Today, we are diving into the Non-Negotiable Habits of Curiosity and Intentional Breathing, specifically focusing on your food choices. Yes, still food! We recently explored the emotional connection behind comfort food cravings. While these foods bring back happy memories, sometimes they can lead to overeating.

So, how can you break the cycle and eat less without feeling deprived? The answer might surprise you: Breathing.

The Power of a Breath

Taking a mindful breath before you eat might seem insignificant, but it can have a profound impact on your relationship with food. It's all about your nervous system:

• Sympathetic (fight-or-flight): Activated during stress, hindering digestion and overall well-being.

• Parasympathetic (rest-and-digest): Promotes relaxation and optimal digestion.

By taking deep breaths before eating, you activate the parasympathetic system, leading to natural portion control and greater enjoyment of your food.

 I like to eat. My favorite is pancakes. 

What's yours?

Let me ask you a question.

If there were no boundaries and you had only one food choice, what would you want to eat? 

I like pancakes. 😀 I like their sweet taste. They look like sunshine, smell like comfort, feel like mom is in the kitchen. Family. Memories. Love. Comfort. Safety.  

Now your turn. What's your favorite food and why?

Up to recently when I really started to examine what I eat and why my sweet tooth enjoyed (and still does) pancakes. And when I eat them, I feel immediately good. 

What food do you tend to lean towards when you want comfort? Why? How do you feel at that moment? What is it that you are actually really craving?

I know those are a lot of deep questions.

So let's break it down into a simple structure. When we do, you may find a simple (not easy) way to tackle your comfort cravings. 

The big Ah-ha for me with comfort foods was learning my connection with them and how an...

We spend so much of our lives focusing on the "What." What diet is best? What are the "bad" foods? What should I cut out next?

In the Wellness Vortex Habit Change Model, we stop the "What" and start with the "Why." Before you can change what is on your plate, you have to change what is happening in your brain.

The Science of the Shift

When we eat under stress, we are operating from the Amygdala—the brain's emotional alarm system. This part of the brain doesn't actually want nutrition; it wants a reward to soothe anxiety, exhaustion, or boredom. It’s looking for a chemical "hug."

By bringing Curiosity to the table, you physically flip the switch from that reactive Amygdala to the Prefrontal Cortex (your logical brain). This simple shift from judgment to observation is what transforms your relationship with food from the "Big Chaos" into "Mastery."

Put on Your "Curiosity Glasses" 👓

I invite you to look "Beyond the Plate." Imagine putting on a pair of glasses that filter out g...

Years ago, a coach asked me a question that stopped me cold: "Do you love yourself?"

​My response was immediate. "Of course I do! I’m a Wellness Coach. I practice what I preach!"

​Then she asked: "Tell me, how do I know that you love yourself?"

​I started listing my "to-dos." I shower, I go for walks, I work out, I eat my green plate. But after I finished my list, there was a long, silent pause deep inside.

​In that profound silence, I realized: Self-love is a choice of how we experience our existence. It's not just about what we do, but the intention behind it.

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Conditional Care vs. The Vessel
​The question becomes: Do we engage in self-care because we are "fixing" something—like losing 15 pounds to be "presentable" for the camera?

​If our self-care is conditional based on reaching a goal, it isn’t love; it’s a transaction. In The Wellness Vortex 360 Habit Change Model, we understand Life Principle #8: The ultimate transformation is a three-step process: Behaviors, Beliefs, and Being.

​Whe...

You’ve created your Vision. You know where you want to go. But then Monday morning hits, and the "Cloud Thoughts" start swirling. You feel overwhelmed, stuck, and unsure of which way to turn.

​In The Wellness Vortex Habit Change Model, we master Non-Negotiable Habit #6: I manage my time. To do this effectively, we need a bridge between our big dreams and our daily actions.

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The Library of Your Mind (Vision)

​Imagine walking into a massive library. If all the books were thrown in a pile on the floor, you’d never find what you need. That is what overwhelm feels like.

• ​The Aisles are your Life Areas (Finances, Health, Business, Family). (Today's theme)
• ​The Books are your individual tasks or thoughts. Stay put for the Sprint Technique.

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The Sticky Note Technique is how we put the books back on the shelves so you can finally breathe.

​Step 1: Preparation (Keep it Simple)

​Don't let "perfect" be the enemy of "done." Grab a pack of small sticky notes and a notebook. Use on...

Every January, millions of people set monumental goals. By the second week of February, 92% of them will have given up. If you feel the "freeze" of resistance setting in, you aren't failing. You are simply operating from a model of "Lack." Most people set goals to fix themselves. But wellness isn't a fix-it project; it's a way of being.

​In The Wellness Vortex Habit Change Model, we move away from high-pressure "destination" goals and move toward Daily Process Actions.

​Peeling the Cabbage Layers of Resistance

​When the urge to quit shows up, don't just push through it—decode it. Use Not Negotiable Habit #4: I am curious. Peel back the layers of your resistance:

• ​Surface Noise: "I'm too tired."
• ​The Message: "I am trying to 'change' because I don't feel 'enough' right now."

​Life Principle #4: Transformation is not about change; it’s about a choice. 💖

​The Power of the 8%

​The 8% of people who actually reach their targets aren't more disciplined than you—they just foc...

​There is a hard truth in the world of transformation: 92% of people quit their goals by the second week of February.

​This happens because most people plan in polarities. They either plan for total success (the "all good" days) or they plan to "fix" their problems (focusing only on the downside). What they don’t plan for is the roller coaster in between—the messy reality of Resistance.

​In The Wellness Vortex Habit Change Model, we don't wait for the thaw. We generate our own heat.

​Life Principle #7: Don't Wait! Generate it! 🔋

​The 2 Types of Resistance: Noise vs. Signal

​Resistance isn't a sign to stop; it's a signal to decode.

1. ​External (The Mirror): The weather, schedule shifts, or difficult people. We respond to the external with our Internal Attitude.
2. ​Internal (The Compass): Negative emotions, "frozen" thoughts, or physical tension. This isn't just noise; it’s a signal revealing where your deepest transformational work is needed.

​The 3 Phases of Resistance...

We are officially in that strange, blurry week between Christmas and New Year’s. The leftovers are in the fridge, the "holiday magic" is fading into holiday mess, and most of us are stuck in a very specific kind of discomfort.

I call it Mental Constipation.

In The Wellness Vortex Habit Change Model, we talk about the 80/20 rule: 80% is healthy, nourishing food and 20% is freedom food. But as Dr. Shaklee says, you are not just what you eat—you are what you think and what you do. Your thoughts and emotions are mental food. Just like physical fuel, thoughts are meant to come in and pass through. When we store them, they become like a closet full of old clothes you haven't seen in years—they take up the space where your future is supposed to live.

For the last 10 days, I have been training my body and brain to fall asleep in total, beautiful silence. No noise, no distractions. This wasn’t luck—it was a non-negotiable training of my new neuropathways.

To clear the "mental waste" of 20...

I was driving yesterday, and I caught myself in a moment that I think almost everyone can relate to right now.

I noticed my posture. I was holding the steering wheel so tight my knuckles were white. My whole body was leaning forward, my chest was tight, and my shoulders were up to my ears. Mentally, I was already at my destination before the car even got there.

In that moment, I remembered my own tools. I stopped.

I physically sat back into the seat, relaxed my body, and opened my chest to take a deep breath. The shift was instant. As I sat back, I noticed my emotions shift as well. The stress simply dissipated. My mind became clear, and for the first time all day, I felt emotionally present—actually capable of feeling joy.

The Physicality of Overwhelm

I realized something profound in that moment: Leaning forward is the posture of overwhelm and pain. Sitting back is your trumpet to Power.

As we enter the final rush of the holiday season, look around. You can see the collective "l...

The New Year is just around the corner, and with it comes the annual surge of "work out more" resolutions. But if you're like most people, you may be confused about one fundamental question: What exactly is formal fitness, and is it the same as just being active?

In my Wellness Vortex Model, we talk about integrating non-negotiable movement. Today, we're clarifying the difference between simply moving your body and having a structured exercise routine.

I recently recorded a quick video right after my run to clarify this important distinction.

The Apple-and-Fruit Analogy: Formal Fitness vs. Being Active

This is the key concept we need to understand to avoid fitness confusion:

Formal Fitness is being active, but being active is NOT Formal Fitness.

Think of it this way: Every apple is a fruit, but not every fruit is an apple.

• Being Active: This is simply moving your body throughout the day (your daily steps, walking while on the phone, gentle movement). It is essential fo

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