“Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses essential oils … from plants for the purpose of improving a person’s mood, cognitive function or health.“ Wikipedia

I turn to essential oils for not only for self-care (massage, stress relief, increased energy, better attitude) and healing, but also for non-toxic house cleaning. Quality varies greatly so I recommend buying therapeutic grade oils from a reputable manufacturer to guarantee you’re getting effective, plant based, natural oils. Some top companies include Aroma Land, Young Living & Aura Cacia.

How do you use essential oils? For self-care very few essential oils may be applied directly to the skin so you’ll want to mix them with a carrier oil such as olive, almond, hazelnut, jojoba or grapeseed oil before massaging onto your body. Essential oils are also very effective inhaled through the nose or used in diffusers.

How do you find the right essential oil or blend for your self-care? Visit a spa, holistic shop or health food market and unscrew the cap, take a deep inhale and note how you feel, what images and thoughts pop up. Remember, some oils lift you up, some calm you down, so you’ll want to collect oils for each intention.

One of the most effective and popular uses of aromatherapy is for stress reduction. Choose calming, grounding blends and/or Lavender to accomplish this task and put them in your bathwater, on a cotton ball under your pillow or massage onto your temples. I suggest keeping a bottle of lavender in your desk drawer and when you start to feel overwhelmed or wound up, take it out, unscrew the cap and breathe deeply. After inhaling the wonderful essence for a couple breaths close the bottle and sit quietly for another 5 breaths, using long slow inhales and exhales with a pause between the two.

Top Essential Oils & Their Properties

Lavender: relaxing, calming, anti-depressant, repels bugs, soothes skin, safe to use directly on skin.

Tea Tree: anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, boosts the immune system, repels bugs.

Lemon: very cleansing and antiseptic, great for house cleaning!

Peppermint: useful for fatigue, nausea, headache, gas, indigestion

Rosemary: Very uplifting, stimulates the mental, digestive and immune systems. Very good for muscle aches and tension. Useful for physical and mental fatigue, forgetfulness, respiratory problems, asthma, rheumatic aches and pains.

Neroli: useful for insomnia, anxiety, nervous depression, mildly warming, improving circulation, acne, premenstrual tension/pain, backache.

Bergamot is antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, calming, citrusy.

This is such a minor list as there are literally hundreds of oils and oil blends to choose from, depending on your desired use and outcome. I suggest you visit a store, open some bottles and take a whiff! It’ll transport you to a better place!

A Few Of My Favorite Blends

Secret Linens Spray: Romantic yet anti-bacterial, relaxing yet antiseptic, this is a wonderful not-a-secret-any-longer spray was given to me by a close holistic friend Karen. In an 8oz spray bottle mix 10 drops EACH of Bergamot, Geranium and Palma Rosa and fill with water. Spray on your sheets before bed for a romantic, restful night’s sleep.

Natural Bug Spray: In an 8oz spray bottle mix 10 drops EACH of lavender & tea tree oils and fill with water. Spray it on the kids and dogs to keep bugs away!

My Favorite Foot Massage: Mix 10 drops of Aura Cacia’s Cool Hottie blend into 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. I find this very grounding and stress relieving!

The most often question I get asked is whether or not to detox or cleanse (in my opinion these two words are interchangeable). Detox is one of the hottest buzzwords on the wellness marketplace nowadays; a typical internet search will pull up dozens and dozens of detox products that promise increased energy, decreased weight and more. Are these products safe and healthy and most of all, necessary? Before embarking on a detox or cleanse ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why do I want to detox / cleanse?
2. Am I prepared to permanently change my eating habits?
3. Am I healthy enough to do a detox / cleanse?
4. Am I able to rearrange my schedule to accommodate a detox / cleanse?

Why Detox / Cleanse?
If you are attempting to break an unhealthy eating pattern, prepping for surgery, segueing to a healthier diet or craving a “spring clean” then detoxing could be very beneficial. I so often see people do a cleanse to drop a few pounds quickly before a big event. While this can be effective in the short run the weight almost always returns very quickly.

Some want to cleanse after a period of very unhealthy eating. While this appears to be a good idea on the surface, if you’re not planning on changing your eating patterns then why put yourself through the process just to pollute your system all over again? Detox / Cleanses are NOT fun! Their purpose is to rid the body of toxic accumulations. If you’re not prepared or motivated to adopt a healthier nutritional lifestyle then you’re just washing and waxing the car before a thunderstorm.

Can I Do A Cleanse / Detox?
The first thing I recommend before choosing a cleanse is to talk to a professional, whether it be your doctor, nutritionist, etc. If you are taking medications or have a medical condition a detox product could greatly interfere with that.

Once you’re cleared to cleanse you’ll find yourself with an abundance of products to choose from. I believe the simpler, more natural, the better. The Master Cleanse (aka The Lemonade Diet) consists of drinking a lemonade mix of fresh squeezed lemon juice, grade B maple syrup, cayenne pepper (I use liquid not ground) and water. Although lemons are citrus they are very alkalizing within the body. Balancing your pH, or alkalizing an overly acidic body (think coffee, meat, etc) is one of the great benefits of a cleanse.

Other options are juice fasts or feasts and smoothies. These forms of liquid cleanses work on your food addictions and comfort eating habits by forgoing the chewing, give your body a rest from digestion as the food is already thoroughly broken down, and can alkalize your body while getting the necessary daily quota of nutrients. The biggest differences of smoothies over juices is that they include the fiber of the fruit/veggie, which helps sweep out toxins and helps stabilize sugar rushes.

How Long To Cleanse?
Many people believe they can pick up a quick cleanse kit at their local GNC and pop a few pills for a few days and cleanse their system of years worth of abuse. It should be obvious that what took years to do will take some time to undo!

An optimal cleanse is between 7-10 days minimum. According to Tom Woloshyn, author of The Complete Master Cleanse it takes about 3 days just to get your body to understand you want to release toxins and cleanse, then another 2 days to really start to purge. Add that up and you’ll see you need 5 days just to get started! Many people feel comfortable on the Master Cleanse for two weeks or more and those using juice / smoothie feasting go even longer.

Can I Squeeze A Cleanse Into My Day?
Many people hear about the Master Cleanse through word of mouth and decide to jump on it for a few days, not realizing that it is a decision to plan out carefully. A cleanse MUST fit into daily life. Drinking lemonade all day while having to cook a huge meal for the family, grocery shop, take kids through a drive thru, etc. can easily push one over the edge.

Another consideration is can you run to the bathroom several times an hour during your kid’s soccer game, while carpooling, during an important client meeting? Can you handle the petty bickering of your kids or the constant ringing of your business line when you have a raging detox headache or haven’t had coffee for three days? Can your spouse/boss/kids survive your detox??

Alternatives
I teach Detox classes that give clients loads of information and options to go home and think about before drastically changing their diet. I also discuss starting the day with lemonade to jumpstart your body, then having a small, healthy breakfast later and adding a smoothie as a lunch replacement or afternoon snack.

There are many options to consider when wanting to detox. I suggest reading, researching, taking a quick class, talking to a professional, then weighing your options and making the best decision for YOU!

Not too long ago I wrote a post about taking baby steps to grand goals, so when a goal appears unattainable break it down into manageable steps to achieve it. Well, there are some of us out there that have the opposite issue. And I am one of those some! When I have a goal I don’t see why I cannot achieve it in one giant leap. I am just not the baby step type. Call me Type A, an overachiever, Speedy Gonzales (you know the cartoon mouse?), just don’t expect me to dilly-dally on the way to my goal. When I create a goal I fully intend to reach it in one giant leap.

Well, recently I was reminded that sometimes giant leaps are just not possible and baby steps must be inserted. I was extricating myself from the family business and wanted to move to the Southwest from my current home in the Midwest. Now there are extenuating circumstances involved that I won’t bore you with, but nonetheless, hightailing it South was not in the cards. So I made the whopping move one town over. Yes, that was the sound of a baby step.

How did I react to having to take a baby step when I am a truly a leaper? It wasn’t pretty! Again, I will spare you the details, but when the sound of wailing dust settled I realized something. Baby steps are rest stops along the journey that are extremely important to take if one wants to build a solid path to their destination. A wise spiritual teacher of mine once told me that if you jump too many vibrational levels at once it’s impossible to maintain that new vibration and you come tumbling down. Hence, have patience, build slowly, build strongly.

My kids are loving our new house and enjoying the rewards of village living while I am patiently allowing happiness to dwell in me. As I find joy in my current location (happiness is higher vibration) I am imagining, planning my next move (and yes I still hope the next step is the final one .

We lost our precious Yorkie today after battling a long illness. Over the past few months I spent a great amount of time, money and emotions trying to heal Trixie. I have been able to communicate with her off and on (I’m much better with really old animals) and I knew that she wanted to go, to be free.

About a month ago she started to leave and I could see she only had days left. In a panic I rushed to a new vet and tried yet another type of treatment to save her. It helped for about a week, then Trixie started to go downhill, yet again.

My mother finally stepped in today, saying enough was enough. Our princess has been in great pain, full of sadness, for months, and I was keeping her alive for me, not for her. Loving her meant doing what was best for her not what was best for me.

It got me thinking about my reasons for keeping her alive despite her requests to depart, despite the failure of every medicinal and holistic healing method I tried (and I tried them all!). I wanted to, needed to, be able to save her. As a mom and business owner I control so many things, I should be able to control this. I should be able to fix this, to save her, to heal her.

The soul understands, the ego controls. My heart is light as I see & hear her and she is happy, she is free. But my ego is wounded. I am sad, I am angry, I failed, I judge myself guilty. Guilty of what I’m not sure… not doing enough for her (my rational mind knows I did), guilty for letting her go, yet guilty for not letting her go sooner.

The key is to release the hold the ego has on the body, the emotions and allow the soul, the eternal love, to take over. All will be well…

When I give intuitive readings or reiki people I am often asked for proof of the origins of the information I am getting. I find that truly funny as most often I am a complete stranger to the client and I am already providing details to them that I could never have known. Wouldn’t that in and of itself be proof? But there are those that want a sign from their higher self, proof of the existence of the energy field, of soul connection or of telepathy, etc.

On my morning run I was reminded of an incident that happened to me that shows clear proof of telepathy, but also demonstrates be careful asking for proof as you may just get it!

I live in the corner of IL, IA & WI and there was a very dangerous Y intersection in which one would need to veer left across the oncoming lane, in a curve, at 45-60mph, to head to WI. At least one car a year gets hit annually by a semi making this maneuver, which results in death.

Last summer I was entering the curve at 55mph and watch a semi cross over in front of me. I quickly deduced that at the speeds we were traveling at we would intersect in about 3 seconds. He attempted to pull back into his lane on this curve and I could hear him say he’d jackknife if he pulled that hard so I said don’t try it, aloud, and he stopped trying and pulled back into my lane. Now this took a millisecond and we were back at impact in 2 seconds.

I weighed my options: I cannot go right as I’ll hit the semi. I cannot stay in my lane or the oncoming lane as I will still hit the semi and my large SUV will not fit under it, I will die on impact. And I am not ready to leave my children on this planet. There is a little red Ford Fiesta in the oncoming lane behind the semi who just now saw the predicament unfolding. If I cross both lanes to avoid the semi I hit the little Fiesta, instantly killing that person. Does his children need him any less than mine need me? Then, to add to the chaos, a Toyota Forerunner shows itself behind the the Fiesta, as it had been blocked by the semi and he is now just realizing that he’s about to enter a horrific accident scene.

Now all this assessment is taking place in a millisecond as all of our vehicles are approaching each other. At once the Universe took over and simultaneously, the semi gunned it continuing his path across both lanes of traffic, the little Fiesta gunned it and veered right, off his lane, his shoulder and baha’d into a farmer’s field. I am sure that is the only 4-wheeling he’s ever done! I gunned it and made my way out of my lane, across the oncoming lane and onto the other shoulder.

I missed the semi by an inch on my right, the Fiesta by an inch on my left and the Toyota SUV braked, giving me enough time to slide by him on the English side of traffic before he made it by the semi with little to spare.

Again, it may have taken you a few minutes to read this but from the moment I entered this curve to the simultaneous action taken by all 4 of us was a matter of only 2-3 seconds! And if any one of us had not done the exact dance we did at the exact moment we did, we would have impacted and death would have ensued.

Directly afterwards I looked in my rearview mirror and everyone just returned to their lanes and kept going. No one stopped, no one pulled over. At that moment my cell rang and it was my mother (as I like to say, I come from a long line of “witches”) asking me if I was ok and what had happened. At that point my adrenaline caught up with me and I broke into huge sobs.

Now I don’t believe I needed proof of telepathy as I have seen that since birth, but it does demonstrate quite well to take care in requiring proof before you have faith and believe.As for me, it was definitely a moment of clarity where I questioned my total existence, or almost lack thereof! I took a long look at my life and my true self and decided that day to sell my company, leave my family business, end my romantic relationship and start a new company that follows my true path. It did take six months to sell my biz, finally get my boyfriend out of my house and life, get my new company up and running, and I’m still extricating myself from the family business, but 2010 has brought a commitment to living my true purpose.

The #1 thing I hear in my holistic wellness workshops is “I hate exercise”. My clients want to lose weight, feel better, have more energy but aren’t willing to actually do the work for it. Guess what folks? There Is No Magic Pill! You simply must learn to love exercise.

How to do this you ask? Experimentation!!! There are so many ways to get your body moving, try them all! If you want to go to the gym but are intimidated, buy a session or two with a personal trainer and ask to be shown the proper way to use the machines! If you want to try a spinning class speak with the instructor beforehand and state that you have never done it and would appreciate any tips & rules. As a yoga teacher it has always brought me joy to see new people in class, even if they’re in the back and not able to keep up. They are trying, learning, hopefully enjoying, and definitely growing!

When my best friend and I went on our first Wine Lovers Weekend we weren’t wine lovers yet. So I shushed my ego, walked straight up to the counter at the first high-end winery in Sonoma and boldly stated, “I have no idea what I’m doing, I have never drank red wine before. Do you have the time to teach us how to appreciate it?” And they did! We had no expectations, we were ready for ANY experience that came our way and we certainly got one! Now, I still don’t enjoy red wine but now I know it’s not for me because I tried it! I can cross it off my list.

So what’s on your Movement List? Running, yoga, zumba, karate, rock climbing, triathlons? Start trying them and checking them off the list! If you find you don’t like going to a gym then buy some kettlebells and start swinging them around at home! If you tried yoga and found it was not your cup of tea try a different style. I always say yoga is like ice cream, there are 31 flavors. Keep experimenting until you find the one style that suits you the best. Then, within that style, find different teachers with whom you resonate the most.

By finding several different active endeavors you enjoy you are much more likely to continue with an exercise plan. Also, by enlisting friends to join you the odds of sticking with a plan grow exponentially! Many of us feel like quitting at times but when we know someone else is counting on us we get out there and do it!

Last, if you cannot find the time to get to the gym or to a class then workout at home. Put the kids on their bikes, baby in the jogger and walk around the block a few times after dinner. Rent some workout DVDs at the library and give them a try. I have no gym in my very small town so I’ve created a great library of Ellen Barrett, Billy Blanks and more.

Excuses don’t get you to a healthier, happier body, hard work does. But it can & should be enjoyable! Check your ego at the door, experiment with many types of movement and find your favorite exercises!

“Life is a series of steps. Things are done gradually. Once in a while there is a giant step, but most of the time we are taking small, seemingly insignificant steps on the stairway of life.”
Ralph Ransom

Often we get overwhelmed by looking at the “big picture”. By breaking down the goal into manageable steps we can focus on only the next step, completing it and moving it to our Weekly Win list. Jumping steps , or covering great distances in a short time, most often doesn’t give your brain enough time to engrain the new habit. Therefore small steps get you to your goal and keep you there the long term. Choose a desire, dream or goal that you’ve had for quite a while. Now grab a piece of lined paper and write it down. Next write down the numbers 1 through 10, one per line, on the paper. Take a moment to really think of your goal, feel it, toss it around in your mind and in your soul. Then write down 10 steps that you believe would get you to your goal.

Yes, a beautifully written chronological order of progression is what we all want to see on the paper, but remember, we’re not going for perfection, we’re going for forward movement. So your steps do not need to be in exact order, they can even be several completely exclusive tasks that each move you up a stair step. When you’ve listed the 10th step you can stop – you don’t want to create an overwhelming step list as that’s the emotion we are banishing in the first place!Now take an action on one step everyday. No matter how small or grand, take action daily! Each step towards a goal may seem like a baby step, like your goal is still a million miles away, but remember, forward movement begets forward movement and the momentum will increase.

Also, post Your Goal Step List on your fridge, wall, bathroom mirror, or photocopy it and post it in all three places! Refer to the list many, many times per day to remain focused on forward movement. Every time you take a step, or even a baby step towards a step, write it down as a Win on your day planner or journal. Every step is a win and when you write down your wins you will watch them add up. And they will add up to your goal!

Always remember, baby steps add up to grand goals!

A recent trip to the Big Apple handed me a valuable lesson on how one’s perspective can change everything. Join me on a little jaunt into the recent past, a place my good NYC friend encourages me NOT to live in – ever! I am currently in a less than desired situation at home that I affectionately label “The Blackhole”, so needless to say, that perspective may just have a teensy effect on my outlook. So let’s begin this little jaunt:

For starters I was running late and when you have a 2 ½ hour drive to the airport late is not a good thing to be! Next up: while dropping off the kids at their dad’s I creamed his mailbox. And no, not on purpose – we are actually good friends, so it was not about our relationship, but rather it’s about my relationship with mailboxes. I have hit three in the past three months, although in my defense one was my Yorkie’s fault as she decided at that moment to drive.

Next I realized I had not grabbed the iPass and would have to stop at tollbooths on the way to the airport – expensive and time consuming. Once I did arrive at the airport I struck up a conversation with the nice gentleman securing the parking lot tram station only to be told I was in the wrong parking lot, which would charge me double. He assured me the tram was fast and I would have plenty of time to move my car, take the bus back to his tram station and make my flight. Hmmm, did I mention I also had to make a potty break?

Fast forward to airport security. By now time was getting tight so I felt the urgent need to perform the dreaded “pardon me I’m going to miss my flight, may I move to the head of the line?” tactic only to find out that is verboten nowadays.

After my rather long, rather impatient security wait I raced to my gate. Now I have this wonderful little quirk of always being scheduled at the last gate of an airport. No matter the airport, the departure city, the destination, I am always guaranteed to be headed to the very last gate. Why break tradition now? I am now ridiculously late, running through O’Hare, one of the busiest airports in the world, and my gate is approximately 73 miles away. As a half-marathoner I am confident I can go the distance, but I quickly realize I do not usually race with 2 pieces of luggage and a maze of people in front of me! Alas I did not cross the finish line and receive a shiny medal. I instead watched the gate agent close the door 50 feet from me and fade down the jetway. Yes, I missed my flight!

While waiting standby for another flight my always worried mother called me so I of course related the whole painful morning to her. “This is a sign, don’t get on an airplane, yada, yada, yada” she warned me. I pondered this a moment and decided I had a choice of two paths. I could decide that my misfortune was a sign from the Universe that I was indeed doomed or I could use my intuitive skills and realize I was safe and that my perspective was what was initiating these less than desired events.

My scientific, analytical left brain saw an experiment brewing! I could not change the past, nor is it healthy to dwell on it, therefore why not change my perspective and note whether it changes my future events? Why not check expectations and desires at the door and choose to see the wonder in every action, be grateful for every situation I find myself in?

Fast forward to the trip home. After 4 days of big city bliss I awoke before my alarm, allowing me to leisurely get ready for my flight. Hailing a cab at 7am turned out to take only 1 second and I had the most interesting ride – my driver was the King of Guinea. Yes, they abolished the kingdom after his (grand)father passed away, but that still makes him a king in my eyes. A very sweet man, who consciously drove slowly enough as to not awaken my carsickness I mentioned. And surprisingly the meter rolled as slowly as his driving! The trip was $7 less than the harrowing experience of entering the city 4 days previous. One generous, earned tip later I was making my way through a very short security line to find that the earlier flight back to Chicago not only had not left yet but had available seats. A roomy exit row seat for that matter!

So here I am on the plane, pondering just how much my change in perspective changed my reality. The experiment was a success! Now the next question becomes: how do I initiate a change in perspective the next time I find myself entering “the blackhole” of little creativity, little positivity, little anything other than resistance? I will turn first to my witty friend Patrick Ward who offered easy advice on using play to up creativity (thus positivity) his blog. Follow that with talented psychic and cool chika Erin Pavlina’s 10 Ways To Raise Your Vibration and I am armed for my next mission!

PS: My arrival gate was 8 – out of 32! Things are really looking up!

I recently received a very valuable message in the form of some great growth experiences, but from a messenger that I really didn’t take to. To be honest, some people you like and some people you don’t. Some people just tend to rub you the wrong way. Their energy, their vibe, just kind of repels you for various reasons. Well, this was that kind of person. And I wasn’t the only one that felt that way, so I found in our situation a great opportunity to pass on an important lesson I learned years ago.

What’s important is the message … not the messenger, not the paper it was written on, not the delivery method. Throw out all those things and remember, the only thing important here is the message.

I recalled the conversation years ago where a mentor shared that lesson with me. I was really dwelling on the way a boyfriend had broken up with me. OK, I was actually throwing myself quite a pity party over it. My mentor smiled at me and asked what lesson I learned from the relationship. I spit out the answer quite quickly. She smiled again and then asked me why I was dwelling on the delivery method and not the message. Of course I profoundly replied, “huh?”

She went on to explain that so often we let our egos take over (especially it seems in painful or lustful situations) & we allow ourselves to be caught up in the messenger (why did I fall for him again??), in the delivery method (why did he have to be so cruel??) and not the message (I manifested my fears instead of focusing on what I truly wanted).

So the day in the recent past when my friend was discussing how he was having trouble with the message since he was having trouble with the messenger I happily pointed out that the two do not have to be paired, or even related. I showed how easy it is: keep the message, toss out the rest.Next time you find yourself in a situation, whether it is desirable (what a wonderful person, I want to keep him so badly!) or undesirable (what an unappealing person, how quickly can I get away from him?) remember, it’s not the messenger that counts, focus rather on the message.

A new friend asked me the other day how to go about moving from his current eating patterns to vegetarian, vegan and on to raw. Since that question has been posed to me several times in the new year I thought I’d share my reply. Remember one person’s wisdom is another’s folly so I suggest if you’re going to change your eating do your research, start slow and most of all, listen to your body!

The First Step on the food ladder is to cut out animals. But that means making sure you’re replacing the protein – with nuts, seeds, beans, fats (avocados, etc). I don’t worry or measure, I just take notice in the back of my mind if I’ve had a little this or that. BUT, if I work out I do use protein powder (hemp, etc, NOT whey or soy). I don’t want my body to feed off my muscle. I love Raw Power powder as it’s loaded with so many great food sources.

The Second Step on the ladder is cutting out white flour and dairy. I personally believe dairy is mucus forming in your intestines and let’s face it, you’re not a calf! You can get plenty of calcium by hiding spinach in a smoothie. Watch my 60 second smoothie video on YouTube and see how I make a great meal replacement or after workout snack.

The Third Step is to incorporate more raw foods instead of cooked. Raw means under 105 – 118 degrees, depending on who you follow. In winter in my Midwestern snowy home I make soup in my VitaMix and it’s quite warm yet still raw. I depend on my raw uncookbooks for creative recipes when I have time. When I’m on the run I’ll go for hummus or guacamole.

The Fourth Step is to balance your pH. Coffee, fast food and processed food is very acidic, throwing the body off balance and leads to quite a few unpleasant symptoms. I start off my day with lemonade to flush my body and get my engine started. The recipe is in the Master Cleanse book, well worth reading, but I use ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, ¼ cup grade B maple syrup and a dash of cayenne. Add 16 oz of water and down the hatch. The whole Cleansing topic is a blog entry unto itself but lemonade does wonders for the body.

Last step to going vegan is no animal products, meaning no leather shoes, no wool, no honey. I suggest finding your happy medium.

The suggestions I give in my 1 Hour 2 Wellness Workshops are to lower the times you eat meat per week and incorporate as much raw fruits and veggies as you can. Substitute your dairy with non-dairy choices (almond milk, etc) and keep green powder packets on hand for a quickie pick-me-up. I start people with Greens To Go as it is palatable and move up to organic brands found in health food stores as one becomes more comfortable with the color and taste.

Again, follow your heart & spirit, listen to your body and forget the rules. Do what feels right to you. If what I suggested resonates with you try it. If you think I’m full of beans then skip it! (And remember that none of the above is intended to be a substitute for medical advice or care or a visit to a registered dietician!)

Here are some of my web and book research recommendations:

TheRawFoodCoach.com – Karen Knowler, she rocks!

Raw-Food-Diet-Inspiration.com – Darlene Navarre, I love her spirit!

RenegadeHealth.com – Kevin Gianni and his wife do great video blogs full of information!

The Kind Diet- Alicia Silverstone . This is a GREAT book to start your journey.

Green For Life – Victoria Boutenko. Awesome smoothie recipes from the First Family of the Raw Kingdom!

The Complete Master Cleanse – Tom Woloshyn. Great take on the original “Lemonade Diet”.