Here's a healthier take on Thanksgiving, y'all. First off, stop beating ourselves up if we DO overindulge on the food-iest holiday of the year. Second off, I'm sharing some ways I've made some of my Thanksgiving faves healthier over the years such as Crab C'est Si Bon (crab meat and artichoke based) instead of bread stuffing, sweet potatoes candied with only juice and hunks of pineapples and using monk fruit and Stevia in my pies. That way, I can still indulge on Thanksgiving day (AND the days after) with less brain fog, less carb comas, less sugar highs and lows and MORE nutrients. 

FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE  TO READ AT WWW.BROOKEHOOVER.COM/PODCAST

While being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome was the biggest push for me to pursue a more holistic approach to my health, the seed was planted long before thanks to my Maw Maw Leona. Maw Maw was well ahead of her time with a natural remedy for anything and everything - oftentimes involving garlic, yogurt or lemon. This episode is in honor of my Maw Maw and all of the grandparents or elder figures who helped us on our journey to becoming who we are today.

FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE  TO READ AT WWW.BROOKEHOOVER.COM/PODCAST

How am I managing my ANXIETY ?!??!?! With gratitude y'all. Gratitude is higher on the emotional guidance scale - so high that it's Number 1 along with Joy whereas frustration and irritation are a Level 10 (which in layman's terms, ain't so great). Something I tell myself is that Anxiety is worrying about WHAT IF whereas appreciation is focusing on WHAT IS. I hope y'all find what I'm teaching myself helpful.

If you need more mental health resources, please check out SAMHSA.GOV

Want to know where my PHAT all came from? Maybe, just maybe it's with a last minute extra fabulous fallen angel Halloween costume where Brooke gets her groove back in senior year of high school. The third (and final) part of the childhood Halloween Saga but the first part of learning to go from FAT to PHAT.

In an honest attempt to get me out of my Halloween costume (and body confidence) funk, my dad brings me to the Shrine Circus...where I have to dress up like a clown. Instead of being a barrel of laughs, I tell myself that now not only does my body need to be covered up, my face has to be masked as well. Will I EVER get out of this self deprecation rut? Tune in next week (airing Halloween 2022)

My favorite homemade Halloween costume of all time - the Sexy Harem Girl AKA Genie - was actually the first time I experienced body shaming at the age of 7 and it was from then on out I gave up my self confidence. THAT, y'all is scarier than Michael Meyers, Jason Voorhees or Chucky combined. In this three part Halloween Saga of costumes inspired by my solo show "PHAT GIRL COSTUMES" I tell tales about losing my confidence and hopefully gaining it back with homemade Halloween costumes (hand-stitched by the one and only Momma Anne) as the through line. Travel back in time with me y'all...

When life gets you down, how do you get back up again? For me, it's remembering my Cajun ancestry, the things my Momma has taught me and making some quiche, beans and scrapping wrought iron along the way. 

In honor of the U.S. Open going on in New York, I'm talking about one of my favorite past times - TENNIS. And, come to think of it, it's perhaps the ONE physical activity endeavor where I didn't let competition with others or especially within myself get in the way. I didn't think garbage thoughts like "my body is too fat to do this, people are judging me, I won't be good at it so I shouldn't even try." while suited up in a super cute Adidas tennis skirt and bad ass bloomers. I just picked up the racquet and swung (for the most part). 

I didn't fit in to the perfect yoga girl's body, athleisure or mindset. And, I almost gave up. When our beloved rescue Pomeranian Precious passed away, yoga was the thing that got me through. And, it's still something I do every day, now with my rescue dogs Annie and Archer smiling at me. I'm still not the perfect yogi. I curse, I sometimes practice without a sports bra, I don't like green tea BUT I think the most Zen part of it all is I have finally realized that none of that matters and the true practice of yoga involves coming back every day, without judgment. And, it was my rescue dogs who taught me that.

This episode specifically was meant to air on the 6th year anniversary of Annie the Pom's adoptaversary. If you want to learn more about her and Archer's rescue group, pawlease visit their website HERE 

Over DO-ing, overwhelm, burnout. We've all been there and yet many of us (like yours truly) still don't learn the lesson and the importance of just NOT DOING it sometimes. I am really trying hard to riff on the Nike slogan of JUST DO IT. But, I'm pulling straws here. Much like I'll keep pulling straws in life oftentimes to accomplish a goal - be it creative or weight loss journey related. And, over DO-ing it never really gets us any where other than back on the hamster wheel. So, this is for all of us who need to hear that it is MORE THAN OKAY to JUST DOn't and take a break.