Saidat Vandenberg, has been spreading her message of positivity and confidence for over two decades as a children’s entertainer, speaker, singer, and author. She is on a mission to help the younger generation smile and build their confidence. In today’s episode we talk about Saidat’s show which she performs at schools across Canada. Her shows talk about bullying, boosting self-esteem and why it’s important for children to figure out who they are and who they want to be. We also talk about the death of her husband who was hit by a drunk driver and her new same-sex relationship and how this has changed her views on religion. Saidat considers herself a happiness infuser. She believes that people need more kindness and happiness in their life. She grew up not believing in herself and thus, found herself focusing on what she couldn’t do instead of the many positive things she could offer. She was inspired to work with children because they are so moldable; they can listen to what your saying, get a picture in their mind and then take that idea and run with it. Her work helps the younger generation feel more confident in their world by first feeling better about who they are as individuals by loving themselves and all their differences. She uses creative ways to speak to children about bullying such as through music, dance, and drama so that they are best able to understand it.Society is conditioned to dread things that require work. So instead, if we start thinking about the situations as what we really want them to be, first as pictures in our mind, we will then be opened up to the possibilities which will get us there. Saidat shares that to figure out who you are, you must start by acting as if you were an Artist. This will allow you to create a picture in your mind which will then ignite emotion in your body and then allow the picture to guide you to what you’re seeing as the end result. Her motto: “One person can make a difference and together we can change the world.” So, think about what your difference is and then think of this as your gift. When we all put our differences together, we can make an impact on a community or the world, together.Saidat wrapped up with this beautiful message: “You are a beautiful creation and you are needed - and the world is waiting for you to shine. Sit down and write down what you love about yourself. If you start writing these types of things down and focusing on them, you will build your confidence day by day. You can also ask other people what they love about you. Look at those words when you feel like you’re struggling with believing in yourself. If you continue to look at this list, you will be able to paint a new picture in your mind; this will then allow you to build confidence again. Finally, find something that really moves you; it will help you to feel good about your place in this world. Once you find that, start taking steps towards it. As you’re helping others and yourself, you will build your confidence enough to know that you are amazing and that you are making a difference in the world and that there are so many people who believe in you.” Saidat has the “Saidat Tour Live!” Show launching on March 21, 2020. She will be touring throughout Ontario in 2020 and across the nation in 2021! Following along with Saidat and her events on social and on her website. Website: http://www.saidat.caInstagram: @thesaidatshow Twitter: @Saidat2motivateEmail: [email protected] more about my 90 Day one to one wellness program with a free introductory call with me. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/muvelife/introcall?month=2019-11

We live in a fast-paced, high-stress world where most of us are exhausted and just trying to keep up. Today’s podcast is all about finding more energy and learning how to put yourself first. So, what gives us energy? Food? Sleep? No … it’s movement! It’s simple; creating energy gives us more energy. Think of the last time you felt exhausted, maybe that’s right now? Now think about your lifestyle during that time. Were you moving, or were you stuck on the couch or sitting behind your desk? The next time you’re feeling low energy, stand up and take a walk or even better - dance!! You create energy in your body by giving energy, and just knowing this can change your life. Next, it’s important to be mindful of the tools you’re given to help you in various parts of your life. Be honest with yourself. Are you creating useful promises to yourself and are you keeping those promises? When we have something we want to change or accomplish in our life, we will never change them until we make a promise and stick to it. INSTEAD:Commit. Put in the work. Stay consistent and you SHOW UP. No more excuses. To conserve your energy, you consider making a “stop doing” list. Know that you don’t have to always say “yes” to other people. Having things on your to-do list for yourself instead of others is not something to feel guilty for - it’s a must! It is so important to put yourself first so that you can be mentally, physically, and emotionally your best self and then you can show up as your best self to help others. When we spend all of our time helping others, we end up falling short in one area or another; and that’s no good for anyone. So be mindful of your to-do list and try adding in a stop-doing list to help you be a little bit more aware of where you’re spending your valuable time.

Dr. Morgan Francis is a Licensed Professional Counsellor with a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology, a licensed Mental Health Therapist and the owner of Scottsdale Premier Counselling. Her mission is to end the stigma of mental health and cultural body image. Dr. Francis is an expert in her field and she has a compassionate approach to help you get to the bottom of what is creating havoc in your life. She has overcome the loss of her brother when she was a young girl as well as her own personal mental health struggles and eating disorders. She has educated herself and conducted extensive research on therapeutic methods to help others. She has an online course called, Bye Bye Body Blame, to help people love their bodies without having to lose weight. She breaks down your negative thoughts and feelings towards your body and builds up body respect and appreciation with practical and therapeutic support and guidance. When Dr. Morgan Francis was 16, her older brother was killed in a car crash. Mental Health is very important to her because it’s a personal way for her to connect as a result of what has happened in her life. Shortly after the loss of her brother, she was put into therapy. This was a very positive experience for her and allowed her to have a relationship with her brother on a different level.She began to understand that there is suffering and there is pain. She knew she couldn’t suffer for the rest of her life, so she had to move into the pain in order to continue to live. She shares that when you lose someone so close to you, you learn to appreciate life in a different way because you learn how short life really is. She shares that there are certainly still seasons where she has fallen back into a depression or the suffering would come back and she would try to avoid pain. This showed up in the forms of an emotional eating disorder on all spectrums. She worked with a therapist to move through this because she knew she wanted to live a quality of life that she needed to have to really connect with her Brother on a spiritual level. She had to move through suffering and pain to live in her faith because faith and fear can’t walk in the same line.Once her eating disorder was healed, she noticed that she was still feeling shame towards her body through her mind. She decided to distance herself from diet culture and recognized that we are so marginalized as a society as far as the types of bodies and the types of people that are shown to us. She realized that there are so many people struggling with their body image that did not have an eating disorder; an epidemic that she wanted to tackle head-on. She wanted to change that people stop living because of their body image. She shares the, “It’s the deprivation, the obsessive thinking that continues to bring people down. Some thoughts come from fear and some thoughts come from grace. We don’t want your self-worth attached to your body size. Your body image heals from the inside out, not the outside in. You can lose all of the weight, but still not be happy. It’s about learning to do the healing from the inside out to be in alignment with our bodies.”Dr. Francis wraps up with this message: You’re not alone. Everyone struggles with their body image on some degree of the spectrum. There are resources out there that can help you understand more about your body and your relationship with your body. Whether you’ve experienced trauma, or whether it’s from culture or something someones said to you - there are so many reasons we could be at war with our body. There are valid reasons for your feelings. Educate yourself with health at every size. Appreciate your body and use the resources out there for you. Get in touch with Dr. Morgan FrancisInstagram: @drmorganfrancisWebsite: https://www.scottsdalepremiercounseling.comBye Bye Body Blame course: https://drmorganfrancis.teachable.com/p/bye-bye-body-blame

This weekend I spent some much needed time hiking with my girlfriends and taking in the beautiful abundance of nature. Prior to taking this time, I was having a stressful week and experiencing overwhelm. This led to me being tired and drained which is a common reaction your body has as a result of stress. As a busy woman with lots of drive and a passion to create, I find it challenging to create a good balance between working enough, spending time with family and friends, as well as finding me time. Wherever I can, I try to remain in balance to help control stress.Stress has a lot of negative effects on our body. When I look back at my life, all of the times I was going through a difficult time; I was stressed and thus not able to find balance in my life. When I lost my Mom, I remember having many physical ailments manifest in my body as a result of dealing with the heartache. I had severe stomach pains, eczema, and a small spot on top of my head that I would continuously pick at. This is a common theme medical practitioners see in those who are dealing with extremely stressful situations and is a major factor in causing illness if stress isn’t managed. For a lot of us, finding a balance between work, play, family, and me-time is very difficult - but I want to remind you of how important it is to have boundaries and make YOU the priority; especially in times of high stress. There are so many factors that come in to play here, and sometimes we are aware of the exact cause, but most times - we are avoiding it. For me last week, I decided to tell my boyfriend how I was feeling. In sharing this with him, the things I was feeling became real because someone I loved now knew I was in a time of high stress. He was then able to help me talk through those feelings and hold me accountable to say the things that were truly causing the stress, out loud. Once you speak your truth, you will be able to put things into place which can help to actively change the situation. It’s when we avoid or ignore the signs our body is giving us, that we can get to a point of being so overwhelmed that it has harmful effects on our bodies. Whether you need to talk to a therapist, your partner, a friend, a family member or even just say it out loud to yourself; it can have a really powerful effect on your ability to move past the stress. It’s not possible to have perfect balance all the time, but at the very least, do your best to avoid the massive ups and downs of stress. If you experience overwhelm or stress due to a hormone imbalance or PMS, there are a few factors that can help to balance the surge. Try limiting sugars, caffeine, aspartame, and MSG as these can all have a negative effect and worsen the effects of a hormone imbalance. If you pay attention to your body and the signs it's giving you, you can change the outcome. It’s often a perfect storm that creates these feelings and emotions but it’s also up to you to work at it where you can to make some helpful changes and create more homeostasis in your mental and physical health. To all of you in a season of struggle I'm sending light and love your way! Michelle xo

Today’s guest, Shelby Hayle, is not only a friend, but she also does work for MUVE LIFE and The MUVE FORWARD Podcast. We met at a Female Rising event and immediately were drawn to each other. Having both lost a parent, we know the heartache that one can truly only feel if you’ve suffered that type of loss and so we immediately felt that connection. Today we’re going to hear about Shelby’s past struggles with mental illness and her healing journey with her husband, and how he has helped her stay on track. She talks about the devastating year she had in losing both her Papa and Father, all while being pregnant with her first and only child. Shelby is the true definition of a warrior. She has been through the darkest of times, but she has found a way to bring joy back into her life.When Shelby was 17, she moved away from home to start her University career. Being on her own made her take notice of her inner voice and how she was feeling. She was noticing that her motivation was lessening each morning and she knew something wasn’t right. Shortly after this realization, she started on a journey to figure out what she could do to feel like her best self again. As she spoke with Doctors and then a Psychologist, and then a Therapist - they were all in agreement that her mental health was not in a good state. Fortunately, she was highly motivated to feel better so she dove into therapy and also started on a journey of trying various medications to help her chemical imbalance with depression and anxiety.Throughout this entire journey, Shelby was in a relationship with her high school sweetheart and now husband, Jordan - and so he was part of her journey from day one with her mental illness. She remembers thinking that she knew one day she would marry him and that hopefully, they would be able to start a family together, and she knew she wanted to be healthy mentally when she brought a child into the world. As she got older, she remembers a day where she said to her husband, “I am ready. I am ready to move forward and I am ready to not be on medication.” It took about two years of consistent therapy and doing the work, as well as 10 months to wean off her medications when she felt ready - in full. Over the two years, her therapy sessions went from weekly, to bi-weekly, to monthly and then were eventually only on an as-needed basis.After ridding herself of all medications and feeling mentally strong again, Shelby and her husband decide to begin the journey of starting a family. They felt very blessed to become pregnant and were expecting their baby in August of 2019. Early February 2019, Shelby received a phone call in the middle of the night that her Grandfather had passed unexpectedly. One week later on family day weekend, Shelby received another phone call telling her that her father was in a snowmobile accident and had died instantly. Her first thoughts were, “how am I going to do this.” As the months passed, and she came closer to her due date with their baby - she finally had a moment where she realized that there was a tiny human inside of her that she hadn’t been paying much attention to in her efforts to make sure everyone else was okay. She finally accepted help, reluctantly and took time off work to dedicate the last 7 weeks before the baby’s arrival to heal her mind and to connect with the baby.Shelby shares this closing message: "It's important to know that you can take the time you need to heal. Forgive yourself, and know that you’re not alone. You have a voice and you are allowed to use it. Take the time to grow, to learn and to heal. You are the only vehicle you have in your life to make yourself truly happy and enjoy this beautiful life. Do something you love each day and take care of yourself so that you can take care of those you love the most.”Connect with Shelby on Instagram:@shelbyhayle@thehayleco